At last week’s IMN Manufactured Housing East Forum, the panel Asset Management Strategies for Increasing Revenue & Building Your Business centered on a pressing issue for today’s owners and operators: in a market that is slow and seeing limited transactions, with refinancing pressures still looming, how can you position your homes to maintain profitability?
The panel explored tried-and-true strategies such as adding more doors, exploring new partnerships, and cutting costs, but it also opened the door to a broader question: what untapped revenue streams are available to manufactured housing leaders today? That’s where bulk internet enters the conversation.
The Search for a Sustainable Ancillary Revenue Stream
In today’s market, relying solely on rent growth or door count is risky. Rising insurance premiums, interest rate volatility, and operating costs mean owners must diversify income. For many, that has led to creative solutions of ancillary services, amenity packages, and partnerships outside the traditional property management sphere.
Bulk internet is quickly emerging as one of the most reliable and scalable options. Instead of leaving residents to deal with retail internet providers, owners can work with a dedicated partner to negotiate a bulk agreement for their entire portfolio. This gives every resident fast, ready-to-use internet the day they move in. It’s a service residents appreciate and will pay for while also creating steady and meaningful income for owners.
Why Residents Love Bulk Internet
For residents, bulk internet eliminates the headaches of retail service: waiting on installation, confusing billing, and inconsistent speeds. Connectivity is ready from day one, costs are predictable, and service quality is far higher than what many retail providers deliver. In a world where reliable internet is as essential as water or power, this creates a powerful resident retention tool.
And the best part? Happy residents translate directly into financial stability. Properties with seamless connectivity see lower turnover, stronger online reviews, and improved leasing velocity which all feed back into a stronger bottom line.
How Bulk Internet Strengthens Your Portfolio
From an owner/operator and a resident perspective, bulk internet offers multiple layers of value:
- Move-In Ready Connectivity: Residents receive reliable high-speed internet that is ready to use on day one. No calls, no setup, no waiting.
- Better Resident Experience: With site teams freed from internet issues, staff can focus more on resident needs and service.
- Recurring Revenue: By charging residents a set technology fee that’s often lower than retail rates, owners create a new monthly income stream with minimal overhead.
- Portfolio Scalability: Once implemented at one property, the model can be replicated across the portfolio with efficiency and consistency.
- Operational Efficiency: Centralized billing and service management reduce headaches for site teams, freeing them up to focus on residents rather than troubleshooting connectivity issues.
How Onboard Fits In
Revenue growth in the manufactured housing space requires more than adding doors. It requires creative, sustainable income streams that also elevate the resident experience and bulk internet offers exactly that. Bulk internet is the reliable way to generate new revenue, build long-term property value, and deliver the seamless connectivity residents now expect.
But while the opportunity is clear, execution can be complex. Negotiating contracts, modeling financial impact, and coordinating implementation across site teams all require structure and expertise. That’s where Onboard comes in. Our platform and team handle the heavy lifting from program design and provider negotiations to resident communications and ongoing support. We make bulk internet simple, scalable, and resident-focused so your program launches on time, on budget, and delivers the results you need.
And paired with Conservice’s utility management, owners can gain even more operational and cost savings by streamlining essential services such as utilities and internet.
If you’re ready to explore bulk internet as your next revenue opportunity, connect with us today!
