Trailer/Mobile Home - Pros & Cons

[OneOftheB's]

I'll chime in with my anecdotal knowledge of mobile homes and MHPs. In my area, there is a huge range from nice, well maintained communities where most residents own their trailer and there are certain restrictions to stay in the park (mostly having to do with the age and maintenance of the home and surrounding lot) to weekly rental trailers that are poorly kept, the residents are very transient and there are more police reports per residence than in stick built homes/apartments in the area.

If you do decide to go with a MHP, see if there are any that seem to cater to college students. You don't want your daughter to get in trouble with the other residents by being a normal college student. There are a number of MHPs that cater to college students in the SE, but I don't know if that is the case in your area.

 

[tvguy]

In addition to the extreme temperature concerns. The other issue that pops up is internet access. A lot of trailers, or/mobile homes have trouble getting a good internet signal. Depending on where you are. You will need to look at a hotspot type situation or cellular. And that can be problematic, especially if there is a need to have a particular speed for classes etc.

Not sure why internet would be an issue. Just sign up with the local provider like you would with a stick built home.

 

[Southernmiss]

Another thought, my young adults while in college and doing internships haven't had a lot of time or knowledge to take care of emergencies that come with managing your own home.

Our daughter has had 2 sets of pipes burst in her apartment before Thanksgiving and now Christmas break.

Even though she's in a complex, she had to move out of her apartment and couch surf for the week before Thanksgiving break. She missed 2 days of classes and got sick due to the stress and upheaval of moving her stuff out at 2 in the morning and not having her personal space.

Took the complex 2 full weeks to make repairs.

Now, over Christmas break, another set of pipes burst. It's been 3 weeks. We went out of our way to visit the apartment last week and it's still a mess.

 

[TippyThomas]

i almost did this type of housing in college (travel trailer). ultimatly i opted not to b/c as a student who also worked part-time i needed to be in a living situation wherein if anything arose needing repairs i had to be able to call upon someone to take care of it. i could not stay home from school or work and wait for a plumber/electrician....to show up vs. calling a landlord and (at least in apartment situations) having their staff be able to access my place and take care of it.



i highly recommend starlink-they have a specific mobile set up for rv's and travel trailers.

Agree on Starlink! I spend a great deal of time out camping in my RV and Starlink has been fabulous. I used to use a hotspot through my cell phone and I'll never go back to that as long as I don't have to.

 

[TippyThomas]

I think people are confusing a travel trailer (RV) with a mobile home.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Another thought, my young adults while in college and doing internships haven't had a lot of time or knowledge to take care of emergencies that come with managing your own home.

Our daughter has had 2 sets of pipes burst in her apartment before Thanksgiving and now Christmas break.

Even though she's in a complex, she had to move out of her apartment and couch surf for the week before Thanksgiving break. She missed 2 days of classes and got sick due to the stress and upheaval of moving her stuff out at 2 in the morning and not having her personal space.

Took the complex 2 full weeks to make repairs.

Now, over Christmas break, another set of pipes burst. It's been 3 weeks. We went out of our way to visit the apartment last week and it's still a mess.

This can happen, even on campus. One of the dorms at my DD19's school had pipes burst during a cold snap. The dorm was ~2 years old! Our DD was lucky--not only wasn't it her dorm, but we only live a few miles away, so she could have easily decamped home. Lots of her friends aren't so lucky.

 

[RamblingMad]

My concern would be not owning the land and having rent go up. The other challenge would be my neighbors. The quality of neighbors can vary widely.

 

[fla4fun]

I haven’t seen anyone mention a condo as opposed to an apartment. A condo should appreciate better than a mobile home, and alleviate some of the outdoor tasks as well. It should also be easier to sell when the time comes Than a mobile home.

My main concern with mobile homes is fire. I have known a couple people who lived in MHPs and they both saw homes destroyed by fire. They just burn so quickly once a fire starts. Both of the people I knew moved into other housing as soon as they were financially able to due to fire risk.

 

[slo]

Just a quick thank you to those that replied after my last thank you.
I’m going to have my DH read all your replies and then we’ll make a decision.
Thanks again

 

[QueenIsabella]

I was thinking, a condo might work really well, if there's some choices in the area. Condos frequently come with group amenities, for lack of a better word--a pool, an exercise room, a clubhouse you can rent out for events In addition, she'd have neighbors who could recommend a plumber, water her plants, maybe act as willing victims, oops, I mean, patients if she has to practice procedures. It has potential for college kids.