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Juke...gorgeous reno!!! I remember an article years ago about Malibu mobile homes selling for 1 million!!!!
The Malibu mobile home park you mention has been there for many, many years. It's called Paradise Cove Mobile Home Park and the "trailers" have indeed increased in value to over a million in some cases. I remember the actress Minnie Driver owned one for a long time. Interesting fact about that place if you remember the TV program Rockford Files. When they showed the area and beach outside Rockford's home, this was the area they were filming.
In fact, Rockford certainly couldn't have afforded it! The trailer they photographed as Rockford's was an old one parked specifically for filming purposes in the parking lot of a restaurant called Tonga Lei Beach Cafe on Pacific Coast Highway.
We just spent a month in a mobile home in Bradenton in a community called Trailor Estates. Yes, that's really the name as its one of the earliest, back in the '50's but people own their lots there and the upgrades have been incredible on some. It was obvious some people owned two lots as one had a double wide modular home as well as a two car garage. We were right on the bay, along a canal. The place had all kinds of activities, very busy. The downside was we were under the final approach for Sarasota Airport and felt they were landing on top of us at times.
I do want to say if you have a mobile home look at what will happen for reselling someday, especially in a community where you rent the land. We are dealing with that right now as my in laws were in a nice community in Daytona Beach where they paid land rent. Fast forward to now the age where they can no longer go down and are still paying $500+/month on a place that isn't used. When we finally convinced him to sell we could not sell a 50+ year old single wide and the only way to get out of the land rent was either sell or have it removed. So, now the expense is having a company come in and remove and restore the lot. A lot of money has been wasted on monthly land rent plus now demolishing.
To me, even though the land is in a co-op, I would always worry about not having ownership of the land itself. Renting a lot in a private park is a recipe for disaster eventually - most parks eventually sell out to someone who wants to build condos or such - and if you have a trailer in there, tough, your problem to find a new place to park it.
That said, for someone with limited finances, this might be attractive.
In general Florida weather is great except for the hurricanes.
There is a 55+ community in Ft. Myers Beach where manufactured homes sell up to 400k. The development is operated by the community and everyone owns their lot.
I was interested in a mobile-home co-op in Tucson, but not just anyone can buy in there, as you need to be approved by the Board of Directors, which can discriminate for any reason, as they're above discrimination laws. At this co-op a background check is made, not just on the owner, but anyone else that will be living with you.
I have a Green-card Mexican who's been living with me for 15 years (rents a room from me and has now become a "family member") and I'm concerned that, if I proceed with buying a home there, they may not allow him to live there. It's pretty much an all-white community, and for all I know, they may not want a Mexican living in their community, as there's some segregation issues in Tucson.
And, if you choose to sell, your buyers must also be approved by the Board of Directors, which could delay the sale of your home.
I was also looking at some condo co-ops in Tucson, facing the same issues as well, and small wonder there's always a slew of units for sale in these complexes, as, who knows, the Board of Directors may be very, very picky about who they wish to reside there.
Sheesh! I read the book 740 Park Avenue, on the most expensive co-op in Manhattan, where you need $100 million in assets just to be considered as an owner there, and Barbra Streisand once was desiring to buy a unit there, and even with more than $100 million in assets, they rejected her! Yes, co-ops can accept/reject anyone they please, and no explanation for their rejection is needed!
In my life I have lived in a small single family home, a large single family home, a two story townhouse, a three story townhouse, a condo on the 8th floor with ocean and intracoastal views, and a condo on the ground floor with views of nothing but trees.
I have never lived in a mobile or manufactured home.
Well, that's about to change! I'm moving into an over 55 manufactured home community next week. I'm so excited about this opportunity for many reasons. Property tax is $800. Homeowner's insurance is $500. That's per year. I have a small yard to grow herbs and tomatoes and flowers. No shared walls. We would never be able to afford a 1500 square foot home with a nice outdoor area in the part of the country we choose to live in (Oregon). Instead we have a paid for home that should last for the remainder of our lives with upkeep. It seems in our experience the over 55's are much more desirable and hence, more expensive than normal manufactured home parks. The one we bought in is a mixture of new double wides and much older single wides. They are combining the lots when they can and some of the residents are downsizing within the park to new single wides after their spouses are gone. There seems to be a real sense of community.
For retirees in particular, I think townhouses aren't a good idea. You can still experience noise through shared walls in a townhouse and stairs are not the smartest idea for an aging buyer. And condos have too much shared risk. I never want anything to do with a condo Board again.
I think manufactured home parks could be the wave of the future for boomer retirees like myself who retired sooner than they planned and may not have the assets to downsize into a stick built home and don't need assisted living.
ONLY if it were a very, very, very, very, very quiet park with NO possibility of EVER hearing your neighbors (same thing I would want in an apartment, but I don't think there's such a thing as a 100% soundproof apartment)
the last three apartments i've lived in were all very very very quiet. Two of them had listed in their ads that it is a quiet building and don't move in if you can't follow that. One had an on site manager that was great, addressed any concerns immediately. There were people that worked all different shifts and were all interested in and picked the building because they wanted the quiet, even though it was right in town. The other reiterated the quiet definition was if anyone can hear any other neighbors ever, it's too loud. They were great to live in because i love the peace and quiet and they suited me well.
The other really quiet building did not advertise quiet, it was a huge old 4-floor complex with hundreds of people living there, but it was an old building and had incredibly good construction with really good thick walls and smart layout of floor plans, and i was amazed how quiet the building was, especially since it included kids and pets and families. Amazing. I was there several years, the only noise was from street traffic. Or when I was outside on my deck facing the courtyard and then i could hear people outside at the picnic tables.
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