The Manufactured Housing Forums

We lived in Tampa from 1974 to 1998 before moving back to Iowa to care for my mother-in-law. She passed away at the age of 93 in March of 2005. We have 2 daughters and 5 grandchildren living in the Tampa & Ft Myers areas.

I am planning to retire in March of 2008 and want to find out if we can afford to be Snowbirds in Florida or is it mostly for the wealthy?

First we looked into a Motorhome or trailer but daily lot charges seem to range from $20 in the State Parks to $50 in KOA. I can get motels for under $50 per day, so why bother buying a Motorhome or Trailer?

It seems that to buy a MH that most parks charge $300+ per month lot rent. Is it possible to buy a decent MH for under $30K on its own lot, so I don't have to pay lot rent while I'm back in Iowa?

Decent is a relative term I think. : ) If you have cash you could probably find something that is older. Mobile or Manufactured homes are difficult to get a mortgage on if they are over 25 years old.

I have one, but it has been appraised at $ 55,000.

Sincerely,
Faith Martin

I could easier afford to buy one for $30K cash than paying the $300+ monthly rent for the 6-7 months we are back in Iowa. I've seen quite a few "decent" ones for less than that[plus they are usually fully furnished-turnkey,] but the kicker is the high lot rent that goes with them. We found a really nice one near Ellenton for $24K but the lot rent was $565 per month. That would mean it would cost us nearly $4000 for the 7 months we were back in Iowa!

I'm beginning to wonder if one has to be a bit wealthy to become a snowbird these days?

Are you just wanting a warm climate in which to spend the winters that is mobile-home friendly? If so, try Texas instead. It's less expensive and very friendly.

I am medically retired and just purchased a nice doublewide (2000 model year) on its own land for $30,000. Land is inexpensive here and there are lots of mobile homes for sale.

Julie

Thanks for that information. Unfortunately we have 2 daughters and 5 grandchildren living in Florida. We lived there from 1974 to 1998 but moved back to Iowa to care for my mother in law, who passed away last year at the age of 93.