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Hayward, CA
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You and California
Words Worth |
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What's the difference between a Manufactured
Home, a Mobilehome, and a Modular Home?
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A key to
understanding today’s manufactured home is
distinguishing it from other homes that are, or have
been, constructed in a factory. Most homes produced in a
factory are comprised of three-dimensional modules.
These modules are transported to a home site and
installed on a state approved foundations or support
systems. California law clearly distinguishes amount the
types of homes produced in a factory by the building
code to which the home must comply.
Manufactured
Home. The manufactured home is constructed to comply
with the National Manufactured Home Construction and
Safety Standards, a uniform building standard
administered and enforced by the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD Code). Over 97
percent of all homes constructed in California factories
meet this code.
Factory-Built
Homes. Often called "modular" homes, factor-built
homes are constructed to comply with the California
Administrative Code. About three percent of all factory
homes produced in California meet this code.
Mobilehomes.
These homes were constructed to comply with standards
enforced by the State of California prior to June 15,
1976. when the federal preemptive HUD Code became
effective. Mobile homes have not been constructed since
this date. |
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Newsletter |
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Over
The Fence Newsletter
January 2009
What's
Inside Federal Tax Credits for Energy
Efficiency Extneded in 2009
Ten Low-Cost Fixes to
Spruce Up Your Home
January
is a good time to Plant Bulbs
Three Ways to Save
Energy on Hot Water
January is National
Soup Month
Recipe Butternut/Winter
Squash Soup
January
2009 View online or print a
copy
Prior
Issues December
2008 November
2008 October
2008 September
2008 August
2008 July
2008 June 2008 May 2008 April
2008 March
2008 February
2008 January
2008
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Helpful
Links |
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Need a
Loan?
 Click the image
More Lenders:
Western
Finance email Mike
Scheffler: MikeS@westernfinance.us
Bank of the
West Fremont 510-791-0763
California Bank &
Trust 510-785-6100
Santiago
Financial 800-232-3908 |
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Renew Registration
Online
Manufactured Home & Mobilehome
Registration Renewal
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Mobilehome Park Inspection
Resident Information
Booklet
Contains Important Information For Residents of
Mobilehome Parks Regarding Inspections, Violations and
Code Requirements. |
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State of California Housing and Community
Development
As California's principal housing agency,
the mission of HCD is to provide leadership, policies
and programs to expand and preserve safe and affordable
housing opportunities and promote strong communities for
all
Californians. |
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State of California
Department of Housing Codes and
Standards
The Division of Codes and Standards
administers eight programs governing manufactured
homes and mobile homes. |
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Western Manufactured Housing
Communities
Association |
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California
Manufactured Housing
Institute |
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Mobilehome
Ombudsman
The Office of the Mobilehome Ombudsman is a
complaint processing Office that primarily assists the
public with questions or problems associated with the
various aspects of manufactured home (mobilehome)
living. |
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2008 Mobile Home Residency
Law
View online or
print your own copy free. |
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What
Every Mobile Home Owner Should
Know
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Title 25,
Chapter 2, Mobile Home Parks and
Installations
The provisions
of this chapter apply to the construction, use,
maintenance, and occupancy of mobilehome parks,
mobilehome and special occupancy lots, permanent
buildings, accessory buildings or structures, and
building components wherever located, both within and
outside of mobilehome parks, in all parts of the state.
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M.H.
Insurance |
Weible Insurance
Agency 800-653-5565 |
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Helpful
Info |
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AT&T Cablevision
800-945-2288
Telephone
(AT&T) 800-222-0400
Telephone (SBC) 800-310-3000
East Bay MUD (Water) 510-483-3540
Hayward Water 510-583-4600
Waste
Management 510-537-5500
Garbage: Castro Valley 510-537-0757
San Leandro Disposal 510-357-7282
510-276-4700
Hazardous Materials Disposal
510-670-6460
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Hi
Friends,
If you are like many who think home
ownership is out of the question, think again.
Think about mobile or manufactured homes. There
are several mobile home parks that cater to residents of
all ages. The cost of a beautiful mobile or
manufactured home is a fraction of the cost of a "stick"
built house. Yet, you enjoy all, if not more
conveniences than most conventional houses
offer.
Many people approaching their senior or
retirement years would love to spend them in the
beautiful San Francisco Bay Area. However, because
of the high cost of living many people fear
they may have to move away from the bay area
or even leave California, but
wait!
Assuming you own a
home or other real estate and have built up significant
equity in it I can show you how you can retire in
sunny California. It is possible for
you to sell your San Francisco Bay Area Real Estate
and help you get into easy retirement living
in a bay area senior park. In most cases I
can structure it so you will have a
big hunk of money leftover from purchasing a retirement
home to put into savings to supplement or
improve the quality of your retirement lifestyle.
Now, isn't that worth talking
about?
For information on buying
or selling east bay real estate or
manufactured homes, please contact me at
510-429-4800 or send me a note on the Contact Joanne form.
Joanne
Gardiner Your San Francisco Bay Area Real Estate
Broker Advantage Realty ~
510-429-4800
Testimonials |
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Mobile Home
Living News |
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Closures & Layoffs
December 11, 2008 - Fleetwood Enterprises Inc. plans
to consolidate manufactured housing plants in
Woodland, CA; Auburndale, FL; Willacoochee, GA;
Benton, KY; and Pembroke, NC. All of these
plants will work through the orders they currently have
and will begin transitioning production to some of the
remaining 13 Fleetwood Housing Group facilities. They
are expected to close within approximately 60 days.
The company's Trendsetter Homes plant in Douglas,
GA, which is one of two producing modular housing,
will also be closed, effective immediately. Impending
closure announcements were also made at Fleetwood's
travel trailer manufacturing centers in
Crawfordsville, IN. After the transition, all of
the company's travel trailers and fifth wheels will be
produced in its three existing plants in Ohio and
Oregon. The closings will effective by mid January.
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County Backs
Mobile Home Park Owners
December 2,
2008 - A recommended six-month moratorium on
transforming mobile home developments into other uses
ran out of steam on Dec. 1 in a Pierce County, Wash.,
council committee.
The council's Rules Committee
voted to table the suggestion for an indefinite period
after park owners testified it would deny them their
property rights. The proposal resulted from an
announcement earlier in 2008 that the Country Aire Manor
mobile home community in South Hill will shut down to
make way for a shopping center.
Park inhabitants have until
Feb. 28 to move, and the majority already have. Soaring
land values cause numerous park owners to sell. The
Washington Department of Community, Trade & Economic
Development reports that 18 parks in the state shut down
in 2007, impacting 534 households.
An estimated 1,000
developments in urban regions throughout Washington are
at risk. In 2009, though, Pierce County will explore
more permissive zoning for mobile home communities in
urban regions.
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Shingle Repairs
This is the first in a two-part series on
repairing or replacing broken or worn shingles. Before
cold weather begins arriving, it's an excellent time to
look at your shingles and repair or replace those that
are worn or broken. See
Tips |
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California Enacting Emergency Exterior Fire
Resistance Regulation for Manufactured
Housing
July 8, 2008 - California is
enacting an emergency regulation, which will be
effective immediately, requiring the exterior of
manufactured homes that will be installed in designated
Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) to meet the exterior
fire resistant design and construction requirements of
the California Building Code.
Manufactured housing installed in
communities and parks is temporarily exempt.
The same requirements already apply
to all other residential construction. The emergency
action could have a very costly impact on 100’s of homes
currently in retail stock in California because the
requirements are triggered by the permit date for the
installation and not the manufacture date. Homes in
existing retail stock must therefore meet the exterior
fire resistance requirements if they are to be installed
in a FHSZ. The California Manufactured Housing Institute
(CMHI) is currently working with the California
Department of Housing and Community Development in an
attempt to resolve that problem.
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HUD Releases Final
Installation Program Rule
MH NewsWire - June 20, 2008 - Today
HUD’s final rule requiring every state to implement a
manufactured home installation program (to obtain a copy
of the final rule, go to www.manufacturedhousing.org) was published in the Federal Register.
HUD was required to develop the
installation program rule by the Manufactured Housing
Improvement Act of 2000. Under the rule, states have the
option of administering their own program, as most
states are expected to do, provided their program
integrates the elements required by the federal statute.
Those elements include: the establishment of qualified
installation standards; the licensing and training of
installers; and the inspection of the installation of
manufactured homes.
The effective date of this
installation program is October 20, 2008 which mirrors
the effective date of the final installation standard
rule issued last fall. MHI members with questions may
contact Jeff Inks at jinks@mfghome.org.
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One Of
East Bay's Largest Mobile Home Parks
Sold
Spanish Ranch, one of the East Bay's
largest mobile home parks, was sold to Monterey Coast LP
for $39,500,000.
Hayward,
California - December 10, 2007
-- Spanish Ranch Mobile Home Park, a 462-space
mobile home park, has been acquired by San
Francisco-based Monterey Coast LP for $39,500,000.
The price equates to a 4.8 CAP based on trailing
12-month expenses, and 12-month proforma income based
on allowable increases per Hayward Mobile Home Rent
Stabilization Ordinance.
Spanish Ranch is a
5-Star park on 52 acres of land and is one of the
largest mobile home parks in the East Bay. The
sale closed escrow on August 30, 2007.
The
buyer, Monterey Coast LP, is a private group
specializing in the acquisition and management of
apartment buildings and mobile home
parks.
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Mobile or Modular
Living
is
Affordable |
With prices for conventional
housing out of reach for many in the San Francisco Bay
Area, some are turning to manufactured
housing.
A key to
understanding today's manufactured home is
distinguishing it from other homes that are constructed
in a factory. Most factory homes are comprised of
three-dimensional modules. These modules are transported
to a home site and installed on a state approved
foundation or support system. California law clearly
distinguishes among the types of factory-produced homes
by the building code to which the home must
comply.
Manufactured homes are constructed
to comply with the National Manufactured Home
Construction and Safety Standards, a uniform building
standard administered and enforced by the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development. About 97
percent of all factory homes constructed in California
each year meet this code.
Factory-built
homes, often called modular homes, are constructed to
comply with the California Administrative Code. Some
factory built homes employ panelized construction
techniques. About three percent of all factory homes
produced in California factories each year meet this
code.
The HUD
Code
Since June 1976,
all manufactured homes in the United States have been
built to the National Home Construction and Safety
Standards (the HUD Code). The HUD Code, under federal
law, preempts all local building codes for these
single-family dwellings. The HUD label certifies that
the home has been factory constructed, tested and
inspected to comply with stringent, uniform federal
standards which are periodically up-dated.
The HUD Code,
administered by the Department of Housing and Urban
Development, is the counterpart to national model codes
for site-built housing. These model codes include the
Uniform Building Code of the International Conference of
Building Officials, upon which California local
governments base their building codes.
While you purchase
the mobile, modular or manufactured home you will more
than likely pay monthly rent for the space where that
home it sits. In addition to the space rent,
you can expect to pay for gas, electric and cable
TV. Some parks include water and trash service in
their basic monthly rent, while others do not
top of
page |
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2008 Modular
Homes |
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Modulars are system built homes that
meet and exceed the construction standards of site-built
homes. Some of the many benefits of a modular home
are:
- Typically costs 10% to 15% less
than site-built homes.
- Conventional home financing
available.
- Meets Residential Zoning
requirements.
- Faster move-in time compared to
site built.
top of
page |
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First
Two-Story Mobile Home, A 1955 Smoker
Vista-Liner |
| Following
WWII, mobile home living took off like wild fire
due to the pent up housing shortage. By 1955
the Smoker Lumber Company was producing the longest
trailers and to top their own success they
introduced a unique two-story mobile home
called the "Vista-Liner."

The Smoker Company positioned the two-story
section, the heaviest part of the structure on
the hitch end of the unit for stability in towing
the mobile down the highway. The
Vista-Liner boasted four bedrooms and two
baths. The "basement" section featured a
short escape door in one of the the kids bedrooms.
The kitchen was positioned in the center of the unit,
which doubled as a buffer to the living room
at the rear. |
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For information
on buying or selling east bay homes, please
contact me at 510-429-4800 or send me a note on the Contact Joanne form. Sign up for email
alerts
Joanne L. Gardiner, Broker,
e-PRO Realtor
Advantage
Realty Advantage Mortgage Associates 3205 Whipple
Road - Union City, California
94587
(510)
429-4800
San Francisco Bay
Area San Francisco East Bay Real
Estate

Our primary realty
service areas in the San
Francisco Bay Area: Hayward, Castro
Valley, Fremont, Newark, Niles, San
Leandro, San Lorenzo, San Ramon, Sunol,
Oakland, Foster City, Burlingame, and San
Mateo.
The
types of real estate in which we specialize
are: single family homes, detached homes, attached
homes, duets, condominiums, townhomes, garden
homes, PUDs, manufactured homes, mobile
homes, income property, investment property,
tri-plexes, four-plexes, apartment
property, and special use properties such as
churches for
sale. | |
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Exciting News in
Housing...
Upscale manufactured homes now
available to San Francisco Bay Area residents by A.R.M. Homes. The quality,
design, and amenities usually reserved
for luxury residential homes
are attracting conventional home buyers to these
semi-custom manufactured dream homes.
Best
of all, prices are a fraction of conventional
homes. The dealer will take trade-ins,
too.



The homes
range from a compact 1,013 square feet to a sprawling
2,245 square feet. The
thoughtful exterior
designs include traditional Craftsman and
Ranch to Contemporary with trapezoid transom
windows that let in natural light flood the
interior while maintaining maximum
privacy.
Manufactured
homes are single-family homes that are constructed
entirely in a controlled factory environment. These
units are built according to federal Manufactured Home
Construction and Safety Standards, which are commonly known as
the HUD code.

For
homeowners in need of a guest house, these award-winning "cabins" vary
in width and length, beginning at a slim 13'
4" wide and going up to about 30' wide, similar to
the sprawling cabin pictured at
right. The green metal roof and cedar lap
siding give a woodsy feel to the homes and
complement any back yard or country
setting.
The
cabins or guest houses are attractive and compact,
yet feature amenities found in full-sized
homes. In addition to accommodating guests
they are perfect for parents, in-laws,
teenagers, adult children, live-in care-givers,
etc. and can be delivered finished to your lot usually
within 60 days.
Call
Joanne at 510-429-4800 for more information or send
her a note on the Contact Joanne form
or visit our affiliate company A.R.M. Homes.
Joanne
is also a sales agent with A.R.M.
Homes.
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Buying Q
& A's |
T he two most
important things to consider in purchasing a mobile
home, a manufactured home or a modular
home is a good credit score and a
sufficient amount of cash on hand for the down
payment and closing costs. Once you have those two
things in order, you ready for me to take you
shopping.
For
sake of brevity, mobile home shall also include
manufactured homes and modular homes and
vise-versa.
Down Payment: To
buy a mobile home you will need a down payment of
10% to 25% of the selling price.
On near new and brand
new manufactured homes the down payment can be as low as
5% with excellent credit.
Prices:
Like in the purchase of regular houses, the
prices for mobile homes vary dramatically. For homes
built beginning June 15, 1976 to the
nineties, they run anywhere from about $75,000
to about $180,000.
Near new and brand new
manufactured homes currently range
from $160,000 to as high as $300,000,
depending on the square footage and not including the
land.
A typical 1200 square foot
brand new manufactured home will set you back
$175,000.
Age of mobile
home is important to consider: If
buying a brand new manufactured home doesn't fit your
budget, I recommend buying one that was built after June
15, 1976 and later because that date is when the
new construction guidelines became effective and the
Department of Housing took over jurisdiction from the
Department of Motor Vehicles. A few
manufacturers increased their building standards in
1975, however, lenders use the June 15, 1976 date when
determining loan amouts and interest
rates.
Financing:
Typically the interest rate is quite a bit
higher for mobile or modular homes than
conventional houses, today between 7.5% and 12%
depending on ones FICO score. The reason
for the interest rates being higher than for
conventional housing is because the a mobile or
modular home could be moved from its site and there is a
possibility the lender would not know about it or
be able to recover it in the event of default by the
borrower. The length of the loan, called the term,
will range between 15 and 20 years unless you're
purchasing a brand new manufactured home,
then 30 year loans are available.
When the time comes I can put
you in contact with lenders who specialize in financing
mobile and modular homes. By the way, the interest
on a mobile home loan is tax deductible,
assuming it is your primary residence.
Closing
Costs: You will need
additional funds for closing costs, which typically run
about $2,000 to $7,000. This includes your escrow
fees, title search and state transfer fees, lender fees,
signing fees, notary, inspections, insurance, first
month's space rent typically $400 to
$1,000. Depending on the park's policy, you
may need to post a security
deposit, typically $200 to $1000,
which is refundable to after one year of
residency upon your written request. If the seller
doesn't provide a home warranty, buyers can
purchase one at a cost of approximately $315 to $350 for
a year.
Your
Credit: You will also need to have good
credit, the higher the FICO Score the better. Good
FICO Scores are 720 and above. You can get more
information at the section here on my web
site:
Mobile Home
Parks: There are two kinds of mobile home
parks:
- All-age
parks, for residents of any age including
children.
- Age
Restricted Parks which most people refer to
as Senior parks are for adults over age 55.
Some require the second resident adult to be at least
18, while others require them to be at least 35
and 45.
Residents of mobile home
parks in the San Francisco Bay Area are allowed to
have a pet or pets under the current state
laws. Parks still restrict the
number, size, and breed.
Outside
Storage: State code has increased
the size of an allowable storage shed on a mobile home
lot to 120 square feet. However, some parks
only allow 100 square foot sheds.
Land is usually
not included: When buying a mobile home
the land is not included. Space rent typically
runs between $400 and $1000 per month and in some areas
more.
In addition to the space rent
you will be responsible for your
utilities. In some cases the park will pay for
your water, while other parks also pay for your trash
service. Each park
varies.
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For
Seniors |
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Elder
Abuse What Everyone
Should Know


The "E-cyclopedia" of housing options and
information for retirement, finance, insurance and
care.
Senior
Resources
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Mobile
Home Owners
Associations |
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 Hayward Mobilehome Owners
Association
The
HMOA represent nine mobilehome parks in the Hayward
area.
These include: Continental Hayward
Mobile Country Club Eden Gardens Eden Roc
Georgian Manor New England Village Pueblo
Springs Spanish Ranch I Spanish Ranch II
Visit their web
site |
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Golden State Manufactured-Home
Owners League, Inc., is a nonprofit charitable trust
corporation, dedicated to preserving mobilehome
ownership as affordable, quality housing through
legislative efforts, and organization and education of
individual home owners and dwellers.
Visit the GSMOL
web site
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New Laws |
Manufactured
Homes and Mobilehomes
Distinguished:
This
new law provides a bright-line distinction between
"manufactured homes" and "mobilehomes" to clarify the
confusion surrounding these two terms. Starting January
1, 2008, both a manufactured home and mobilehome are
generally defined as transportable structures of certain
specifications, with or without foundations, but a
manufactured home is constructed on or after June 15,
1976, whereas a mobilehome is constructed before June
15, 1976. (Source: Senate Bill
538).
Notice of Removal of Mobilehome
from Park Upon Sale:
Under
existing law, when certain old or rundown mobilehomes
are sold, the management of the mobilehome park may
require the removal of such mobilehomes to upgrade the
quality of the park. Beginning January 1, 2008, removal
of such mobilehomes is prohibited, unless the park
management provides the homeowner with a notice
specifying the condition permitting removal.
(Source: Assembly Bill
446).
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