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Could you be happy living in a double wide trailer?


Dottleshead

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Our area lacks culture. We can drive over the hill and see a Shakespeare play. We have a really nice yoga studio now and I am thankful for that space. 

Concerts are a significant drive as well. Cultural opportunities are important.

we do have a vibrant culture of indigenous people here. I do enjoy the POW woes that happen. Listening to the drumming and watching the dancers is really cool. 

 

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6 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

Our area lacks culture. We can drive over the hill and see a Shakespeare play. We have a really nice yoga studio now and I am thankful for that space. 

Concerts are a significant drive as well. Cultural opportunities are important.

we do have a vibrant culture of indigenous people here. I do enjoy the POW woes that happen. Listening to the drumming and watching the dancers is really cool. 

 

Do you think the lack of culture is due to the close proximity to Ashland, etc.?  We are a town of 9,000 located 150 miles from Billings, so groups work and support cultural activities.

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8 minutes ago, sheep_herder said:

Do you think the lack of culture is due to the close proximity to Ashland, etc.?  We are a town of 9,000 located 150 miles from Billings, so groups work and support cultural activities.

Not sure. We have a surprisingly low amount of good and services for a town of our size as well. Not that we necessarily need a Costco or Trader Joe’s but options are limited here. Lots of businesses struggle. Internet shopping? Going out of town? Not sure of the cause  

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1 minute ago, Dirtyhip said:

Not sure. We have a surprisingly low amount of good and services for a town of our size as well. Not that we necessarily need a Costco or Trader Joe’s but options are limited here. Lots of businesses struggle. Internet shopping? Going out of town? Not sure of the cause  

What does your old man do for work?

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1 hour ago, Indy said:

My Aunt and Uncle had a cool double wide trailer.  My Grandparents had a nice single wide.  It can be like anything, it's what you do with it.  Of course most trailer parks, especially anymore around here tend to be quite trashy, so that doesn't help the perception of them.  But it's like anything, if you maintain it and take care of it, it can be nice, if you don't, it can be a piece of shit quickly.  I've seen million + dollar houses become pieces of shit rather quickly because people don't maintain them, wife and I tried to buy one once even because we loved the neighborhood it was in, but like everyone else that had tried to buy it, couldn't get financing because it wouldn't pass inspection, which is why it was dirt cheap for where it was and almost everything that needed done I could do, but no luck.

Been there  ?

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3 minutes ago, Dottie said:

So general consensus is if it was on private property with space, it would be doable?

Not for me. After living in one, it feels that they were a sub par build. Don’t think I would do it again. We lived ok in it but some issues cropped up that we had to deal with. Maybe it was our company. It was a Guerdon. Fuquas are nice.  If we did it again, yeah on land would be the way and carefully choosing a company and build

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I spent a few years in a 10 x 60 piece of crap with 2 kids, we were on a private lot next to a playground and were happy as clams. 

I rented it, when my wife saw it for the first time she turned to me and said "I hope you treat your 2nd wife better" I had to pry her out of there.

A lot more goes into a happy home than what is made of. Location has a lot to do with it.

Parks where you own the land are becoming popular around here, they seem to be a better bet than the rented land.

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WOChrisL and I have considered it.  There is a mobile home park in Newport Bay where we could buy outright  on equity (hell we could buy 3 places).  But paying rent is a concern as well as WTF would we do if the land owners sold to some developer for multimillion dollar estates...

We’re right side by several hundred thousand right now but I want to stay, WOChrisL wants to get the hell out of dodge...  Who the hell knows where we’ll be in 10 years...

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I've thought of moving into a condo, senior housing, etc. simply because I don't need the space and there's alway a lot of work maintaining the house and property.

I remember when I was in my 40's and considered selling my house and moving up along the Central PA - Maryland border where for the the same money I'd get for my house in the Baltimore suburbs I could get a magnificent house and an acre of land on which to plant a huge garden, lots of fruit trees, etc.

But by the time I retired I wanted to be free to pursue the hobbies and entertainment I wanted - which were best available in the Chesapeake Bay, Baltimore, Annapolis, Washington, and Philadephia areas - all within 90 minutes of my house in suburban Baltimore, and not doing a lot a lot of land work.

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When I was getting married my wife to be didn’t want to live in my apartment so I bought a three year old mobile home. It was set up in a park in Ohio. We didn’t want to live in that park so I talked to the owner of a new park that was just opened.  He had a truck to move the mobile home if I could find a driver. We knew a guy from church and he agreed to move it for $50 plus wide load permits. I tore it down and set it up in the new park. We were the seventh home in the park, all newlyweds like we were. It was nice,the homes were angled on the lots so you looked out of your trailer into the woods and not at your neighbor’s trailer. I had a small garden and yard. I sold it a few years later when I took a job in another county.

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I know someone in the San Jose area who cashed out on her home equity to move to what was essentially a fancy manufactured  home park.  She has had some complaints about the Park, but the move was very beneficial for her financially.

I've lived in apartments with less space and neighbors as close, so I' could certainly do it if it made sense for my overall goals.  But I agree with the suggestion to hang out at any place you're considering at various times and get a good understanding of the neighborhood and the neighbors.

I've read (but have no first hand knowledge) that manufactured homes can be hard to finance and that the values don't appreciate and may even depreciate.  So make sure to examine the financial impacts pf any potential resale value.

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36 minutes ago, Kirby said:

I know someone in the San Jose area who cashed out on her home equity to move to what was essentially a fancy manufactured  home park.  She has had some complaints about the Park, but the move was very beneficial for her financially.

I've lived in apartments with less space and neighbors as close, so I' could certainly do it if it made sense for my overall goals.  But I agree with the suggestion to hang out at any place you're considering at various times and get a good understanding of the neighborhood and the neighbors.

I've read (but have no first hand knowledge) that manufactured homes can be hard to finance and that the values don't appreciate and may even depreciate.  So make sure to examine the financial impacts pf any potential resale value.

I always find these discussions interesting.  Maybe I should have, but I don't think we've ever thought about the appreciation of our property and how it might affect our future.  I guess if we both got in bad enough shape that we needed to move to a home, this would be important, but so far that has not been an issue. I am not going to start worrying about the issue tonight.

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34 minutes ago, Dottie said:

I'm not looking to unload it for a profit. Rather to save money and break even. As mentioned, I could save an extra $20k a year living in one of those.... not to mention less stress.

Really was not responding to you, but to others that broached this subject now and in past discussions.

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14 hours ago, Razors Edge said:

I don't think that is an accepted definition of "culture".  Think more about art, music, performances, or things like that.  Access to a mall is not considered culture.

And the grapes were sour...

 

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8 hours ago, sheep_herder said:

I always find these discussions interesting.  Maybe I should have, but I don't think we've ever thought about the appreciation of our property and how it might affect our future.  I guess if we both got in bad enough shape that we needed to move to a home, this would be important, but so far that has not been an issue. I am not going to start worrying about the issue tonight.

Selling a farm, or transferring ownership, is extremely complicated. You may need to look for a while to even find someone that has expertise at doing that.

Like the other Boomers, they are retiring.

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3 minutes ago, late said:

Selling a farm, or transferring ownership, is extremely complicated. You may need to look for a while to even find someone that has expertise at doing that.

Like the other Boomers, they are retiring.

I don't think that will be a problem.  Our place is small and 4 miles from town.  People are always looking for these types of places. However, we are not contemplating moving anytime soon.  We may just move to the other place.

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14 hours ago, Dirtyhip said:

Not sure. We have a surprisingly low amount of good and services for a town of our size as well. Not that we necessarily need a Costco or Trader Joe’s but options are limited here. Lots of businesses struggle. Internet shopping? Going out of town? Not sure of the cause  

Isn't there a voluntary trade off involved.  People who move to outlying country can't really expect to have all the facilities of an urban space immediately at hand.  If those services were available you would probably feel like moving out to the outlying country again.

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6 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

Isn't there a voluntary trade off involved.  People who move to outlying country can't really expect to have all the facilities of an urban space immediately at hand.  If those services were available you would probably feel like moving out to the outlying country again.

Good point, and this is an argument I've heard from some folks living in Colorado. Natives that have lived there many years get concerned when moneyed new comers move into the area, and in time miss the amenities of their old homes and begin pushing for big box stores to move into the area. 

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8 hours ago, Dottie said:

I know. It's just a typical case where nobody reads the OP or more likely they just want to throw their two cents in. It's all good.

I read it and looked at the pics. I thought you were considering that exact one. I don't like the trailer park idea. I need elbow room. I also don't like paying rent on a lot. And I hate HOA fees.

Are there truly decent premanufactured homes nowadays? That's another concern. 

Your current square footage is a LOT  for two people. Definitely downsize. 

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5 minutes ago, sheep_herder said:

Good point, and this is an argument I've heard from some folks living in Colorado. Natives that have lived there many years get concerned when moneyed new comers move into the area, and in time miss the amenities of their old homes and begin pushing for big box stores to move into the area. 

If a person wants to move to the country, they'd best be prepared to plan ahead. As in make a list of things you need for your next trip to town. Don't expect a town to come to you!

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9 hours ago, sheep_herder said:

I always find these discussions interesting.  Maybe I should have, but I don't think we've ever thought about the appreciation of our property and how it might affect our future.  I guess if we both got in bad enough shape that we needed to move to a home, this would be important, but so far that has not been an issue. I am not going to start worrying about the issue tonight.

Get an elder Care lawyer to set things up so you won't lose your farm. Unless your heirs don't want it....

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23 minutes ago, smudge said:

If a person wants to move to the country, they'd best be prepared to plan ahead. As in make a list of things you need for your next trip to town. Don't expect a town to come to you!

I'm fortunate to have lived in a "compromise" area.  Much of eastern CT is or was farm country.  My land and home is still country enough to enjoy from that perspective but within 30 miles or so I can access urban areas, airports and all the facilities and shops one could ask for (if you wanted to ask for them).  We do have some areas that are fringe suburban beginning to grow in the area.  They have attracted larger supermarkets and a host of drug stores, Duncan Doughnuts and some fast food locations but one can still avoid them.  It's no longer the little town where everyone showed up for Sunday morning breakfast at the one local restaurant but it's still liveable.  After all we still have a major John Deere dealership and a Tractor Supply  :lol:

The best culture around, believe it or not, is at the Indian Casinos.  One can actually go there without gambling and have a good time at concerts, sporting events, good dining and just plain people watching.

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1 hour ago, smudge said:

Are there truly decent premanufactured homes nowadays? That's another concern. 

When I was looking to move closer to work I looked at some modular homes. They were built well and priced reasonable until I started adding up all the costs of setting one up, driveway, well, septic, and landscaping. I ended up buying a two year old house that was being sold because of a divorce. I had a beautiful piece of property picked out and worked out a deal with the power company to run electric service 1,500 feet to where I was going to put my home.

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1 hour ago, smudge said:

Then they don't belong out there.

Unfortunately, there are people who expect the "country" to be available like the movies or that great restaurant 2 doors down.  My new neighbors are turning out to be like that.  They came here from condo living and are suddenly learning what it means to have to cut the grass and rake the leaves and drive down a frozen hill to go to work 30 miles away.  Strangely I never encounter them outside enjoying the woods and trails.  I think "country" to them was a dream picture on a calendar somewhere.  That house will be up for sale in a couple of years.

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Just now, Longjohn said:

When I was looking to move closer to work I looked at some modular homes. They were built well and priced reasonable until I started adding up all the costs of setting one up, driveway, well, septic, and landscaping. I ended up buying a two year old house that was being sold because of a divorce. I had a beautiful piece of property picked out and worked out a deal with the power company to run electric service 1,500 feet to where I was going to put my home.

Yup, setting up the land adds up quickly.

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We never intended to live forever in the house that we are currently living in. Our plan was to fix it up and move on but 35 years later were still here. 

The reasons we ended up staying here was the location with most things are with in a few minute walk and the drive to work was 10 minutes. We have been talking about moving to warmer weather but the trade off is someplace hotter in the summer. The other option is spend more time in the motorhome in the southern states for the winter. 

One of the other reasons we stayed living in this house was that it is dirt cheap for us to stay here. 

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44 minutes ago, BR46 said:

We never intended to live forever in the house that we are currently living in. Our plan was to fix it up and move on but 35 years later were still here. 

The reasons we ended up staying here was the location with most things are with in a few minute walk and the drive to work was 10 minutes. We have been talking about moving to warmer weather but the trade off is someplace hotter in the summer. The other option is spend more time in the motorhome in the southern states for the winter. 

One of the other reasons we stayed living in this house was that it is dirt cheap for us to stay here. 

Sounds a lot like us. When we bought 22 years ago we were looking for a detached home but they were a bit out of reach. We settled for a townhouse well under our budget and had a “7 year plan” to move when our financial situation improved.

Come to find out we bought at the lowest low of a down market & the housing market took off like a rocket a few years later.  7 years later all we could afford was what we had!?!?!?

We do like the area (other than the congestion) and everything we need is close by so we opted to stay.  

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I feel much more comfortable during electrical storms, hail storms, or high winds inside my brick home than I do in a manufactured home! Then there is the issue of non-standard sized everything, such as doors which are hard to find. Cold floors suck too.

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