Today’s Manufactured Home Communities
- a great cheap place to retire
Manufactured homes are a cheap retirement option. However, we need to clearly differentiate between different types of manufactured home communities.
First, there are “trailer parks”, with single wide trailers, often old and in disrepair. There is little landscaping or pride in ownership evident, and the residents are usually earning little or no income. They are generally not age restricted, have few amenities and are run by “amateur” landlords.
Second, there are manufactured home communities with double, even triple wide homes, attractive landscaping, many amenities (clubhouse, pool, social activities and organizations) and are age restricted (55+). These communities feature professional management and rules that the residents must adhere to.
The 55+ manufactured home communities may be land lease communities where the home owner leases the land and owns only the home, or resident-owned communities in which share owners pay maintenance, and own the community in a coop arrangement.
The first region we explored for cheap retirement places was the Central Florida Gulf Coast. Home prices in this region are among the lowest in the state, yet the area is rich in attractions, arts, sports and lifestyle diversity. Summaries of communities we visited are in our blog posts.
