Hi Chelone, What's with the listing of your magazines? Was that meant for this thread? Or are you saying that all of those are your cause for belief that "deregulation in banking has encouraged the shocking lending practices that have lead to the present circumstance."? I'm sorry I screwed your name up. I'm usually pretty good about that, and historicially I've been "on the money" with your's, I think. No worries, no offense taken (the mix-up, as I stated, is so extremely common outside of written communications that I'm virtually never offended by it... no even when an offender points out in hindsight that she *MEANT* it to be offensive at the time ;~) I'm either thick-skinned, or thick-skulled (depending who you ask) that way. My own philosophy about investing (WHEN and how) is very different than your's, Dave (sorry again!). I believe in retiring debts efficiently before the term. What do you believe in when the term is too short to efficiently eliminate the leverage, in respect to a person's actual life (not the arbitrarily set term of the loan)? My own portfolio has seen a downturn, but not a terribly precipitous one, frankly. Mostly, I think, because I have paid my major debts in full and now have the option of directing current contributions (that would have be directed to debt/interest payments) to longer term investments. If you look at a comparison of a pre-funded sum growing on a compounding basis (even minus the interest charges considered if the funds were from leverage,) versus a "drip-funded" scheme of the same monthly payment... you'll apparently be quite surprised at how dangerous the "eliminate the leverage, then drip the investment" strategy actually is. I am reasonably certain you will find fault with it all. I'm OK with that. I know that the properties I own are owned "free and clear". I know also that my portfolio is reasonably (within my "risk toleranace") conservative relative to the times frames I have in mind. I'm glad to know you are blissful. ;~) "Broadbrush" is workin' just fine for me. I'll keep that in mind when I see future claims or statements, and pull in the reigns of my accuracy expectations. Here's to your blissful seasons; that you are confronted by no surprises you weren't anticipating, and that you remain safe without having to be aware! Dave Donhoff Leverage Planner

A couple of things one should look at when being side tracked by industry people. Read the code of Federal Regulations Congress put into place. 24 CFR 3280 states how mobile homes should be built and 24 CFR 3282 states how the agencies (SAA) should be ran to protect the consumer. Then you have the state regulations and/or statutes that are supposed to be in place to protect the consumer. (Check with your state for this information). One might suspect ALL these intities are rubbing each others shoulders since the consumer ends up getting the worst end of it. What if the media were to run a survey on television and radio to ask the public(mobile homeowners) to provide input about these so-called federally regulated mobile homes and ask two questions: 1. Were you able to get warranty work in a reasonable amount of time, and 2. What do you think of the quality of your mobile home? What do you think the stats would be? Probably not very good for the industry. This just might spark a light into the consumer to wonder just how safe these things are. One would wonder what changes might be made to these industries? However, the industries are out to keep this information from the public because they know the mobile homes would not be purchased and stockholders would probably be selling stocks as fast as they could before they lost their money. So to keep this somewhat simple, the industry is counting on the consumer to be ignorant of the basic facts. Mobile homes are poorly constructed. And it is not until the consumer gets the shaft and is forced into becoming an expert on his or her home that they find out how the real game is played. If you have had an inspection because of a complaint you filed or if the manufacturer filed an "industry" complaint, you have seen how this works. Did you notice how they tend to selectively write down things? OR they just won't admit to a defect? This is because the Code Of Federal Regulations (24 CFR 3282) states they have to notify the consumer(s) of such defect: " The manufacturer shall provide notification as set out in this subpart with respect to all manufactured homes produced by the manufacturer in which there exists or may exist an imminent safety hazard or serious defect. The manufacturer shall provide such notification with respect to manufactured homes produced by the manufacturer in which a defect exists or may exist if the manufacturer has information indicating that the defect may exist in a class of manufactured homes that is identifiable because the cause of the defect or defects actually known to the manufacturer is such that the same defect would probably have been systematically introduced into more than one manufactured home during the course of production. This is just one of the many regulations that state how they are "supposed" to do business. If they can't build a good home, what makes you think they want to do more paperwork. So, if they ignore it, they are in the clear. All you need to do is read the regulations to see how these guys work. They can paint you a beautiful picture, but in reality it is all in black and white. So, call me "disgruntled" or "one of the few" if you(industry) want to entice the "consumers" come buy a "defective" mobile home. I am educating these consumers so they know what they are up against when they buy a mobile home that is "non-compliant" before they ever move into it. This is not even counting the many defects(failure to comply with the Act). In all seriousness, consumers should really read the "Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards" and "MANUFACTURED HOME PROCEDURAL AND ENFORCEMENT REGULATIONS". (They are easy to find. Use any search engine and query these or click just on the links above). Don't take the word of these guys in the industry who could care less about your safety. Read about mobile home safety from the U.S. Fire Administration. These are reputable organizations, and not just my word about the safety concerns of consumers who own mobile homes. Then make your decision as to whether you want to buy a mobile home. And, make sure they leave your "running gear" on your property. They are an "intergral part of the home" as stated in 24 CFR 3280. They belong to you, the homeowner. You paid or are paying for them. They are part of the home. This is another money maker for them. I wonder if these guys taking the "running gear" are reporting this revenue to the tax people. They certainly are not reporting this to the legal authorities. They would go to jail for theft. Duh. Let's think about this one. I (the consumer) just bought a new mobile home. The retailer/installer/dealer/manufacturer brings my new home to my property. They set it up. Then they remove the "running gear" because they are supposed to. Ok, this could be acceptable. But when they load it up and take it from my property, they just stole something I just paid for or I will be paying for over the next thirty years. They take it and sell it to a recycler and make money off something they stole from me that I will be paying for over the next thirty years. Does this sound ok to you? I would think not, but it happens on a daily basis. So, how much money do you think these guys make off of other peoples property? And they think it is abolutely fair practice. Hey industry guys, consumers are catching on.

The days of seeing gains like those in the above posts where an $80,000 purchase sells for many times that years later are over for at least 10 years. Don't expect any major real estate boom any time soon; real estate is going to return to what it's supposed to be for, a place to live and call home, rather then a slot machine that pays out. With that said, I got a super deal on a manufactured home built in 2003 with new 2 car detached garage on a .65 acre lot for under $40k. The modular homes in a new subdivision being built start around $100k and that's with no garage included and they are still selling! They don't look that much different, they have the same or less square footage, yet they are selling for more then double the price. I guess it depends on what you need. Do you need a basement? The manufactured homes around here will qualify for a traditional mortgage as long as they are anchored on a frost free foundation. Surrender the title and they become real property, treated as such. Why pay more for less in an environment where real estate is going to go down adjusted for inflation going forward? If you can find a good deal, go for it. A house is a place to live, a place to call home, that's the important thing.. not bling bling, unless that's your style.

DD has had lots of mold problems too from a roof leak and a basement flood. From our research and experience we learned that insurance companies not only do not cover the damage, but report the damage in a universal (industry wide) database making it impossible to ever sell so we were reluctant to report it. I'd seriously love to have someone refute this. She paid a mold remediation company $350. to evaluate the situation and we were looking at discarding a huge TV, genuine leather sectional/sleeper (the worst of it was in a basement TV room her SO had built for himself and buddies at the time) and over $5,000 for remediation. And that's after a brand new Pergo floor and lots of drywall had been removed. She knew someone who could place their industrial ozone machines in there and monitor them and the mold. Took maybe a week or two, but it actually did get down inside the furniture, etc. and kill it. She turned them up when she left for work and off/down when she got home. If you could leave and leave them running for a week it would probably work even better. Then we washed what we could with soap and water with bleach. I know there is a controversy about whether ozone is safe but just saying, it was an option that worked for her. Good luck. Sandy