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Old 11-14-2015, 10:33 AM
Status: "Mistress of finance and foods." (set 21 days ago)
 
Location: Coastal Georgia
50,036 posts, read 63,371,030 times
Reputation: 92564

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I have been in a few mobiles, and a modular. The modular was just as nice as any stick built home. The mobile my in- laws had in a +55 park in FL, was old and not very nice, but the grounds and amenities were very nice. The bad part was that they paid over $300. a month for the lot it was on.
I could live in a newer double wide, but not an older model of any size. The older ones were made of cheap materials and have not held up well.
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Old 11-14-2015, 03:04 PM
 
Location: Ohio
2,801 posts, read 2,296,850 times
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Years ago I knew a woman that lived in a double-wide trailer, a very large farm in Miss. once you got inside you would never know it was a trailer, any difference from a fixed house I couldn't guess.
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Old 11-14-2015, 06:01 PM
Status: "Mistress of finance and foods." (set 21 days ago)
 
Location: Coastal Georgia
50,036 posts, read 63,371,030 times
Reputation: 92564
The bottom line is, we all want to be warm and dry, and sometimes a mobile is the best way to achieve this in an economical way. I may yet wind up in one, who knows? If I do, I'm sure I'll be grateful for the shelter.
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Old 11-14-2015, 09:10 PM
 
3,956 posts, read 4,196,898 times
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Some of the folks over in the Retirement forum may have some insights on this topic as well, as a fair number of retirees choose to live in these types of homes. Not suggesting the OP double-post, but if the responses have sparked some new questions, the OP can post in Retirement if he or she thinks it would be helpful.
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Old 11-15-2015, 08:55 AM
 
5,697 posts, read 19,081,703 times
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I think it all depends on location and if there are other options available. In the midwest, I have 3 relatives on my husband's side that live in mobile homes. None of them made a wise decision in regards to their purchase financially. The biggest misconception is that is cheaper to live in one. Lot rent goes up every year much like rent in an apt. and the mobile home still needs maintenance like a regular home. I think they go with the option because it is easier.

The first time I was ever in a mobile home was visiting my husband's grandmother. She had owned a home outright in the city. She enjoyed walking to the corner store and had a part time job at a local laundry mat within walking distance. It kept her mobile and social. She was passive in nature though. She let my FIL (who is a tyrant) talk her into selling her home and moving into a mobile home in a 55+ park. He told her it would be cheaper because her home was needing repairs. She often complained the heating and cooling bills were more than her little house she used to own. The lot rent went up every year and it ended up being more than a year's worth of property taxes at her old place. The place needed constant work and many times things were just rigged together because nothing was standard and it was difficult to work on.

Now the park itself wasn't bad. It had always been a retirement community but it was located 30 min. from where she originally lived and located off a major interstate. I believe there were only about 40 mobile homes in the park. Nothing to walk to, no more friends and she often talked about how depressing it was living there because everyone was older. She said it was depressing watching all her neighbors die off. She said one of her favorite things in life was enjoying a good thunderstorm but that ended after moving into the trailer. She said it would sway and rock. She became terrified of the weather. Mice was an issue as well. It was an older home, built in the 70's. A single wide with very dark paneling. I remember the kitchen sink was plastic along with the bathroom sink and shower. She moved in when she was in her mid 60's and by the time she was in her early 80's the park changed ownership and the new owners opened it to all ages. I think mainly because all the mobile homes were so old that only appealed to certain income levels. The park seemed to change overnight and it is good thing she didn't live long after that because crime became an issue.

My SIL became disabled a few years ago and my BIL talked her into moving into a newer mobile home. He made her feel bad she was disabled and couldn't work anymore and convinced her that this was their only option. He actually had a hidden agenda. He wanted to retire early at the age of 53. Blew me away when he told me they paid 75K for the place. They sold their home and used the profit to buy the mobile home outright. They pay roughly 500 a month for lot rent. They could have easily purchased a smaller home in the 80k range and stayed in their neighborhood. Property taxes would be far less than what they are paying in lot rent every year. He said since the home was newer they wouldn't have to deal with regular maintenance of a stick built home. Yeah, okay. :roll eyes: It is a nice park for now. The home is large, around 1800 sft. It has a fireplace in the living room, a massive sized kitchen with a kitchen island, dining room, 3 bedrooms with 2 baths. Time will tell how the park will hold up. I can tell my SIL hates living there. She has started to complain that the kitchen cabinets are falling apart already.

I just haven't seen a situation yet where it made financial sense, in the midwest at least.
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Old 11-15-2015, 03:14 PM
 
Location: Looking over your shoulder
31,304 posts, read 32,767,949 times
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My wife and I lived in a mobile-home when we were first married and liked it at the time. However everything it fits the needs for some and isn’t for everyone. There are several issues to think about so it’s important to consider each one for your own area of the country as it can and will change from region to region.

Some areas of the country mobile-home living can be an issue because of the weather there. Strong winds, winter storms, summer heat and all might be an important issue of why you might not want to live in one. However other areas it works out just fine if it’s setup in a night location.

Some areas of the country you can’t find qualified home builders or homes that are available to move into; usually small town rural areas, so a mobile home is a good answer to the problem, provided you have a good place to park and setup the unit.

Larger cities have many parks to setup a mobile however some are not in the best location just as homes in neighborhoods are not always desirable for one reason or another. You need to have a good place that is workable for you. Rent is a big factor as well; many locations the lot rent will go up each year you stay there.

And like any home you need to maintain it, repair things that need attention and keep it working for you just like you would in a conventional home. Don’t let small minor repair issues go unfixed; they only get worse in time.

The space in our mobile wasn’t an issue when we first moved in as a young married couple, however like most people you acquire more things that need to be stored away and our mobile didn’t have enough storage space.

Buying new or used is a big factor. Just like buying a car, you don’t always know what you’re going to get until later and many times it turns out to be a lemon. Use good common sense and take someone who knows a little about construction and would have good opinions on the location of it.
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Old 09-10-2016, 10:37 PM
 
Location: Cushing OK
14,539 posts, read 21,172,856 times
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I had a double wide with a built screened and glassed in porch which made it a triplewide. They had lots of green, and a lake and the area was a bird sancuary. It was wonderful at first. I painted everything and there was room for all my stuff. I could even put the family stuff on the wall. It was nice to go out and take the pathway around a bend and see the birds.

But then the office raised the space rent. three months later they raised it again. Then in three months. This wasn't legal, but if you were a good enough lawyer to read the contract, they had the right, hidden somewhere in the legalspeak.

I lost it a year later. A LOT of people had moved out, more evicted. They had more empties than rented and they were not in much of a hurry to sell. It turned out that next to it, owned by the same group, was a newer area with homes. They were still renting the land, but made a lot more off it than the mobiles. But if they could kill the occupancy of them they could convert....

There were a few suits but most had long ago moved. It's still a mobile home park and bird reserve.

But lesson learned was have a LAWYER in the proper segment of law read over your contract and point out the traps before you decide to sign on the dotted line.

And be prepared to live with much nitpicking. My son had gotten some flower seeds, and planted them in the small yard. They were growing and blooming and he was very proud. I came home from the store, and the gate was open, the dog sitting by the front door, and they'd pulled all the flowers. The office said the flowers were not 'approved'. I locked the gate so the dog wouldn't get out again and they said I couldn't.

I wish I'd have been able to stay longer for it was a fairly quite place, but as the rents went up and services down, my car got stolen in the parking lot. It was driven out the gate, but there was no id or camera on leaving. I found parts of it by the outside fence later. The area turned out to have the highest theft rate in town. At night your car HAD to be in the parking lot, not by your house.

I would take a LOT of convincing that mobile home parks were either safe or worth the money.
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Old 09-11-2016, 03:43 PM
 
12,016 posts, read 12,643,608 times
Reputation: 13420
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarciaMarshaMarcia View Post

When she died my sister thought it would be difficult to sell the coach as it was quite dated but it sold within 6 months. I'm guessing that was because of the desirable location & lack of reasonably priced homes for seniors on a budget. It's still there, & I'm surprised that the mobile home park still exists, due to the value of the land...the locale, in my opinion, is not as nice as it once was, as all the pretty flower fields that surrounded it are long gone, replaced with commercial property. But inside the park, it is still well-maintained.
That's part of the problem. If a park owner gets a huge offer from a developer who wants to buy you have to find a new place to take your home to. If the house is older good luck moving it without it falling apart or even finding another park that will take a home older than 10 years old. So when you rent a lot, it costs a lot in desireable areas. If they want to sell the land a developer can put a building where only a few homes stood and make a mint. The parks do make money because they rent the small land plots for a lot of money and only have to upkeep the pool and common areas and pay a few employees. Some parks don't even include landscaping and you have to mow your own yard area or pay someone to do it.
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Old 09-11-2016, 03:59 PM
 
12,016 posts, read 12,643,608 times
Reputation: 13420
Quote:
Originally Posted by gentlearts View Post
I have been in a few mobiles, and a modular. The modular was just as nice as any stick built home. The mobile my in- laws had in a +55 park in FL, was old and not very nice, but the grounds and amenities were very nice. The bad part was that they paid over $300. a month for the lot it was on.
I could live in a newer double wide, but not an older model of any size. The older ones were made of cheap materials and have not held up well.
$300 lot rent in Florida is cheap. In Broward county , south east Fl, lot rents are $700 a month and up. In Southwest Florida the bad trailer parks with older trailers close to each other on dirt roads go for $350 a month lot rent.
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Old 09-11-2016, 10:27 PM
 
17,404 posts, read 14,958,803 times
Reputation: 22667
Even though this is old.. Most of the replies seem to focus on MH parks.. You don't have to live in a park. Get some land and put it there. Don't have to worry about rent going up..

Quality is what you make of it in a MH, honestly. There's certain things, if you go cheap.. Just plan on.. Plan on keeping light switches and receptacles on hand for replacing them. Or an electrician on call. They last about 6 to 10 years. Replace them with quality.

Plan on replacing about every water source.. All your faucets.. They're good for about 5 years.

If you ever have a water leak.. Plan on replacing subfloor. Carpet is good for 7 or 8 years.

But.. They're a hell of a lot better now than years past. The problem is that the general quality of people in them don't take care of them. So, they fall apart quicker than stick built. My grandmother lived in one for 10 years.. That place looked brand new when she left and still does because the people who moved in continue to take care of it. My mother lives in one that is 20+ years old.. Looks brand new.

The biggest problem I have with them.. They use mobile home parts. The front door.. You can't go to Lowe's and buy one. They're about 2 inches smaller than standard stick-built. Internal doors are the same.
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