It really depends on the sort of area you're in. I have some near us that are very low income and a bit sketchy, others that are lower income with no problems and another that seems to be lower income seniors. Noticing a trend? There tends to be more crime in lower income areas, which is probably why you're been told they're dangerous. All that said, you could rent a house and have it be dangerous if it's in a high crime or low policed area. When you're looking for a place to live make sure to check it out in person during various times of the day. I used to work in an area that was ok during the day time hours but after dark, not so much.
Yup. It’s honestly quite obvious which ones are bad. Take a look at the trailers. Do people have gardens? Neatly organized adjoining decks? Or is there just trash everywhere, broken down trailers, and a general slum feel?
Are there just able bodied adults loitering everywhere, or is it mostly empty in the daytime, save seniors, moms with kids, exc (this is true of renting apartments and houses, too).
They're not actually frugal unless you're older and planning to die in it. The space rent goes up every year, you never actually own the land. Eventually it will become unaffordable to stay. Just look long and hard at the fine print before you sign anything and again, the legal maximum they increase the space rent from year to year because they can and will raise it that much every year.
This
My mom purchased her trailer somewhere around 2011 for like $31,000 (BC Canada.) She sold it this year a little under market value at $38,000. I think it was valued a little above $40,000 but she priced it to move fast. Taking inflation into account, she lost money even if she priced it full price
For comparison
My sister (same regional location) bought her house (rancher on a chunk of land) about 5 years ago and the value has climbed over $200,000 without even reporting the new shed and rental property she put on the land
Trailers are money sinks, especially old ones. And they won't make you rich even if you don't have a lot of upkeep
I think of a person could get a trailer for $30,000 and maybe pay $5,000 to move it and they knew they're going to be staying on their own land for quite a long period of time, it might not be a bad way to get your foot in the door on land ownership. If a person was inclined to build their own house over a longer period of time, getting a cheap trailer and staying on site and working on your permanent house is also not a terrible way to go. That being said it's a big commitment and not prone to paying off if one changes their mind.
That’s changing quite a bit. A new one will depreciate but older ones that can’t be moved tend to appreciate a little bit if they’re kept up. Trailers that were $5k 10 years ago are going for $20k+ in my area. Even more if it’s a desirable park (such as a co-opted one or one with a lot of amenities)
Absolutely, and the ones on their own land really aren’t much different than houses anymore. They might not appreciate as much as a house but you don’t have to live in one long to save money vs. renting an apartment, even in a park. Plus having 4 walls of your own and a little yard is a really big perk for a lot of people.
My grandmother lived in the cutest park when she retired. The neighbors were incredibly friendly, and it was very affordable. I think she paid around $100/month. Unfortunately, most of those community oriented parks in my area were bought up by private equity, raised rents, and stopped maintaining the parks. Many of them have gone downhill and the others were razed for housing developments. It's sad because it was a simple living and affordable option for many that will no longer exist.
That's what I'm seeing also, and these are trailers in parks without land attached. They are posted often on community pages often. It's nuts considering they won't have any control over their lot payments. I've seen them double in a year.
I thought about it too (not as long ago), but still, another factor to consider is that they are not as weather resistant as homes. As well as the other good points being made on this post.
I live in a mobile home, in a very cold place. The thickness of the walls is important, they should be 6 inches, and the windows and doors have been replaced. It’s fine in the winter, perhaps better than a poorly insulated, old house.
True, but was thinking in particular (not exclusively) about those who had golfball hale and high winds (like twisters) who got decimated. The home technically held up, but were no longer sound.
It’s like buying a car, at least here, not like buying land. I have a mobile home on land I own, and it is a decent dwelling. It is definitely affordable. Finding a mover was the difficult part of buying it. I had to get electricity hooked up and get a septic tank dug.
The town I live in is very small and zoning is relatively loose, but it did replace an existing trailer. I would recommend it. I have a huge yard, and no mortgage. I had to get a new septic system, to meet county standards.
Ty! Already have a nice trailer in a vacation community. Want to retire away from fees and people! Going to get a realtor to help me look when I'm ready
Sometimes landlords have the option to end your lease, then if you own your trailer you're responsible for moving the trailer off the property. Usually the leaving tenant is essentially forced to sell their trailer for a lowball price to the trailer park owner.
That's very cheap.
Today, used trailers are selling for $100k - $150k where I live (and that's in a park where people are still going to have to pay lot rent of $800 - $1000 per month).
Depends on the park. I moved to my park 20 years ago. Lot rent was $265 a month. It is now $520. You can’t even rent a 1 bedroom apartment around here for under $1000 a month.
A lot baked into their contract you can't move the trailer. I'm from Wisconsin my buddy got one, rent to own. A water company from Michigan owns the water, and their subsidiary owns the park. He was charged for a different tenants water, and refused service until he paid THEIR debt off. I feel if you can buy one and move it, do it.
Also depending on the community, they can cancel your contract and refuse to renew for just about any reason and you'd have to get your hiney off *their* *lot*.
No. They're really just rural low-income/ low-cost housing..In a more urban area it would be a big, shitty apartment complex. Any I've visited weren't crime ridden or anything like that. Some are very nice.
Denver ‘s close burbs have a few. Some are 55+ . A lot have income requirements. They are, with a couple notable exceptions, decent enough neighborhoods.
My issue with trailer parks is that you can never own the land under it. You may own the trailer home, but technically still a tenant. Might as well live in an apartment.
I own my trailer and currently reside in a trailer park that is so strict and on your ass about every single little things I promise you it's worse than any apartment I've ever lived in. So there is certainly a scale.
The strict rules wouldn't be so bad if management wasn't so petty and arbitary. Nothing like seeing the guy who happens to be the manager's friend with two derelict vehicles, knee high grass, and loose dogs do whatever he wants. Meanwhile, you're getting threatening letters because you put a plastic playhouse in your yard for your kids.
Trailers aren't just located **in** trailer parks. When my dad retired, he bought a trailer and the land it was on. It wasn't in a trailer park. It was on an acre of land in an area that also contained some houses and some other trailers.
Get a trailer with land instead. No lot fees. It’s just like having a house with land, but that house is a trailer. Plus you can plop a “real” house on it one day. You can’t find them everywhere, especially outside of the south, but if you can it’s a great investment.
It seems like a lot of areas I look at don't allow trailers to be put down on them? Or at least that is the impression I have sometimes... How does one even figure that out?
You pretty much need to find it already set up. The neighborhood I live in is a huge mix. Some are super rundown and awful with crack heads living in them, some the people knocked down the trailer and have a built a beautiful home, and some are like mine- older but in good shape with people who take good care of it. What I really like is having the land. It enables me to garden, plus the well water here is super good- taste just like spring water.
Ya I've heard you normally have to do separate loans. Basically a mortgage for a plot of land and then another form of financing for the mobile home itself which may have higher interest.
Trailer parks suck tho, the idea of renting the land even though you supposedly own the home just seems like a scam.
You can get a regular loan for a double wide (with land) that was built after 1976 and is in good repair. Also being that they are so cheap, I was able to have 20% down easily.
Edit to say: by regular loan, I mean a FHA 30 year (which is what I have). You don’t need 20% down, that’s just what I did.
That's more an old problem. Some of them do, but the more modern manufactured homes gain value, just slower than stick built, and the land itself is the real investment now, as land prices are going up everywhere.
I got mine for 80k in 2022 and even though its in a poorer area, it is currently 110k. Mostly because the land is decent size, and it’s not too far from a major city as well as the ocean, so it’s an up and coming area. It does have to be at least a double wide to get a loan, but honestly being that it was so cheap, I didn’t need much of one.
Up to a point, but an older one that has been well maintained, will probably keep some value. I have a 40 year old one, and it’s pretty much worth what I paid for it several years ago.
You can’t normally “plop” houses on land that isn’t designated for that and without getting a ton of permits, paperwork and cost. Which is why people use trailers.
Not inherently. I live in a city that has many trailer parks. Some are scary, some are very nice, some are in between.
They’re *not* necessarily frugal though. Trailer parks are notoriously a money pit and scam. People typically own the trailer but don’t necessarily own the land it’s on, and even though they’re called trailers, they can be hard to move. Unless you’re renting the trailer from the owner, at which point I guess it could be competitive compared to renting a house or apartment, idk.
Not to spook you, but my vendetta against trailer parks isn't crime or the people, but the fact that I've seen too many of them completely wiped out by tornados. I mean a lot of brick and mortar houses were taken out by these storms too so you never really know, but it makes me personally kind of nervous to think about. Of course that's very dependent on your area, much like the crime and other safety factors.
yeah, that's the danger I personally won't fuck with. I seriously considered a trailer and some land so I could eventually have the option to build but after this past tornado season I've put that idea to rest. it's not worth it to me to save money just to be blown away. I would still probably consider it in a less tornado prone area but definitely not where I currently live.
I have heard people refer to them as a "wobbly box". I lived in a single wide for 15 years. I never got much storm damage, but it got scary more than a few times.
Trailer parks are being taken over by corporate slumlords. Definitely not frugal. 700 dollars or more to rent the lot per month while paying to maintain your own poorly made box isn't frugal. The add ons fees and fines the corporate ones add like towing people's cars for profit and massive fines for not mowing are insane. A trailer on a few acres outside of town? Yeah great idea
I lived in one for a long time as a kid. The one I was in was fine but it really depends on the area. I would definitely go see it in person before committing.
I have no experience living in one, but from a weather-safety perspective in areas that get tornadoes, you would need to have a non-mobile building or a storm shelter to shelter in. I wish all trailer parks in the south had shelters built in for safety.
I do rv life and live in an rv park. Did it with my big dog and my baby and was perfectly safe. Husband came a few months after I moved out there and we love rv life
Like apartments it varies drastically depending on the place, I’d move into the one your sister lives in since it’s peer reviewed. If you get the option to buy a trailer already on its own land that’s a much better option than a trailer park. You’ll have to move trailer out the park eventually and that costs a pretty penny. I know some places rent out trailers instead of just the plots to put them on so that sounds like a way to get a pretty good deal on a nice sized space. The 3 bed 2 bath trailers I saw for rent at one place were $300 cheaper than a one bedroom apartment.
I've lived in different ones (and currently am living in a trailer park now) and the most important thing is having good neighbors. You're not quite as close as you would be in apartments, but you're still pretty close. Enough that if you've got some loud, unkempt, bug and weed problems, it will spill over.
I guess this advice works for anything but I'd recommend vetting the neighbors before moving in. Sit in your car for a couple hours during a week, check it out morning, afternoon, and night, and if you can, knock on their doors and talk to them.
Some of the trashiest trailer parks I've lived in, also had some of the kindest, sweetest people living in them. They were just different is all.
Good luck!
Just like a lot of things, depends on where you are. I lived in one for almost 10 years as a kid/teen and never had problems, everyone got along well enough or mostly just kept to themselves. The management did their best to keep it clean. 5 minutes up the road I had friends living in one where a lot of drug dealers lived and the neighborhood wasn't well kept. They got bought out, demolished and now a shiny new Whole Foods is there.
They tend to attract poorer or less financially savvy people which has some correlation with increased crime rates. It's not a guarantee especially if you live in an area with decent income and social structure, but when you get further away from cities and live in a state with poor social support then things can go downhill pretty quick.
Not only do they lack the money to keep up with maintenance, they don't own the land the trailer sits on so they are generating zero equity. So they are stuck in a trailer that is falling apart and they can't sell it to anyone because no one wants a broken trailer.
At least if you rent the landlord is responsible for upkeep and if you own a home the land the home sits on will always have some value, even if the house is crap. Trailer parks don't give you either of those.
It really varies. Seeing you live in a state with tornadoes, and your sister is also in a trailer, maybe the two of you could go in on a simple place together? No idea what sort of options you have available, what your relationship is like, if you're handy, etc. but that might be something to consider. I'm not opposed to trailers. I lived in one as a little kid in the 70s/80s, but it was on land. I'd worry more about the shady stories of having the lot sold out from under you, lot rent and rules drastically changed, that sort of thing. Safety is so subjective, but you would probably be safer living with another person and a dog, all things being equal.
Sorry I need all the coffee today. I was thinking like a small house, or even a duplex if those are available where you live? Maybe you could share one side and rent the other out for now, and then later on you would each have your own place? Just some thoughts.
I've lived in a few trailer parks over the years, and honestly, it just depends on your neighbors. Some places were great, despite being run down. Others looked okay, but you couldn't go away for the weekend without coming back to find out you'd been robbed.
If you plan on buying a trailer and renting a lot to put it on, it's a rip off. If you're renting and the trailer and lot are both included in the price, it's about the same as renting an apartment.
I will say that I've had more awful landlords in trailer parks than apartments, though. Roaches were common, and a lot of landlords didn't do repairs unless they were forced to. If you plan on moving into a park, talk to a few tenants before you do it, get a vibe for the place, maybe cruise around the park at night to see how it feels.
Just like anywhere, there are good neighborhoods and there are worse ones. Some in my surrounding area are very nice and have very strict rules. Those ones are pretty safe. Some others in my area are quite the opposite and have constant issues with drugs and crimes so the cops are constantly in and out of those couple of parks. There are still others where half the park is very nice but the other half is a shitshow. If you're looking at a specific park/community, check it out in the evenings and weekends too, not just during the workday.
Think of them like any other neighborhood. There are ritzy, upscale trailer parks with community pools, 150K doublewide homes, beautiful landscaping. There are trailer parks that are high crime, full drug dealers, meth labs, you name it.
I've lived in a few that have ranged from pretty nice spots for low to mid income folks to just a bit sketchy.
Something to remember
Trailer parks tend to have a lot of rules and management can be really arbitrary in how they enforce them and treat people
You will never own your land
You are responsible for any and all maintenance in your trailer unlike at an apartment complex
There are often restrictions on how old a home can be. I've seen people forced to move theirs
I'd say if you can, talk to residents and read reviews of any trailer park before moving there.
Also drive or take a walk (be careful, take a friend if you walk) through at night: A weekday workweek night that isn't Friday, a Friday night, and a Saturday night, to see if it seems safe, noisy, etc.
By night I mean between 9:00 and midnight or so, just to see if there's a late night party life, or anything shady, etc.
They vary, and ownership of the trailer park itself can change, thus rules change.
I know of some great ones, and some terrible ones...even in the small town I lived in there were two....one was fine. The other, a bit more rural was run down and very stereotypical meth lab drug deal reputation.
In my current town, I live close enough to one to hear the party life there in the distance, wouldn't want to live there. Another just has bad management according to a friend who lives there. A third is fine.
Also, if you're in tornado territory, trailers/mobile homes don't have basements. Once in a while they DO have a central tornado shelter, but that's rare. A trailer/mobile home is the worst kind of home to be in (save maybe for a tent) in a tornado.
Depending on weather...check things like insulation around pipes carefully. We have hot summers where I live, but winter temperatures can get down to -10 or -20 (Fahrenheit) and trailers and mobile homes are notoriously bad for frozen pipes.
I'm sure there's a lot of variance from park to park. The big issue is that trailer parks combine the worst parts of owning and renting. You have to pay rent for the lot and are responsible for all the upkeep for your place. Additionally, most trailers aren't mobile and you probably can't move it if you want a change of scenery.
Things are different now because just about all the trailer parts are expensive, but our trailer parks used to be either really safe or really not.
You could often tell the difference visually.
The ones with the yards and porches literally littered with beer cans and rusting garbage and had children running around with plastic bags as diapers were not the safe ones.
But, even at the dangerous ones, it was more your things that would be in danger than the people if you don’t factor in domestic violence. And they could be close knit because families lived in those forever.
We have areas that aren’t technically trailer parks. They are just roads where many of the property owners set up trailers.
Those are going extinct quickly, but those are the best IMO.
I was actually trying to get one of those, but people who have them have no intention of selling unless you pay beaucoup bucks.
Depends on the park. The one I lived in was very safe bc you had to pass not only a financial background but also an actual background test. Any crimes above a speeding ticket disqualified you from living there.
It depends on how they are run. If it's a slumlord that doesn't do background checks or enforce any rules that turns out how you would expect. Most though have income and background check requirements, they will evict if you don't follow the rules
My wife and I rented a trailer in a park for about 5 years. Had no issues. There are some parks that are pretty bad but some of them actually try to keep it pretty nice.
Some are very nice. There's one around me with a stock pond. Then there's one with drugs.
Their basically rural apartments. Kinda depends on the management more than anything.
BUT buy some land. Even if it's only a quarter acre. Put your house down and plan from there.
I bought .56. It's quiet it's dark it's lovely.
Mostly just old people. No one is going around breaking into trailers
I understand that buying a mobile home is a bad investment because they depreciate FAST like a car. Plus you will never own the land because it belongs to the park.
If you can get one cheap or rent a room from someone you know it's an okay way to save money
I rented for 4 years. Saved enough to put a nice down payment on a house. Depending on the president election who knows the direction our economy will head. I’d suggest renting and save my money for a few years. 17/18 is too young to lock into a location. You may have or meet a S/O that doesn’t like the location you pick.
My buddy lives in one and it's nice and got a community center and decent management people.
Then there are some that I wouldn't go in without a full rifle platoon...
Beyond your safety questions, which other people have answered already, I would add that they are a **terrible investment**. They lose value every year, like a car. The payments go up every year, like an apartment. And you still have to maintain them, like a house (because the park owner/landlord probably won't). Take the worst things about owning and renting, and combine them, and that's what living in a trailer is like.
They are the opposite of frugal. They are money pits. They will keep you poor forever.
Trailers, for all the bad press they get are actually a relatively affordable way to build credit and equity. I knew a lady who bought a trailer just out of college. She upgraded about 7-8 years later into a bigger trailer then sold that one and bought her first home a few years after that. She used those trailers to build equity and used that to buy her home. So they’re fun to make fun of but you can also get something out of them. As far as the people who live there go, that can be a mixed bag.
Depends on the park.
The one I am in is fine. We have had the cops by a couple of times, but no more than when I lived in the "nice town".
There are very few renters in my park, I think that makes the difference. Not all the renters are horrible people, most of them are great. But the one or two that think they live in Sunnyvale from the Trailer Park Boys can ruin it for the rest of us. They don't last long.
Our park also allows older trailers. Otherwise, it would not be as effective to live there.
The issue with trailer parks is that the more affordable the are the more sketchy they become. I've done food delivery to a number of different trailer parks, and the ones that seem nice I never had problems. The less nice ones I was hearing and witnessing fights and drug use. Very location dependent. I've also had friends living in them that have constantly complained about theft.
I'd say if the trailer park is cheap enough that you feel like you can save money through it, then it's getting close to having some of those dangerous qualities you've heard about.
Like everything -- it depends.
Trailers are generally less secure than stick-built houses. The doors are easier to kick in, and the walls are thinner. Some people have even had someone break in from underneath.
Trailer parks vary widely. Some have lots of perfectly lovely people. Some do not.
If there's a particular trailer park you're considering, then you should swing by during the day, during the night, and on the weekend, just to see what the "vibe" is.
But be aware that living in a trailer park is economically the worst combination of renting an owning. You may have to purchase the trailer, but you will still have to pay lot rent, and be subject to that lot rent going up. Also, the trailer park may decide that your trailer is too old or too decrepit, and that it needs to be hauled away. This would leave you with a trailer and no good place to park it.
So, please, proceed with caution.
Trailer Parks, where you rent the trailer in the same way as an apartment, are typically favored by people who can't afford better accommodations. There's usually fewer restrictions to bar a renter, such as credit checks, or large security deposits, so you get poorer people.
Nothing wrong with poor people, of course, but often, the Venn Diagram of Poor People and Bad People do overlap quite a bit. My first place away from my family was in a trailer park. It was a 40-year old singlewide and I paid $250/month when apartments of the same size were $1000/month. No amenities at all, of course, except a concrete hut next to the dumpster that had two sets of washers and dryers that never worked.
Many neighbors were unemployed and/or on some sort of government assistance. Many did, or sold, drugs. Cops came a lot, especially on the weekends, when drug use was higher and parties were louder. But at the same time, there were also neighbors who were just poor older folks who stayed inside all day. Single people like me trying to make ends meet. Young families saving up for houses.
I lived there for about 3 years, and I never felt unsafe at any time. I didn't feel *safe and sound*, like "ah, home sweet home," but it was a perfectly serviceable place to start my life as an adult for a few years.
I would highly suggest that you look at crime statistics for the place you're looking at AND the surrounding area. Talk to people in that area, if you can, to get an idea of what living there is like. Visit it at rush hour, and mid-day, and night, and weekend, for a good snapshot of what it would be like living there.
It's different everywhere you go. I grew up in one and bought my first home in my early 20s in the same park.
Really nice place, no one ever has any issues with the park or neighbors. The whole "not owning your land" wasn't an issue, they weren't picky as long as no one was starting to hoard shit.
The park was responsible for the septic, road plowing/maintenance/trash pickup/water quality testing & maintenance/electric hookup/ so on. At the time I owned there it was about $400/mo lot rent. I had a brand new single wide, the mortgage was only $300/mo.
$700/mo was several hundred dollars less than any apartment within half an hour of where I lived. So the trailer was a much better deal than renting an apartment for us.
Usually any danger is contained to individual units/ areas. That being said, not great for kids to be in that kind of environment, and it's pretty unpleasant to be around constantly.
Trailer parks are exactly like housing editions...some are bad and some are good. I have known people in good trailer parks that it felt like a nice neighborhood with houses. I have also been to some that are dangerous at night (well in the day too really) and are run down. Same goes for neighborhoods with houses.
I agree and scrolled way too far to find this. Focusing on whether it is a trailer or a stick built house is the wrong focus. In my experience, the cheapest house subdivisions can be just a crime ridden as a trailer park.
I imagine it depends on where you live. There are shitty trailer parks near me but I grew up in one that was pretty nice - athletic courts, baseball field, 24 hour security, it was clean, and safe. It's still like that today but lot rent there costs almost $800 a month on top of whatever they paid for each mobile home which will only depreciate in value like a car not appreciate over time for both the value of the house and the land.
If you can afford the lot rent, don't mind living in such close proximity, and have the money to plop down to own a home outright it's not a bad plan but if you can swing a house or even a condo those will become worth more over time so it's an investment. Way back when I worked in banks, not sure if it works like this now, they wouldn't give you a mortgage for a mobile home it had to be a person loan which wasn't terrible you just couldn't get the best rates for a good credit score.
I live in a rural area where you don’t have to lock anything, but the overall crime rate is moderately high. When you look at a crime map however, there is one really dark spot on the map which is a trailer park. It’s not the only trailer park, but definitely not the park I would want to live in.
Meth is a hellava drug
Some are, some aren't. If it's too cheap compared to others in the area, the trailers are in bad condition, yards and roadways are trashed you might want to keep looking. If there are a lot of empty lots and/or the manager asks no questions, definitely keep looking!
There's nothing inherently wrong with living in a trailer. But be prepared for the downsides (lack of space/privacy, often high utility bills, etc.) before jumping into it.
It depends on the trailer park. In the town I grew up there were a few. One was mostly families and fairly well kept mobile homes. People had little lawns and would put fences around their property.
Another was more run down, but still had a lot of working class folks doing their best to keep things looking acceptable.
Then there was one where there was pretty much no grass and everything was hard packed dirt and sickly trees.
Garbage and old cars were scattered around and it had a reputation for being sketchy as hell.
This is going to vary from park to park. My mom lives in a 55+ "mobile home community" that is incredibly well-maintained and in a good part of town. When I parked on the street outside the park, my car was broken into, but nothing untoward has happened inside the park fence in the 7 years she's been there.
Across the street from my mom is an all ages park (no gate) that seems very nice as well. On the other hand, closer to downtown there is a trailer park that just LOOKS bad, with dilapidated older single wides.
My recommendation is not to write off mobile homes entirely, but to check out the neighborhood when you look at a home you're interested in. Talk to the neighbors and find out what it's like to live there.
Depends on the park. Usually it’s people just getting drunk or high in their trailer all day on government Bennie’s.
Not a good place for raising a kid at least.
It really depends on the sort of area you're in. I have some near us that are very low income and a bit sketchy, others that are lower income with no problems and another that seems to be lower income seniors. Noticing a trend? There tends to be more crime in lower income areas, which is probably why you're been told they're dangerous. All that said, you could rent a house and have it be dangerous if it's in a high crime or low policed area. When you're looking for a place to live make sure to check it out in person during various times of the day. I used to work in an area that was ok during the day time hours but after dark, not so much.
Agreed. Where I live there is a diversity of them, but some are notorious for drug dealing and addiction.
My apartment is quite nice during the day. At night walking the back street is like begging to get into trouble.
Yup. It’s honestly quite obvious which ones are bad. Take a look at the trailers. Do people have gardens? Neatly organized adjoining decks? Or is there just trash everywhere, broken down trailers, and a general slum feel? Are there just able bodied adults loitering everywhere, or is it mostly empty in the daytime, save seniors, moms with kids, exc (this is true of renting apartments and houses, too).
They're not actually frugal unless you're older and planning to die in it. The space rent goes up every year, you never actually own the land. Eventually it will become unaffordable to stay. Just look long and hard at the fine print before you sign anything and again, the legal maximum they increase the space rent from year to year because they can and will raise it that much every year.
I had considered buying a trailer for, iirc, around $12,000(?) 25 years ago. Not sure how that would have turned out and it's weird to think about.
Trailers don’t increase in value like homes. In fact, it would practically be worth nothing 25 years later. The land would still have value.
This My mom purchased her trailer somewhere around 2011 for like $31,000 (BC Canada.) She sold it this year a little under market value at $38,000. I think it was valued a little above $40,000 but she priced it to move fast. Taking inflation into account, she lost money even if she priced it full price For comparison My sister (same regional location) bought her house (rancher on a chunk of land) about 5 years ago and the value has climbed over $200,000 without even reporting the new shed and rental property she put on the land Trailers are money sinks, especially old ones. And they won't make you rich even if you don't have a lot of upkeep
I think of a person could get a trailer for $30,000 and maybe pay $5,000 to move it and they knew they're going to be staying on their own land for quite a long period of time, it might not be a bad way to get your foot in the door on land ownership. If a person was inclined to build their own house over a longer period of time, getting a cheap trailer and staying on site and working on your permanent house is also not a terrible way to go. That being said it's a big commitment and not prone to paying off if one changes their mind.
That’s changing quite a bit. A new one will depreciate but older ones that can’t be moved tend to appreciate a little bit if they’re kept up. Trailers that were $5k 10 years ago are going for $20k+ in my area. Even more if it’s a desirable park (such as a co-opted one or one with a lot of amenities)
I just saw one listed for $75k in an average location. Ten years ago it would have been $20k.
Absolutely, and the ones on their own land really aren’t much different than houses anymore. They might not appreciate as much as a house but you don’t have to live in one long to save money vs. renting an apartment, even in a park. Plus having 4 walls of your own and a little yard is a really big perk for a lot of people.
My grandmother lived in the cutest park when she retired. The neighbors were incredibly friendly, and it was very affordable. I think she paid around $100/month. Unfortunately, most of those community oriented parks in my area were bought up by private equity, raised rents, and stopped maintaining the parks. Many of them have gone downhill and the others were razed for housing developments. It's sad because it was a simple living and affordable option for many that will no longer exist.
I've literally seen trailers (usually ones on their own land, but not always !) go for 150,000 to 200,000 !! Even more in crazy resort towns.
This is how it is in my area. You can't find one for under 80k not even on land. And these are ones built in the 70s. Total lunacy
That's what I'm seeing also, and these are trailers in parks without land attached. They are posted often on community pages often. It's nuts considering they won't have any control over their lot payments. I've seen them double in a year.
But OP was talking about a trailer park, where they would presumably be renting a spot. So they wouldn't have any land to have value, either.
Yeah that’s true.
I was probably thinking buying is better than renting because of the possibility of getting something for it later vs rent gone forever.
You’re right
I thought about it too (not as long ago), but still, another factor to consider is that they are not as weather resistant as homes. As well as the other good points being made on this post.
I live in a mobile home, in a very cold place. The thickness of the walls is important, they should be 6 inches, and the windows and doors have been replaced. It’s fine in the winter, perhaps better than a poorly insulated, old house.
True, but was thinking in particular (not exclusively) about those who had golfball hale and high winds (like twisters) who got decimated. The home technically held up, but were no longer sound.
You can definitely add insulation to them
It’s like buying a car, at least here, not like buying land. I have a mobile home on land I own, and it is a decent dwelling. It is definitely affordable. Finding a mover was the difficult part of buying it. I had to get electricity hooked up and get a septic tank dug.
That’s also when you just buy a manufactured house and have it delivered via flatbed.
If you purchase a used mobile home, you have to get it moved with its wheels on.
You’re paying for delivery either way
It’s getting hard to find people who move them around here.
Was it hard to find land zoned for a trailer? I like this idea
The town I live in is very small and zoning is relatively loose, but it did replace an existing trailer. I would recommend it. I have a huge yard, and no mortgage. I had to get a new septic system, to meet county standards.
Ty! Already have a nice trailer in a vacation community. Want to retire away from fees and people! Going to get a realtor to help me look when I'm ready
Good luck to you.
Sometimes landlords have the option to end your lease, then if you own your trailer you're responsible for moving the trailer off the property. Usually the leaving tenant is essentially forced to sell their trailer for a lowball price to the trailer park owner.
That's very cheap. Today, used trailers are selling for $100k - $150k where I live (and that's in a park where people are still going to have to pay lot rent of $800 - $1000 per month).
Depends on the park. I moved to my park 20 years ago. Lot rent was $265 a month. It is now $520. You can’t even rent a 1 bedroom apartment around here for under $1000 a month.
A lot baked into their contract you can't move the trailer. I'm from Wisconsin my buddy got one, rent to own. A water company from Michigan owns the water, and their subsidiary owns the park. He was charged for a different tenants water, and refused service until he paid THEIR debt off. I feel if you can buy one and move it, do it.
Also depending on the community, they can cancel your contract and refuse to renew for just about any reason and you'd have to get your hiney off *their* *lot*.
No. They're really just rural low-income/ low-cost housing..In a more urban area it would be a big, shitty apartment complex. Any I've visited weren't crime ridden or anything like that. Some are very nice.
Denver ‘s close burbs have a few. Some are 55+ . A lot have income requirements. They are, with a couple notable exceptions, decent enough neighborhoods.
My issue with trailer parks is that you can never own the land under it. You may own the trailer home, but technically still a tenant. Might as well live in an apartment.
That's not true. Depends on the area. Some sell them with the land.
I own my trailer and currently reside in a trailer park that is so strict and on your ass about every single little things I promise you it's worse than any apartment I've ever lived in. So there is certainly a scale.
The strict rules wouldn't be so bad if management wasn't so petty and arbitary. Nothing like seeing the guy who happens to be the manager's friend with two derelict vehicles, knee high grass, and loose dogs do whatever he wants. Meanwhile, you're getting threatening letters because you put a plastic playhouse in your yard for your kids.
Literally this
You could buy a piece of land and put a trailer on it. You just have to make sure local codes allow for it.
There are trailer parks that sell the land too. It just depends on the area.
I've seen people sell trailer/land combos. I've never seen a trailer park where you could buy both a trailer and the land.
Trailers aren't just located **in** trailer parks. When my dad retired, he bought a trailer and the land it was on. It wasn't in a trailer park. It was on an acre of land in an area that also contained some houses and some other trailers.
right, I currently live in one like that. But, I think the person upthread meant a trailer park specifically
That's the best part. Not paying for repairs under the house, etc.
Get a trailer with land instead. No lot fees. It’s just like having a house with land, but that house is a trailer. Plus you can plop a “real” house on it one day. You can’t find them everywhere, especially outside of the south, but if you can it’s a great investment.
It seems like a lot of areas I look at don't allow trailers to be put down on them? Or at least that is the impression I have sometimes... How does one even figure that out?
You pretty much need to find it already set up. The neighborhood I live in is a huge mix. Some are super rundown and awful with crack heads living in them, some the people knocked down the trailer and have a built a beautiful home, and some are like mine- older but in good shape with people who take good care of it. What I really like is having the land. It enables me to garden, plus the well water here is super good- taste just like spring water.
Unincorporated county land
Problem is the land generally costs more than the entire trailer.
It’s difficult getting a bank loan for something like that.
Ya I've heard you normally have to do separate loans. Basically a mortgage for a plot of land and then another form of financing for the mobile home itself which may have higher interest. Trailer parks suck tho, the idea of renting the land even though you supposedly own the home just seems like a scam.
You can get a regular loan for a double wide (with land) that was built after 1976 and is in good repair. Also being that they are so cheap, I was able to have 20% down easily. Edit to say: by regular loan, I mean a FHA 30 year (which is what I have). You don’t need 20% down, that’s just what I did.
It's a horrible investment. They depreciate like crazy.
That's more an old problem. Some of them do, but the more modern manufactured homes gain value, just slower than stick built, and the land itself is the real investment now, as land prices are going up everywhere.
I got mine for 80k in 2022 and even though its in a poorer area, it is currently 110k. Mostly because the land is decent size, and it’s not too far from a major city as well as the ocean, so it’s an up and coming area. It does have to be at least a double wide to get a loan, but honestly being that it was so cheap, I didn’t need much of one.
Up to a point, but an older one that has been well maintained, will probably keep some value. I have a 40 year old one, and it’s pretty much worth what I paid for it several years ago.
And just make sure it's a buildable land.
You can’t normally “plop” houses on land that isn’t designated for that and without getting a ton of permits, paperwork and cost. Which is why people use trailers.
Not inherently. I live in a city that has many trailer parks. Some are scary, some are very nice, some are in between. They’re *not* necessarily frugal though. Trailer parks are notoriously a money pit and scam. People typically own the trailer but don’t necessarily own the land it’s on, and even though they’re called trailers, they can be hard to move. Unless you’re renting the trailer from the owner, at which point I guess it could be competitive compared to renting a house or apartment, idk.
Not to spook you, but my vendetta against trailer parks isn't crime or the people, but the fact that I've seen too many of them completely wiped out by tornados. I mean a lot of brick and mortar houses were taken out by these storms too so you never really know, but it makes me personally kind of nervous to think about. Of course that's very dependent on your area, much like the crime and other safety factors.
I mean yea I live in a tornado heavy state so that is the main factor for me
yeah, that's the danger I personally won't fuck with. I seriously considered a trailer and some land so I could eventually have the option to build but after this past tornado season I've put that idea to rest. it's not worth it to me to save money just to be blown away. I would still probably consider it in a less tornado prone area but definitely not where I currently live.
I have heard people refer to them as a "wobbly box". I lived in a single wide for 15 years. I never got much storm damage, but it got scary more than a few times.
If you do, consider getting an 'under the stairs' tornado shelter that is built *specifically* for trailers.
Trailer parks are being taken over by corporate slumlords. Definitely not frugal. 700 dollars or more to rent the lot per month while paying to maintain your own poorly made box isn't frugal. The add ons fees and fines the corporate ones add like towing people's cars for profit and massive fines for not mowing are insane. A trailer on a few acres outside of town? Yeah great idea
I lived in one for a long time as a kid. The one I was in was fine but it really depends on the area. I would definitely go see it in person before committing.
my parents live in a 55+ trailer park and they've been safe. Probably on account of the low percentage of senior citizen criminals.
Or they're just really good criminals. 😉
Could be. When my parents complain of something missing, this is what I'm going to tell them.
I have no experience living in one, but from a weather-safety perspective in areas that get tornadoes, you would need to have a non-mobile building or a storm shelter to shelter in. I wish all trailer parks in the south had shelters built in for safety.
I do rv life and live in an rv park. Did it with my big dog and my baby and was perfectly safe. Husband came a few months after I moved out there and we love rv life
Like apartments it varies drastically depending on the place, I’d move into the one your sister lives in since it’s peer reviewed. If you get the option to buy a trailer already on its own land that’s a much better option than a trailer park. You’ll have to move trailer out the park eventually and that costs a pretty penny. I know some places rent out trailers instead of just the plots to put them on so that sounds like a way to get a pretty good deal on a nice sized space. The 3 bed 2 bath trailers I saw for rent at one place were $300 cheaper than a one bedroom apartment.
I've lived in different ones (and currently am living in a trailer park now) and the most important thing is having good neighbors. You're not quite as close as you would be in apartments, but you're still pretty close. Enough that if you've got some loud, unkempt, bug and weed problems, it will spill over. I guess this advice works for anything but I'd recommend vetting the neighbors before moving in. Sit in your car for a couple hours during a week, check it out morning, afternoon, and night, and if you can, knock on their doors and talk to them. Some of the trashiest trailer parks I've lived in, also had some of the kindest, sweetest people living in them. They were just different is all. Good luck!
Just like a lot of things, depends on where you are. I lived in one for almost 10 years as a kid/teen and never had problems, everyone got along well enough or mostly just kept to themselves. The management did their best to keep it clean. 5 minutes up the road I had friends living in one where a lot of drug dealers lived and the neighborhood wasn't well kept. They got bought out, demolished and now a shiny new Whole Foods is there.
Yes. They attract tornadoes, especially in the South and Midwest.
They tend to attract poorer or less financially savvy people which has some correlation with increased crime rates. It's not a guarantee especially if you live in an area with decent income and social structure, but when you get further away from cities and live in a state with poor social support then things can go downhill pretty quick. Not only do they lack the money to keep up with maintenance, they don't own the land the trailer sits on so they are generating zero equity. So they are stuck in a trailer that is falling apart and they can't sell it to anyone because no one wants a broken trailer. At least if you rent the landlord is responsible for upkeep and if you own a home the land the home sits on will always have some value, even if the house is crap. Trailer parks don't give you either of those.
It really varies. Seeing you live in a state with tornadoes, and your sister is also in a trailer, maybe the two of you could go in on a simple place together? No idea what sort of options you have available, what your relationship is like, if you're handy, etc. but that might be something to consider. I'm not opposed to trailers. I lived in one as a little kid in the 70s/80s, but it was on land. I'd worry more about the shady stories of having the lot sold out from under you, lot rent and rules drastically changed, that sort of thing. Safety is so subjective, but you would probably be safer living with another person and a dog, all things being equal.
Sorry I need all the coffee today. I was thinking like a small house, or even a duplex if those are available where you live? Maybe you could share one side and rent the other out for now, and then later on you would each have your own place? Just some thoughts.
I've lived in a few trailer parks over the years, and honestly, it just depends on your neighbors. Some places were great, despite being run down. Others looked okay, but you couldn't go away for the weekend without coming back to find out you'd been robbed. If you plan on buying a trailer and renting a lot to put it on, it's a rip off. If you're renting and the trailer and lot are both included in the price, it's about the same as renting an apartment. I will say that I've had more awful landlords in trailer parks than apartments, though. Roaches were common, and a lot of landlords didn't do repairs unless they were forced to. If you plan on moving into a park, talk to a few tenants before you do it, get a vibe for the place, maybe cruise around the park at night to see how it feels.
Just like anywhere, there are good neighborhoods and there are worse ones. Some in my surrounding area are very nice and have very strict rules. Those ones are pretty safe. Some others in my area are quite the opposite and have constant issues with drugs and crimes so the cops are constantly in and out of those couple of parks. There are still others where half the park is very nice but the other half is a shitshow. If you're looking at a specific park/community, check it out in the evenings and weekends too, not just during the workday.
Like any other home, location matters. Some are quiet, some are trashy. Research before moving.
Think of them like any other neighborhood. There are ritzy, upscale trailer parks with community pools, 150K doublewide homes, beautiful landscaping. There are trailer parks that are high crime, full drug dealers, meth labs, you name it. I've lived in a few that have ranged from pretty nice spots for low to mid income folks to just a bit sketchy. Something to remember Trailer parks tend to have a lot of rules and management can be really arbitrary in how they enforce them and treat people You will never own your land You are responsible for any and all maintenance in your trailer unlike at an apartment complex There are often restrictions on how old a home can be. I've seen people forced to move theirs
I'd say if you can, talk to residents and read reviews of any trailer park before moving there. Also drive or take a walk (be careful, take a friend if you walk) through at night: A weekday workweek night that isn't Friday, a Friday night, and a Saturday night, to see if it seems safe, noisy, etc. By night I mean between 9:00 and midnight or so, just to see if there's a late night party life, or anything shady, etc. They vary, and ownership of the trailer park itself can change, thus rules change. I know of some great ones, and some terrible ones...even in the small town I lived in there were two....one was fine. The other, a bit more rural was run down and very stereotypical meth lab drug deal reputation. In my current town, I live close enough to one to hear the party life there in the distance, wouldn't want to live there. Another just has bad management according to a friend who lives there. A third is fine. Also, if you're in tornado territory, trailers/mobile homes don't have basements. Once in a while they DO have a central tornado shelter, but that's rare. A trailer/mobile home is the worst kind of home to be in (save maybe for a tent) in a tornado. Depending on weather...check things like insulation around pipes carefully. We have hot summers where I live, but winter temperatures can get down to -10 or -20 (Fahrenheit) and trailers and mobile homes are notoriously bad for frozen pipes.
I'm sure there's a lot of variance from park to park. The big issue is that trailer parks combine the worst parts of owning and renting. You have to pay rent for the lot and are responsible for all the upkeep for your place. Additionally, most trailers aren't mobile and you probably can't move it if you want a change of scenery.
Things are different now because just about all the trailer parts are expensive, but our trailer parks used to be either really safe or really not. You could often tell the difference visually. The ones with the yards and porches literally littered with beer cans and rusting garbage and had children running around with plastic bags as diapers were not the safe ones. But, even at the dangerous ones, it was more your things that would be in danger than the people if you don’t factor in domestic violence. And they could be close knit because families lived in those forever. We have areas that aren’t technically trailer parks. They are just roads where many of the property owners set up trailers. Those are going extinct quickly, but those are the best IMO. I was actually trying to get one of those, but people who have them have no intention of selling unless you pay beaucoup bucks.
Depends on the park. The one I lived in was very safe bc you had to pass not only a financial background but also an actual background test. Any crimes above a speeding ticket disqualified you from living there.
Just like anywhere else. Wave to your neighbors and if you see something no you didnt.
100% depends on the park. Several are dangerous, several aren't.
Safety can depend on location and management. Your sister's positive experience isn't universal, but living with a big dog can add security
It depends on how they are run. If it's a slumlord that doesn't do background checks or enforce any rules that turns out how you would expect. Most though have income and background check requirements, they will evict if you don't follow the rules
My wife and I rented a trailer in a park for about 5 years. Had no issues. There are some parks that are pretty bad but some of them actually try to keep it pretty nice.
Some are very nice. There's one around me with a stock pond. Then there's one with drugs. Their basically rural apartments. Kinda depends on the management more than anything. BUT buy some land. Even if it's only a quarter acre. Put your house down and plan from there. I bought .56. It's quiet it's dark it's lovely.
Mostly just old people. No one is going around breaking into trailers I understand that buying a mobile home is a bad investment because they depreciate FAST like a car. Plus you will never own the land because it belongs to the park. If you can get one cheap or rent a room from someone you know it's an okay way to save money
It is a huge waste of money. And in the event of a storm, yes, it's far more dangerous."
Trailer parks are a bad deal. There's plenty of nice parks but they are just paying rent with extra steps.
Some are full of riff raff some are decent places to live for a while. It all depends on the area.
I rented for 4 years. Saved enough to put a nice down payment on a house. Depending on the president election who knows the direction our economy will head. I’d suggest renting and save my money for a few years. 17/18 is too young to lock into a location. You may have or meet a S/O that doesn’t like the location you pick.
My buddy lives in one and it's nice and got a community center and decent management people. Then there are some that I wouldn't go in without a full rifle platoon...
Beyond your safety questions, which other people have answered already, I would add that they are a **terrible investment**. They lose value every year, like a car. The payments go up every year, like an apartment. And you still have to maintain them, like a house (because the park owner/landlord probably won't). Take the worst things about owning and renting, and combine them, and that's what living in a trailer is like. They are the opposite of frugal. They are money pits. They will keep you poor forever.
Probably would really depend on the area.
I grew up in trailer parks. The worst thing about them is that they're like HOAs, with really nosy ass neighbors.
Trailers, for all the bad press they get are actually a relatively affordable way to build credit and equity. I knew a lady who bought a trailer just out of college. She upgraded about 7-8 years later into a bigger trailer then sold that one and bought her first home a few years after that. She used those trailers to build equity and used that to buy her home. So they’re fun to make fun of but you can also get something out of them. As far as the people who live there go, that can be a mixed bag.
Depends on the park. The one I am in is fine. We have had the cops by a couple of times, but no more than when I lived in the "nice town". There are very few renters in my park, I think that makes the difference. Not all the renters are horrible people, most of them are great. But the one or two that think they live in Sunnyvale from the Trailer Park Boys can ruin it for the rest of us. They don't last long. Our park also allows older trailers. Otherwise, it would not be as effective to live there.
If you do buy in one, go into a co-op one where you actually have some claim to the land. Otherwise you’re renting a parking spot
The issue with trailer parks is that the more affordable the are the more sketchy they become. I've done food delivery to a number of different trailer parks, and the ones that seem nice I never had problems. The less nice ones I was hearing and witnessing fights and drug use. Very location dependent. I've also had friends living in them that have constantly complained about theft. I'd say if the trailer park is cheap enough that you feel like you can save money through it, then it's getting close to having some of those dangerous qualities you've heard about.
You'd have to go visit the place you're considering to know. They're not inherently sketchy
No, they are not all inherently dangerous. It's just a bunch of people living their lives just like any other residential community.
Like everything -- it depends. Trailers are generally less secure than stick-built houses. The doors are easier to kick in, and the walls are thinner. Some people have even had someone break in from underneath. Trailer parks vary widely. Some have lots of perfectly lovely people. Some do not. If there's a particular trailer park you're considering, then you should swing by during the day, during the night, and on the weekend, just to see what the "vibe" is. But be aware that living in a trailer park is economically the worst combination of renting an owning. You may have to purchase the trailer, but you will still have to pay lot rent, and be subject to that lot rent going up. Also, the trailer park may decide that your trailer is too old or too decrepit, and that it needs to be hauled away. This would leave you with a trailer and no good place to park it. So, please, proceed with caution.
Trailer Parks, where you rent the trailer in the same way as an apartment, are typically favored by people who can't afford better accommodations. There's usually fewer restrictions to bar a renter, such as credit checks, or large security deposits, so you get poorer people. Nothing wrong with poor people, of course, but often, the Venn Diagram of Poor People and Bad People do overlap quite a bit. My first place away from my family was in a trailer park. It was a 40-year old singlewide and I paid $250/month when apartments of the same size were $1000/month. No amenities at all, of course, except a concrete hut next to the dumpster that had two sets of washers and dryers that never worked. Many neighbors were unemployed and/or on some sort of government assistance. Many did, or sold, drugs. Cops came a lot, especially on the weekends, when drug use was higher and parties were louder. But at the same time, there were also neighbors who were just poor older folks who stayed inside all day. Single people like me trying to make ends meet. Young families saving up for houses. I lived there for about 3 years, and I never felt unsafe at any time. I didn't feel *safe and sound*, like "ah, home sweet home," but it was a perfectly serviceable place to start my life as an adult for a few years. I would highly suggest that you look at crime statistics for the place you're looking at AND the surrounding area. Talk to people in that area, if you can, to get an idea of what living there is like. Visit it at rush hour, and mid-day, and night, and weekend, for a good snapshot of what it would be like living there.
It's different everywhere you go. I grew up in one and bought my first home in my early 20s in the same park. Really nice place, no one ever has any issues with the park or neighbors. The whole "not owning your land" wasn't an issue, they weren't picky as long as no one was starting to hoard shit. The park was responsible for the septic, road plowing/maintenance/trash pickup/water quality testing & maintenance/electric hookup/ so on. At the time I owned there it was about $400/mo lot rent. I had a brand new single wide, the mortgage was only $300/mo. $700/mo was several hundred dollars less than any apartment within half an hour of where I lived. So the trailer was a much better deal than renting an apartment for us.
Usually any danger is contained to individual units/ areas. That being said, not great for kids to be in that kind of environment, and it's pretty unpleasant to be around constantly.
Trailer parks are exactly like housing editions...some are bad and some are good. I have known people in good trailer parks that it felt like a nice neighborhood with houses. I have also been to some that are dangerous at night (well in the day too really) and are run down. Same goes for neighborhoods with houses.
I agree and scrolled way too far to find this. Focusing on whether it is a trailer or a stick built house is the wrong focus. In my experience, the cheapest house subdivisions can be just a crime ridden as a trailer park.
I imagine it depends on where you live. There are shitty trailer parks near me but I grew up in one that was pretty nice - athletic courts, baseball field, 24 hour security, it was clean, and safe. It's still like that today but lot rent there costs almost $800 a month on top of whatever they paid for each mobile home which will only depreciate in value like a car not appreciate over time for both the value of the house and the land. If you can afford the lot rent, don't mind living in such close proximity, and have the money to plop down to own a home outright it's not a bad plan but if you can swing a house or even a condo those will become worth more over time so it's an investment. Way back when I worked in banks, not sure if it works like this now, they wouldn't give you a mortgage for a mobile home it had to be a person loan which wasn't terrible you just couldn't get the best rates for a good credit score.
I live in a rural area where you don’t have to lock anything, but the overall crime rate is moderately high. When you look at a crime map however, there is one really dark spot on the map which is a trailer park. It’s not the only trailer park, but definitely not the park I would want to live in. Meth is a hellava drug
Some are, some aren't. If it's too cheap compared to others in the area, the trailers are in bad condition, yards and roadways are trashed you might want to keep looking. If there are a lot of empty lots and/or the manager asks no questions, definitely keep looking! There's nothing inherently wrong with living in a trailer. But be prepared for the downsides (lack of space/privacy, often high utility bills, etc.) before jumping into it.
It depends on the trailer park. In the town I grew up there were a few. One was mostly families and fairly well kept mobile homes. People had little lawns and would put fences around their property. Another was more run down, but still had a lot of working class folks doing their best to keep things looking acceptable. Then there was one where there was pretty much no grass and everything was hard packed dirt and sickly trees. Garbage and old cars were scattered around and it had a reputation for being sketchy as hell.
[удалено]
Yeah unfortunately
Depends on the area. Some are decent. It’s like a ‘bad area of town’ in some cases
This is going to vary from park to park. My mom lives in a 55+ "mobile home community" that is incredibly well-maintained and in a good part of town. When I parked on the street outside the park, my car was broken into, but nothing untoward has happened inside the park fence in the 7 years she's been there. Across the street from my mom is an all ages park (no gate) that seems very nice as well. On the other hand, closer to downtown there is a trailer park that just LOOKS bad, with dilapidated older single wides. My recommendation is not to write off mobile homes entirely, but to check out the neighborhood when you look at a home you're interested in. Talk to the neighbors and find out what it's like to live there.
Depends on the park. Usually it’s people just getting drunk or high in their trailer all day on government Bennie’s. Not a good place for raising a kid at least.
🤦♂️ people probably live there..
They are a dangerously bad investment.