Park Homes

[jeanette1]

Hi, wondered if anyone has had any experience of living in one. Advantages and pitfalls.
Many thanks
Jeanette

[buildersmate]

In the absence of any other offerings.
Generally I think they are a bad idea compared to your own home on your own site. Why?
What organisation runs the site and what standards are they going to maintain?
What control is there over the ground rent?
How secure is my tenure?
If I decide to sell, am I forced to deal through the site manager?
Am I ever going to want to buy a conventional house again - I probably won't be able to if conventional price escalation occurs again.
What standards of sound insulation and thermal insulation exist in my home? - leading to how much will it cost me to run it, given that I can't have a normal (and cheap) mains gas supply running to it .

[jeanette1]

Hi Buildersmate,
many thanks for your answer. My Husband and I both retire in about 4 years. We are considering this (one of several ideas) having recently visited friends who have done just this. All of your observations are very interesting and we will make sure that we do our research thoroughly. There is much more room in our friends Park Home than we expected. It is on a retirement site and has mains gas. We are going to wait and see what their experience is. I quite agree that it would be nearly impossible to be able to afford to buy a conventional house if we did change our minds, therefore we have to be VERY sure before taking this step.
Once again, thank you for a very informative reply.
Jeanette

[dolly pond]

keep hold of a brick built house for investment, and enjoy your retirement!

[buildersmate]

Good luck with it. I didn't know one could fit mains gas to these units - that certainly helps with the cost of heating them.

[jeanette1]

Hi Dolly Pond and Buildersmate,
many thanks for your answers. Am enjoying the research and will take all your comments onboard. It is so peaceful where my freinds are with beautiful views and a David Bellamy conservation area as well. There are magazines now aimed at people living in Park Homes, so I am studying them while we consider our options.
Thanks again
Jeanette

[parkesquay]

There also may be a disadvantage in that 'Park Homes' on residential sites are probably lifed - I would guess about 20 years. That is not to say that that they can't stay on a site longer but it is something that you should enquire about. I know that quite a few residential sites have a minimum age limit, say residents must be at least 50. This can be an advantage.
I like the concept myself but they aren't particularly cheap now-a-days are they!
Also, as a thought, if you bought on a site that was a bit remote you may find that in a particularly hard winter you get trapped by your surroundings. So therefore if you are going to live closer to a town, you may be able to find an apartment locally for the same price as a Park Home.

[jeanette1]

Hi Parkesquay,
Yes they can be expensive. The cost of a new Park Home can be doubled when you take into account the transportation costs incurred to site the home on a Park. I doubt if we could afford a new home. My friends home is previously owned and already sited. This is what we would be looking at. No idea how prices will look in a few years time. One of the homes on their site is over 30 years old, and has been very well maintained. Definetly would not want to be far from amenities, so lots of research still to be done.
Thanks for your reply
Jeanette