my nephew and his family moved to Simi-Valley a few years ago for his job... they have been renting the same home in an upscale neighborhood... it works for them... they do not plan to be in Simi Valley much longer, so they were not ready to buy there... not every renter and rental is crappy... not every home owner has pride of ownership...
You’re taking personal anecdotes for normality as I am.
Yet, I am going by what I’ve seen in 40 years of living in the same areas (except for 8 years overseas) and what rental houses, trailers and condos mean. 20% of the residents in my county are on SNAP, and damned near everyone of them are in rented trailers.
Yeah, mobile homes in CA could be nice, even in Vegas or Oregon but that ain’t Georgia, Alabama or Mississippi.....even your SV relative is doing what he’s doing because the circumstances are planned transition.
My best friend once was concerned about his son being in trouble at school, doing badly, etc. and he drove him by the trailer park and parked in the middle, and he told his son “Take a look around, look at them closely, pick one out, because that’s where you’re gonna end up if you don’t get your act together.”