"100% of people who do not save money do not have any!"--Dave Ramsey

[JSH]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Renting ground to sketchy people like me is having a tiger by the tail. Some are litigious, some exit via arson.

Realistically what can an angry tenant do to a hedge fund owned property management company? Burn down your own trailer - OK how does that hurt the company? Sue - those companies have lawyers on staff that handle nuisance lawsuits all the time - just the cost of doing business as a slum lord and factored into the rent. Harass the local property manager - he is just a faceless low paid employee to the owners. Many aren't even paid - they just get a rent-free lot as compensation.

When the only thing you actually own is a piece of dirt that you rent to people there isn't much they can do.

Mobile home parks are pretty much tailor made to abuse the tenants. It is advertised as one of the perks of owning them.

https://www.mobilehomeuniversity.com...al-real-estate

If you like having a monopoly, holding all the cards, knowing the tenants won't move their homes out, never worrying about someone building a new property near you, and taking one of the tenant's biggest assets if they default, then you're going to love mobile home parks. That's why mobile home parks have the highest returns on investment of all categories of commercial real estate.

[Xist]

I hope you feel seen today.

[freebeard]

Mobile home parks are pretty much tailor made to abuse the tenants. It is advertised as one of the perks of owning them.

The slumlords abused the trailers. This is what was across the lane from me ten years ago:




I always admired it because it has a propely crowned roof. When the owner vacated I walked through it. The floor was gone in the bathroom area of course, but it had beautiful cabinet work that made of curved plywood that would cost a bazillion to reproduce today. I wish I'd taken pictures.

The slumlord towed it to a vacant lot andf drove a Catepillar tractor over it.

The most popular unit these days is a road-ready fifth-wheel. There is still one Spartan Manor and some 1960s single wides. And one double wide 20x40. That's as big as a house.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by JSH

Realistically what can an angry tenant do to a hedge fund owned property management company? Burn down your own trailer - OK how does that hurt the company? Sue - those companies have lawyers on staff that handle nuisance lawsuits all the time - just the cost of doing business as a slum lord and factored into the rent. Harass the local property manager - he is just a faceless low paid employee to the owners. Many aren't even paid - they just get a rent-free lot as compensation.

When the only thing you actually own is a piece of dirt that you rent to people there isn't much they can do.

Mobile home parks are pretty much tailor made to abuse the tenants. It is advertised as one of the perks of owning them.

https://www.mobilehomeuniversity.com...al-real-estate

Yeah but, if they are mobile why wouldn't they seek the best value for their dollar?

I suspect that answer is related to they type of person that would purchase a depreciating asset (mobile home) while not purchasing the appreciating asset (land).

[Piotrsko]

Because for lack of a better description, they arent mobile any more. They settle to the jacking, and the running gear is probably rusted solid if it is still installed and parts are available. Costs more to move such trailer than it's replacement value even if it is free fron the space and does roll. Sometimes it takes cranes to lift them out because access is blocked by another neighbors unit. Won't even talk about hazmat.

Perhaps ten years ago the county shut down a park here on the river. Still a couple units on site

[JSH]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Yeah but, if they are mobile why wouldn't they seek the best value for their dollar?

I suspect that answer is related to they type of person that would purchase a depreciating asset (mobile home) while not purchasing the appreciating asset (land).

"Mobile" homes aren't mobile. They are designed to be towed to their home and then left there. See Piotrsko list of issues.

Then there is the cost. Do you think someone that doesn't have $500 for rent has this kind of cash?

If you’re staying relatively locally (within 50 miles), you should anticipate spending anywhere from $5,000 to $8,000 for the cost of acquiring permits, moving your home, and hooking up utilities for a single-wide. For a double-wide, under the same conditions, the number increases to the $10,000 to $13,000 range. As the distance increases, so does the cost.

https://www.veritread.com/transport-a-mobile-home/

[Isaac Zachary]

Where I live there is a certain limit to when you can move a mobile home. I don't remember the exact law, but after a certain amont of years they are deemed "unmovable" regardless of their condition. And if they've been modified in any way they are also deemed unmoveable. If you buy a parked trailer you have two choices, live in it where it is or haul it to the dump. And with "hauling to the dump" I mean possibly tearing it appart and hauling it in pieces. I have seen very few used trailers get moved, and those that are moved are practically brand new ones .

[redpoint5]

My parents moved a 2.5 wide unit to their property and live in it now. Much better than the dilapidated 1 bathroom house from the 1800s I grew up in.

[Isaac Zachary]

I'm not saying living in a mobile home is always a bad idea. Hey! That's what I'm doing!

But you got to know what you're getting into.

I paid very little for my trailer, am extremely knowlegeable about home repair and have access to lots of free materials. The lot rent has been extremely cheap compared to anything else around. The only drawback is that in the 12 years we've lived here it has grown a bit small for us and there's not much we can do about it without a huge change. Locally, if I scrounge around and look incesantly I might be able to get something about the same size for four times the monthly rent. Anything bigger will cost even more. Sure, our bedroom is barely 6ft x 6.5ft (more if you include the closet), but it works.

[redpoint5]

Bedroom sizes are overrated. There's only so much room you need for a king size bed and nightstands. I'm not doing yoga in my bedroom.

Paying someone to park a house is still not a good long-term strategy. Better to be that person who collects a fee for the parked house.

I'm convinced CO (is it a coincidence their abbreviation is carbon monoxide?) is a dying state. They are determined to ruin anything that works. What a shame, because it's such a beautiful state. It'll return to something useful someday. -20 was pretty extreme by my standards, but still tolerable.