Community Feeling Anchors Parks

There are about 200 mobile home parks--with 53,000 residents--in Orange County.

In most parks, residents buy the coach and lease the land. The value in buying over renting the coach comes with the eligibility to deduct mortgage interest payments. Usually when a home is sold, it remains on the same lot.

Prices vary widely, according to Barbara Humphreys, a real estate agent with Cole of Newport who lives in a mobile home and specializes in selling them. They can range from $10,000 for a single-wide unit (12 feet) on an inland lot to as much as $300,000 for a double-wide one with a view overlooking the ocean in San Clemente or the bay in Newport Beach, she said.

The cost of living in a mobile home depends on the size and condition of the unit--the county average resale price is about $40,000--and the rent for the space on which it rests. Rents average $400 to $500 a month.

While affordability is often a primary reason for living in a mobile home park, many owners say the sense of community and other amenities--such as pools, spas and clubhouses--add to their desirability. And, in some cases, the parks offer spectacular views without the spectacular price that would come with a conventional home.

Because state laws governing mobile homes are different from those that govern traditional housing, there are limits on the changes owners can make. Mobile homes must officially remain that--mobile.

Just the same, in some mobile home parks you can see how a house has gradually been built around an original trailer--sometimes one as small as a silver jet stream.