Trailer parks could offer a solution to the housing crisis – offering safe and roomy homes at a mere fraction of the cost of traditional brick-and-mortar properties.
Soaring house prices have prompted more people to choose ‘gated manufactured home parks’ instead of traditional homes in towns across the country.
Unlike the old image of trashy trailer parks, modern mobile park occupants now enjoy spacious and cozy communities – without having to pay property taxes.
One such resident is Jack Behan, 61, who resides in a two-bedroom manufactured home with a full kitchen and one and a half bath at Nob Hill Estates in Weymouth, Massachusetts, as reported by the Boston Globe.
‘The neighborhood is a little jewel. I have a lovely yard, I am close to shopping, a local hospital, and the highway. When my friends come visit, they are amazed,’ he told the outlet last year.
Trailer parks may offer a viable solution to the ongoing housing problem, offering safe and roomy places at a mere fraction of the cost of traditional brick-and-mortar
Mike Zupkofska enjoys the heated outdoor pool and clubhouse at Leisurewoods (pictured), a manufactured home park that looks like any other regular suburban neighborhood in Portland
‘The neighborhood is a little jewel. I have a lovely yard, I am close to shopping, a local hospital, and the highway. When my friends come visit, they are amazed,’ Behan said
Jack Behan, 61, resides in a two-bedroom manufactured home with a full kitchen and one and a half baths at Nob Hill Estates in Weymouth, Massachusetts
Nob Hill Estates, which is for those aged 55-and-older in Weymouth, Massachusetts, is just one of 45,000 mobile home parks in the U.S., where a new home averages at a cost of $127,300.
By contrast, their site-built, single-family counterparts come with a much heftier price tag of $303,508 to $430,808 as of 2022, according to the analysis published this month by LendingTree.
But ‘relative to lots of other places in the country, we don’t have a lot of manufactured housing,’ George McCarthy, president and CEO of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, told the Globe.
McCarthy said that the manufactured home industry will conclude 2023 by producing around 120,000 new units across the nation.
While mobile homes may present risks for home buyers, such as rapid depreciation and additional fees for concrete slab, installation, and site work, most residents simply enjoy the comforts they offer at remarkably low costs.
Mike Zupkofska enjoys the heated outdoor pool and clubhouse at Leisurewoods, a manufactured home park that looks like any other regular suburban neighborhood in Portland.
The former Rockland selectman chose to move to a mobile home, which is 50 percent larger and a third of the price of the house he used to own, in order to put more money into his retirement.
‘It doesn’t mean I’m rich but it helps with my long-term planning, especially since health insurance and health care costs have increased significantly,
‘There are so many different events throughout the year. This is a community within the town of Rockland,’ he said.
Madeline Mulcahy had done the same: ‘When I decided to downsize from a large home in Lynn several years ago, I chose a mobile home.’
‘With the sale of my house, I was able to pay cash for a three-bedroom home in an established community off Route 1 in Peabody and put away some money for my retirement.’
Zupkofska chose to put money into his retirement by moving to a mobile home, which is 50 percent larger and a third of the price of the house he used to own
The remarkably affordable prices of homes in trailer parks might offer a solution for cities grappling with a housing affordability crisis and high demand for land
Soaring house prices have prompted more people to choose ‘gated manufactured home parks’ instead of traditional homes in Massachusetts and all over the country
As Massachusetts grapples with the soaring housing prices, there is already a severe shortage of affordable housing, McCarthy said
The remarkably affordable prices of homes in trailer parks might offer a solution for cities grappling with a housing affordability crisis and high demand for land.
Housing affordability slumped to a 39-year-low across the US this year as soaring mortgage rates failed to pour cold water on high house prices.
Shultz said in an interview with WGBH last year that his department wants to see more manufactured housing either in more mobile home communities or added into traditional neighborhoods.
As Massachusetts grapples with the soaring housing prices, there is already a severe shortage of affordable housing, McCarthy said.
‘Although the number of manufactured homes in Massachusetts is small compared to other states, it is essential that we preserve the manufactured homes inventory.’ said McCarthy.
He added: ‘Most owners of manufactured homes would qualify for subsidized housing. If we don’t preserve manufactured homes nationally, the waiting list for subsidized housing would quadruple.’
‘And there hasn’t been a lot of new development with manufactured housing going on. It would be nice if that were permitted.’
‘You could easily imagine using a manufactured housing development as a way to add housing in places where there’s available land, and not a lot of affordable’ housing,’ McCarthy added.
Mike Bullard, of Resident Owned Communities USA, agreed, saying ‘manufactured homes are a great option for home buyers.’
‘What we have seen is that manufactured homes are anywhere from three to five times cheaper than site-built homes.’
‘Stability in housing is important. There has been a trend of equity firms buying up manufactured land-lease home communities and dramatically increasing the rents.
‘When you dramatically increase rents you destabilize the community,’ Bullard added.
Residents in a beachside South Florida trailer home community actually turned down a $500million offer from developers earlier this year
Briny Breezes is a tiny beachside South Florida trailer home community that sits just 10 miles from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and is complete with oceanfront beach club and water aerobics at the community pool
‘It was just one of the most affordable places where you could live and enjoy a beach lifestyle, enjoy the ocean,’ said one of the residents
Speaking to DailyMail.com, realtor James Arena gushed over his community and said: ‘Briny Breezes is in such a special location. We have beautiful ocean right next to the Boynton Inlet’
The 43-acre town sprouted from a strawberry farm in the 1920s, back when Florida’s charm was its subtropical weather and quiet, coastal bliss – long before the days of Art Deco, Miami Vice and Walt Disney World
Residents in a beachside South Florida trailer home community actually turned down a $500million offer from developers earlier this year.
‘This is paradise,’ resident Chuck Swift told DailyMail.com. ‘I mean, you’re sitting on my boat right now and I live the same lifestyle as a mega multimillionaire that’s six blocks south.
‘Obviously it’s a trailer, but I can go out to the inlet, out to ocean or take the golf cart up to the beach. Toes in the sand and take the paddle board up.’
Nestled amid mega-mansions and splashy high-rise condos in Palm Beach County, the quaint coastal trailer park town seems out of place.
Residents cruise the narrow streets on golf carts, passing palm trees and tiny, neatly manicured yards.
They wave to each other and chat about the next neighborhood outing – or perhaps a community game of shuffleboard or whether they should join the surf club.
It’s one of the last remaining coastal trailer park communities between Miami and Palm Beach, with homes purchased as recently as 1997 for just $35,000.
The 43-acre town sprouted from a strawberry farm in the 1920s, back when Florida’s charm was its subtropical weather and quiet, coastal bliss – long before the state became known for Art Deco, Miami Vice and Disney World.
A group of regular visitors bought the property in 1958, and it incorporated as a town in 1963. It is run as a corporation by a board of directors, and the residents own shares based on the size and location of their lot.
Briny – as it is known locally – featured as the backdrop to the 2005 movie In Her Shoes, starring Cameron Diaz, Shirley MacLaine and Toni Collette.
Realtor James Arena got married and has raised his children in Briny Breezes in the 10 years he’s lived there.
Speaking to DailyMail.com, Arena gushed over his community and said: ‘Briny Breezes is in such a special location.
‘We have beautiful ocean right next to the Boynton Inlet. We’ve got two airports very close in proximity. We’re in the heart of Palm Beach County, one of the richest counties in the world.’
‘It was just one of the most affordable places where you could live and enjoy a beach lifestyle, enjoy the ocean.’