Welcome page Mobile Home Remodels Mobile Home Tips East Bay Mobile Home Parks Peninsula Mobile Home Parks South Bay Mobile Home Parks |  Contact Joanne Sign up for email alerts Featured Listings Loan Calculator  Price Calculator Salary Calculator Real Estate News  Seniors and Retirees Buying Real Estate Selling Real Estate Forclosures, Short Sales, REOs  Outdoor Tips  Indoor Tips Home Improvements About Joanne  Testimonials      Hayward, CA  Union City, CA Coffee Break Cyber Kitchen  Kid's Korner  You and California Words Worth  What's the difference between a Manufactured Home, a Mobilehome, and a Modular Home? 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.  Newsletter 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   Helpful Links 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 Renew Registration Online Manufactured Home & Mobilehome Registration Renewal Mobilehome Park Inspection Resident Information Booklet Contains Important Information For Residents of Mobilehome Parks Regarding Inspections, Violations and Code Requirements. 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. State of California Department of Housing Codes and Standards The Division of Codes and Standards administers eight programs governing manufactured homes and mobile homes.  Western Manufactured Housing Communities Association California Manufactured Housing Institute 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. 2008 Mobile Home Residency Law View online or print your own copy free. What Every Mobile Home Owner Should Know 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. Title 25 Regulations View online or  M.H. Insurance Weible Insurance Agency 800-653-5565  Helpful Info 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 Oro Loma Sanitary District 510-276-4700 Hazardous Materials Disposal  510-670-6460 Pacific Gas & Electric 800-743-5000

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  Mobile Home Living News 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. 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. 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  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.   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.   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.    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.   Types of Factory Homes 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  2008 Modular Homes 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  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.   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.

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.  Buying Q & A's The 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.  For Seniors Elder Abuse What Everyone Should Know Elder Abuse Brochure View online or print your own copy free.   The "E-cyclopedia" of housing options and information for retirement, finance, insurance and care. Senior Resources    Mobile Home Owners Associations   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 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 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).