Friday, March 27, 2015

More Details

There are older park models here in the park for sale starting from $1,000. Past sales have shown that no one pays full asking price. We looked at one, a 1971 model, 12 X 64, central heat pump / air conditioning, natural gas oven and stove, newish fridge and it comes completely furnished. It has a new roof and a very recent paint job outside. Inside, it is very dark due to dark paneling and a lack of reasonably sized windows. The floor is recently installed carpet and linoleum but we would change it to wood. It is in really good condition and the only thing 1971 about it is the title and the inside of the walls.

The asking price is $4995 but a call to the owner, at least the owner's son, told us that it is his parent's and they can no longer come down here and are being worn down by the relentless $435 USA monthly pad rental. Their next step is to basically "give" the unit to the park. It is currently rented out for $800 per month, $100 - $120 of this goes for electricity and gas. These people rented it for three months but they have never had much luck renting it out

Immediate requirements are a couple of big screen TV's, five or six larger aluminum windows that will slide or lift open, some screens and inside light colored paint. Longer term it needs laminate floors and tile in the bathrooms. It could also use a raised deck along one side that allows for storage of outside furniture underneath as well as a seven foot wood privacy fence at the back where it looks directly into the trailer park next door. There is presently a chain link fence.

He broadly hinted that he would take almost any offer and we thought of offering $1,500 and coming up to $2000. The only thing holding us back was the $435 USA pad rental which right now amounts to about $6,600 Canadian per year. Our total costs for gas and RV park rentals last year when we drove to FL was just under $6,000 CAN.

When we got home from Rod and Sylvia's last night we asked ourselves if we were really finished with exploring and were ready to come back to the same place every year. The answer was "NO". Maybe one year we will and it is good to know there are reasonably priced options.

28 comments:

  1. Yes there are some very reasonably priced older units out there and will continue to be, so don't think there is any need to rush.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Even more reasonably priced in Mexico. You can rent a decent apartment for $200 a month. Yes, you would have to furnish it, but you could rent it for the full year...$2,400 CAD per year, and use it only when you need to. Much better deal in my mind...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kevin can you tell me where I might find an apt that inexpensive. I would love to live just about anywhere in Mexico. I have traveled there many times and I love the people and the country. Getting really tired of the Washington rain. I have lived here all my life and really need a change Thanks, Jan

      Delete
  3. Having lived in an early 1970s mobile home, I say ruuuuuun. I know you're in a much better climate so insulation won't be an issue, but you can't fix anything without paying big bucks because nothing is compatible with what's in the big box stores today. I had to redo all the plumbing in my place because I couldn't find parts that fit and couldn't find windows that fit the openings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I remember some of your stories about that place.

      Delete
  4. Thanks everyone. Sober second thought kicked in and we are still vagabonders!

    ReplyDelete
  5. If you're having drunk impulse thoughts, I'd stay away from RV dealerships. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Interesting what's available. I have found that when people are finished, they're finished. We always find cool stuff in the RGV but then the issue is year round space rent. Because we already live in the south we need to north for summer escapes. Found a great one this week in New York, 2000 model with deck for under 7k with deck fully furnished and year round rent under 3k. Oh the cool summer nights!

    ReplyDelete
  7. yep that is exactly what we considered when looking at places in Arizona this winter, we aren't ready for that either but it still is wise to look now and have a plan for later...

    ReplyDelete
  8. An email comment from Al:

    A comment on your recent posts:

    We have been intrigued by some of these possibilities including purchasing a lot in Mexico, an RV lot in the Yuma foothills and looking at park model sales in Borrego Springs. We've taken a breath and thought about it in detail then decided "no".

    The combination of the monthly fees that continue when we are not using the property plus some downsides of the areas (instability in Mexico and too busy in Yuma during the winter months for example) has stopped us.

    One thing that we are considering for the future is storing our RV in our "destination" stop over the summer and commuting to it for the winter. One RV park offers very cheap secure RV storage ($10 per month!), it looks like a better more cost effective solution. The possible downside is the beating the RV will take over the summer due to the temps and the sun, but this would also be applicable to a permanent home as well.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  12. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  13. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  14. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  15. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  16. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  17. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  18. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  19. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  20. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  21. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  22. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  23. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  24. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete