We recently connected with Steve Kramer and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Steve thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Steve has been a guidance counselor since 2006. I’ve worked at a couple community colleges in Kansas. In December 2014 I was hired at a local small liberal arts college helping with student success. I loved this job, I was going to retire in this job. In 2022 I was laid off because of budget constraints. This was a crisis point for me. I didn’t know what to do, so I decided to contribute to something that I loved…camp. A local Christian camp to be exact, doing maintenance. In late 2023 I was looking into a free trailer for the Christian camp to start marriage retreats. When I met the guy who owned the trailer, he showed me the trailer and before I left he asked, “Would you want to buy this whole trailer park?”
This one question started a journey and a huge risk for us. My wife, Misty and I started asking the advice of the wisest people we knew if this was a good investment. These people were, Our Edward Jones investment guy, an uncle that does this type of work, family, friends, colleagues, etc. Everyone supported this crazy idea. We were told it was a great investment as long as we could do the work. So on November 1, 2023 we did it! We turned our investments in the stock market and our retirement plan into a business partnership. One Love Property Management LLC was born. Yikes!!!!
Here’s the kicker, and what makes us different from other property management companies. We have practiced giving back, and investing in people in our own personal finances, but could it be done with our business. We didn’t ask, we just did. We are doing things differently. We are giving back to our community, we are investing in our residence and creating community. Here is how: We partner with our residents to pick a charity, church, organization that supports the values they hold dear and donate 10% of their rent to that place. Does it cut into profits, yes. Is it worth it? YES!
We give back to our residents by choosing higher quality materials when we repair and replace, with the hope that they will feel better about where they live and who they are. We honor loyalty and stewardship of our residents by not raising rent while they stay and take care of the place. Does this cut into profits, yes. Is it worth it? YES!
We created a community garden in which every person could participate in and reap the benefits from the garden which included tomatoes, peppers, radishes, cucumbers, cilantro, and sweetcorn. We also bought a picnic table for people to be able to chill in the shade while they enjoy the garden.
So, one year into our venture, how are we doing? Well at our annual Edward Jones appointment we were pleased to learn that if we didn’t expand our park at all and just keep everything maintained we have over a 90% chance to meet our retirement goals. We have received good feedback from our residents appreciative of giving to valuable causes. All residents appreciate the stability of rent and have shown it through their commitment to stay. Determining how they feel about themselves and where they live is harder to gauge. A sense of community has been harder to evaluate as well, but we did have one person physically participate in our community garden. We were also able to provide fresh produce to our residents and some neighbors as well.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Misty and Steve are very different people, from different backgrounds, cultures and personalities. Misty was born in Ransom, KS and Steve was born in Pasadena, CA. Our differences joined together actually make us stronger and wiser. Both Misty and Steve have deep faith roots and it carries over in our love, respect and care for others. We also have hope in education and opportunity. Ultimately our values govern our interactions and our decisions. Love God and Love Others. Be Generous. Look at the good and be part of the good that is happening. Appreciate life that you see all around you. Slow down and be present. Encourage others in what you say and what you do. When you do something, give it your all. So how did we get the name? A love of reggae music, an admiration of Bob Marley and an adaption of faith and philosophy. Love, Unity, Respect, Care, One Family. One Love Property Management resides in Winfield, KS.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

When I was younger I bought into the idea that success meant wealth, privacy, superiority, specialness and telling people what to do while doing less. I know, I know, this seems cringy when I read it. I really thought that when I got to the top, this is what people do, maybe I saw people do this. I’m 47 now. I’m more in touch with the spiritual side of things now. I can’t ignore the truth of our connectedness anymore. I believe and I have seen that our success is collective. To think that one person can do anything worthwhile by themselves is ridiculous, in my opinion. Success comes from the helping of each other, the promoting of each other and in playing your part of the whole to the best of your ability. We need each other. We must care for each other. No one is more superior than another. We are in an ecosystem that needs care: both for us humans and other living plants and animals that inhabit this earth.
Misty would add that at first glance a trailer park doesn’t look glamorous and seems like a bad investment. However we were surprised to learn the previous owner had taken care of his residents with carports, important in Kansas. The residents were kind, friendly and loyal. We feel honored to continue to care for them as they have cared for the previous owners.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

To start our business it was important that we made a profit quickly, since this was taking the place of one of our household incomes. We considered a business loan, but didn’t think it was wise to make a payment each month that was more than we received in rent on one unit. The trailer park is not that big. We also wanted to have capital readily available to improve the properties immediately. So, we looked toward our current investments. We had socked away a pretty nice nest egg as we have worked for companies who offered investment opportunities. It was shocking to take that much out of this form of investment to start something we weren’t sure was going to work. We just had to rely on the input we had received from our trusted advisors. We did take out a small personal loan from the previous owner in exchange for the use of his equipment and supplies. He is also available to help with advice and to work on projects, similar to a mentoring relationship.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: oneloveproperty
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1FAXXJwhEH/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@carpentersteve?si=jKDL67WyzhwSnTeT
• Other: TikTok: one.love8274