Mobile Homes: Refuge In Hard Times
Jason Abramson tries to attract potential buyers to his mobile home community. The Abramsons would like to sell their manufactured home and move into a conventional home. In today’s housing market slump, the affordability of mobile homes has heightened their appeal, industry observers say. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
Teresa Micka, right, of Bella Mobile Homes Sales in Palmdale shows potential buyers Leroy McKelvey and Annette Kramer a mobile home for sale in a Lancaster community. McKelvey, who pays $1,100 to rent an 800-square-foot apartment in Lancaster, could expect monthly mortgage payments below $1,000 on a three-bedroom manufactured home, Micka said. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
The Boulders at the Ranch is one of Palmdale’s 10 mobile home communities. The park is a far cry from the “trailer trash” image some might picture. View homes valued from $70,000 to $130,000 offer three to four bedrooms and spacious living areas. Other communities offer properties with features such as vaulted ceilings, fireplaces and walk-in closets. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
The Boulders is at capacity, with 10 people on a waiting list for vacancies. All of the 1,941 spaces in Palmdale’s 10 parks are leased, said Terri-Lei Wheeler, the city’s housing coordinator. Wheeler said she now gets two to five inquiries a week from people interested in moving into one of the three Boulders communities. Before the recent subprime mortgage crisis, she received between one and three. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
