People online talk so much about the need for affordable, small-footprint, community focused housing that goes against conventional zoning laws. Well, they’ve literally just described a trailer park, but those same people will use the term as a classist insult.
Not a whole lot to expand upon here, but if there are any good counterpoints or questions in the replies, I’ll respond there or edit my post body.
Someone else touched on it but mobile home parks can actually be very exploitative because the home isn’t actually mobile, it can generally never be moved again, but the owner has no claim to the land. So it’s all the downsides of owning a home AND renting with literally none of the upsides. The home doesn’t appreciate, and you have no control over your future payment, and can even be evicted from your home that you own outright. Without some change there, they are not a solution.
To your point though, building housing developments organized like mobile homes could be viable, however if you’re going to use up that much land you really should also build vertically to make the most of it. But then you get into the same issues we have now, building up costs a lot more, no longer stays affordable, etc.
Mobile homes not appreciating isn’t strictly because of the conditions you described, though. You could say the same about a condo: you’re obligated to pay a monthly fee, if you don’t you can be removed, it isn’t mobile. In a sense it’s worse because of the possibility of a special assessment. But, condos often do appreciate in value.
Most condos appreciate in value, and an HOA fee is not that same as literally having to lease the space your home is on.
I agree that condos do typically appreciate in value.
I think you’ll need to convince me that condo fees are fundamentally different than rental fees in a trailer park.
From my POV, it’s a fixed cost. The fees are used to fund maintaince on the greater whole of the housing system. A portion is used to fund the managing entity. If you fail to pay them, you will be legally removed. In your estimation, what is the practical difference?
My argument is that there are other more important factors that result in the relatively low demand (and this lack of upward pressure that results in property value appreciation), because I agree that condos do generally appreciate in value.
Can you think of ANY other reason that may contribute to the lack of upward pressure on trailer park dwelling values?
I do not need to convince you of anything, my dude.
My mistake
