The Case for Trailer Parks

[Crewleader]

The Case for Trailer Parks

Houses made in a factory are a cheap and energy-efficient way for poorer Americans to become homeowners—plus, these days, the mass-produced units can be pretty spiffy.

Alana Semuels Oct 24 2014, 7:50 AM ET



You’ve seen it before: a house, on a truck, on a highway, slowing down traffic with its yellow “OVERSIZED LOAD” sign, its tan vinyl siding nearly screaming “Trailer Park!”

The snobs among us may judge these pre-fab homes as shoddily built, cheap eyesores in a country that’s increasingly eschewing the suburbs for walkable urban areas.

But pre-fabricated homes just might be part of the solution to America's affordable housing crisis.

Home prices are continuing to rise, even as incomes on the lower-end of the scale remain flat, putting home ownership out of reach for many Americans. In some cities, that’s led to renters flooding the markets, which in turns drives rental prices up. Homeownership in the U.S. was 65 percent in the fourth quarter of last year, down from 69 percent in 2005, according to the Census Bureau (PDF).

Families who can't afford homes often find that the apartments available to them are tiny, expensive, and old. Manufactured homes, affordable-housing advocates say, are spacious in comparison.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/10/the-case-for-trailer-parks/381808/

[Warpy]

1. I loved living in a trailer in a trailer park

It was one of those "resort" parks with swimming pools and clubhouses and landscaping. The trailer itself was 768 square feet of extremely well planned out space. I never felt cramped, not even with a huge rug loom in one of the bedrooms. It was easy to clean, cheap to heat and cool. It was also pretty quiet because newer trailers are well insulated. The lots were big enough for a small kitchen garden and a patch of grass. If it hadn't been out in the back and beyond, I might still be there. However, when interest rates dropped, I bought a shabby fixer closer to work.

The down side is renting the land it sits on and having a useless lease that covers only one month at a time. While that allows the park to evict problem tenants, it doesn't give much of a guarantee of stability. Even single wide trailers are expensive to move. There was also the threat that the park could be sold out from under the occupants at any time to a developer with enough money.

Were the parks developed as co-ops with deeded lots and shared expenses, they'd be a lot more appealing to people who wanted to downsize and spend their time living instead of working on home and lawn maintenance. At this point, I'd probably jump at such an arrangement.

[Crewleader]

3. Your place sounded real nice Warpy

I think it is more appealing to have your manufactured home on your own lot (land). I like what New Hampshire is doing in this article.

"New Hampshire has been at the forefront of financing for manufactured homes. It's one of the only states that allows manufactured homes located on sites not owned by the homeowner to be titled as real property."

A program through the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund aims to help people who don’t have money for a big down payment, or who don’t have perfect credit, buy a manufactured home, said Jen Hopkins, the director of single-family housing at the Fund.

[OnlinePoker]

2. Around here, the trailer parks are shutting down

The park owners can make more money on their properties by developing them for condo's or houses. All of a sudden, people who have lived there for 20 years or more are being told to get out, but there's no place for them to go.

[Crewleader]

4. I seen that here in Florida OnlinePoker

Poor people caught in that mess and it mostly harms the elderly.

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. Mobile home park in Daly City Ca. was a good option, for awhile

One of those "Club" type places, homes dating from the 1970's to current year, packed in about 25 feet apart.
Lots of retired folks lived there.
Lot rents based on # of bathrooms, and could get long leases.
Extremely cheap alternative to high house prices.
Problem was...lot rents went up by 50.00 bucks or more every year, plus many people had to pay trailer payments.
The ones that had their homes paid off were ok for quite a few years, but almost everyone was limited income.
Lot rents were 800.00 a month in 2005, are now 1200 or more for 3 bedroom homes.
New homes that are moved in are sold for 300 K.
Do the math.

Plus...the people who own the land have warned they will sell it in the next few years.

The older homes from the 1970's and 1980's that people sell, are hauled away and trucked to the farming areas, used for crop picker's housing, I found out.

[Crewleader]

6. Unbelievable prices for lot rents

boy everything is really expensive in California dixiegrrrl.

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. I was there only long enough to import Mr. Dixie to Ala.

I do not do well in crowded cement environs.

[Crewleader]

8. Today's cartoon

[dixiegrrrrl]

9. We would be in that box if we had not left when we did.

Seriously....absolutely could not afford cost of living there once we retired.