I have found success recruiting managers from local competing parks. Wherever I own a park I like to keep a small book of Lonnie Deals in other parks for a couple of reasons.
Good returns and cash flow 30%++.
Creates a cheep inventory of homes for my park - if a deal goes south I can move the home to my park - properly structured the home will have already been paid for w/ profits.
I get to work with local management and know who’s a good manager and what my competition is up to.
These ideas may not help you in the short run but there worth mentioning.
Expecting the park manager to own his or her own trailer is a bit demanding is it not? Since you are marketing outside your current tenant base, it would imply that the new park manager would have to move a trailer into your park right?
Not only does this limit your park manager applicant base but it also limits your ability to get a bad park manager out of your life. If they go bad, chances are your state law will allow them to stay quite a bit longer because they own their mobile home. Evictions of homes often take longer but certainly vary by state. Then there is the issues you get stuck with if they just abandon the home.
Personally I would think it best for you to provide the mobile home for the park manager. This is quite common, provides and incentive for the applicant and since you own the home it will likely provide you the ability to get a bad park manager out of the park faster (again, check your state laws).
Nothing would be worse to the operation and moral of your park then a disgruntled, former park manager rallying the other tenants against you.