I have not been using my subscription since the changeover, so I don't know if you have covered this, but all over the country, starter homes are being bought up and turned into rentals. In east Bloomington, MN signs are going up, warming of these predatory purchasers. The NY Times also
had an article recently. It's appaently hedge funds. The practice is feudal and needs to be stopped.
Wondering if congress can do anything--this is too much free enterprise. THanks--glad to be back.
Thank you for writing. So-called 'free enterprise' is not and never has been free. It was established by and for the wealthiest among us, to benefit them at the expense of the rest of us.
Ask me if I'm surprised?? Nope, not one bit. Every available area in cities has become a target for those rich preying on the lower and middle class in order to finance high rise luxury apts, enclosed upscale communities, or whatever brings in the big money. The lower classes are being eaten alive by these predators...and we think the homeless population is going to shrink??? I don't think so. Cities and States either don't have the means, or they just refuse to support lower income residents.
This has been going on for years! I moved from the coast in 2017 and a few years prior, a senior mobile home park was bought out and their rents raised astronomically! Like from $300 a month to over $1000! Immediately the value of their homes fell drastically. Like me, many elders live on social security alone after our retirement savings were depleted. Many of those seniors, unable to sell their very beautiful homes on the coast, just had to walk away! That was in Santa Cruz. In Capitola, the same thing happened. This kind of stuff gives us heart attacks! It's a terrible shame!
One of the more progressive rural townships (if that isn't an oxymoron) allows a second house with a footprint of about 700 sq. ft. to be constructed on a parcel with the stipulation that it be occupied by relatives (parents, children, in-laws, etc.) of the main house. It's a sensible way to provide housing for the elderly without trailer park problems.
It seems we can't even embarrass these robbers with all the exposure they are getting from this outrageous behavior! We have a major homelessness problem and we tolerate the destruction of one the few housing options moderate income retirees have left. We needs laws that let mobile park Tennants have right of first choice purchase of their parks.
Well, that's capitalism. The reason it didn't happen previously is not that people were less greedy; it's that the land wasn't worth enough to buy up and build luxury housing on, or that there wasn't the demand for more luxury housing in the area. (Or perhaps I repeat myself.) This is why we regulate capitalism--because unregulated, it can do so much collateral damage, perhaps even enough to destroy itself.
Perfect example: a letter to the editor in our local newspaper. The letter writer says that striking for more pay is senseless--if the strikers were worth more money, all they have to do is go to another employer who would see their value and offer them a raise. The fact that other employers won't do that shows that the strikers are not worth any more than they are already getting. The argument has more holes than a swiss cheese but suffice to say that deregulating the economy to allow this kind of capitalism is a one-way ticket to a Dickensian society.
This kind of greed and avarice has been going on in this Country forever. Now we have media that we
can gave some say in the Country's affairs. Wrong. The Country is run by Money and Lawyers. Those who complain about this situation are quite right and nothing will happen.
Affordable housing problems have also been exacerbated by the Air BandB where local rental properties are being turned into Air B and B' s and no one actually resides there anymore. When it becomes impossible to afford to have an address and one falls off the bottom wrung of the financial ladder there is no assistance because you have to have an address to complete the paperwork
My family owns eleven properties in our county. restoration/maintenance taxes and insurance eats up any income beyond the basic nut. We are trying to get one house ready to sell, hopefully our tenants will qualify for a mortgage whenever
another reason to implement progressive taxation policies. along with electing local as well as national politicians that actually represent their constituents. Time for campaign finance reform with a cap on donation of $ 100 per election cycle.
We are snowbirds who winter at a nice little trailer park near Tucson. Many of our fellow owners are low income & live here year around. They can barely afford the annual rent increase, & would have no where to go if the park were sold. I love the idea of forming a co-op, but I am not sure any of us could afford the associated expenses. So we wait to see what the future brings.
Didn't know there was something called a "Million Dollar Mobile Home"..Sure would like to see one. Many, many years ago I worked for a company who financed mobile homes. The repo rates were so great that they open up their own mobile home parks on land they owned and rented these units out after some rehab. Worked for awhile until managing these parks became a problem and the land became more valuable and then they sold out. Looks like its still the business plan today only under a different name.
Have you heard of any Rainbow Family Gatherings this year? I went to one in the Monongahela back in the early 1980's, lots of non electric camp style kitchens with donation jars up along the trail and no food, water boiling. Many locals, a constant stream walking through all gawking at my boyfriend wearing his skirt.
I want to make note of the fact that the linked article mentioned ROC USA and I can't say enough about them.
I was living in a manufactured home community (i.e., a "mobile home" or if you're even older a "trailer park") in Massachusetts and the owner was planning on selling to an outfit that had a habit of turning such places in luxury resorts after forcing the home owners to sell for pennies on the dollar.
Happily, MA has a "right of first refusal" law. ROC USA helped arrange the financing and provided technical support that enabled us to buy the community. That co-op recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and is still going strong.
If you live in a manufactured home community and aren't a co-op, consider it. But in any event, even if you're not in such a community, you can help by urging your state to adopt a right of first refusal law so at least folks would have a fighting chance to avoid what has happened to too many others.
Thank you for informing me of developers and speculators buying up trailer parks.
The greed that is going on in our country is just unbelievable - where are people
going to live???!!! I live in California, and the average cost of a home is $700K - $900K,
and the average cost of rent is $3500 per mo!! I have no idea where young people,
and the working poor live!! A coop is a great idea!
Trailer Trash -- thy name is Blackstone, Apollo Global and Carlyle.
Extreme wealth is a perverse sickness. They never have enough. Their quest is insatiable, legally or illegally and no matter who it hurts.
I have not been using my subscription since the changeover, so I don't know if you have covered this, but all over the country, starter homes are being bought up and turned into rentals. In east Bloomington, MN signs are going up, warming of these predatory purchasers. The NY Times also
had an article recently. It's appaently hedge funds. The practice is feudal and needs to be stopped.
Wondering if congress can do anything--this is too much free enterprise. THanks--glad to be back.
Thank you for writing. So-called 'free enterprise' is not and never has been free. It was established by and for the wealthiest among us, to benefit them at the expense of the rest of us.
Ask me if I'm surprised?? Nope, not one bit. Every available area in cities has become a target for those rich preying on the lower and middle class in order to finance high rise luxury apts, enclosed upscale communities, or whatever brings in the big money. The lower classes are being eaten alive by these predators...and we think the homeless population is going to shrink??? I don't think so. Cities and States either don't have the means, or they just refuse to support lower income residents.
This has been going on for years! I moved from the coast in 2017 and a few years prior, a senior mobile home park was bought out and their rents raised astronomically! Like from $300 a month to over $1000! Immediately the value of their homes fell drastically. Like me, many elders live on social security alone after our retirement savings were depleted. Many of those seniors, unable to sell their very beautiful homes on the coast, just had to walk away! That was in Santa Cruz. In Capitola, the same thing happened. This kind of stuff gives us heart attacks! It's a terrible shame!
One of the more progressive rural townships (if that isn't an oxymoron) allows a second house with a footprint of about 700 sq. ft. to be constructed on a parcel with the stipulation that it be occupied by relatives (parents, children, in-laws, etc.) of the main house. It's a sensible way to provide housing for the elderly without trailer park problems.
It seems we can't even embarrass these robbers with all the exposure they are getting from this outrageous behavior! We have a major homelessness problem and we tolerate the destruction of one the few housing options moderate income retirees have left. We needs laws that let mobile park Tennants have right of first choice purchase of their parks.
Well, that's capitalism. The reason it didn't happen previously is not that people were less greedy; it's that the land wasn't worth enough to buy up and build luxury housing on, or that there wasn't the demand for more luxury housing in the area. (Or perhaps I repeat myself.) This is why we regulate capitalism--because unregulated, it can do so much collateral damage, perhaps even enough to destroy itself.
Perfect example: a letter to the editor in our local newspaper. The letter writer says that striking for more pay is senseless--if the strikers were worth more money, all they have to do is go to another employer who would see their value and offer them a raise. The fact that other employers won't do that shows that the strikers are not worth any more than they are already getting. The argument has more holes than a swiss cheese but suffice to say that deregulating the economy to allow this kind of capitalism is a one-way ticket to a Dickensian society.
This kind of greed and avarice has been going on in this Country forever. Now we have media that we
can gave some say in the Country's affairs. Wrong. The Country is run by Money and Lawyers. Those who complain about this situation are quite right and nothing will happen.
Sadly I believe that is true
Affordable housing problems have also been exacerbated by the Air BandB where local rental properties are being turned into Air B and B' s and no one actually resides there anymore. When it becomes impossible to afford to have an address and one falls off the bottom wrung of the financial ladder there is no assistance because you have to have an address to complete the paperwork
I agree with you. AirB and B causes a lot of problems here in Europe too.
We live in an appartment and there are 2 B and B rentals on either side, maybe getting rid of people owning 2 properties?
My family owns eleven properties in our county. restoration/maintenance taxes and insurance eats up any income beyond the basic nut. We are trying to get one house ready to sell, hopefully our tenants will qualify for a mortgage whenever
What did The Blues Brothers do when they had to give a home address? Some big sports arena in Chicago?
another reason to implement progressive taxation policies. along with electing local as well as national politicians that actually represent their constituents. Time for campaign finance reform with a cap on donation of $ 100 per election cycle.
We are snowbirds who winter at a nice little trailer park near Tucson. Many of our fellow owners are low income & live here year around. They can barely afford the annual rent increase, & would have no where to go if the park were sold. I love the idea of forming a co-op, but I am not sure any of us could afford the associated expenses. So we wait to see what the future brings.
Didn't know there was something called a "Million Dollar Mobile Home"..Sure would like to see one. Many, many years ago I worked for a company who financed mobile homes. The repo rates were so great that they open up their own mobile home parks on land they owned and rented these units out after some rehab. Worked for awhile until managing these parks became a problem and the land became more valuable and then they sold out. Looks like its still the business plan today only under a different name.
Have you heard of any Rainbow Family Gatherings this year? I went to one in the Monongahela back in the early 1980's, lots of non electric camp style kitchens with donation jars up along the trail and no food, water boiling. Many locals, a constant stream walking through all gawking at my boyfriend wearing his skirt.
I want to make note of the fact that the linked article mentioned ROC USA and I can't say enough about them.
I was living in a manufactured home community (i.e., a "mobile home" or if you're even older a "trailer park") in Massachusetts and the owner was planning on selling to an outfit that had a habit of turning such places in luxury resorts after forcing the home owners to sell for pennies on the dollar.
Happily, MA has a "right of first refusal" law. ROC USA helped arrange the financing and provided technical support that enabled us to buy the community. That co-op recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and is still going strong.
If you live in a manufactured home community and aren't a co-op, consider it. But in any event, even if you're not in such a community, you can help by urging your state to adopt a right of first refusal law so at least folks would have a fighting chance to avoid what has happened to too many others.