Category Archives: Parks

Who Really Lives in Mobile Homes? The Perception and Misconceptions of Mobile Home parks and their residents.

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Mobile home parks and their residents are beginning to be featured more and more in today’s media. First came Welcome to Myrtle Manor, a reality TV show about a handful of quirky mobile home park residents in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Then, more recently, with the controversial statement made by Miss South Carolina in her intro to the Miss America Pageant, “I’m from the state where 20 percent of our homes are mobile, because that ‘s how we roll.” Some argue that statements like these and TV shows like Welcome to Myrtle Manor only serve to perpetuate the “trailer trash” stereotype. Others say it brings a lighthearted nature to mobile home living that has not been there in the past due to the stereotype of the poor and downtrodden mobile home owner.

So who really lives in mobile homes? According to a recent article written by Tom Geoghegan: Pamela Anderson, Minnie Driver, and Matthew McConaughey are all residents of the mobile home park Paradise Cove in Malibu, California. In this park the homes boast marble floors and sell for around $2.5 Million. The same article alluded to parks in Thermal, California where conditions are terrible and most homes are held together with spit and a prayer. Both of these parks are the exception and not the rule.

If it is neither the exorbitantly wealthy nor the unemployed and destitute that live in the majority of the over 8 million mobile homes (US Census, Manufactured Housing Institute) located in the United States, who really lives in mobile homes? According to the US Census 57% of mobile home owners distinguished as the “head of household” have full time employment and 23% of residents are retired. Young families just starting out and seniors tend to populate the majority of mobile home parks. This is in part due to the cost of the average mobile home, “70% of all new single family homes sold for under $125,000 are manufactured”(Manufactured Housing Institute). The affordability of a manufactured home versus a site built home attracts younger families just starting off. It also attracts many seniors wishing to retire. Many of them sell their site built homes for the ease of Mobile Home living; with little to no yard to maintain and many amenities, including clubhouses and pools, some event boast tennis courts, the value far exceeds the cost. Other than being the average American, the mobile home owner is really just someone who has the opportunity to enjoy, as the old adage goes, “More bang for your buck”.

The Mobile Home Park Lifestyle, Not Right for everyone but it could be right for You!

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Living in a Mobile Home park is a lifestyle choice made by thousands of Californian’s. In an industry that was once viewed as lesser, this type of housing and these communities are starting to make a name for themselves as the best value for high quality, well-planned and secure living.

The mobile home, or manufactured home, itself is starting to boast high quality items that were once only featured in site built homes. Many of them with custom cabinetry and granite counter tops. These homes can have all the amenities a site built home has to offer and they cost 20-35% less.

Communities often offer more than most site built HOA’s , with many boasting security that patrols the grounds 24-7, some are even gated requiring a code or clicker to enter the community. This helps to provide a level of safety and protection that might not be offered in a site built community. Many of them also feature clubhouses, swimming pools, play grounds and tennis courts.

If all of this sounds great there are still a few things you must consider before making this choice. The space your home sits on may not be very large, if you have a dream of having a bunch of animals a mobile home community might not be right for you, but if the idea of little to no yard work appeals to you a mobile home community might be right up your ally.

Remember, mobile homes and manufactured housing communities are not for everyone but they could be perfect for you! It is your life and your choice and manufactured housing communities have a lot to offer.

The History of the trailer and mobile home park lifestyle.

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Trailer camps began appearing in the late 1930’s and sprung up around vacation destinations near beaches and deserts.  These camps were designed as a temporary land use to provide lodging for people towing “caravans” and travel trailers.  These parks and were usually under 100 spaces and typically provided bathrooms, showers and utility hook ups.  As time passed, these trailer parks either disappeared or made way for new development, or they became long-term housing for people living in small travel trailer or singlewide units.  In the Inland Empire agriculture areas these travel trailer parks became popular for migrant workers and remain so today.

Most of the “typical mobile home parks” in the region were built in the 1960’s and 1970’s.  Like the older trailer camps, many were built as interim land uses on former farmland, with temporary conditional use permits (CUP) from local cities and counties to build the parks.  One of the primary incentives to build a mobile home park was the ability to realize income from the land to help pay property tax.  Prior to the adoption of Proposition 13 in 1978 California tax assessors taxed property on the basis of its highest and best use.  Farmland was being developed for housing and the zoning master plan set aside blocks of land for future commercial and industrial development.  It is common to find mobile home parks developed on major highways in commercial and industrial areas of cities.

The parks built in the 1960’s and 70’s focused on providing larger spaces for new doublewide mobile homes and a lifestyle to attract retirees.  Clubhouses, pools, shuffleboard, a place to store RV’s, and organized activities topped the list of amenities.  Retirees could sell their stick built home and purchase a new mobile home leaving behind maintenance and yard work and enjoy the modern facilities at the new mobile home park.  In the mid-60’s a typical new doublewide mobile home sold for $15,000 in a new park and rents were $75 or less – about half the cost of a new site built home of similar size – but with a lot more amenities and literally worry free.

In 1981, the last new manufactured housing community was built in Orange County.  The manufactured homes had evolved in design and quality to match site-built homes and with ground level installation and site-built garages; the neighborhood took on the look of a site-built project, but with “country club” amenities and an attractively affordable price tag.

A few new parks have been built in the Inland Empire in the past ten years, but, with today’s land and improvement costs, building new rental/land lease manufactured housing communities today is not feasible.

Buying and Selling Trailers, Mobile Homes and Manufactured Homes in Rental Parks

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A trailer is NOT a mobile home if it is less than 8 feet wide x 40 feet long and is therefore classified as a recreational vehicle (trailer).  The owners of these trailers/RV’s do not have a right to sell them in place.

A mobile home cannot be required to be removed upon a resale if it: 1) is more than 17 to 20 years old or older but meets health, safety and construction standards of state law; and 2) is not in substantially rundown condition or disrepair as determined in the reasonable discretion of management.

Prior to purchasing a manufactured home located in a rental park, the prospective buyer must be approved for tenancy in the park by the owner of the park.  The sale of a mobile home located in a mobile home park is a three-party, not two-party transaction.   The buyer and seller must not only agree to terms on the sale of the home, the buyer must be approved for residency in the park by the park owner/management.

Park management can withhold approval on the basis of: 1) the buyer’s inability to pay the rent and charges of the park and 2) the buyer’s inability to comply with park rules and regulations as indicated by prior tenancies.  Although guidelines used by other landlords or public agencies for rental housing may be more lenient, many park owners impose higher income requirements to assure buyers will be able to afford future rent increases without causing the park problems, such as evictions.

The seller of a manufactured home must provide the buyer with certain disclosures.

The Advantages of Manufactured Housing

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Manufactured housing communities have a lot to offer.

Is it true that they are cost-effective? Yes. Depending on where you live the cost per square foot for a new manufactured home is 10- 30% LESS that a comparable site built home.

These homes are inspected every step of the way, from the first wall that is assembled in the factory to the placement of the home within the residents chosen park. They have all the amenities availed that site built homes have, including granite counter tops, crystal chandeliers and even bay windows.

Another advantage is the owner’s ability to place the home wherever they choose. It may be in a park in the mountains or just miles from the beach. The location that is chosen for the home does not affect the cost of the home itself, although rent for the space the home sits on will differ from park to park.  If in a few years you decide to move from the desert to the ocean you can take your home with you!

Manufactured homes and their communities are a wonderful choice when looking for housing.

Park Rules Protect Residents

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Every mobile home park has “rules and regulations/guidelines” ( like CCR’s)  that all residents agree to follow when they move into the park – the same as other developments like condominiums and apartments.   Rules vary from park to park, but all communities must follow the laws established in the State of California Civil Code, commonly referred to as the Mobilehome Residency Law (“MRL”).  The California Mobilehome Residency Law  generally changes every year and the management of every mobile home park is required to distribute copies of the new laws annually (by February first).  The park rules are designed for the benefit of the majority of the residents, and to preserve the quality of life for everyone living in the community.  As an example, requiring the home and lot  to be kept uncluttered and well maintained adds to the overall appearance and desirability of a community and to the resale value of the homes in the park.  It is the responsibility of the park management to enforce the rules.  Residents who are not in compliance with the rules may be evicted. Click Here for a complete copy of the Mobilehome Residency Law.

Rents Differ from Park to Park

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No two mobile home parks are the same and it is common for rents to vary widely from park to park – even if they appear to be similar – they are not.  The amount of rent charged depends on numerous factors including the age of the park, maintenance  costs, the tenancy (senior vs. all age), the location, and the term of the ownership (expenses such as property taxes vary depending when the park was purchased or built).  Various other things impact the cost of running a mobile home park – including the cost of insurance.  Parks that have been sued by the tenants of the park are burdened with higher insurance rates, which increase the cost of operating the park.  It’s fairly straightforward – a mobile home park is a business and like other privately owned businesses in America – the goal is to make a profit.  The “product” offered by a mobile home park business owner is the rental of a piece of land and, along with the rental of the land, comes a variety of “services” that are part of the cost of renting the land.  The services provided in the rent charged in mobile home parks include the maintenance of the infrastructure (such as streets, utilities systems, buildings, common area landscaping, etc.). Property management’s duties  include enforcement of the community rules and regulations and maintaining amenities such as clubhouses and swimming pools.