I would be interested to know what you all think of mobile homes and mobile home parks, (living in one I mean). Hubby is thinking of buying one for us when he retires because they are probably the cheapest solution (especially in California!). We want to travel a lot - to Spain to see my kids and he wants to see more of America when he retires.
The thing is - we've been to a few of them (55 and older) and they rather depress me. Okay, they are all old people that live there, maybe that's why, although I'm 50 - hardly a spring chicken! I don't know, it seems you look out of your window onto someone else's porch or a wall! Also, although this may seem weird, I associate them with a holiday home, not a REAL home. Does anyone understand what I mean or am I being a snob yet AGAIN here? I really need some serious input......
I heard a colleague berating her mobile home yesterday.
The house is now worth less than the mortgage owed (paying on it for around 10-15 years) and less than the county assessor's value of it and the value is dropping every year. She doesn't own the land that it sits on so it's a crappy situation.
There are parks up near Portland where the residents were older and thought they were there for life but their leases got cut short and the sites were sold for building offices and more permanent housing estates.
I personally would not go for any type of arrangement with a mobile home but I've seen some pretty nice ones, especially the ones that are put on their own land.
I would be interested to know what you all think of mobile homes and mobile home parks, (living in one I mean).
I live in one. It's fantastic for Nevada... they're dirt-cheap (as opposed to paying over a $100k for the equivalent space in a "real" house), surprisingly energy-efficient and ecologically responsible, and are just fine for me. I wouldn't put one in tornado alley, or anywhere where there's tons of snow, but for desert living it's great.
/trailer fabulous
Pilgrim Thaks for your advice. Fortunately my hubby is a realtor and would never get us in any kind of a bad situation. It's ME who has some kind of weird aversion to them and I don't even know quite why -maybe because they have a bad reputation? But mostly it just seems (to me), that they are like TOY houses. I would really like to change my opinion because it IS a cheaper way to live and if you're not going to be there half the time anyway................I don't know!
Vegas, no offense about REAL houses. I know it's just a personal thing I have, but don't you find that you're VERY close to your neighbours. What about privacy?
Perhaps it because the only ones I have seen have been in 55 and older parks. the colours are bright pink or blue or green and the residents hang up signs like "Home Sweet Home" and have ornamental animals (frogs rabbits you name it),and pixies - loads of wind chimes all over the place - and almost always the American flag.
Rita - I personally wouldn't live in one, mainly cause we live in Florida. I may be wrong, but don't think you are reacting is to the trailer itself, but the 'senior' aspect of the ones your've seen.
I wouldn't live in a 'senior' community for nought, well maybe when I'm 90. And I can say that being 55! They spend all their time minding your business, and worrying about what you are up to.
We have a couple of friends that moved into a hut like complex here, these are not even mobile homes, they are permanent, but made the same way, anchored to the ground and on a small lot. Also surrounded by sooo many other little huts.
They just sold a beautiful house to do this, but they travel six months out of the year too.
I couldn't handle all the rules and regulations these gated or other communities put out. I'd be the one in trouble all the time.
I wish you luck with your decision though.
I find it odd that a successful realtor would need/want to consider a mobile home as a retirement plan. ??? Wouldn't it be better to buy something small but nice in a tourist area that you can rent out at preposterous rates to holiday-makers when you're touring the rest of the country and visiting Spain?
Several ripostes so be prepared for lots of selective editing...
Vegas, no offense about REAL houses.
None taken. Seriously. The climate is so great in my bit of Nevada, y'all could pretty much live in some kind of a giant reinforced cardboard box if you were some kind of perfomance artist. It never rains, it never gets cold. Why the obsession with bricks and mortar and "REAL" houses? It does the same thing for this environment. I don't need big stone walls to keep out the cold, don't need to hide in the ground, don't have to deal with floods or hurricanes. Plus it's waaaaay cheaper at the price we bought at, which was seven years now just about, prices have shot up on places to live here period.
I know it's just a personal thing I have, but don't you find that you're VERY close to your neighbours. What about privacy?
:neutral:
What about hanging out and getting to know who lives near you? Y'all can say hi to the old lady on the corner who grows roses, what's it take out of your day? Not all of us want to live in 3 acres of land in a faux McMansion ranch type of place in SoCal in some godforsaken suburb. I really don't get the question? I got more space than most of the new developments.
Perhaps it because the only ones I have seen have been in 55 and older parks.
You've just answered your own question. They're not all retirement communities.
the colours are bright pink or blue or green and the residents hang up signs like "Home Sweet Home" and have ornamental animals (frogs rabbits you name it),and pixies - loads of wind chimes all over the place
/ghetto on
//term is cracker ghetto
- and almost always the American flag.
Like that's a bad thing? If I ever ever move back to the UK which is highly unlikely, I will fly a union flag with the greatest of pride. I live in a regular neighbourhood, I can say hi to my neighbours without getting shot, I don't have have a HOA, I have two swimming pools, two pool tables, a gym and a library. Well, ok the library's ten minutes drive. I live in a hugely diverse part of Vegas, where everyone seems to get on pretty well and you're never quite sure which one of four you're gonna hear plus all the American variation accents. I have made some really good friends over here, the kind that actually help you move house and you can play Gran Turismo with, the kind you can have barbeque and go out drinking with. Living in a trailer doesn't really matter.
/admittedly when it comes to resale it's not great valuewise, our place cost us under $25k and is worth pretty much the same. Plus they're about as mobile as a real house, you have to disconnect tons of pipes and cable and crap and then put it on trailers with a crane and drive on the freeway with "oversize load" banners and orange lights which pisses everybody off. And then put it back together again. And redecorate every interior wall otherwise you see the join. And they're crap anywhere cold.
//plus my place is cool as hell on the inside
We lived in one when I first came over - it belonged to hubby's parents and was on their land - in a beautiful spot. It was actually very nice - double width with two bedrooms, two baths, kitchen/dining area and a lounge, mostly decent sized rooms. We were there for almost three months, but I have to admit I was ready to leave at the end of this time.
It had the "holiday home" feeling for me too, don't ask me why, I have no idea.
Personally, I would go for monster's suggestion. Fleece the holidaymakers. wink
I would be interested to know what you all think of mobile homes and mobile home parks, (living in one I mean). Hubby is thinking of buying one for us when he retires because they are probably the cheapest solution (especially in California!). We want to travel a lot - to Spain to see my kids and he wants to see more of America when he retires.
The thing is - we've been to a few of them (55 and older) and they rather depress me. Okay, they are all old people that live there, maybe that's why, although I'm 50 - hardly a spring chicken! I don't know, it seems you look out of your window onto someone else's porch or a wall! Also, although this may seem weird, I associate them with a holiday home, not a REAL home. Does anyone understand what I mean or am I being a snob yet AGAIN here? I really need some serious input......
When we recently moved to San francisco and liek everyone else was horrified at the house prices, we flirted with the idea of a mobile home. We found a nice community that wasn't seniors spoke to a few people who seemed quite nice. So I called the site and asked what the monthly fees were $1000 a month. For a mobile home plot....no thank you.
I grew up in one in tornado alley. Hot in the summer, cold in the winter. We bought it secondhand so there were no worries about the resale value. It had none. When my mom finally got my dad to build her a house after 20 years in it they had to pay someone to haul it away.
Having said all of that, I did like sound of rain on the roof, as long as there wasn’t a tornado warning.
I find it odd that a successful realtor would need/want to consider a mobile home as a retirement plan. :???: Wouldn't it be better to buy something small but nice in a tourist area that you can rent out at preposterous rates to holiday-makers when you're touring the rest of the country and visiting Spain?
It's actually not that unusual for this to happen (especially around here).
We know number of people (a couple who are realtors as well) who did this because there are now some seriously well built mobile homes (they call them mobile homes but they're "component homes" that are shipped on low-loaders in 3 parts and then sandwiched together) because they can sell their bricks and mortar homes for a huge price (around here town homes and condo's go for upwards of 650-700K) and literally buy the mobile home leaving a nice chunk of change to invest in retiring. Some even have enough to buy a mobile home and have enough to retire as well as buy an RV (which is also a tax write off - 2nd home)...
The component homes are actually extremely well built from what I have seen..
As far as it goes up here, most "mh parks" are pretty tidy affairs and there appears to be little, if any, stigma attached to them anymore due in part to simply how much housing costs (again, out here..)
Andrew :)
I saw a thing on fark a while back - there are now million-dollar trailers in Cali.
/how cool is that?
I find it odd that a successful realtor would need/want to consider a mobile home as a retirement plan. :???: Wouldn't it be better to buy something small but nice in a tourist area that you can rent out at preposterous rates to holiday-makers when you're touring the rest of the country and visiting Spain?
Monster something "small but nice" on the COAST? It would cost an absolute FORTUNE!! The other thing is, I don't think I want tourists living in my private space when I'm not home............
Celticana. Glad someone else feels the same way I do about it! Reading al the replies it seems to me that women have more trouble than men in living in a mobile home......wonder why?