When Beth Lopez and her husband, Henry, separated two years ago, they decided to sell their three-bedroom, three-bath family home in east Palmdale. Lopez knew she had to downsize. But the search for a new residence led her to a dwelling she had never before considered: a mobile home.
"It was not something I had ever thought of," said Lopez, who is 52 and unemployed. "But of course things change in life."
As do perceptions. For the uninitiated, the term "mobile home" may conjure up images of garbage-strewed trailer parks, with scruffy children and underfed dogs. But a mobile home -- "manufactured home" is the term preferred by the industry -- can be well-appointed with two to three large bedrooms in a complex with a pool, spa, social activities and 24-hour security. And in Southern California, the land of $1-million tract houses, a mobile home can cost $20,000 to $300,000.
Lopez bought her $122,000 mobile home outright by securing a second mortgage on her family property to cover part of the cost. She pays $360 a month to lease the city-owned home site at the Boulders at the Ranch I in west Palmdale. (Leases in some private communities in Southern California can run as high as $1,100 a month.)
There's not a mad rush to buy mobile homes in Southern California, and dealers acknowledge that their sales have slowed in recent months. But in today's slumping housing market, with growing numbers of homeowners facing foreclosure, renters trying to flee rate increases and first-time buyers struggling to acquire property, industry observers offer anecdotal evidence to show that affordability, built-in amenities and the possibility of remaining or becoming a homeowner have heightened the appeal of the manufactured home. And in some instances, the opportunity to move into a better neighborhood is a plus as well.
"We're getting a lot of inquires . . . a lot of calls, about pricing and location," said Patricia Lambert, president of Harold Rowsey Enterprises Inc., a Garden Grove-based company that has specialized in the sale of mobile homes across California since 1975.
Lambert said her company's website traffic has been up 15% in recent months.
Similarly, Debbie Gentile, owner of Gold Coast Mobile Home Sales in Riverside, has noticed a spurt of interest in the Inland Empire. She said Web traffic on Gold Coast's site is up 40%.
