What do you think of people who live in those vans? It’s amazing they can fit a kitchen and bath is such a small space.

A mobile home is a terrible “investment.” They depreciate almost as rapidly as cars. You would be much better off purchasing a small home in a low cost of living area. I purchased a 3 bedroom, 2 bath 1920s bungalow in my Midwestern hometown for $100k. It needs some cosmetic work but I’m fixing it up over time while I’m using it as a home base while visiting my mom. It’s in a good neighborhood in a town of about 16,000 that’s growing and under an hour’s drive from several small cities and a major metropolitan area. Taxes, utilities, and labor costs for maintenance are low. It’s appreciating in value and I’ll come out ahead regardless of if I sell, rent, or eventually move there.

While I would much prefer to live in a mobile home vs. an apartment due to less noise/privacy - I heard that mobile homes lose value at a much quicker pace.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband and I looked into one. The monthly fee for the lot was $3,000 and I think there was also an HOA fee. So the place itself was cheap, the location was great, not much maintenance but that's ridiculous. I think the price is not locked in so you may pay more in the future.

This price is like renting a house.
Why would anyone rent there ?

I have two houses in mobile home parks and my SIL also has two, with one overlapping. None are near $3k per month. But, the rent isn't cheap - ranges from about $700 to $2,000 depending on the lot, with a discount for paying the whole year upfront. Here's the thing. I have brand new 2,450 square foot homes (well brand new when we bought) that are in prime locations with amazing water views and water access for boats and recreational activities, which we love. I could not ever afford to live in such a nice place any other way.

Mobile homes of today are nothing like what people typically think of. (and they actually aren't called mobile homes - they are manufactured homes). One of mine is an extended double wide big rectangle where almost all rooms have a great water view and the other is a triple wide put together so that it has interest. Ceilings are high - 9-10 feet. There are no HOA fees at any of the places I or my SIL owned. You pay lot rent, which covers the upkeep (and the upkeep is prime), taxes on the property itself, and whatever amenities your community has, like a pool, dog park, restaurants, security, golf courses, boat launches, boat slips, etc.

In addition to the cost of the structure or structures if you have sheds and garages (which you get a mortgage for like any other home if you don't have cash to pay), you pay the lot rent, insurance on the structures only and taxes on the structures only (which is really cheap - like a couple of hundred a year or about 5% of the taxes on my regular house where I own the land). These homes are highly energy efficient so in Delaware I pay $600 a year for heat and $750 a year for electricity.

IME the reason people do this is because it's the only affordable way to live in a highly desirable location with amenities that would cost you close to the lot rent if it was an HOA.

It’s a little challenging to find a MHP to rent in in our area because land is so expensive, so look for location first, and make sure they have pads available for you. There aren’t that many near DC. The ones that are here tend to have pretty high rents, relative to other areas. Rent is typically paid monthly, and you also pay for utility hook up fees and monthly expenses. Some parks have amenities like playgrounds or even pools.

MHs are not as sturdy as real estate, and you may have to personal property tax, like for a car, depending on the location. Your neighbors may spend more time outside and homes are close together. Combined with the poor construction, this means more noise.

Am I missing anything?

Yes. Mobile home parks are much more vulnerable to bad weather. Also, you can’t really move a mobile home. So if the park land itself gets sold for development, you are likely out a place to stay. Unless the internet has changed things, there isn’t a great after market for them.

Anonymous wrote:I would just rent a small apartment. Zero maintenance. No taxes.

They already mentioned why!!
Reading is fundamental

Anonymous wrote:Not OP but
What about RV is that good idea ?

The RV is not the issue (well it will have issues), rather the issue is where are you going to park. RV parking come in 3 flavors: short term (free or pay up to a couple of weeks), long term (up to 6 months), and permanent. Permanent parks are a lot like mobile home parks in that you can use them as your legal residence, but they have similar fee structures.