Live in a mobile home? Advice please?!!

[mowglette]

I'm a first time buyer interested in mobile homes, mainly for the aspect of having a garden but also the sense of community, however, i've heard the parks can have some harsh rules, is this right & if so what kind of rules? Also depreciation and land fee inflation is a worry, is this a bad move as a first time buyer as I'm pretty much gonna have to rely on making profit on this to go anywhere on the property ladder?

[B00]

Hope this is of help to you :-)

http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=115 1800

[Postdog]

I've considered trading down from a house to one of these, and have investigated many options.

Some things to consider are;

Age - for a start, many are set up us retirement or semi retirement, and there are usually minimum age limits (50 plus) so not really availlable for first time buyers.

Aside from the cost of the home, you'll also have to pay ground rent, so unlike a house or flat, even when you have bought the place, you will still be forking out.

Pets - many don't allow pets.

Personally, I wouldn't consider it a first time buy option. Buy a small flat or bungalow and it will appreciate in value, whereas mobile homes don't really. You may also be limited to who you can sell it to when you need to, whereas with real property someone ALWAYS needs to start on the property ladder and as such is more saleable,

[noxlumos]

If you are looking to make money as a first time buyer don't buy a park home. Buy something in a good area needing easy DIY work, make it nice and you won't go wrong.

[islandman]

I have a static caravan on a holiday park. As such, the park must close for a period of anything between 4/5/6 weeks each year. Although we use the van fror breaks, there are those who actually live there and fined alternative accommodation during the closedown period. No council tax is paid nor TV licence. On our park there are complicated rules regarding transferring ownership and NO van is allowed once it is 15 yrs old, you either replace it or get off. Incidently prices vary amazingly, from a van at �20,000 to lodges at 1/4 million�'s.

Sites which allow year round occupancy are more expensive. The accommodation tends to look like posh prefabs.

[mowglette]

Thanks for the advice....and are there any plus points?!
Forgive me for being naive but why do people buy them if they're going to lose out in the long run? Or are they all like me & just cant sfford anything else!

[islandman]

In the "holiday" park where we are for instance. Most people have them as escape homes, where they use them at weekends of holidays. Some pople have them as "third" homes would you believe, as they have time share or their own properties abroad. Some, live in them. Either because they are stuck and can't get into the bricks and mortar brigade, or, and let's make no bones about it, some are only one step up from gypsies. Some residents are friendly, some over friendly, some keep themselves too themselves.

Mobile homes/static caravans can be cold or hot, they can be noisy when it rains on the roof or from neighbours. With windows all over the place, you have to be mindfull of voyers.

It so happens we are trying to muster up enthusiasm to go to ours tomorrow for 4/5 days while the weather is still reasonable. If not,it looks unlikely we will get much more use out of it before the end of the season (end Oct). Come Jan, they will want almost �2000 ground rent. Now you work that out over a 48 week season, thats a lot of money per week if you don't use it. Wanna buy mine ?