Location, location, location

When I was growing up, my family liked to go for car rides. Often on a Sunday afternoon, or on a nice summer evening, we all hopped in the car, and my father took us out for a "spin." The rides took us to the swankiest parts of Worcester - and, yes there are some swanky sections, to the sploshest suburbs, to the rural surrounds, and sometimes by a less affluent area (generally on the way to someplace more scenic). 

The landscape of these less affluent areas, often located on a truck route like Route 20, was often dotted with trailer parks. 

Most of them were well-maintained, crowded with trim, two-toned trailers (my favorites were the white and turquoise ones), often with spiffy awnings and patios. Without anyone saying anything, we knew that this is where people who couldn't afford a house-house with a real yard lived. Yet there was something rather pleasant about these little houses(to me, at least - a kid who craved an Airstream from the first moment I laid eyes on one). 

Over time, the conditions in many trailer parks deteriorated. Those trim little turquoise-and-white trailers of my heart's desire rusted out. The overall look and feel was rundown and depressing. Definitely the low-rent district.

And when you read about trailer parks in some other parts of the country, it gets even worse. 

They're located in terrible places, where the sewers back up and you squelch underfoot when you walk. The trailers are blown down during hurricanes, and sucked up and tossed aside by tornados. 

Yet, when you think about it, given how the housing market has gotten, we'd be better off with more of those old 50's-style trailer parks around: modular no-frills but sturdy-enough homes for those who can't afford all the 21st century frills: ensuite bathrooms, granite countertops, walk-in closets, "great rooms."

But when it comes to trailer parks, there are trailer parks and there are TRAILER PARKS.

Forget about the crummy ones on Massachusetts Route 20. There's a trailer park - upscaled to being called a community - where a trailer - upscaled to being called a mobile home - is under contract for $3.75 million.

This is in Montauk, way out on the tip of Long Island, in what used to be potato farm country, and is now the playground of the rich (definitely) and famous (sometimes).

The home going for $3.75M has less than 800 square feet of living space. 

“This location speaks for itself. It is easy to fall in love with the community and culture of Ditch Plains and Montauk Shores,” says [Realtor Will] Gold, who has spent most of his life in Montauk.

Described as “a custom build” by the venerable Hamptons builder John Hummel and featuring high-end finishes with a modern beach style, the two-bedroom, two-bath home boasts 180-degree views of the ocean from the living room and back deck. (Source: Behind the Hedges)

It sure doesn't look like the white-and-turquoise dream trailers of my childhood. It looks like a modern, upscale cottage in a fabulous location, location, location. And, of course, it does have the requisite ensuite in the master. But Montauk Shores had modest origins. It started out as a campsite where just plain folks could pitch their tents or park their Airstreams or pop-up campers, and "became the first mobile home park condominium in New York State in 1976." And that was the beginning of the swankification of the Montauk trailer park.  (While the $3.75M price tag is by far the record-setter, in 2021 another unit - one bath, 600 square feet - sold for $1.85M.)

In 1998, Long Islander Ken Hilderbrandt purchased a falling apart trailer on a nearly 2,000 square foot lot, paying $96,500 for it. 

“Back then, you could rent them for $50 a month,” he said. A decade later, he tore down the trailer and erected a two-bed, two-bath modular home with a wraparound porch, marble countertops and laminate floors, investing around $100,000 in the remodel. Today, his humble 1,200-square-foot abode could command $60,000 as a three-month summer rental, enough to send one of his grandkids to college. (Source: NY Post)

There are still a number of these old timers who bought in early, before the billionaire hedge fund guys discovered Montauk Shores. But the big money folks are there now. 

If you're wondering how the big money folks get by in a 800 square foot trailer: they basically use them as a changing room when they use the beach. (The area is known for surfing.) Then they can get back to one of their many sprawling real homes.

Location, location, location. Even if it's only a trailer that's parked there.