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Hickory Daily Record: Commissioners reject manufactured home park near Conover, OK incentives for spec building

  •    Originally released by Hickory Daily Record on April 18th, 2023
  •    Commentary made on April 21st, 2023

Preview:

The Catawba County Board of Commissioners unanimously rejected a rezoning request for a manufactured home park during their meeting Monday.

Skadoosh Properties asked the commissioners to rezone 31 acres at the end of Bush Drive near Conover from R-40 Residential to Manufactured Home Park for the purpose of building up to 74 manufactured homes at the site.

The Catawba County Planning Board was unanimously against the proposal for rezoning. They cited concerns about the septic system, runoff from the project and the ability of emergency services to respond effectively given the number of homes and the fact there is only one road...

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Our thoughts on this story:

“If I were to come home and I would look over there and see a mobile home park on that hill, I would not want to stay there,” resident James Travis told the commissioners. And that was the end of it, as the council voted “no” on rezoning the land to mobile home park. And James Travis’ thoughts are echoed across America when the idea of building a new mobile home park comes up. That’s why the concept of building new mobile home parks as an investment never works. By the time you find a piece of land so far out in the county that nobody complains about a mobile home park, there’s no demand to rent the lots or buy the homes.

The Saline Courier: 'From homeowner to homeless': Sunset Lake Mobile Home Park residents ousted after city buys land

  •    Originally released by The Saline Courier on April 18th, 2023
  •    Commentary made on April 21st, 2023

Preview:

Several residents of a Benton mobile home park are facing homelessness after the city purchased the land on which their trailers sit.

Residents of the Sunset Lake Mobile Home Park received a notice on March 7 notifying them the “landlord is terminating this lease and your tenancy in 30 days.” 

Sunset Lake Park resident Daniel Howard is one of about 100 residents who were told they had to leave the mobile home park.

Howard had lived in the mobile home park for 11 years. 

“I went from being a homeowner, to being homeless, that quick,” he said.

Howard said his only income he receives is from disability and social security. In...

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Our thoughts on this story:

When a private owner does this, they are publicly shamed as evil. When the City of Benton, Arkansas does this, it’s basically no problem. Love the double standard.

STL Today: Mobile home park residents form co-ops to save their homes

  •    Originally released by STL Today on April 16th, 2023
  •    Commentary made on April 21st, 2023

Preview:

PORTLAND, Ore. — When Gadiel Galvez learned that the owner of his mobile home park south of Seattle was looking to sell, he and other residents worried their largely Latino community would be bulldozed to make way for another Amazon warehouse.

So, they decided to form a cooperative and buy their park in Lakewood, Washington. With help from a nonprofit that advises communities like theirs and helps them secure loans, they bought it for $5.25 million in September.

"Everybody thought, 'You know what? … I'm going to make this place the best that I can,'" said Galvez, 22, who is a co-op board member. "Some people painted their homes, some...

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Our thoughts on this story:

These articles remind me of someone hawking a timeshare. The numbers don’t compute but the salespeople try to use your ego as a tool to make you make a clearly stupid decision sometimes. Just read these two quotes from the article:

  1. "Just to have that peace of mind, to know that our rent is going to be locked in for awhile and not keep going up, and also knowing that our rent monies … are going back into the property, that is the cool part," she said.
  2. The required rent increase to go co-op was even steeper in Evergreen Village Cooperative in Mount Bethel, Pennsylvania, — from $460 a month to $750 to pay off the $12 million loan.

When the residents buy their own property, what do they get? A big debt burden and higher lot rent most of the time. And what they lose is professional management that actually collects rents and doesn’t play favorites. Not a great trade.

East Lansing Info: Housing Insecurity Worries Falcon Pointe Residents, East Lansing Planning Commissioners

  •    Originally released by East Lansing Info on April 18th, 2023
  •    Commentary made on April 21st, 2023

Preview:

When they finally got to the vote on the newest proposal for the seven-acre central area of Falcon Pointe – a housing development on the city’s north side that didn’t turn out as originally planned – East Lansing’s Planning Commission voted 4-0 to recommend the proposal to City Council. The latest proposal, to construct four three-unit rental dwellings fits East Lansing’s zoning law, and the commission is supposed to adhere closely to that question in their deliberations.

But the vote to recommend the proposal didn’t come without planning commissioners hearing from and responding sympathetically to present residents of the community about...

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Our thoughts on this story:

When you are an early-stage buyer into any planned development, you always run the risk of the plans being altered. There’s not a thing the council to do to solve this situation and giving false hope to the residents that bought into the concept early is only going to lead to further disappointment.

Robb Report: Home Renovations Now Take 250% Longer Than They Did in 2019

  •    Originally released by Robb Report on April 14th, 2023
  •    Commentary made on April 21st, 2023

Preview:

During the pandemic, many people took on home improvement projects while stuck inside. Now, some of those DIY skills might be coming in handy.

In general, renovations are taking 259 percent longer than they did in 2019, up from 22 days then to 79 days now, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. Along with that, the costs of labor and materials have risen, and high demand has led to long wait times for construction to even start. As such, some go-getters have decided to take on the work themselves—to varying degrees of success.

“I think that going into this, we had the perception that we were very good DIYers,” Evan Moody told the WSJ. He...

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Our thoughts on this story:

Let’s cut through the B.S. and get down to the facts. The reason it now takes 80 days to renovate a property instead of 29 pre-Covid is that nobody wants to work anymore. You see it all around you. Covid is long gone but nobody is returning to the job. When you give U.S. workers a 2-year snow day, they apparently never come back to school.

Prince George Citizen: Proposed modular home park in Hart rejected

  •    Originally released by Prince George Citizen on April 13th, 2023
  •    Commentary made on April 21st, 2023

Preview:

On Wednesday night, city council defeated a proposed rezoning bylaw to facilitate the development of a modular home park on Twinberry Drive in the Hart.

Westcan Property Ltd. was seeking to rezone 11 hectares (27 acres) of the 52.4 ha. property at 9153 Twinberry Dr. to facilitate a new modular home park. Under the proposed zoning, a maximum of 220 mobile homes would be allowed on the 11 ha. area.

City council approved the first two readings of the rezoning on March 27, but rejected third reading of the bylaw on Wednesday. City council received 18 letters and emails from area residents opposed to the proposed development, one raising...

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Our thoughts on this story:

OK, let me decipher this for you. When they said “the city council received 18 letters and emails from area residents opposed to the proposed development, one raising concerns and six in support” what they really meant was they received 18 letters opposed from the actual neighbors, one raising concerns that lives about a block away and six in support that actually worked for the developer and mobile home sales lot.

RV Travel: RVers leaving RV parks behind, saying they don’t want to pay for ‘amenities’ or ‘folks just stopping by to say hi’

  •    Originally released by RV Travel on April 14th, 2023
  •    Commentary made on April 21st, 2023

Preview:

RV sales have slowed and fewer people are buying RVs than has been the recent trend. Has that changed campground crowding? Is it easier to find a campsite now, particularly in state and national parks? Campgrounds are changing and evolving, some for the better and some for the worse. RV Travel readers discuss their experiences and offer a few tips to help other campers find that perfect spot.

Here are a few observations from our readers.

Full-timers are the cause

Mariane B. sees full-time RVers at fault for crowding. She explains, “Camping used to be something you did on vacation or a long weekend, not year around with all the amenities...

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Our thoughts on this story:

I know it’s a free country, but whoever wrote this article is pretty much wrong about everything. No, people don’t prefer to live in properties that have no amenities or luxuries of any type. No, people don’t dream of building their own RV from scratch by mounting assorted crap on a suburban. No, most people with kids have no interest in raising their family in a tiny travel trailer. No, most RV owners do not live in poverty. No, they should not give media space to people who write articles that basically insult the intelligence of all known forms of life.

GV Wire: Harmony Closing Mobile Home Park. Future Use for Land Unknown.

  •    Originally released by GV Wire on April 18th, 2023
  •    Commentary made on April 21st, 2023

Preview:

A north Fresno mobile home park is set to close within 12 months, with several residents receiving new eviction notices last week.

Harmony Communities sent the notice to several renters demanding they leave the park within the next year. Some residents did not receive the new notice because they are already fighting the landlord on existing eviction notices.

The notice reads: “La Hacienda Mobile Estates, LLC … is exercising its right to terminate your tenancy for the purpose of permanently closing the Park.”

“We all knew it was coming. It was just a matter of time,” said a resident on Monday who did not want her name published.

Rumors...

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Our thoughts on this story:

The folks that turned down the new owner’s request to go from $300 to $600 in monthly lot rent are the ones that signed the death warrant for this property. They have nobody to blame but themselves. Here’s the only part of the article that tells the truth: 

“We’re disappointed because we fought really hard to stay here. We went to the city council meetings, you know, we wanted our voices to be heard, but obviously, it wasn’t enough,” Franquez said. Most units pay about $300 in rent. Several residents told GV Wire that Harmony tried to nearly double the rent. “They did try and they were only able to raise it $20,” Franquez said.

The median home price in Fresno is $350,000 and the average apartment is $1.770 per month. So let me get this straight: the bureaucrats will only let the new owners raise the rents to $320 per month – which is $1,450 per month less than apartments? 

If they had let the rent go to $600 per month, these residents would still have the sweetest housing deal in Fresno. Instead, they are all displaced and the land will be built into something else.

Smart move, Fresno officials.

New York Post: Now’s your chance to live in America’s priciest trailer park

  •    Originally released by New York Post on April 18th, 2023
  •    Commentary made on April 21st, 2023

Preview:

Anyone interested in moving to this millionaire- mobile home-filled beach retreat are in luck.

Indeed, an exclusive Malibu, California neighborhood — which is actually a trailer park — currently has two live listings within its high-priced, celebrity-filled grounds. 

Paradise Cove Mobile Home Park may not sound like an elite, star-studded locale — but recent years have been boom time for the once-blue collar community, and today it’s considered to be America’s priciest trailer park. 

“You’ve got to have a lot of cash to be buying in there these days,” Coldwell Banker Realty agent Brian Merrick told the Wall Street Journal. “The ones that...

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Our thoughts on this story:

Not to offend anyone, but you kind of have to be insane to pay $4 million plus $2,500 per month in lot rent to live in a mobile home park – even if it’s in Malibu. You could spend $4 million without lot rent to get a tremendous oceanside brick house in just about every other beach town in the U.S. I get a call about once a year from somebody looking at buying one of these mobile homes in Paradise Cove, and they want to know what happens if they lose their lease for the lot. I explain to them that the mobile home they just bought for $4 million would be worth about $4,000 as a 1970s trailer on a sales lot along the freeway. On the Sam Zell “risk vs. reward” index I can’t understand any of this. But then again, I’m not a Californian.

Union Leader: Bonnie Gawrys & Louise Rideout: Manufactured Housing bill is misguided

  •    Originally released by Union Leader on April 7th, 2023
  •    Commentary made on April 14th, 2023

Preview:

THE RECENT op-ed by state Sen. Kevin Avard relative to gutting the balanced make-up of the New Hampshire Board of Manufactured Housing and expanding its jurisdiction missed the target.

SB 203 guts the membership of the board of manufactured housing and places the burden of resolving resident conflicts in resident-owned communities on the state. It allows the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund (the lender) to nominate a resident to the board; removes the member of the N.H. Bar Association and replaces it with a housing advocacy member; and it removes legislative participation on the board. This does not create a balanced board in our view.

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Our thoughts on this story:

Finally, the truth is coming out about what happens when the residents buy their community. Here’s the quote from this article “BVCC became a cooperative three years ago and in those years it has been led by three different sets of board of directors. Now our park is in financial shambles. In our view, we have experienced board members not following our bylaws and not applying the rules consistently to every resident. This is not unique to our community. Neighbor governing neighbor has been a disaster."

Gee, I would never have guessed that a bunch of mobile home park residents would be less successful at managing a park than the professionals. This is why some of these deals are already going back on the market for sale as residents are desperate to get professional management back.

The Weekly Source: QLD Govt surveys residents on site rent increases and unsold homes at Land Lease/Manufactured Housing

  •    Originally released by The Weekly Source on April 11th, 2023
  •    Commentary made on April 14th, 2023

Preview:

Over 2,200 resident survey responses found that the majority of QLD residents disagreed to the question “there is a clear and fair process for varying site rent”. Only 5% of respondents agreed.

The survey added to 52 submissions from home owners, manufactured housing estate owners and other interested parties made to the QLD Govt’s inquiry to improve its manufactured home parks.

The QLD Govt is seeking to address consumer concerns about site rent increases and unsold homes. An Issues Paper was released in June last year.

Manufactured home parks (land lease communities) have experienced steady growth in Queensland over the last 10 years,...

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Our thoughts on this story:

Even in Australia the mobile home park residents feel that a 7% annual rent increase is unfair.

Niskanen Center: Manufactured housing: the Ugly Duckling of affordable housing

  •    Originally released by Niskanen Center on April 6th, 2023
  •    Commentary made on April 14th, 2023

Preview:

Key takeaways:
  • Manufactured housing quietly provides deeply affordable starter homes at an average construction cost under $90,000, but is easily excluded by some communities.
  • Manufactured housing remains a grievously underutilized, deeply affordable housing resource in Rust Belt cities with low land prices, and in rural areas in northeastern states
  • Recent HUD code liberalization will open the possibility of introducing manufactured homes to cities with high land prices for the first time–if cities and states also lift their bans.
  • Allowing manufactured homes to compete evenly with site-built is good for consumers and homeowners seeking...
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Our thoughts on this story:

Can we please stop with the narrative that Congress is going to force cities and towns to build affordable housing? The government is bad enough at what they do and don’t need to take on and destroy any new projects. If any of this were to ever come to pass, the cities will litigate and I’m sure the Supreme Court will uphold their right to determine their own zoning laws and codes.

The Express: Mobile home park residents form co-ops to save their homes

  •    Originally released by The Express on April 10th, 2023
  •    Commentary made on April 14th, 2023

Preview:

When Gadiel Galvez learned that the owner of his mobile home park south of Seattle was looking to sell, he and other residents worried their largely Latino community would be bulldozed to make way for another Amazon warehouse.

So, they decided to form a cooperative and buy their park in Lakewood, Washington. With help from a nonprofit that advises communities like theirs and helps them secure loans, they bought it for $5.25 million. Since becoming owners in September, everyone’s worked to make improvements.

“Everybody thought, ‘You know what? … I’m going to make this place the best that I can,'” said Galvez, 22, who is a co-op board...

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Our thoughts on this story:

Maybe the person who wrote this article should have read the one above to get real scoop on what happens when the tenants buy the property.

KOB4: 4 Investigates: The Mobile Home Park Act

  •    Originally released by KOB4 on April 14th, 2023
  •    Commentary made on April 14th, 2023

Preview:

SANTA FE, N.M. — Affordable housing is nearly impossible to find these days. Mobile home communities make up a huge stock of that in New Mexico, and investors are taking notice.

It turns out, a law that’s supposed to protect residents, just creates more barriers. Now one Santa Fe couple will lose everything.

“Come on, stay up there,” said Santa Fe resident Aaron Dennis, while caring for his tomato plants in his greenhouse.

A home that’s become a labor of love – from the year-round picking and planting to the boards and nails that went into building it.

“It’s almost like a custom home to us now,” said Dennis.

The greenhouse in Aaron...

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Our thoughts on this story:

“Residents hate the new rent of $750 per month in Santa Fe, NM”. Here’s what Bestplaces.net has to say:

  • Median Single-Family Home $541,100
  • Average 2-bedroom apartment $1,290 per month
  • Average 3-bedroom apartment $1,640 per month

I think everyone knows that Santa Fe is an incredibly expensive place to live. If the residents of the park cannot afford $750 per month, perhaps they should find a less expensive city to live in. But you can’t criticize the park owner in this case, as the rent is still insanely cheap at $750 per month.

The Independent: Navarre Village residents upset over rent hike, aim for Ohio rent control law

  •    Originally released by The Independent on April 11th, 2023
  •    Commentary made on April 14th, 2023

Preview:

  • The Navarre Village 55 and older community is lobbying Ohio legislators to establish a rent control policy statewide.
  • Village residents are irked that their monthly property rental rate shot up to $425 per month from $355 under new ownership.
  • About 150 residents attended a public meeting recently and may form a tenants association to lobby state officials on rent control.

BETHLEHEM TWP. – Betty Holland has been a content Navarre Village resident for 13 years, but her view took a turn last fall when new owners of her manufactured home community upped the rent.

"I've always felt happy and safe here. Then all of the sudden — wham!" said...

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Our thoughts on this story:

Here’s a quote from the article: “Village residents are irked that their monthly property rental rate shot up to $425 per month from $355 under new ownership.”

Here’s the housing stats for Bethlehem, Ohio from Bestplaces.net:

  • Median single-family home $143,400
  • Average 2-bedroom apartment: $702 per month
  • Average 3-bedroom apartment: $892 per month

So $425 is a bad deal? Seriously?

Forbes: How Much Does It Cost To Buy A Mobile Home?

  •    Originally released by Forbes on April 5th, 2023
  •    Commentary made on April 14th, 2023

Preview:

If you’re considering downsizing your home, or just exploring alternative living situations, a mobile home might be a good option for you.

But a mobile home isn’t exactly like other types of houses. While the cost might be significantly less than a traditional home, you could have some other expenses to consider. Here’s what you need to know about mobile home costs.

What Is Considered a Mobile Home?

In many cases, mobile homes are manufactured homes. These are homes that are constructed in a factory and transported to their location after being built. This is different from traditional home construction—or a site built home—which is...

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Our thoughts on this story:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) clearly wrote this article, and the mistakes are hilarious. For example, the term “manufactured home” came into vogue in 1976 and not 1989, and the average mobile home does not cost $169,000. But when you use AI it relies on other published information to come up with what it writes and there is very little information on the mobile home park industry to go by.

Tampa Bay Times: Tampa tree cutters owe six figures for cutting down grand oaks and more

  •    Originally released by Tampa Bay Times on April 6th, 2023
  •    Commentary made on April 14th, 2023

Preview:

The legal battle over more than two dozen trees felled at a Tampa mobile home park just ended in a court decision.

The tree cutting business will be fined $234,000, according to a City of Tampa memo.

The 2019 tree-clearing at the Life O’ Reilly mobile home park on Gandy Boulevard took down 28 trees, including nine large old oaks considered “grand” trees.

The incident — which dismayed tree advocates and was called an “egregious violation” by Tampa Mayor Jane Castor — came on the heels of a new state law barring local governments from regulating tree removal.

The city originally sought $420,000 each in fines from the park’s owner as well as...

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Our thoughts on this story:

Sabatini said they could pursue legal action against the “grossly large” amount of the fine.

“We’re not done fighting yet,” he said.

On Wednesday, Mayor Castor applauded the court’s decision.

“I hope this sends a very strong message to everyone that the City of Tampa cherishes our tree canopy, will work hard to protect it and won’t tolerate the illegal destruction of protected trees,” she said via text. “Tampa needs more trees, not fewer, and everyone should think long and hard before cutting corners to remove beautiful trees.”

MyNorthwest: Patrol: Missouri tornado victims were in trailer or camper

  •    Originally released by MyNorthwest on April 6th, 2023
  •    Commentary made on April 14th, 2023

Preview:

The five people who were killed when a tornado barreled through their Missouri village were inside a mobile home or adjacent camper that were obliterated, authorities said Thursday.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol released the names of the victims. Glenn Burcks, 62, lived in the mobile home. Susan Sullivan, 57, also lived there along with her 37-year-old nephew, James Skaggs. Also killed were Sullivan’s 16-year-old granddaughter, Destinee Nicole Koenig of Sikeston, Missouri, and 18-year-old Michael McCoy. Koenig’s obituary said McCoy was her boyfriend.

The tornado strafed a 22-mile (35-kilometer) stretch of southeastern Missouri,...

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Our thoughts on this story:

This town had only 60 residents, and the tornado happened to hit a mobile home and an RV. Of course, a stick-built house is stronger and can withstand a tornado better, but at 170 mph nothing is going to survive. This article deliberately is trying to pretend like mobile homes and RVs are inherently dangerous, which they are not. 

The Dispatch: Tenants to be displaced when trailer park closes next year

  •    Originally released by The Dispatch on April 10th, 2023
  •    Commentary made on April 14th, 2023

Preview:

MIDWAY — More than 35 families and individuals living in a long-established mobile home park in Midway will have to find a new place to live in the coming months because the park is preparing to close next year.

Tenants of Shoaf’s Country Estates off of Norman Shoaf Road in northern Davidson County were notified in March that the mobile home park will close in 2024, and they have to make arrangements to have their homes moved.

Lindley White, manager of Shoaf’s Country Estates, said that the decision to close the park was not made easily. White is married to Liz Shoaf White, who is a co-owner with her brother, Todd Shoaf.

“We had to come...

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Our thoughts on this story:

Interesting how the media hates mobile home parks when they’re operating – delighting in publicly shaming the owners -- and then suddenly misses them when they’re closing. You can’t have it both ways.

KRCR: Antelope Homewood mobile home park has been a problem for years, TCSO says

  •    Originally released by KRCR on April 7th, 2023
  •    Commentary made on April 14th, 2023

Preview:

TEHAMA COUNTY, Calif. — The Tehama County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) have continued to patrol the Antelope Homewood mobile home park off of Belle-Mill Road after several people were arrested at the park this week.

KRCR spoke with TCSO Captain Derek Sherrill who said that it's been a problem area for them for several years.

"We've been having a long-time issue with high crime rates in that particular area, so to help thwart that we have been initiating daily patrols in the area with enforcement action with those that we find in violation of the law," said Sherrill.

KRCR's Tyler Van Dyke had a chance to see, firsthand, the atrocious conditions...

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Our thoughts on this story:

Sure, this park appears to be a mess, but all that trash, furniture and debris is NOT coming from the owner. How come there is not one mention of accountability of the residents for these living conditions in the entire article. Sure, the rules were not enforced, but that’s a two way street and the owner was probably too good natured to enforce the rules and things got out of hand over the years. If the media wants the park to be torn down and the residents displaced, then just keep doing what you’re doing. A better solution would be for the city to go to the elderly owner and work with them – providing grant money if needed – to bring the park back to life.

AXIOS Cleveland: Euclid Beach mobile home residents not giving up their fight

  •    Originally released by AXIOS Cleveland on March 29th, 2023
  •    Commentary made on April 7th, 2023

Preview:

The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless and the United Residents of Euclid Beach are not giving up a fight to protect the mobile home park in Collinwood.

Driving the news: The groups unveiled a painted trailer emblazoned with messages — "Residents demand to stay!" and "Let E.B. residents stay" — during a demonstration yesterday outside the downtown offices of the Western Reserve Land Conservancy.

  • Representatives from the groups also delivered nearly 5,000 signatures from an online petition to save the community.

Catch up quick: The conservancy announced in February its plans to convert the site to greenspace, which would displace...

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Our thoughts on this story:

Now why would a non-profit like the Western Reserve Land Conservancy want to shut down a wonderful community of model citizens to simply allow for more “green space”? Take a look at the RV they painted and parked in front of the park owner’s offices and I think you might figure it all out.

The Islander: Negotiations continue in bayfront trailer park sale

  •    Originally released by The Islander on April 3rd, 2023
  •    Commentary made on April 7th, 2023

Preview:

Negotiations between the land owner and homeowners continue for the sale of the Pines Trailer Park in Bradenton Beach.

Bill Gorman, president at Lifestyle Choice Realty Inc. of Casselberry, representing the homeowner’s association, confirmed March 30, that negotiations are ongoing but declined to disclose other details related to the potential sale of the park at 103 Church Ave.

The Pines’ HOA retained Gorman to represent the homeowners’ interests in the sale of the park land, a process that got underway in late January.

The owners, Jackson Partnership of Bradenton, with Richard and William Jackson as its officers, listed the park for...

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Our thoughts on this story:

The residents of this park hope to buy it for $16.25 million and are trying to raise the money for the downpayment. So they set up a GoFundMe account and “as of April 3, the campaign had raised $500 of its $1 million goal with 14 donors”. I think it’s pretty clear this is another “first option” failure, and states that require a tenant “first option to purchase” requirement are doing nothing but giving people false hope and slowing down the rights of park owners to sell on the open market at the best price they can obtain.

If the residents did buy it – which is clearly not going to happen – how would they possibly afford to pay the regular cap-x issues that pop up? Another GoFundMe pitch?

Contrary to what woke journalists and advocates care to accept, owning real estate is capital intensive and you simply can’t participate if you are underfunded like this.

16 News Now WNDU: Property owners promise improvements to residents of River Grove Mobile Home Park

  •    Originally released by 16 News Now WNDU on April 1st, 2023
  •    Commentary made on April 7th, 2023

Preview:

BERRIEN SPRINGS, Mich. (WNDU) - Homes of America, the property owners of River Grove Mobile Home Park in Berrien Springs, held a meeting on Friday to hear residents’ concerns.

Even though the meeting was held from 2 p.m., to 4 p.m., at the Berrien Springs Public Library, a public location, 16 News Now was told that press was not allowed inside.

After the meeting, residents shared that they were able to voice their concerns about abandoned trailers, and issues with water pipes and sewage.

According to residents of River Grove Mobile Home Park, many of the issues they have aren’t new and have been problems for years.

Homes of America is the...

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Our thoughts on this story:

You’ve got to love it when the media and residents consider the park owner merely a punching bag. Well, when you punch the park owner repeatedly they tend to hit back with either redeveloping the park into another use or raising the rent to market levels to pay for all of the items residents are complaining about. Not sure that the residents have thought through this very carefully. Homes of America is the new owner with the goal of bringing this old, failing property back to life. They have risked their capital buying it and arranged for financing to make it possible. Instead of complaining and threatening, the residents should be asking the new owner “what more can we do to help in this process?” That’s the smart approach that’s a win/win for all involved.

Loveland Reporter-Herald: Mobile home park in Fort Collins changes hands for $57M

  •    Originally released by Loveland Reporter-Herald on March 29th, 2023
  •    Commentary made on April 7th, 2023

Preview:

An Orem, Utah-based company that invests in mobile home and manufactured home sites across the country has purchased the Cloverleaf Community in Fort Collins for $57 million. A related property was also purchased for $3 million.

The transactions, dated March 14, were between buyer Cloverleaf Colorado II LLC and seller Royce Cloverleaf LLC based in Phoenix, Arizona. The buyer listed an address of 51 W. Center St. in Orem, which is the same address as Havenpark Communities, which owns about 25 mobile home parks across the country.

Cloverleaf Community is located at 412 E. Mulberry in Fort Collins. It contains 391 home sites.

Royce...

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Our thoughts on this story:

It’s still nowhere close to the record for a single mobile home park, with the one near Silicon Valley selling for over $200 million a few years ago. But a nice try anyway.

MIssoulian: Frenchtown lawmaker offers mobile home tenant 'bill of rights'

  •    Originally released by MIssoulian on March 31st, 2023
  •    Commentary made on April 7th, 2023

Preview:

Cindy Newman, a trailer court resident from Great Falls, told a Legislative committee in Helena on Thursday that most of the residents where she lives are elderly and on fixed incomes and can’t afford the drastic lot rent increases that have been happening in recent years.

“We are here today because our communities are under threat,” she said. “Real estate investors have seized on the vulnerability of homeowners who own homes but rent the land. They have built a highly profitable business model that relies on our limited mobility to squeeze large profits out of moderate-income residents."

Newman was speaking as a proponent of House...

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Our thoughts on this story:

When someone coins their proposed law as a “Bill of Rights” you know it’s just a P.R. stunt trying to pander to voters who don’t know any better. Behind the fancy title, all you have is a bill that will help deadbeats stay on property without paying and the very rules violators who ruin life for the entire community to continue with their antics without any accountability. Hopefully there are enough smart people in Montana’s state house to realize this is a terrible idea.