650: Glamping, Campsites, and The Insane RV Park Revenue No One is Talking About w/Heather Blankenship

RV park investments are probably not the first thing you think of when somebody says “real estate investing.” You’re probably used to single-family homes, duplexes, apartments, or something that has to do with long-term, residential real estate. What if we told you there was a hidden niche in the real estate investing arena, one with less competition, sky-high revenues, and almost unlimited ways to cash flow.  Heather Blankenship has been in the short-term rental investing niche for more than a decade. It was much different back when she got started. On a coast-to-coast road trip, Heather had the idea to buy an RV park. She had no experience, no money, and knew nothing about hospitality operations. She was, quite surprisingly, able to find and buy a $3.2M RV park, which she’s now upgraded into a $15M property.  Don’t get her story wrong, this is not a “fake it till you make it” type scenario. Heather put in years' worth of long days, longer nights, and enormous effort to make properties just like this one, finally profit. Now, with three kids and a portfolio worth over $30M, Heather has become one of the leading figures in creative short-term rental investing. If you’ve never thought about glamping, camping, or RV park investing, this episode will seriously pique your interest.  In This Episode We Cover The massive cash flow you can earn from RV parks, campsites, and glamping  How the short-term rental space is softening and what hosts can do to stand out Ditching the traditional travel sites and why building a direct booking site may be the best move for investors  The dozens of ways you can make money owning an RV park or campsite  Commercial financing, permitting, and everything else you must know before buying a large short-term rental property  And So Much More! Links from the Show BiggerPockets Youtube Channel BiggerPockets Forums BiggerPockets Pro Membership BiggerPockets Bookstore BiggerPockets Bootcamps BiggerPockets Podcast Get Your Ticket for BPCon 2022 Listen to All Your Favorite BiggerPockets Podcast