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FOX 7 Austin: Dripping Springs mobile home residents in danger of becoming homeless

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DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas - Residents in a mobile home community in Dripping Springs are in danger of becoming homeless. They are pleading for more time after receiving 60-day notices to vacate their homes.

A letter was sent out to 36 families in the Gateway Estates Mobile Home Park in Dripping Springs.

"There are some people who've been here upwards of 20 years," Project Connect Dripping Springs President Martin Garza said.

The letter said the residents need to leave within 60 days.

"There are families, there are kids at the other end of that communication," Garza said.

The notice came on July 29, 2024, just a couple of weeks before the...

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Our thoughts on this story:

Another article about a mobile home park being redeveloped into a different use. This only happens when the park does not yield as much income as alternative uses. Want to stop this from accelerating? Stop criticizing higher lot rents. That’s the only thing that can stop the redevelopment mania.

FOX 17: 'Juntos' community center brings new hope to Franklin trailer park

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FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WZTV) — A Franklin church has built a community center for a working poor trailer park.

When you think of Franklin, Tennessee, how can you think of anything but wealth?

The state Department of Economic Development ranks Williamson County as one of the wealthiest counties in America. But then there’s the Franklin Estates Mobile Home Park—a mostly working class Hispanic community hidden by all the big houses. It hums to its own beat.

The building boom somehow missed the dilapidated convenience store that sits in front of the community, abandoned for a decade. Until the people at Berry’s Chapel Church of Christ decided to...

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“We were looking for a place that was almost a presence within this community. And we have members that live within this community, and through them and being around, we noticed ‘hey, there’s a building that’s not being used,” said Pastor Preston Pratt.

We are also big believers in converting every inch of common area in every mobile home park into an amenity for residents. Abandoned clubhouses are low-hanging fruit and, with the addition of working heat and air-conditioning, sturdy carpet, fresh paint, and a vision for what the residents need, we have converted such structures into party areas, game rooms – even libraries.

Getting help from non-profits to augment the amenities is as simple as asking. We converted an old laundry building into a library and the local library donated all of the shelves and books – simply because we called and asked if they could help. We even had a Lions Club donate a giant playground.

Want to enhance your amenities for residents? Call and ask other non-profits.

CBS News: Eviction notices given to 100 residents at Miami-Dade mobile home park not legit, county program says

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MIAMI — A Miami-Dade County program providing free legal services has exposed eviction notices that were given to roughly 100 residents living at the Palm Lakes Mobile Home Park weren't legit.

The original eviction notices to vacate were set for July 22 but they were only filed on August 5.

Residents Arnoldo Morales and Delmi Ramirez said living at Palm Lakes is their only option because homes elsewhere in Miami-Dade County are unaffordable.

"What I get monthly from my social security is not enough to pay that kind of rent," Morales said.

He told CBS News Miami he is disabled and his wife is bedridden. Ramirez is a stay-at-home mom who...

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Our thoughts on this story:

Wow, the free legal aid attorney got the residents a few weeks more time. Big deal. The fact is simply that the park is being redeveloped apparently into apartments. It’s the same old adage week after week: LOW LOT RENTS = REDEVELOPMENT. How high would the lot rents have needed to be to make a mobile home park in this location more valuable than an apartment complex? Not sure. But that’s the key issue people need to explore.

Lynwood Times: The economic eviction crisis in manufactured home communities

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The Baby Boomer generation (those born between 1946 and 1964) has been the driving force for consumption in America’s economy. Gerber’s baby food, Saturday cartoons filled with ads for sugary cereals, hula hoops, teaching the world to sing with Coca Cola are all part of the economic engine fed by the Baby Boomers. But this generation of consumers faces an unsettling reality in retirement.

Every day 10,000 Boomers retire, many surviving on an annual social security income of $15,500, only four hundred dollars above the Federal poverty level. With affordable housing in short supply, seniors have turned to manufactured homes, believing they...

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Our thoughts on this story:

Based on this writer’s arguments, every single product and service in America – which have risen a collective 20% under the Biden administration – is a part of the “economic eviction crisis”. If gas costs $4 a gallon and eggs cost $5 a dozen, that takes away money that could go against higher rents, right?

But the bigger issue – and one that nobody wants to talk about – is the simple fact that seniors may need to move to more inexpensive areas of America in retirement since they no longer need to have access to employment. These type of articles always give the narrative of the expensive urban market with lot rents approaching $1,000 per month as opposed to the rural mobile home parks in states like Arkansas, that rent for $150 per month. And that’s not fair or constructive.

The bottom line is that most seniors, as part of their downsizing in housing and costs, need to move to cheaper states and more rural areas. If they don’t want to do that, then that’s their choice. But the option is always there and if they refuse to embrace it then they shouldn’t complain.

MRSC: Six Housing and Planning Bills that Help Washington Communities Confront the Housing Crisis

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This blog includes summaries of six bills related to co-living, parking standards, building conversions, middle housing, residential building and energy codes, and manufactured housing  passed during the most recent short Washington State legislative session. The effective date for these bills was June 6, 2024, unless otherwise noted.

ESHB 1998: Co-Living                                    

From the outside, co-living buildings (also referred to as single-room occupancy, congregate living facilities, boarding houses, and more) often appear as standard multi-family residences, but the sleeping units are usually smaller, and common spaces,...

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What a laughable pile of nonsense. You cannot legislate affordable housing. It has to come from the free market. When bureaucrats pass more regulations, it just hurts more housing from being built, as opposed to helping the situation. You have to have zero common sense to think these six new laws are a step in the right direction.

Valley News: ‘It's borderline criminal’ – Manufactured housing was an affordable homeownership option. Now, investor-owned parks are pricing residents out

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At the end of the month, Edmund McGahey plans to load up his U-Haul with the American flag neatly rolled behind his front door, take his wind chimes down from his front porch, pack his eight potted Christmas cacti, and leave for Texas.

With an outstanding mortgage he has no choice but to hand the keys to his double-wide manufactured house within Great Brook Village over to his bank. He can’t sell it due to rising park rental fees.

McGahey, a 74-year-old Vietnam War veteran, envisioned the over-55 community as an affordable place to retire when bought the home in May of last year for $80,000.

When he first looked at the property, the rent...

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Median home sale prices in New Hampshire recently hit $500,000 and rental vacancy rates remain below 1 percent statewide. With this landscape, they fear they have nowhere else to go. Meanwhile, McGahey said he has no choice but to walk away. “He’s holding me hostage here because I cannot sell my house and I have to get out of here,” McGahey said. “I never thought I’d be in this kind of predicament where I’m just going to turn the house back over to the bank. I just can’t do it. The stress alone is enough to drive anybody crazy.”

Well, obviously this woke writer didn’t take debate in high school – his opening statement negates his theory, rather than support it. If this mobile home owner is in a market with $500,000 homes and less than 1% housing vcancy then how exactly can he fail to sell his mobile home for $80,000? Clearly, he probably never ran an ad, answered the phone, or endeavored to sell it at all. The worst salesman in the world could have sold that home in a week, but you have to put in at least 1% effort.

And, using this same preamble, it’s very clear that mobile home park lot rents are going to go up exponentially over time as they are a tiny fraction of local apartment and stick-built housing prices.

I thought that people in New Hampshire were smarter than this – they don’t deserve this writer.

STUPIDITY LEVEL: HIGH

The East Hampton Star: Mobile Home Park Residents Speak Out About Conditions

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Residents of East Hampton Village Manufactured Home Community, a mobile home park on Oakview Highway, held a second meeting to address ongoing issues in the community on Aug. 7 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.

While an earlier meeting in July addressed residents’ most immediate concern — frequent and long-lasting electrical outages — the follow-up last week addressed issues with septic tanks, roads, and general safety, in addition to the electrical issues. It was led by Minerva Perez, the executive director of Organizacion Latino-Americana of the East End (OLA).

“The town should care about us because we are the working people,” said Paola...

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Additionally, East Hampton Town conducted an electrical report between the mid-July outage and the Aug. 7 meeting that was then presented to R.H.P. Properties.“There were several code violations present which are contributing to the heating and overloading condition that currently exists,” the report stated, concluding that certain systems are “not properly wired, not properly grounded, and overloaded.” In the end, it recommended replacing the electrical distribution network and restricting “use of certain appliances” in individual homes, which place a greater load on the network.“Upon being notified of the power outages at the Oakview Manufactured Home Park, the town contacted the property owner and retained an electrical underwriter to investigate the situation with the fire marshal,” the town said in a statement. “With power now restored the town is engaging with park management to permanently resolve the issues recently faced by the residents.”

Ouch. These residents are making a terrible mistake. My first park also had a master-metered electric system and when it failed the reason was that residents had snuck all kinds of window air-conditioners and other items into their units and overloaded the amps the park’s system could handle. I guess they don’t realize that the only way to permanently fix these occasional outages is going to fall on the tenants for all types of illegal electrical work they have done on their personal homes. They’ll find out soon enough.

STUPIDITY LEVEL: HIGH

yourerie: Residents struggle to relocate after mobile home park repurposed for overflow parking

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A little over a year ago, Meer Village LLC bought the Village Mobile Home Park off of West Lake Road.

In January of 2024, the new owners, who also own Waldameer Park and Water World, gave park residents evacuation notices requiring them to either leave or move their mobile homes by the end of October.

Waldameer’s president Steve Gorman said the land from the neighborhood would solve an important issue for the amusement park.

“We’ve learned over the summer that we need more parking on busy days for Waldameer, so at this point, we just start preparing the land for next summer to have excess parking,” said Gorman.

He said Waldameer has...

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Our thoughts on this story:

Give me a break. I’m betting the amusement park did not need “overflow parking”. They needed the park town down because it scared their customers and hurt their property value. 

STUPIDITY LEVEL: MEDIUM

Citrus Heights Sentinel: Plans withdrawn for expanding Citrus Heights mobile home park

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Plans to expand a mobile home park near Van Maren Lane with up to 20 additional home lots appear to have halted.

Lakeview Village had previously submitted an application with plans to expand in February 2022, but the city confirmed in an email last month that the project was withdrawn due to “lack of activity.”

The location for the planned remodel and expansion is located on Oak Lakes Lane next to the entrance Lakeview Village. Documents submitted to the city in November 2023 called for the redevelopment of an existing parking lot and an adjacent vacant lot. A project description posted on the city’s website indicated 20 additional mobile...

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“Neither Barrel Consulting Group or the property owner responded to a request for comment regarding whether expansion plans had changed and why an extension was not requested.”

They probably withdrew the plans because they knew the city was hostile to the idea and there was no point in continuing on. I have personally appeared at many zoning meetings to expand parks and nearly had people throwing tomatoes at me. I don’t blame them for pulling out, if I’m correct. Cities hate mobile home parks, plain and simple.

STUPIDITY LEVEL: LOW

The Post and Courier: Anonymous buyer picks up 4 Spartanburg mobile home parks. Residents would like a word.

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Read this article if you ever even remotely consider renting mobile homes. Rent land and you don’t have to deal with this insanity from the residents, many of which created these maintenance problems with their own abusive actions and lack of consideration for proactively solving minor issues.

STUPIDITY LEVEL: INSANELY HIGH IF YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT RENTING MOBILE HOMES IN YOUR PARK

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SPARTANBURG — After an anonymous buyer purchased four mobile home parks in Spartanburg County, residents are wondering what their futures hold and whether the new owner plans to fix their units.

Or if they’ll eventually be made to leave.

“Just by how they are, I feel like they might do something like that,” said Tyquan Smith, who lives in one of the parks. “You never know.”

The buyer purchased the parks for an undisclosed price, according to a news release by brokerage firm Marcus and Millichap, which listed the properties.

The parks included in the purchase are:

  • Gateview mobile home park on Gateview Circle in Woodruff.
  • Oasis mobile home park on Oasis Park Lane in Roebuck.
  • Chelsea mobile home park on Chelsea Street in Moore.
  • Spring Valley mobile home park on Jamies Creek Drive in Woodruff.

Together, the properties contain 98 mobile home lots and two single-family homes.

The sale of the properties doesn’t appear in online property records.

Sarah Grace Pugh, a public relations specialist for the brokerage firm, said in an email that she couldn’t disclose the buyer or the price but noted that “the new owner plans to continue operations as manufactured housing communities.”

The Post and Courier visited two of the parks, Oasis and Chelsea, and found that residents there received letters at the end of July from Woodruff-Moore-Roebuck LLC informing them that the company was the new owner and operator.

The LLC was organized by Tim Woodbridge, according to records from the S.C. Secretary of State’s Office. Woodbridge could not be reached for comment.

Jackie Pilgrim, who has lived in the Oasis park in Roebuck for three years, doesn’t have electricity in half of her unit. And the control panel that would control her heating and air is missing, so she’s relying on smaller window air conditioning units placed around her home.

As fall approaches, she’s worried about what she’ll have to do for heat.

The problems have predated the new ownership, but she said the new owner hasn’t been responsive to her maintenance issues.

“You can’t even talk to ‘em,” she said. “The first time I called, I talked to somebody, and I asked him, ‘Do they know what they’ve bought? I’ve got electrical problems.’ And I was telling him what was what. He was gonna get back to me. And that was on the 29th or 30th of June. And I ain’t heard from these people no more.”

At the Chelsea mobile home park in Moore, Smith was in a similar situation in the home he lives in with his mother, fiancée and two sons.

The floor has a hole in the hallway covered up with plywood, and the family is fearful about falling through other weak spots that have appeared in the floor.

The hot water heater no longer works as well as it used to.

And in the bathroom, water is leaking from a vent in the ceiling and the knobs of the faucet are gone, so they use a pair of pliers to turn the water on and off.

“We haven’t even met the new owners,” said Kizzy Hunter, Smith’s mother.

Residents who spoke to The Post and Courier also said the new owner wanted them to rent-to-own their trailers.

“I feel like they’re just gonna have to where I’m paying the rent, and once I pay the trailer off, I have to move the trailer because it’s still their lot,” Hunter speculated.

KGW: Wildfire-destroyed Oregon mobile home park soon to get new housing — 4 years later

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PORTLAND, Ore. — A mobile home park destroyed during the devastating Labor Day wildfires of 2020 is soon to be rebuilt, nearly four years later. 

The Holiday Farm Fire leveled Lazy Days Mobile Home & RV Park near the McKenzie River community of Blue River, displacing dozens of families. 

As part of a wildfire recovery project, around 20 new modular homes are expected to be delivered to the community this fall. 

On Monday, Governor Tina Kotek toured the modular homes factory at Blazer Industries in Aumsville. The factory is one of four businesses to receive a grant from the Modular Housing Development Fund aimed at combating Oregon's...

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In Texas you could fill a mobile home park back to 100% capacity in six months, but in Oregon – with endless regulatory red tape – it takes four years? I love the way that blue states like Oregon are always talking about the need for affordable housing, yet they throw up every regulatory roadblock possible to housing of all categories. What a bunch of idiots.

STUPIDITY LEVEL: HIGH

13WMAZ: 'We're not gonna try to re-invent the wheel' | Peach County commissioners halt mobile home permit requests

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PEACH COUNTY, Ga. — In an effort to tighten a zoning ordinance, Peach County commissioners approved a moratorium on mobile home park and RV park permit requests on Aug. 13.  

It was a 4-1 vote. 

Post 5 Commissioner Wade Yoder told 13WMAZ the pause will help them draw up comprehensive regulations for mobile and RV parks. He said they hope this will better protect property owners and ensure quality living conditions.

He said the moratorium isn't an attack on affordable housing options but a way to improve their mobile home ordinance; with adjustments, he said it could save future permit holders money. 

"It can actually help them save...

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Peach County commissioners approved a moratorium on mobile home park and RV park permit requests on Aug. 13. It was a 4-1 vote. Post 5 Commissioner Wade Yoder told 13WMAZ the pause will help them draw up comprehensive regulations for mobile and RV parks. He said they hope this will better protect property owners and ensure quality living conditions.

Oh my gosh, quit lying to people! You shut down the permit process for mobile home parks because you don’t want them to move in. I will bet $5 that the sudden re-write of the “comprehensive regulations” will ensure that every parcel of land in the county cannot possible have a mobile home or RV placed on it. I saw a town once re-write the regulations to require 100’ setbacks from the front and back of the mobile home lot.

CBS 19 News: Next steps for Carlton Mobile Home Park considered

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- Habitat for Humanity and the Piedmont Housing Alliance met with Carlton Mobile Home Park residents, this time for a celebration.

After having their offer to buy Carlton Mobile Home Park accepted about a week ago, Habitat for Humanity and the Piedmont Housing Alliance had dinner with the residents to celebrate and discuss the next steps. 

"We are working on how to begin the engagement process as we proceed with redevelopment. We committed to keeping the mobile home park as it is for three years, giving the residents time to prepare, engage with us, and address any of their needs. So, we’re going through...

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After having their offer to buy Carlton Mobile Home Park accepted about a week ago, Habitat for Humanity and the Piedmont Housing Alliance had dinner with the residents to celebrate and discuss the next steps."We are working on how to begin the engagement process as we proceed with redevelopment. We committed to keeping the mobile home park as it is for three years, giving the residents time to prepare, engage with us, and address any of their needs. So, we’re going through that timeline with them to discuss the next steps," said Alicia García, Piedmont Housing Alliance's Director of Real Estate Development.

OK, let me translate this for the residents of Calton Mobile Home Park: “Habitat is probably going to tear your park down and build apartments on the land so you have three years to find a park wth a vacant lot and get the heck out of there. Here’s a clue. Stand in your yard and spin once around and tell me what you see. Brand new apartments, right? That’s your future in three years. They just need the 36 months to get their plans approved quietly with the city fathers. Non-profits are some of the most evil people on earth, not the nicest. They think they are smarter than you and want to force their will upon you.”

STUPIDITY LEVEL: MEDIUM

KUNC: Mobile home parks shelter many who seek low costs, but they can’t keep out risk

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In their 17 years at the Boulder Meadows mobile home park, Miriam De Santiago and Bernardo Padilla have got used to the hustle that comes with living in Boulder, one of Colorado's least affordable cities.

"They raise the price of rent, they raise the price of groceries, but our wages stay the same," De Santiago said in Spanish.

This Boulder mobile home park is where the couple have raised their two children. They’ve faced their fair share of challenges along the way: working multiple jobs, dealing with rent hikes on their lot and the time, De Santiago said, when her landlord threatened to evict them over a rent dispute.

While they’ve had...

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"The first year to 18 months, we expect to do 12 houses a year," Firnhaber said. "And then we want to double that after about two years."The factory — a partnership with Habitat for Humanity — is meant to boost access to homeownership.“If we were to sell these on the free market in Boulder, they'd be million-dollar homes. And they'll be sold for, depending on the household, between $280,000 and $380,000,” Firnhaber said.“We're actually pricing them at a level which they can afford,” he said. It’s a big investment — the factory alone cost $11 million. Still, it’s cheaper to build homes this way, which is why policy analysts like the Urban Institute's Daniel Pang see these facilities as a tool to address the affordable-housing crisis. “You can sort of wholesale buy a lot of the material that you need to build these homes and property, and you have a sort of standardized, almost like a car creation line, where a lot of the parts are very similar in all the different builds. ... [It] definitely makes the cost a lot lower,” Pang said.

They should nominate this concept for the Academy Awards of Stupid. Sorry Habitat for Humanity, but mobile home manufacturing already exists in the for-profit world and the average U.S. factory makes 7 homes a day. You’re going to spend $11 million to build a factory that makes 12 houses per year?  On top of that, your mobile homes are going to cost $280,000 to $380,000 each when the regular factories produce them for around $80,000. Can you get any dumber?

Of course, we all suspect what’s really going on here. Somewhere out there is probably a well-connected friend of a Board Member who owns the land they’re building this factory on, and another one that sells lumber for mobile home manufacturing. That’s the normal non-profit story if you dig deep enough. Situations this stupid always seem to tie back to self-dealing. I mean, there’s no way that adults can act this dumb unless there’s money in it, right?

STUPIDITY LEVEL: INSANELY HIGH

KJZZ: Many older adults live in mobile homes or RVs. But those can be deadly in Arizona's summer

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Summer heat is deadly, especially for those who are unhoused. But it can also be dangerous for those who do have housing.

People living in mobile homes, trailers or RVs are likely to lack adequate cooling, yet many older adults reside in these kinds of dwellings.

"Yeah, they're definitely more affordable," said Dana Kennedy, state director of AARP Arizona.

They also tend to be older, and the older the dwelling is, she says, the more likely they are to have problems in the extreme heat.

"But mobile homes just generally don't have the insulation that a home does. You know, sometimes they could be made with materials that may not help...

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In 30 years, I have never heard of anyone claiming that RV air-conditioning is so poor that residents die from it. The reason that people are dying in Arizona RVs is probably because either their air-conditioning is broken or they’re keeping the temperatures set too high. This is like blaming automobile manufacturers for DUI deaths. It’s called personal accountability.

PR Newswire: Havenpark Communities Celebrates High Homeownership Rates Across its Properties

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OREM, UtahAug. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Havenpark Communities, an operator and developer of manufactured home communities, announced today that homeownership rates are increasing across its properties. With dozens of home sales every month across its communities, Havenpark is meeting the growing demand for high quality housing options at affordable price points in areas of the country with desirable amenities and great schools.

"Homeownership is part of the American Dream and we are proud to be making that dream a reality for so many families, retirees, and first-time buyers across the country," said Havenpark CEO and co-founder Robbie...

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In 2024, Havenpark plans to invest $27.6 million in its communities to improve infrastructure, add state-of-the-art community amenities, landscaping, enhanced curbside appeal, and new signage. Havenpark also plans to add more than 200 high-quality, affordable homes across its community portfolio.

I hope that the woke journalists that write about how “big out-of-state owners are ruining the mobile home parks they buy” are reading this article. It’s owners like Havenpark that are bringing old mobile home parks back to life and saving this form of affordable housing from the wrecking ball to the benefit of the millions of Americans that need it.

KTNA 88.9 FM: Mobile Home Parks No Longer Allowed

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In what would become a confusing and contentious public hearing, the Mat-Su Borough Assembly voted to get rid of the mobile home park ordinance. But they could still be built as long as they aren’t on wheels. And without public input.

Initial backup documents state that getting rid of the mobile home park ordinance would make way for more affordable housing options with few restrictions. Assemblymember Rob Yundt offered a correction to the informational memo that revised the language to make new mobile home parks impossible. He says that was his intent when he brought the ordinance forward. While the correction would be noted in the...

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“My intention in doing this tonight is to make sure there will never be another mobile home park.”

At least this city is honest about it. It’s what all cities think but few will admit.

KAALTV: Residents of Stewartville mobile home park express concerns over ownership changes

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(ABC 6 News) – The residents of Southern Hills/Northridge Place mobile home park became concerned after they say they found out the property under their homes had been sold without their knowledge, and a dramatic increase in rent for new residents that followed.

For years, the property had been owned by Sun Communities, Inc., but as of July 19 the property is now under the ownership of Havenpark Communities, a Utah-based corporation specializing in mobile home parks just like Southern Hills.

According to residents, little information had been shared by the original owners about the process.

“We didn’t really get any notifications keeping...

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Our thoughts on this story:

The residents of Southern Hills/Northridge Place mobile home park became concerned after they say they found out the property under their homes had been sold without their knowledge, 

If there is no legal requirement to notify the residents of the ownership change, then why is this article even relevant? In today’s world the media and residents have little to no appreciation for the realities of business and investment and their only interest in knowing of any ownership change is to try to block it or harass the current owner. It’s a sad commentary, but let’s be honest: the new woke America has every business suspicious of motives and has made everyone a little less transparent for their own protection.

The Telegraph: Madison County Board members discuss recently sold mobile home park

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EDWARDSVILLE – The sale of a sometimes-controversial mobile home park just outside of Granite City along Interstate 270 was greeted as good news by Madison County Board members.

The former Lakeshore Estates Mobile Home Park, located at 3120 W. Chain of Rocks Road, has been a long-standing problem area for multiple reasons.

Broadview Communities, which operates mobile home communities in Illinois, Kansas, and both North and South Carolinas, recently purchased the mobile home park.

It has been renamed Forge at the Lake, and according to a letter submitted to the Public Safety Committee by License Inspector Tammy Darr, have drawn up a plan...

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The Edwardsville, Illinois market is a great one – one of the best in the state – and I’m glad the new owner was able to get this deal worked out. It was smart of the city to recognize the opportunity to get this community restored to its former glory.

Concord Monitor: ‘It's borderline criminal’ – Manufactured housing was an affordable homeownership option. Now, investor-owned parks are pricing residents out

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At the end of the month, Edmund McGahey plans to load up his U-Haul with the American flag neatly rolled behind his front door, take his wind chimes down from his front porch, pack his eight potted Christmas cacti, and leave for Texas.

With an outstanding mortgage he has no choice but to hand the keys to his double-wide manufactured house within Great Brook Village over to his bank. He can’t sell it due to rising park rental fees.

McGahey, a 74-year-old Vietnam War veteran, envisioned the over-55 community as an affordable place to retire when bought the home in May of last year for $80,000.

When he first looked at the property, the rent...

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This Park is located in Belmont, New Hampshire. The average house there is $365,000. The average apartment rent is $1,760 per month. And you’re telling me that $1,000 per month lot rent is too high? The reason this resident can’t sell their home is probably because they overpaid for it to begin with. All over America the average homeowner is upside down on their mortgage thanks to Jerome Powell and his 40-year-high Fed funds rate. That’s not the park owner’s fault.

The Yampa Valley Bugle: Milner Mobile Home Park is on the market for $8M. Residents have 104 days to try to buy it.

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Editor's note: This story was updated at 9:38 a.m. to include comment from the City of Steamboat Springs on whether someone could apply for short-term rental tax revenues to buy the Mobile Home Park. City Principal Planner Brad Calvert said the current process is limited to projects in the city limits or urban growth boundary, so a project proposal in Milner would not be eligible for funding in the current request for proposal process.

Sixteen days ago, homeowners at Milner Mobile Home Park learned the ground under their homes is for sale.

A July 24 letter sent to residents informing them of the park owner’s intent to list the property...

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Alternatively, new park owners could decide to redevelop the nine-acre property to a type of housing with a higher resale value in an effort to recoup their investment, forcing residents to relocate or abandon their homes. A 1,600 square-foot single family home a block away from the park is currently listed for $949,000.

That pretty much tells the whole story. If you were paying $200,000 a lot for this park, and homes sell for $949,000 for similar square footage down the street, this park is certainly going to be redeveloped as soon as the permit can be obtained for demolition. There is no way the tenants can match this offer – it is not supported by existing cash-flow but only development land value – and it’s a waste of time to pretend that they can.

Alaska's News Source: Mat-Su Assembly passes ordinance that essentially bans new mobile home park developments

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PALMER, Alaska (KTUU) - In a tiebreaker vote by Mayor Edna DeVries, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly passed an ordinance at Tuesday’s meeting that repeals a borough code pertaining to the development of mobile home and trailer parks in the borough.

The ordinance, brought forth as OR24-053, essentially bans any new developments of mobile homes or trailer parks within the borough.

DeVries voted in favor of the repeal after a split decision by present Assembly members left the voting tied at 3-3. Assembly members Stephanie Nowers of District 2, Tim Hale of District 1, and Dee McKee of District 3 voted against the ordinance sponsored by...

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Same old story: no city in America wants new mobile home parks to be built there (not even in Alaska). And, as always, another week has passed without one person giving me the name and address of a single new park having been built anywhere in the U.S. 

News 5 Cleveland: Concerns over rising rents prompt visit from FHFA director to NEO retirement community

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NAVARRE, Ohio — For almost two years, neighbors in a manufactured home community have reported drastic increases in their monthly rent. Now, their concerns are gaining the attention of a federal agency.

Tuesday, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) visited Stark County for a discussion with residents from Navarre Village and representatives from Senator Sherrod Brown’s office and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, more commonly known as Freddie Mac.

The meeting centered around neighbors’ complaints about high rent costs in the community for people aged 55 and older.

“The effect that it’s had on our residents...

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In the years since Legacy Communities took over the park, some current residents have reported a collective 24% increase. 

This article is lacking in granular detail, but just this one sentence makes it stupid. Since Biden took office inflation has increased the cost all goods and services by over 20%. If the rent has gone up only 24% it’s completely in-line with every other expense that Americans face today. Unhappy about it? Blame the Biden administration, not the park owners.

CBS 19 News: Habitat offer for mobile home park accepted

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville has learned its offer to buy one of the last mobile home parks in the city has been accepted.

Just a few weeks ago, Carlton Mobile Home Park residents were informed that the property's owner had received a $7 million offer to buy the land.

Habitat teamed up with the Piedmont Housing Alliance, the Legal Aid Justice Center and the city of Charlottesville for a counteroffer, because state law requires any sale of a trailer park to be contingent on the owner considering any offers from a tenant group as long as that group represents at least 25 percent of...

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On Monday night, the Charlottesville City Council voted on and unanimously approved providing funding to help Habitat for Humanity and its partners make a counteroffer to purchase the Carlton Mobile Home Park.

You probably remember this story from last week, in which Habitat for Humanity is going to buy this mobile home park and promises the residents they won’t tear the park down and build apartments on it for three years (but no commitment after that). Clearly there is more going on here than meets the eye. Habitat owns most of the surrounding apartments. My bet is that the city council was willing to provide the money for Habitat because it gives them the ability to get the park torn down without leaving any fingerprints on the demolition, using Habitat as the hit man

WNEM: Mobile home park facing warrant, fine for operating without valid license

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GENESEE CO., Mich. (WNEM) – A mobile home park in Genesee County’s Thetford Township is facing a misdemeanor warrant and a fine potentially up to $100,000 for allegedly operating without a valid license.

Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton made the announcement against North Morris Estates on Thursday afternoon, Aug. 1.

Leyton said on Nov. 29, 2023, the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs issued a notice to the mobile home park it was without a valid license.

The initial penalty for operating without a valid license is up to one year in jail and/or a $500 fine, but when calculating back to the notice in November,...

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Awfully interesting that this mobile home park has operated just fine for decades and suddenly the state and city will do absolutely anything to get it shut down immediately. Another “more than meets the eye” story and I think any rational person would be suspicious of the sudden change in bureaucratic direction without any apparent desire to work together in a transparent and inclusive manner.