Elderly parents hoping to retire- I would love the names of resident owned mobile parks for their low income please! (Sarasota: for sale)

[nanseisho]

Hello, My parents are in their early 80's and still working. They are currently renting in the Port Charlotte area, but their dream is to retire closer to the beaches in this area. They lost their home in 2008 (upside-down) my Dad has had serious health complications and they have struggled to work and make ends meet ever since. They do have a small nest egg from my Dad's employment (company stock) and with their SS they could probably swing purchasing something that would allow them to live with some comfort if it doesn't include loftly HOA or lot fees. I am in NH and it is difficult to help from here given the current pandemic. Please help me help them! I truly would like to see them have a couple of happy years while they still can. Thank you!

[Sunshine Rules]

The cheapest way to go would be to buy a mobile home on a rented lot. However, you are at the mercy of the land owner when it comes to raising the monthly fees and you always have to worry about the land being sold and being given notice to vacate & move your mobile home within a set timeline.

So that leaves buying a mobile home with the lot, as in real estate. A small mobile home with lot is going to start at around $65k - $75k in our area. Monthly fees can vary greatly, depending on what is being included. The cheapest I've seen is around $150 per month.

The other thing with mobile homes if you are buying them with the lot is that most of them are sold to cash buyers. Financing is very difficult to find, but is especially hard to find for older mobile homes.

Mobile homes on rental lots are treated as vehicle sales, mobile homes on owned lots are treated as real estate transactions. Both have transfer taxes / fees involved.



Your best options for finding affordable mobile homes, either on rental lots or with lot owned, would be 55+ MH parks in Bradenton. There are quite a few options there. Sarasota is going to offer less options and they will be more expensive.

[nanseisho]

Thank you for your thoughtful response! I have been doing quite a bit of research for them and I have come up with a lot of what you have said.

They have said they won't be able to afford any parks with higher rental fees ($800-$1000+), so they would need to buy something that sits on property that they will own outright (resident owned parks?) or has lower rental fees. I am trying to find which specific parks have lower fees or are resident owed. Do you have any names of such parks in the Bradenton area? It is difficult to sift through listings online to find the hidden specifics of where and in which park the listings are located and once that is deciphered, what the average rental fees are for the park.

I am thinking they will need to put most of their nest egg from my dad's company stock into the purchase of the mobile home itself as you said (that most want them to be paid for upfront) and they will probably only have what's left and SS to depend on.

I feel a bit helpless because they are not computer savvy and are basically doing a hunt and peck through the newspaper and it truly breaks my heart. The one thing they enjoy is the beach and they would like to be closer so I am trying my best to help them retire if at all possible. If they get the chance if only for a short while to finally retire and relax, it would be a blessing! Thanks again! Nancy H.

[City Guy997S]

Dont buy anything........... just rent.

[Parnassia]

I'm just curious...

What does it take to make an older cheaper mobile home resistant to hurricane damage and to insure it? Probably not a great idea to place it too near the beach!

[gypsychic]

OP, you might try looking in Venice, I think there are a few parks there. One I googled is Venice Ranch - it is lot rental, but priced between $500 - 600 per month and includes water, sewer and use of recreational facilities. It is a 55+ community. I am unable to post a link right now but it should come up if you search. They have a few for sale in there.

Good luck!

[blueherons]

OP, why don't you go with an inexpensive one or two bedroom condo instead?

You can still get financing on that and it will not depreciate.

I've seen condos under $100,000.

[Sunshine Rules]

Here are some of the mobile home parks with land owned lots that I know of that would be on the less expensive price range. For those with rental lots, I would have to suggest doing a google search of the Internet as I don't have specific info on those.


BRADENTON
Casa Loma
Bradenton Tropical Palms
Fair Lane Acres
Palm Lakes Estates
Westwinds
Floridana
Trailer Estates
(By the way, most of these have monthly fees of $200 or less.)


ELLENTON
Tidevue
Ridgewood


SARASOTA
Tri-Par
Oakwood Manor


VENICE
Colonial Manor
Venice Isle
Harbor Lights

[Avalon08]

Originally Posted by Sunshine Rules

Here are some of the mobile home parks with land owned lots that I know of that would be on the less expensive price range. For those with rental lots, I would have to suggest doing a google search of the Internet as I don't have specific info on those.


BRADENTON
Casa Loma
Bradenton Tropical Palms
Fair Lane Acres
Palm Lakes Estates
Westwinds
Floridana
Trailer Estates
(By the way, most of these have monthly fees of $200 or less.)


ELLENTON
Tidevue
Ridgewood


SARASOTA
Tri-Par
Oakwood Manor


VENICE
Colonial Manor
Venice Isle
Harbor Lights

OP, how close do they want to be to the beach? Ellenton isn't close, nor are some of those parks listed above in Bradenton. Especially if they're trying to get to the beach in high season. I live five miles away from Anna Maria Island and if I leave later than 9:30 AM, it can take 45-60 minutes. So you don't want to be much further out than I am. Another question, have they made friends in their current area -- i.e., would it be a hardship for them to leave their friends and assimilate into a new area, at their ages?

P.S. I feel your pain, I had to deal with all this stuff when I lived in PA and my elderly mother was down here.

[nanseisho]

Sunshine Rules, Thank you thank you! They will take what they can get as far as distance goes, but they would like to be closer than the drive they have from Port Charlotte. I will look into these areas and give them some advice.

Avalon08, Since you have been through this with you own mom, I think you understand the frustration of the situation. Add in the technology and age curve it''s difficult. I so want to help them enjoy what they have left for time, but there are lots of obstacles and not a lot of people truly can understand the situation they have found themselves in.

They have a handful of friends who come and go to the area who are better off financially, so they won't lack for friendships moving forward. They can be quite friendly and make friends easily so I am not worried about that part of it. My dad's health is my biggest concern so I simply want to give him some time to enjoy life a bit!