Negative perception of Trailers/Trailer Parks

[Leslie A.]

I've been around these boards for a few years now and I've noticed a few things.  One is that people have presuppositions about different asset classes.  Namely, low-income housing and Mobile Homes/Mobile Home Parks.   It seems to me that many experienced investors make blanket statements like "never invest in low-income areas" or "never invest in mobile homes - they're depreciating assets". 

Of course, veteran investors should be listened to.  They've often learned those lessons the hard way through experience.  But I think others are basing their opinions on stereotypes.  They've never lived in a low-income area or in a mobile home, so they think only druggies and thugs live in them.

Those of us who've lived in these places know that yes, there are some undesirables, but there are other areas that are safe and full of hardworking people who need a good place to live. 

Personally, I haven't ever lived in a low-income area or trailer park, but I have lived in mobile homes on land and I've lived in working class areas.  What I've seen is a lot of decent people that maybe don't want to have to force their wife to work so they can afford the top areas.  They might want her to be able to be home with the kids, so they live in a less expensive area.

When I was first married, we bought an inexpensive used mobile home to live in and poured our money into savings.  We also took trips and had a great time with all that money we saved on mortgages and rent.

I've been watching a show called "Married at First Sight", where these people get married to people they've never seen before they walk down the aisle.  It's really good.  But in one of the recent episodes, one of the women went on and on about how ashamed she was of growing up in a trailer park.  And how ashamed she was of her family who still live in trailers.  It just seemed strange to me.  What's the big deal?  Who cares?