Living in a mobile home? (San Jose, Concord: for sale, foreclosure, to rent)

[sonarrat]

There are lots of parks in San Jose, too. Some on Monterey Road by the train tracks, next to Capitol & 101, Story & 101, Curtner & 87, around Senter & Lewis, and there are hundreds of mobile homes on Oakland Road between 101 and Montague.

[mattbrink]

there are mobile home parks in half moon bay too.

[kgs]

Hi,
I live in Plaza Del Rey in Sunnyvale. Clean, beautiful and very safe. I've owned 3 homes in the bay area, but love living here more than in any of the previous houses. New manufactured homes are so beautiful and living in such a secure community is wonderful.

Space rent is around 850 / month, and mortgage payment for us is 1180.00...but it is all worth it. Loans for these homes are only for 20 years, and you end up saving a whole lot in interest...so just depends on if it works for you.

Best of luck!!

[miss x3]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

Can you live on 50K in the Bay Area? Sure, lots of people do... in fact, I only make 10K more than that. But can you buy a nice home? Probably not. I don't know much about the mobile homes here, but I'm sure TallysMom is right, that it's not a great deal. And purchasing one will probably cost $200-300K minimum, well above what you're hoping to spend. In my opinion, if you really want to live here, consider renting instead of buying anything... at least for a few years, until you've saved enough for a decent down payment. Then you can start small with a "cheap" townhouse/condo, and work your way up the "property ladder". Mobile homes don't really increase in value, from what I understand, so that's probably a smarter long-term plan.

Mobile homes are only good if you keep moving around (google the gypsy carvan, Rowan of the Wood) otherwise.. the lot costs are just more expensive.

Would you consider living in TX? With the heat it's bad, but some areas are much less expensive for putting a trailer. Also, I left TX because I can't take cockroaches in the house.. and everyone down there tells me roaches are a way of life, in the h ouse, and that I have to 'deal ' with it. Oh yeah? those of you saying 'can't get a good house'., a GOOD house is one that is bug and cockroach free, clean, and safe. Period. Throwing money away on rent gets you nothing.

[mysticaltyger]

I admit I just don't get the appeal of mobile home living unless you own the land underneath. I don't think we have any areas like that here. You have to pay the space rent, and then you have to buy the mobile home, which is just like a car....it declines in value. So, it seems to me you get the disadvantages of both owning a home and renting all at the same time.

One other thing I'll mention is it seems to me these mobile home parks are always under threat of being torn down to make way for condos or apartments or whatever. Maybe I'm exaggerating, but it definitely does happen.

As for living here on 50K, that is entirely possible if you're single or a couple without kids (that's what I earn and I save a decent amount besides). But I live in a studio apartment and I'm happy with that because I don't want or need a lot of living space.

But if you expect to live with lots of square footage like the average person from Indiana where the land is cheap, well you'll have to make an adjustment to your expectations or you'll have problems.

[AuntDianesArk]

I know of at least 4 mobile home parks in Marin, but the space rent starts at like $700.00, and they're pretty crappy. The best is on Armstrong Ave in Novato.

[ExNooYawk]

My daughter and her husband are about to purchase a mobile home here in Oregon. It is beeee-yoo-ty-ful. It is on .20 acre in an immaculate park, the units are all well tended with picket fences and landscaping, the unit itself is 1600 square feet. The kitchen is brand new with maple cabinets and unused appliances including a washer dryer, microwave, oven, refrigerator and dishwasher. This will cost them $80k with space rent of $475 per month. Taxes will be around $1,000 per year. Homes in our area run around $265 per square foot so they are getting beautiful living space for a good deal.

[Archan]

I would think about living a couple hours outside of San Francisco. Close enough to drive in when you want to. There is so much to do in Northern California, besides the city. I lived in the East Bay, which is fairly centrally located. I could easily drive to Lake Tahoe, Napa, Monterey/Carmel, Yosemite and Reno when I wanted to.

[HappyMHOwner]

Right now, there are deals out there on short sales and foreclosed mobile homes. If you look in the right age range, you can do very nicely. My husband and I just bought a 9-year old MH for $55,000 and it is a 3/2 and 1250 square feet. It has a big kitchen, vaulted ceilings and a garden tub in the master bathroom. It is nicer than the house that we are going to walk away from. It has a small yard and we can have our two small dogs at this park. Even with the $890 space rent, we will be paying less than we would for a like-sized apartment or house, and we will own at least the house. That means we can change to fit our needs and not worry about a landlord deciding to throw us out after our lease expires in a year. We plan on paying it off in 5 years, so then we will just have the space rent. Also, If you buy a MH that needs some cosmetic fixing (paint, carpet, etc.), you can make money on it - espeicially if the market takes a turn for the better. MHs are like cars - if you buy a brand new one, you are going to lose value right away - but a good-quality newer one will hold its value or even appreciate. You definitely need to do your homework and find the right park. Some are scary and have a lot of crime, and others are beautifully maintained and have no crime. We drove through at least twenty parks before we decided on the one we wanted to live in in South San Jose. It is a friendly park that is not "low-class" by any means. Don't write off a MH if you are lookig for an affordable option in the Bay Area...

[TXGirlDreamingofSF]

I know there is a trailer park in Livermore, as a friend of mine lives at it. She owns her trailer, but pays $700 or $800 a month for the lot. (can't remember which it is).