Re: What is going on with over 55 communities

Travone · ‎10-14-2016

This is a well known risk when you purchase a home, but do not own the land. There is nothing new here, has been going on forever.

I live in a 55+ community but own my home and the land it sits on.

lgfan · ‎10-19-2012

This is the reason I would never purchase a manufactured home. I would only rent. If the rent gets to be too expensive it is easier to move.

RedTop · ‎09-01-2010

My area of southern WV does not have 55+ communities, but we do have mobile home parks that have been bought out by out of state groups. This was big news locally last year. The new owners have changed the rules by not allowing older mobile homes period; the home must be a 2000 model up, and lot rents have doubled to more than $800 monthly, depending on the park.

My cousin was able to move his home from a park purchased by one of these groups, to a park owned by a local person with no interest in selling. This was the only way my cousin could keep his home and afford the lot rent. Many people living in the older homes were forced to sell out to the big group and move into whatever they could afford. The older homes were removed from the parks and scrapped.

tansy · ‎01-02-2011

@RedTop wrote:
My area of southern WV does not have 55+ communities, but we do have mobile home parks that have been bought out by out of state groups. This was big new locally last year. The new owners have changed the rules by not allowing older mobile homes period; the home must be a 2000 model up, and lot rents have doubled to more than $800 monthly, depending on the park.

My cousin was able to move his home from a park purchased by one of these groups, to a park owned by a local person with no interest in selling. This was the only way my cousin could keep his home and afford the lot rent. Many people living in the older homes were forced to sell out to the big group and move into whatever they could afford. The older homes were removed from the parks and scrapped.

When we owned a 5th-wheel, we encountered RV parks that discriminated by how old the rig was. 😏

monicakm · ‎03-16-2010

YIKES! Just last night, my husband said we should sell and move into a community where all the maintenance is done for you. I don't think he was serious but I didn't like him even saying it. I'm not crazy about my location but I could never leave my home and certainly don't want to start over. Poor mom never accepted it.

Longtimewatcher · ‎10-31-2023

The Palm Desert area has many areas that are homes on "rented" land owned by the local tribes. We owned an older home in The Desert Princess development that was on rented land and the rent would go up periodically. The newer homes in the develpment are on their own land - not sure how the developer got the title to the land or where the division was. We sold years ago because of the lease on the land - not knowing what would happen at the end of the lease period.

tansy · ‎01-02-2011

@monicakm wrote:
YIKES! Just last night, my husband said we should sell and move into a community where all the maintenance is done for you. I don't think he was serious but I didn't like him even saying it. I'm not crazy about my location but I could never leave my home and certainly don't want to start over. Poor mom never accepted it.

A home or condo would be a different matter, @monicakm.

This thread seems to be about manufactured homes in parks.

cindyNC · ‎08-01-2019

Funny, but the lakes around the Charlotte NC area are owned by the power company as part of their dam system. My understanding is that when you purchase that pricey lake front property, you don't own the land it sits on.

FLtricia · ‎02-18-2012

Some of the purchasers of these communities are developers. They raise the rent so high to force residents to move. They say this is happening in Central Florida.

Pretty selfish and morally bankrupt thing to do to people on a fixed income.

colleena · ‎03-27-2010

@FLtricia Doing it in Washington State also. Senior mobile home parks where seniors on very limited Social Security are having to move as these developers are pricing them out of their homes. We had 1 park locally where the seniors tried to finance a way for them to buy the park themselves but the financing fell through. And my remembrance it was a developer from another country.