Mobile Home Park Weekly News Briefing - Mobile Home University

Carteret County News Times: Peletier schedules public hearings on rezoning requests for park model homes, tiny houses

Originally released by Carteret County News Times on June 6th, 2023
Commentary made on June 9th, 2023

Preview:

PELETIER — Park model homes, and to a lesser degree, tiny homes, are catching on fast in western Carteret County, with major projects in planning stages.

Monday night, Peletier commissioners scheduled public hearings next month on two smaller ones.

The board met in the town hall off Highway 58.

Jonathan Wrightson, who owns property along Bucks Corner Road, which runs between Highway 58 and Whitehouse Fork Road, has submitted rezoning requests for five separate lots along the street.

He wants to rezone 187, 191 and 199 Bucks Corner Road from B-1 (business) and rezone 175 and 169 Bucks Corner from residential to mobile campers.

All of the...

Our thoughts on this story:

There’s clearly a disconnect here. The mobile home park owner says he wants to bring in tiny homes to replace run-down trailers, and the city says it’s going to start sending out citations and fines for run-down trailers. I see absolutely nothing in this article even remotely suggesting that the city is actually going to give this guy a variance to bring in tiny homes on HUD-licensed lots. All that’s going on, in my opinion, is the city is declaring war on the old trailers and after they get them removed is going to deny the tiny home dream and, as a result, reduce the occupancy at the park.

The Daily World: Aberdeen considering rent notice rule for mobile home parks

Originally released by The Daily World on May 31st, 2023
Commentary made on June 9th, 2023

Preview:

As residents of a mobile home park in South Aberdeen continue to push for regulation of rising rents, the Aberdeen City Council last week considered an ordinance that would extend the notification period for rent increases.

As it reads now, though, the ordinance — which would require a six-month advance notification for rent increases greater than 5% in mobile home parks — could be dipping into areas of landlord and tenant protections already regulated by the state, potentially setting the city up for litigation, according to the city’s legal counsel.

That prospect caused the city council to table the ordinance in search of a more solid...

Our thoughts on this story:

This story is so ridiculous. Let’s break it down into each dumb piece:

The tenants say that $635 per month for lot rent is ridiculously high. I’m sorry but a quick search on Bestplaces.net shows the median home price to be over $300,000. STUPID.
The city of Aberdeen wants to increase the notice period for rent increases to 180 days, in complete contradiction to state law and certain to be overturned in court without ever taking effect. STUPID.

So what’s really going on here? A few of the tenants obviously are going down and yelling at city officials who want them to get out of their hair so they are proposing a law that they know has no chance of sticking just so those few tenants will stop coming to their offices and wasting their time. Classic move.
I think I’ve seen this movie before – wasn’t it called Joe Biden and the evictions moratorium that the Supreme Court threw out the window but placated AOC and “the squad” for a brief while?

Arizona's Family: Residents of Mesa mobile home park asked to leave within several months

Originally released by Arizona's Family on June 3rd, 2023
Commentary made on June 9th, 2023

Preview:

MESA, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- Residents at Primrose Estates in Mesa were given notices this week saying the land the mobile home park is on could be used for something else in the future. The notice states that people have 180 days to find another place to live. However, the letter didn’t give an exact date on when people needed to be moved out by. “There’s people in here with no place to go, older people, and handicapped people,” Ron Hennemann said. “I’ll land on my feet. I always do, but I’m worried about them.”

Hennemann has lived in Primrose Estates for over ten years but says they’ve had major septic issues for the past three years....

Our thoughts on this story:

Now Primrose Estates of Mesa, Arizona joins the growing list of parks being torn down to make way for more profitable uses. How could this have been avoided. HIGHER LOT RENTS. This is not rocket science.

M Live: Wallet Watch: Hedge fund ‘like a shadow’ buying Michigan mobile home parks

Originally released by M Live on June 5th, 2023
Commentary made on June 9th, 2023

Preview:

A hedge fund has found a new venture: mobile home parks.

Mobile homeowners across Michigan say rents jumped, maintenance declined and it became nearly impossible to move after their communities came under new ownership. Each park has been purchased by a different LLC, but breadcrumbs trail back to a $1 billion New York-based hedge fund called Alden Global Capital.

Suzanne Clevenger, 64, says conditions have worsened at River Springs Estates since she moved into a doublewide with her husband seven years ago. A flood devastated the Berrien Springs park in 2018. And now she says broken pipes have been a problem for two years – sewage...

Our thoughts on this story:

Let’s break this article down into components:

The residents claim that a $390 per month lot rent in Hastings, Michigan is “insanely high”. A quick trip to Bestplaces.net proves out that the median home price in Hastings is $281,400 and the average three-bedroom apartment rent is $1,530 per month. Therefore, clearly, the tenants’ claim is BOGUS.
The tenants claim that the rent has gone up since the private equity group bought the property. TRUE. And that the quality of the maintenance has declined. BOGUS. They have no examples of this supposed “decline” in maintenance of the property, but I know from experience that a private equity group ALWAYS runs the park they buy better than mom and pop did.
The writer claims that private equity groups are destroying the wonderful quality of Michigan mobile home parks. BOGUS. These groups are, in fact, the only pioneers bringing these old parks back to life.
As with what we see every week, new owners raise rents and fix up parks and marginal tenants (maybe 1%) are willing to live in total squalor rather than pay $100 per month more. Nobody agrees with this philosophy except this strange tiny slice of the tenant pie. BOGUS.

Can AI PLEASE hurry up and put all these woke journalists out of their jobs? Any computer would instinctively know that there are two sides to every story – not just the one expressed by a few hoarder tenants.

Denver Post: The battle to keep Colorado’s mobile home parks in local hands

Originally released by Denver Post on May 28th, 2023
Commentary made on June 2nd, 2023

Preview:

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Peter Frombgen tries not to take this for granted.

Every morning for 20 years, the former ski bum and bike mechanic peers out the window of his mobile home tucked alongside Lincoln Avenue, basking in a full view of the town’s famed ski area and lush Emerald Mountain before him.

The ramshackle trailer might represent the most unique living arraignment in Routt County: A 1953 silver airstream cut in half, with a standard mobile home haphazardly welded in the middle. The kitchen floor slopes at odd angles and water sometimes leaks through ceiling cracks during heavy rainstorms.

But the home allows Frombgen, 70, to...

Our thoughts on this story:

Reality check: in the entire United States there are maybe 300 resident-owned communities. There are around 44,000 mobile home parks in the U.S. That’s around .006%. Pretending that the simple fix for all mobile home parks is to have the residents buy them is as absurd (and statistically untruthful) as claiming that the solution to all Americans hating commercial air travel is for them all to go buy a private plane.

The only thing that’s not stupid about this article is found in the blog beneath it in which somebody wrote: “Um, no. That just feeds into the leftist narrative. What they can do (and should do if they’re smart) is hike rents to what the market supports. That’s what market price is. Seller’s objective is to get the most they can, buyer’s objective is to pay the least they can. Market price is the point in-between where both sides agree.”

The Aspen Times: El Jebel land among U.S. Forest Service sites eyed for potential workforce housing

Originally released by The Aspen Times on May 30th, 2023
Commentary made on June 2nd, 2023

Preview:

As lawmakers address housing shortages in the West, U.S. Forest Service properties are being eyed for their potential to provide residences for local workforces, including in El Jebel.

Signed into law in December 2018, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 — otherwise known as the Farm Bill — gave USFS the authority to lease its administrative sites for affordable housing. But the act has yet to result in the construction of affordable housing on those sites, and that’s in part “due to their lease terms,” said U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, “which are not long enough to provide certainty to local communities.”

A new bill being introduced by...

Our thoughts on this story:

In a Colorado world in which bureaucrats are worried about “the ecological impact on a variety of riparian species” it’s easy to see why not a single one of these projects has been approved since 2018. I’m betting that it will be 2118 before all parties can agree to a plan that has no “riparian” impact. Until then this concept will be used for endless virtue signaling that they care deeply about affordable housing but that newts and darter snails take higher priority.

WFLA: Surviving the storm: How safe is your mobile home?

Originally released by WFLA on May 25th, 2023
Commentary made on June 2nd, 2023

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IONA, Fla. (WFLA) —People who live in mobile homes, especially older ones, and choose to remain at home when a major storm threatens are at a much greater risk for damage and personal injury.

Bonzy Galor chose to ride out Hurricane Ian, with its 150 mile per hour winds, and 10-to-15-foot storm surge, in her mobile home. “We could not move,” she recalls, “all the totes started floating, everything was under water.” Wind and water tore their home apart.

The insurance institute of business and home safety tests mobile homes, and concludes new building techniques to make buildings safer, but how new? “IBHS tests prove newer manufactured...

Our thoughts on this story:

I’m sorry but there’s no form of real estate that can survive 150 mph winds – which is the benchmark in this article. Mobile homes do just about as well as most things, but a windowless concrete bunker is the only way you’re going to survive a 150 mph sustained wind without ending up being thrown a couple miles.

Explorer: Town seeks opinions on housing needs

Originally released by Explorer on May 24th, 2023
Commentary made on June 2nd, 2023

Preview:

Town officials are urging Oro Valley residents, nonresidents who work in Oro Valley, and owners of businesses within the community to take one of two 10-minute online surveys about the town’s current and future housing needs.

The surveys, conducted by consultant WestGroup Research, are part of the town’s first comprehensive housing study. Surveys opened May 9, and remain available online through Wednesday, May 31. Oro Valley wants to “ensure everyone has an opportunity” to share their views, it said in a release.

“We need all folks to participate in the survey,” said Bayer Vella, the town’s planning manager. “There are so many folks in...

Our thoughts on this story:

I love it when bureaucrats waste time and money on studies like this. Here’s the answer for free: the people of Tucson want 7,000 sq. ft. mansions on a budget of $30 a month. What a bunch of idiots. That’s like asking 4th graders what they want for lunch at school.

Delaware Public Media: Delaware Manufactured Home Relocation Authority extends benefits to residents of immobile RVs

Originally released by Delaware Public Media on May 25th, 2023
Commentary made on June 2nd, 2023

Preview:

A legal battle over evictions at the Pine Haven manufactured home park in Lincoln prompts Delaware’s Manufactured Home Relocation Authority to refine some of its policies regarding residents of recreational vehicles — a less-common form of housing in Delaware's manufactured home communities.

The Authority is responsible for managing a trust fund, paid into by both the owners of manufactured home parks and manufactured homeowners, which is used to provide financial assistance to cover the cost of moving or demolishing a manufactured home.

For residents of Pine Haven, some of whom received eviction notices from the park's new owners last...

Our thoughts on this story:

This wins the prize for dumbest article of the week: What in the heck is an “immobile” RV? Even the bureaucrats can’t actually define it as it doesn’t actually exist. They might just as well offer housing assistance if you provide a photo of Big Foot.

The Roanoke Times: With rents rising, Virginia mobile home residents have 'nowhere to go'

Originally released by The Roanoke Times on May 26th, 2023
Commentary made on June 2nd, 2023

Preview:

MINERAL — Last December, Lucille Waddy went to the tiny office at the entrance to Six-O-Five Mobile Home Park with a money order for her rent, as she has done for nearly 20 years. Only then did she find out that the monthly cost of renting a lot for her mobile home had jumped from $445 to $625, an increase of more than 40%.

Waddy, 77, is living on Social Security retirement benefits, but she’s paying the increased rent, although other residents are refusing and taking the issue to court.

“I didn’t want to get put out,” she said. “I don’t have anywhere to go.”

Waddy doesn’t understand why the rent shot up. “I still don’t know who...

Our thoughts on this story:

Now connect another set of dots. This is the second article in which the tenants claim the rents went up and the quality of life went down. “They want the profit, but they don’t want to take care of the property,” said Yvonne Maldonado, a former mobile home resident in New York who serves now as co-director of Manufactured Home Action, an advocacy group for residents of manufactured homes”. That’s a lie and they know that. The rents did go up but so did the quality of the park, as capital was poured back in. I have never, ever, seen an institutional buyer that provided a lower park quality after purchase. Never. I don’t believe it for one second.

So let’s stop the lying in these stories and stick with the basic truth: tenants don’t like higher rents. But they will have to accept that reality or they will be homeless. The MHAction person summed that up when they unwittingly said “there is literally no other place to go.” Bingo. Even at the higher rents the mobile home park is still the cheapest option in town.

For those who cannot pay the higher amounts, they need to come up with a Plan B. There are federal programs offering housing assistance, or maybe they should move in with a family member. But there’s no way that park owners – particularly new ones – are going to keep the rents ridiculously cheap going forward. That era has ended. And if rents don’t go up significantly, there will be a huge number of parks re-developed for more profitable uses.

My Record Journal: Housing advocates say Connecticut is lagging in small home development

Originally released by My Record Journal on May 30th, 2023
Commentary made on June 2nd, 2023

Preview:

MERIDEN — As Carabetta Companies wind down conversion of an obsolete trailer park into a small home development on Broad Street, housing advocates say the state lags behind others in this type of development.

Realtor Alexa Kebalo Hughes of the Connecticut Realtors Association lives in a small cabin in Colebrook. The property has several small cabins on 350 acres. Kebalo Hughes said she doesn’t expect the attraction to tiny homes to slow down anytime soon.

“There’s a massive trend towards smaller homes and storage unit conversions for both residential and commercial throughout the nation,” Kebalo Hughes said.

“The best approach to solve...

Our thoughts on this story:

Connect the dots from the articles so far – this is the second one in which a mobile home park is being demolished and replaced with an equal number of tiny stick-built homes. If that concept heats up, then you will see a lot more parks be bulldozed as this is a win/win for all involved. I looked at doing this myself to my park in Grapevine, Texas 25 years ago, but sold the park instead. As the demand for smaller, affordable stick-built homes heats up, this is a quick development fix as all the utilities are already there and all you have to do is start pouring foundations and getting the mobile homes out. The big problem is that you can only rent – rather than sell – these stick-built homes, so the “parking lot” business model is out the door. However, some cities have allowed the park to be re-platted into individual lots and they then can be sold off.

I thought it was interesting how the developer has coined a new name for this type of development, calling it “innovate housing” and eliminating any reference to tiny homes. Nobody wants to be reminded that they live in a tiny home – it’s kind of insulting.

Star Tribune: Residents at Lake Elmo mobile home park say owner has forgotten them

Originally released by Star Tribune on May 24th, 2023
Commentary made on June 2nd, 2023

Preview:

Faced with what they describe as steep rent increases, a drop in services and poor management, the residents of a Lake Elmo mobile home park say it's too much: They want help.

The renters and homeowners in the 450-site Cimarron Park and Golf Course have formed a Resident's Association and teamed up with an attorney from the nonprofit Housing Justice Center to explore legal options in the face of worsening conditions, said resident Brey Mafi.

"When I moved in, I quickly realized I got sold a bill of goods," Mafi said, echoing other residents who say the owner, Chicago-based Equity Lifestyle Properties, has squeezed the park's operations...

Our thoughts on this story:

Look, I understand that the residents don’t like the rent going from around $700 per month to $900 per month over a five-year period (which is actually only about the rate of inflation) but NOBODY IS GOING TO BELIEVE THAT EQUITY LIFESTYLE IS NOT PROPERLY MAINTAINING THE PROPERTY. ELS is one of the best operators in the industry – and the largest owner – and they are known for exemplary property condition. I’m willing to bet $100 that if I flew out to that property right now it would be immaculate and everything the residents claim is completely false. This would be like a Kansas City Chiefs fan claiming that ticket prices have doubled (which is true) and the Chiefs are a lousy team that don’t deserve those higher ticket prices (clearly not true). Why can’t these people just be honest and say “I’m mad because my rent went up $40 a year for the past five years”? And then, if they are that mad, just move someplace cheaper and stop whining about it? As soon as the people named in this article get both sides of the story (and visit the property) they will know who’s telling the truth (ELS) and who is not (the residents).

Health Affairs: The Environmental Justice Challenge No One Is Talking About

Originally released by Health Affairs on May 30th, 2023
Commentary made on June 2nd, 2023

Preview:

The past few years have witnessed a societal reckoning with income, class, and racial disparities, particularly as they relate to health and well-being. A number of multisector collaborations with a focus on environmental justice and social determinants of health have sprouted up and are leveraging advocacy, philanthropy, and governmental policy to address these intersectional issues. While these efforts are far-reaching in their pursuit of addressing historical inequity, one particularly vulnerable group has been overlooked—residents of manufactured home communities (MHCs).

Colloquially known as mobile home parks or trailer parks, MHCs...

Our thoughts on this story:

I’m hoping that this was written by AI as it contains more inaccuracies than a mere mortal could assemble. Here are just a sampling of the facts that are incorrect:

Berkshire Hathaway does not own any mobile home parks – they only own manufacturing and financing.
There are not 22 million Americans living in mobile home parks. With only 44,000 mobile home parks in the U.S. that would be an average of 500 lots per park. The actual stat is around 22 million people living in mobile homes which includes those living in parks and (as an even larger group) those who live in mobile homes on their own land.
The majority of mobile home parks are not built on floodplain – those that are represent a minority.
And on, and on, and on

Then, after all this incorrect nonsense that is portrayed as fact, the purpose of the article is apparently to complain that mobile home parks are environmentally goofy … and you just lose interest and go to the next article. It’s kind of like a movie that is advertised as an action flick but turns out to be a documentary on AOC.

Kitsap Sun: Assistance pledged to Poulsbo Mobile Home Park repairs now dedicated to rent relief

Originally released by Kitsap Sun on May 30th, 2023
Commentary made on June 2nd, 2023

Preview:

North Kitsap Fishline plans to refocus $30,000 initially intended for property improvements at Poulsbo Mobile Home Park toward rent relief for individual households.

Just more than a week after a community meeting that was set up to discuss the distribution of funds for home repairs and ease fears of eviction for residents at the park, North Kitsap Fishline announced the assistance will be used to reduce July rent payments.

The May 18 meeting, which followed a Poulsbo City Council vote to allocate $15,000 in city funds to help residents with physical repairs, revealed not all park residents had received inspection reports from park...

Our thoughts on this story:

Spending $500 per household is hardly worthy of this much fanfare – most mobile home park buyers spend far more than this on home renovations and clean-up. Only most park owners never get credit for it.

YourGV: Project to makeover Westside Mobile Home Park advances

Originally released by YourGV on May 29th, 2023
Commentary made on June 2nd, 2023

Preview:

Potholes in the roadways, trash scattered around dumpsters and abandoned mobile homes, demolished trailers sitting in piles amid occupied mobile homes, and overall blight once plagued Westside Mobile Home Park in South Boston.

Today, the 42-acre subdivision with 26 current residents has been cleaned up, the potholes patched, and the town is embarking on a long-term project to completely redevelop the Westside subdivision. The plan is to develop a total of 40 buildable lots, comprised of both new rental and first-time homebuyer units.

“The intention is to eliminate the substandard, non-conforming mobile home park and develop new...

Our thoughts on this story:

Removing the mobile home park and then replacing those mobile homes with stick-built structures has been done before (a large development in North Ft. Worth did it twenty years ago) but it’s interesting that there is no push-back on this from the media, unlike the Grand Canyon University project. That’s because they have neatly wrapped this up in a clever P.R. campaign that claims they are actually increasing the supply of affordable housing. They are not. It’s a lot-for-lot replacement of $10,000 mobile homes for $200,000 stick-built dwellings. They just did a better job of B.S. than GCU did.

12 News: Residents of GCU-owned mobile home park remain without a new home a day after move out deadline

Originally released by 12 News on May 29th, 2023
Commentary made on June 2nd, 2023

Preview:

PHOENIX — A day after Periwinkle Mobile Home Park was set to close, some families remained without a place to go.

On Monday 12News spoke to some residents who have lived near 27th Avenue and Camelback Road for years, but after May 28, which was the move-out date, have yet to stabilize a new home.

Grand Canyon University purchased the land in 2016 and decided on a land change to develop new student housing, which meant all 46 households on the property were forced to relocate.

As of last Tuesday, 11 families remained at the property. No updated tally on the number of families still at the mobile home park was available on Monday.

Our thoughts on this story:

Grand Canyon University apparently has little real-life experience with mobile home park residents. They allocated $500,000 to removing the roughly 60 households in the mobile home park they are demolishing yet are getting nothing but grief from the residents who refuse to take any action to help themselves in relocation. GCU spokesperson Bob Romantic (what a name) said “if there is someone saying they have no place to go … we can’t help unless they are willing to be helped”. Some residents, of course, are threatening pointless litigation and others refuse to answer their door or phone. If GCU offered every resident $1 million to move, they’d probably refuse and say it’s not enough. It’s hard to have compassion for people who will not lift a finger to help themselves, and instead want to wallow in self-pity and take the position that they are victims and deserve more. The media is somewhat to blame as they empowered these people to think they have more power than they do. As they will find out soon, they have none and should have worked with GCU when they had the chance.

Visual Capitalist: Modular Housing vs. Traditional Housing: How Do They Compare?

Originally released by Visual Capitalist on May 26th, 2023
Commentary made on June 2nd, 2023

Preview:

Modular Housing vs. Traditional Housing: How Do They Compare?

The U.S. needs new houses. Lots of them.

With housing prices nearing six times annual incomes, increasing supply is a must if there is any hope of bringing down house prices, and modular housing could be the solution.

This visualization is the third and final piece of the Reimagining Home Series from our sponsor Boxabl, where we compare the benefits of modular housing against traditional construction methods. Let’s start with the basics.

What Is Modular Housing?

Modular homes are built offsite, in standardized sections, usually in a factory setting. They are then transported...

Our thoughts on this story:

The big problem with modular homes is found right in the article: they only cost 25% less than traditional stick-built homes.That’s just not a big enough discount to outweigh the stigma. I think you’d have to be at around 50% off to make the average American consider it.

Newswires: Despite DOE Delay Manufactured Housing Energy Standards Remain Unacceptable as Costs Continue to Increase, per MHARR

Originally released by Newswires on May 25th, 2023
Commentary made on June 2nd, 2023

Preview:

Manufactured Housing Association Updates MHI-TMHA v DOE Case # 1:23-cv-00174 in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas.

By mandating IECC as the base energy code for manufactured housing, section 413 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) would fundamentally undermine the manufactured housing market”

— Mark Weiss, J.D., President and CEO of MHARR.

WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES, May 25, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- In a statement to manufactured home industry professionals, affordable housing advocates, public officials, and others following the affordable housing crisis, the Manufactured...

Our thoughts on this story:

If you haven’t been following this story, the U.S. Government is trying to cram down crazy environmentalist rules on mobile home manufacturing that will make the cost of mobile homes go up and the energy savings to customers go down an incredibly tiny percent that in no way justifies that extra home cost. We all know that the mobile home manufacturers will lose this battle (as all industries have in the Biden era) and then the rules will be reversed by the next administration before they even come into effect. So it’s just hard to get too worked up over it.

3TV/CBS 5: Yavapai College combatting housing crisis with RV park, tiny homes

Originally released by 3TV/CBS 5 on May 30th, 2023
Commentary made on June 2nd, 2023

Preview:

If you build it, they will come. That’s the thinking behind the Yavapai College district’s creative idea to attract more employees and students. “Something like this can make a huge difference,” said Dr. Clint Ewell, the VP of Finance and Administration.

The college will be offering tiny homes and an RV park at some of its campuses where an affordable housing shortage is felt. “We’ve noticed that our recruiting pools have been getting smaller, and we believe it’s because of the high cost of living here in Yavapai County. We’re currently at about 20% above the national average,” said Dr. Ewell.

The college is hopeful a 200 sq. ft. houses...

Our thoughts on this story:

This is actually not a bad idea. The U.S. government built mobile home parks (then RV parks by definition) at colleges across America to house the G.I. Bill folks. But then the article says the college plan is to build only three tiny homes a year. That’s a pretty small number – hardly worth the article to begin with.

Caller Times: Debate likely in zoning request that would put low-cost housing in air traffic safety zone

Originally released by Caller Times on May 30th, 2023
Commentary made on June 2nd, 2023

Preview:

Potential developers of a proposed manufactured housing subdivision are billing the project as an opportunity to deliver as many as 500 affordable homes to Corpus Christi – but, according to city officials, a portion of the property could raise significant safety questions.

The project, as planned, would make available new three-bedroom, two-bath manufactured homes for roughly $85,000 under current pricing, said developer Robert Murray.

“It’s basically your new affordable housing,” Murray said.

If a rezoning request is approved, as many as 500 lots could be developed under a phased approach on the 95-acre property off Old Brownsville...

Our thoughts on this story:

Ok, give me a break. Corpus Christi is NOT trying to scuttle the proposed mobile home park zoning because of concerns over a plane crashing into it. That’s just the best excuse they could come up right now.

KOLO: Can’t afford to stay or leave: Local mobile home owners’ dilemma

Originally released by KOLO on May 23rd, 2023
Commentary made on May 26th, 2023

Preview:

SPARKS, Nev. (KOLO) -In many ways, Jeanneil Marzan is a typical resident of her seniors-only mobile home park in Sparks.

She’s owned her manufactured home for 10 years, and for all those years she’s shouldered the responsibilities of any homeowner. Her home and others nearby are well kept.

Although she owns and maintains the structure, someone else owns the ground it sits on and her landlord has just changed. In December, the park was bought by an investment group, the Carlisle Corporation.

They’ve raised the rent for new residents. She pays $790 a month. Someone moving in across the street would pay just over a thousand, but there are no...

Our thoughts on this story:

This article is so stupid that its own conclusion negates it.

So, they are tied to a home they own and can’t move, facing added expense if they stay, leaving with a fraction of its worth if they choose to move on. “So, if I want to sell my house for probably half what I should get for it, then where do I go?” asks Marzan. “What else is affordable here that we could get into?”

The article starts off saying that higher lot rents make mobile home prices go down, as the potential home buyer has less cash flow to work with. Then it ends with the fact that they bought the mobile home, not for appreciation potential, but because it’s the cheapest thing in town. You can’t have it both ways. I know of no asset that is both cheap and appreciates wildly. If I go buy a car at a used car lot and say “what’s the cheapest thing you’ve got” I’ll end up with a 1985 Ford Taurus. Not a 1985 Ferrari. And that Taurus will have zero chance of ever being a collectible classic. If I buy the car that will appreciate – the Ferrari – it will cost as much as the ten cheapest cars combined.

So don’t go around telling me that anyone lives in mobile homes because they view that as an appreciating asset. They live in mobile homes because they represent the only shot at insanely cheap living. If you want a house that appreciates in value, the average single-family home costs $400,000 – that’s 100 times what many mobile homes sell for.

KSAT: Mobile home co-op plan poised to get city bond funding

Originally released by KSAT on May 17th, 2023
Commentary made on May 26th, 2023

Preview:

San Antonio – The City of San Antonio plans to use part of its first housing bond to help create the city’s first mobile home park cooperative.

As part of the second round of proposals to use bond and federal dollars, city staff on Wednesday recommended helping fund a plan to purchase a South Side mobile home park and convert it into a co-op. That means the tenants of the 56-site Riverside Terrace on Mission Road would then own the park themselves and have the authority to set rents and make any improvements.

City staff recommended approving a little less than $2.9 million of the $150 million housing bond as well as $250,000 in fee...

Our thoughts on this story:

The tenants are buying this park for around $100,000 per lot. Clearly the seller has no problem with that. But I don’t think these residents realize what they’re getting into. To service that much debt, the rents are going to go up – way up. “Maybe not today or tomorrow but soon and for the rest of their lives” as Humphrey Bogart would say. To think that this transaction is going to keep rents low is a fallacy. It’s called math.

Daily Montanan: Gianforte vetoes mobile homes park bill, CPS reform, among other legislation

Originally released by Daily Montanan on May 17th, 2023
Commentary made on May 26th, 2023

Preview:

Gov. Greg Gianforte vetoed a bill that would have given protections for mobile home park residents, like requiring park owners give 60 days notice before taking action like increasing rent.

House Bill 889 is among more than a dozen other proposals to get rejected by the governor, including a bill for reforms to Child Protective Services and another bill requiring the state health department to issue reports of abuse from the state hospital.

Gianforte said in his veto letter Tuesday that House Bill 889 “increases regulation of mobile home parks, disincentivizes landlords from maintaining or increasing the inventory of mobile home rental...

Our thoughts on this story:

The Governor of Montana is this week’s Smartest Guy in the Room:

Gianforte said in his veto letter Tuesday that House Bill 889 “increases regulation of mobile home parks, disincentivizes landlords from maintaining or increasing the inventory of mobile home rental lots, and, in general, compromises the property rights of mobile home park owners.”

He must be an avid reader of this weekly publication as he fully understands that making mobile home parks a pain to own results in them being redeveloped into other uses. As tenants try to put burdens on park owners that are not in-line with American property laws, they set in motion the park owner selling the land for a different – and more porofitable – use.

The Press Democrat: Problems at your mobile home park? Here’s how to alert California officials

Originally released by The Press Democrat on May 19th, 2023
Commentary made on May 26th, 2023

Preview:

Mobile home parks offer some of the cheapest housing to the most vulnerable Californians. But advocates say these parks often fall into disrepair because of their old age, vulnerability to climate hazards and lax oversight.

The California Housing and Community Development Department monitors health and safety at most of these parks, and depends largely on mobile home residents to file complaints to find out about problems and urge owners to fix them.

A five-month CalMatters investigation found most park residents don’t know how to file a complaint or fear what could happen if they do. We took the most common questions we heard from park...

Our thoughts on this story:

Here’s how it works in the real world: 1) file your complaint with the State of California 2) get some bureaucrat to go out to the park and find 1,000 problems with every square inch of it 3) notify the park owner that they need to do 160,000 repairs 4) park owner calls the local real estate broker and puts the land on the market for redevelopment 5) buyer makes an offer 5) park owner accepts it 6) developer requests mutli-family zoning and gets it immediately 7) park owner terminates all leases 8) park becomes 100 high-end apartment units and 9) the tenant who filed with the State of California cries and says “I don’t know how this all happened”. The winners in this story: 1) the park owner 2) the developer 3) the new 100 apartment residents 4) the city government and 5) the neighboring community. The loser: the tenants in the park.

The scariest words in the English language are “I’m from the government and I’m here to help”.

Go Skagit: Low-income tenants lack options as old mobile home parks are razed

Originally released by Go Skagit on May 21st, 2023
Commentary made on May 26th, 2023

Preview:

PHOENIX (AP) — Alondra Ruiz Vazquez and her husband were comfortable in Periwinkle Mobile Home Park for a decade, feeling lucky to own their mobile home and pay about $450 a month for their lot in a city with spiraling rents.

But now they and dozens of other families have until May 28 to leave the Phoenix park, which nearby Grand Canyon University purchased seven years ago to build student housing. Two other mobile home communities are also being cleared this spring for new developments in a city where no new parks have been built in more than 30 years.

“I'm here, well, because I have nowhere to go,” said Isabel Ramos, who lives at...

Our thoughts on this story:

OK, let’s cut the B.S. Periwinkle Mobile Home Park is being torn down because student housing for Grand Canyon University is more profitable than a trailer park with $450 rents. The seller of the park weighed the offer from Grand Canyon University to what he was making with the park and the student housing offer was higher. How high would the lot rent have needed to be to make the Grand Canyon offer lower than the park was worth? I don’t know, but maybe $700 per month would have done the trick. That’s the issue that needs to be discussed in order to save parks from the wrecking ball. The question should not be “how can the park owner keep the rents ridiculously low” but instead “how high do the rents need to be to keep the park a park?” I’ve been preaching for a decade that the only thing that’s going to keep mobile home parks alive is much, much higher rents. If you don’t accept this, you’re an idiot.

Mobile Home Park News Briefing

Carteret County News Times: Peletier schedules public hearings on rezoning requests for park model homes, tiny houses

The Daily World: Aberdeen considering rent notice rule for mobile home parks

Arizona's Family: Residents of Mesa mobile home park asked to leave within several months

M Live: Wallet Watch: Hedge fund ‘like a shadow’ buying Michigan mobile home parks

Denver Post: The battle to keep Colorado’s mobile home parks in local hands

The Aspen Times: El Jebel land among U.S. Forest Service sites eyed for potential workforce housing

WFLA: Surviving the storm: How safe is your mobile home?

Explorer: Town seeks opinions on housing needs

Delaware Public Media: Delaware Manufactured Home Relocation Authority extends benefits to residents of immobile RVs

The Roanoke Times: With rents rising, Virginia mobile home residents have 'nowhere to go'

My Record Journal: Housing advocates say Connecticut is lagging in small home development

Star Tribune: Residents at Lake Elmo mobile home park say owner has forgotten them

Health Affairs: The Environmental Justice Challenge No One Is Talking About

Kitsap Sun: Assistance pledged to Poulsbo Mobile Home Park repairs now dedicated to rent relief

YourGV: Project to makeover Westside Mobile Home Park advances

12 News: Residents of GCU-owned mobile home park remain without a new home a day after move out deadline

Visual Capitalist: Modular Housing vs. Traditional Housing: How Do They Compare?

Newswires: Despite DOE Delay Manufactured Housing Energy Standards Remain Unacceptable as Costs Continue to Increase, per MHARR

3TV/CBS 5: Yavapai College combatting housing crisis with RV park, tiny homes

Caller Times: Debate likely in zoning request that would put low-cost housing in air traffic safety zone

KOLO: Can’t afford to stay or leave: Local mobile home owners’ dilemma

KSAT: Mobile home co-op plan poised to get city bond funding

Daily Montanan: Gianforte vetoes mobile homes park bill, CPS reform, among other legislation

The Press Democrat: Problems at your mobile home park? Here’s how to alert California officials

Go Skagit: Low-income tenants lack options as old mobile home parks are razed

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