We cap the enrollment at just 20 people, and only have a couple tickets left.

This is the last time that we will be holding the event in Dallas in 2010, so if you are convenient to the D/FW Metroplex, this is the event you want to hit to save on travel expense!

For more information call (800) 950-1364 or go to www.Mobilehomeparkstore.com.

Hacker said, regarding living in trailers near a highway “no one want to live that way”. Other residents cited concerns about being able to rent the lots, and also the fact that the property has an ancient Quaker cemetery on it.

Mark Shiralli, a town resident, said “let’s get a developer in here who wants to build homes – that’s what we need”.

Frank & Dave’s Opinion of This Story:

One thing that maintains the value of mobile home parks is the fact that virtually nobody in the U.S. wants a new one built in their city, town, county or state. If you ever want to unite a community – to get them marching with pitchforks and flaming torches – then all you have to do is to propose building a new mobile home park. And that’s great, because it keeps the supply of parks static, and creates a lot of the value in your park investment.

Community Development Director Carmen Cave called Baileywick a “a detriment to public health and welfare”. Code Enforcement Office Wayne O’Gara said “I’ve seen things on the ground there that I have not tasted or touched, but I can tell you by the smell it’s not something I would want to”.

Nelson Moyle, owner of the property, blamed the problems on his tenants and plumbers who had misled him on repairs. The council, however, was unmoved, citing almost two decades of problems that have never been repaired.

The impact of closing the park will be minimal, as there is only one mobile home remaining in the 12 space park – the rest of the tenants being RVs.
Frank & Dave’s Analysis of This Story:

When we’ve been talking about city governments having a new-found love for mobile home parks, it does have its limitations. You cannot own and operate a park and refuse to make basic repairs, such as a working sewer system, and expect a happy ending. The park owner’s excuse that it was the “tenants’ fault” had as much hope of success as Flip Wilson’s “the devil made me do it”. Whenever we read an article like this, we just have to wonder what the owner was thinking. Slum-lording is not a recipe for success in the mobile home park business.

Cheryl Warner was discovered to have deposited tenants’ rent money into her own account while serving as manager at the 178-space park. The theft was discovered in 2008.

The manager had tried to put the money back in the account “but it snowballed out of control and she was in over her head” said her attorney Phillip Heithecker. She claims to have needed the money to support an adult daughter who was seriously ill.
Frank & Dave’s Opinion of This Story:

It’s a shame this owner did not read any of our stuff – he’d have known the dangers of accepting cash rents. The park has said that they will no longer accept cash after this fiasco – but it’s a little late now. Frank found a manager once, during due diligence, that had stolen $30,000 in rents over a relatively short period. But this manager had that one beat by a mile. The next time you think your grandmotherly manager would never do such a thing, just remember this story.

“We have to make decisions all the time on things like this” said Mayor Terry Clark. “We know there are things that have to be done to make East Brewton a better place to live”.

Under the terms of an agreement with Pitts, he has 180 days to make the repairs to the property. The city has identified 25 mobile homes in the park that have issues.

“He has already done some work over there and is progressing well with it” said city inspector Lawton Shipp. “I think he will do what he can to make things better there. He’s already shown he’s willing to work at this”.

Frank & Dave’s Analysis of This Story:

Our hat is off to Lynn Pitts! That’s exactly how you handle a situation like this. Go to the city and say “I want to make this better, here’s my timetable” – and then stick to it. He has turned a crisis into a great P.R. story. Do you think the city will work with him on problems in the future? Absolutely. A great relationship with the city is a tremendous asset.  Too many times the park owner gets combative in these cases. That’s the wrong approach. If you work with the city, then they’ll work with you.

However, the Brick Township Council has voted to make the Laurelton Mobile Home Park a “redevelopment area”. Under this designation, the city has broad powers, including forcing the current owner to sell to a developer. But the council is not approaching re-development as an opportunity to get rid of the park. On the contrary, they are trying to find a way to keep the park. “We want the developer to balance the needs of all three parties – the developer, the residents and the town” said Council President Anthony Matthews.

One proposal includes re-zoning the front of the park to commercial and allowing a retail center to be built there, with a redevelopment of the park as part of the agreement. All of the proposals include putting in new water and sewer lines to the park. The city is starting the process of cleaning up the park by delivering roll-off dumpsters to the park within the next few weeks, so that tenants can begin to move the junk out of their yards and into the dumpsters.

Frank & Dave’s Analysis of This Story:

The new-found love for mobile home parks has been a continuing theme in city hall recently. When faced with the necessity of affordable housing, more and more cities are looking on mobile home parks as a much more satisfactory housing type than apartments. Why is that? Maybe it’s because the tenants are home-owners rather than renters. Or maybe it’s because mobile home parks are easier to redevelop way down the road, since they have no structures to worry about. In any event, we’re just glad they’ve had a change of attitude.

If you live in a mobile home in a colder climate frozen pipes should be at the top of your list of concerns.  It is best to keep an eye on them because as you know mobile home plumbing hangs directly below your structure and above the ground.  That means your pipes are normally the same temperature as it is outside.   

There are a few things you can do to protect your pipes.   First, monitor your homes skirting to ensure it is secure around your home.   Next, make sure there are no missing sections, the skirting blocks cold air from going underneath your home.  Third, you should also check to make sure the slope of your sewer lines are at least at a quarter inch grade per foot.   Meaning if one end of your pipe is touching the ground and is 10 feet long at the other end it should be 2 1/2 inches higher than the ground.   If a pipe is anything less than a 1/4″ grade, water will sit in the pipe, freeze and potentially cause the pipe to crack.   Another major concern is where your waterline comes up out of the ground.   This is where your home is connected to your park’s water supply.   This line is very important and needs to be protected.  A break could cost you hundreds to thousands of dollars in water damage and inconvenience of not having any running water. 

There are also a few items that are important additions to add to your plumbing system.  The plumbing under you home should be wrapped with insulation to protect it from the cold.    Another recommended addition you should install is heat tape or cable wrapped around your exposed pipes below your home.   Heat tape will help prevent your pipes from freezing.   It is required to be plugged into a receptacle that is located underneath your home.  Unfortunately if you’re heat tape stops working the only way you will know is when there is a water break. 

There is another option; you can install a device called Current Alert.  It plugs into a receptacle underneath your home as well as into the heat tape/cable.  There is a box that contains a light indicating all systems are functioning correctly.  There is also a light and buzzer that sounds when there is an issue with the system.  It is a good idea to install the alarm box where it is visible.  Crawling under your home during the colder months is no fun task.  Current Alert monitors heat tape on plumbing systems and alerts you immediately when something is not working allowing time to prevent a potential catastrophic failure.

It is recommended that all these systems be turned off during the warmer seasons, once the potential of a freeze is gone.  Disconnecting these systems will extend their life span.  Heat tape usually lasts approximately 5 years depending on the brand and quality.  It is important in the fall to remember to reconnect during the colder seasons.  To verify the tape is working, you should be able to feel that it is warm after several minutes of being plugged in.
If you have any questions or would like more information on the Current Alert device

e-mail info@handymanandmore.com or visit www.currentalert.net for more information.

The dog has been euthanized and is being tested for rabies.  Police said that charges against the dog’s owners will come shortly. 

Frank & Dave’s Analysis of This Story:

Do you think the lawsuit will end with just the tenant, who probably has no insurance or assets? No, the park owner is in trouble here.  We cannot emphasize enough that you cannot allow pit bulls and other dangerous breeds in your park, and certainly never in any circumstance that can allow them to roam free or attack through a fence.

If you have a small dog roaming the park, you call animal control. If you have a pit bull or similar breed roaming the park, you call 911. These animals are on par with a 5 year old roaming the park with a loaded shotgun.

Charles Podany, a resident of the mobile home park, approached a vehicle that contained Casey Landes, and asked the vehicle to slow down while driving through the park due to children at play. Landes became enraged and knocked Podany off this bike and started beating him. Podany, who has a license to carry a concealed handgun, pulled out a .40 caliber automatic and shot Landes twice, killing him. Toxicology tests showed that Landes had a .28 blood alcohol reading, while a reading of 08 is considered intoxicated

A judge ruled that the shooting was justifiable self-defense. The lawsuit has left almost everyone involved baffled.

Frank & Dave’s analysis of this story:

Mobile home park tenants never fail to amaze us. But what’s even more amazing is a legal system that allows this kind of blatantly frivolous suit to be filed without being immediately struck down by a judge. The park will have to spend thousands in legal fees to defend against a suit so pathetic that not one person interviewed for the article could even come up with a rational argument that could be used in court.

The moral is to carry plenty of insurance on your park, plus have solid asset formation strategies for liability protection. And it wouldn’t hurt to mention lawsuit reform if you are ever asked at a town forum as to what’s wrong with America.