Mobile homes coexist with pricey houses, a trend suburbs support

Minneapolis Star Tribune ^ | March 30, 2003 | Larry Werner

[Willie Green]

In a late-winter afternoon, when the temperature was flirting with spring, Michelle Smithson took her three kids for a walk on the trail that separates North Creek Mobile Home Community from Harris Acres, a development of $300,000 houses on the east side of Lakeville.

[Willie Green]

Related thread:

Boomers need to start thinking about, planning for, retirement home

[annyokie]

"Not that that's such a big deal," Smithson said. "It wouldn't have stopped us from moving here, but we didn't know that's what they did -- all these nice new homes next to the mobile homes."

What a snob! We have a lovely lakefront home that is adjacent to a trailer park. Those trailers are home to their owners. Jeez! I am disgusted with this woman.

[ricpic]

Ya see, proles serve a purpose after all.

[FryingPan101]

Has anyone taken a look at those so called "mobile homes" lately? Some of them are gorgeous. Some of them sit on beautiful, landscaped lots twice the size of a sixty-five thousand dollar house. Some of them are 2500 square feet. I don't know how they're called "mobile" for all intent and purposes.

[annyokie]

No lie. My uncle, H.D., owns a "mobile home" park in Bakersfield. Many of them are nicer than most ranch-style homes.

[KevinDavis]

Mobile homes tend to be tornado bait. Maybe that is their fear.

[martin_fierro]

And this classy, defender-of-the-little-man guy said, "Drag a $100 bill through a trailer park and you're bound to catch something", in reference to Paula Jones.

[annyokie]

Tornadoes don't discriminate, in my experience.

[ex-Texan]

I agree .... Modular homes offer a great and inexpensive way to build on a nice piece of bare land. Buyer beware is the watchword.

The major problem for buyers of triple-wide homes of modular construction are builder fraud and mortgage fraud. I have many, many horror stories that I could offer.

[Lorianne]

Interesting article. Thanks for posting.

Where I live,Oahu, Hawaii, million dollar homes next door to basically shacks are a common occurance. The price of land dictates everything, and people who have had the land for generations without 'improving' it are frequently next door to properties that have been sold every 10 years or so and redeveloped each time. We don't have mobile homes on Oahu, but many of the homes are of minimuma construction and so are often torn down and new houses built on the lot. It's quite a dynamic situaton.

Of course we do have our newer gated communities where the houses are all of a similar appearance (mostly tacky faux-riche IMO) quality and price, but gated communities like this are less common here than on the mainland.

Affordable housing is a problem. Mobile homes are IMO a good solution. There is no reason why they cannot be designed well and mobile home communities planned and designed to be attractive. I personally don't like the appearance of mobile homes, but then I don't like the appearance of 90% of site built homes either.

Economically mobile homes make a lot of sense for people of moderate means to get a foothold in the single family housing market. They get something to own which they can then maintain and improve. They are a better solution to affordable housing than renting in so called 'garden apartment' complexes that proliferated all over in the 70's and 80's. Renting IMO doesn't provide people with a sense of pride in ownership.

[iranger]

"What a snob!"

Well, I live with 10 miles of this snob. I have to say, I doubt I would be so open minded. There is no way in heck I'd move next to a trailer park, not with 2 little girls to look after.

[annyokie]

Gasp! Builder fraud? Many were the crooked contractors my dad was associated with when he was building homes on speculation.

[annyokie]

Snob alert. They are hard-working, dollar-challenged people, IMO. I have two little boys who ride the schoolbus everyday with their children.

[struwwelpeter]

My dream is to sit on the porch of a trailer with a good book and no debts, and occasionally wave to my overworked neighbors as they leave their sheet-rock palaces for their two and one-half jobs. "Keep paying those taxes!" I'd yell, turning back to Ayn Rand's words of wisdom.

[iranger]

There may be some decent folk living there, but mobile home parks are also a consistent drain on police resources. Where do you live? In the twin city metro area, mobile home parks are always associated with higher crime statistics.

[IYAS9YAS]

Hasn't been a "mobile home" built in 20 years...all are called "manufactured homes". Many are two to three sections with garages available (usually built at the site). Also, most manufactured homes nowadays are placed on foundations like site-built homes.

There are still "mobile home" parks where old flat-top single-wides (sometimes double-wides) are nestled, but the owner may own just the home and probably pays rent for the lot.

That aside, I can point out a manufactured home in a heartbeat, no matter where it sits. Something about the lines and the way they look. Can't pin it down, but I know it when I see it.

[annyokie]

I live in far North Eastern Oklahoma, almost within spittin' distance of Missouri. Mobile homes are a going concern here, mainly because this is a summer resort. Bass fishing tournies all summer long. We residents detest the summer traffic.

[iranger]

You probably don't get much 30 below zero weather down there.

[B Knotts]

Heh...as if there is any difference, other than degree, between a mobile home park, and a "housing development." Same difference, if you ask me.

[SauronOfMordor]

In the twin city metro area, mobile home parks are always associated with higher crime statistics.

Low-income people in general are associated with higher crime stats. But I would feel safer living next to a trailer park than a "public housing project".

I think people behave better when they are home-owners (even mobil-home-owners) than when they are renters