In September 2011, I started Mobile Home Living.
I bought the domain name, published through a free blogging platform called Blogger, and had no idea what I was doing.
Looking back, it’s hilarious how naive and uneducated I was about the manufactured housing world and blogging in general. How this site eventually found its footing and gained popularity will always be the 8th great mystery of the world (at least to me).
Mobile Home Living was born when my husband and I bought a 1978 single wide in 2011. It needed an update, so I searched online for mobile home remodeling and decorating ideas. There were only a few legitimate results and the idea to create a site that offered mobile home remodeling and decorating ideas, along with mobile home repair help, was born. You can read more about it here.
I figured if I was looking for this information others were as well. I guess I was right.
By Mobile Home Living’s first anniversary I had already been contacted by a few people with the same complaint: I was committing a faux pas of epic proportions – I was using the term ‘Mobile Home.’
The nerve of me!
By our fourth anniversary, I had been contacted dozens of times about my choice of words. The complaints usually came from an over-zealous salesman or someone working within the industry (but they never associated themselves with any one company).
The argument was always the same; The words ‘mobile home’ conjured up negative opinions of the factory-built housing so the term must never be used again.
1976 is a very special year in the factory-built housing industry. You could even call it their rebirth. Though it would have been their second since they had a rebirth in 1954 after the term ‘trailer coach’ was changed to ‘mobile home.’
July of 1976 is when a new federal law went into effect across the nation that regulated the construction and installation of ‘manufactured’ homes. HUD, the government department that oversees housing and urban development, had worked with the industry to come up with a minimum set of standards that all homes had to meet.
Prior to these new regulations, the factory-built housing industry had basically run amok.
Poor construction and terrible safety issues plagued mobile homes. Of course, there were a few companies that offered a superior home along with good customer service but there were far more companies that only cared about profit and their greed disgraced the reputation of the homes and the industry.
These new guidelines significantly increased safety and construction standards for all factory-built housing and gave the industry an opportunity to shed their poor reputation. They were producing a completely different product from mobile homes, and that required a completely different name. Factory-built housing was to be called ‘Manufactured Homes.’
Using the term ‘manufactured home’ was so important to the industry that they advocated to have the name change written into federal law!
The Housing Act of 1980 states that mobile homes were to be reclassified as buildings instead of vehicles and that all mobile homes produced after 1976 were to be referred to as manufactured homes. Literature created or released by the federal government were only allowed to use the words manufactured home. The term mobile home was no longer allowed to be used in legislation.
The reputation of mobile homes as poorly constructed homes of yesteryear would be forever vanquished with this new term!
And if you wanna get real technical, it’s a trailer if it was built before 1954 when the association of trailer coach builders of America decided they wanted to be called the mobile home builders of America.
The industry loves to change names!
Oh, look, a very nice mobile home…oops, I mean manufactured home…..I mean trailer.
Nevermind, I’m confused, again.
There’s no big deal really. I’m just taking a stand against all this silliness.
I’ve been told that no builder or dealer would ever want to advertise on my little blog because they would not be associated with the term ‘mobile home.’ I guess it’s a good thing that I don’t accept ads (or any money at all) from builders or dealers directly (I have no say about third-party ad placement). I want to remain neutral and honest about my opinions. The goal of this site is to be the voice of the people, not the industry.
I have seen articles on industry sites that actually have rebuttals for salesman and employees to use if they hear the words ‘mobile home’ used.
Once I learned about this name stuff, I tried to play well with others. I made an effort to use the term ‘mobile home’ when referring to a home built before July 1976 and ‘manufactured home’ for homes built after that date. I even changed the name of this blog from ‘Mobile Home Living’ to ‘Mobile Home Living.’
Here’s the latest communication that I received just a couple days ago:
Your site is very interesting. Great site!
But….. you really need to drop the term “Mobile Home”. The reason is, it gives people the view that these are “Trailers” and not homes.
HUD changed it in 1976 to Manufactured Homes. If we as owners of these homes want to change all the misconceptions about these homes, the term “Mobile Home” must be eliminated across the board. It gives inspectors, insurance companies, banks, home buyers, etc. a total misconception of what these homes have become.
There is so much wrong information given to people by so called, “people in authority”, because they think these homes are “trailers”, and the term “Mobile” is part of the reason….along with those people not knowing or caring to know what is fact and what is a myth.
We as owners, need to start changing the misconceptions that has plagued these homes for many years. It is time to get the truth out about these homes, and helping our selves at the same time… just my opinion.
My issue with all this name changing is simple – you cannot change how people talk and you cannot change a product’s reputation by calling it a different name.
I’ve called these awesome adobes ‘mobile homes’ my entire life and I’m not stopping now.
Here is my official reply to all this silliness about the two small terms that has caused so much controversy:
The misconceptions of mobile homes are mostly true: some of the homes were junk, the buyers were preyed upon, and the industry was an unregulated nightmare.
It is what it is. Own it and move on…
The only thing that can remedy the industry’s reputation is to make better homes and have better customer service.
The industry needs to focus on improving themselves and offering the best product at the best price possible and stop worrying about a term used by the people living in them or buying them.
We only want to enjoy our homes. If you build a good home and create a good buying experience and stand behind your product, all 8 million or so owners living in mobile and manufactured homes across the nation will advertise for you better than any name change ever could.
This is me, the founder of Mobile Home Living, saying to you that I love my home and everything it has offered me. It has completely changed my life for the better.
A 1978 single wide has provided my family and me a better life! With no house payment, I have been able to give my daughter experiences I never had and that is a wonderful feeling.
Thank you so much for reading Mobile Home Living.
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Crystal,
Hope you are doing well and fighting the good fight to improve our industry. Drop us a line sometime - we would love to share what we have done over at Braustin Mobile Homes and how we've used technology to streamline the process of buying a new mobile home while making it a more enjoyable experience.
Talk to you soon,
Alberto Pina
Co-Founder @ Braustin Mobile Homes
Hear, hear! I just love this article, and couldn't agree with you more.
Thank you!
Thanks, Peggy!
Mine is 1985 Redman. Original is a doublewide with an add on of 400 SF along the S side of the home running lengthwise (front half is my sunroom and back half is my dressing room/makeup room). Then on the N side there's a 500 SF room added on for storage and it has a sauna in it. 1950 SF living space total not including the storage room.
Gated community, vaulted ceilings with open concept LR with breakfast nook dividing Dining Room and Kitchen. Master bath 15 x 13 with a 48 inch tub. Paid 10 for it due to owner going back E to live with her children, put around 12 into it - pretty much gutted the whole thing - laminate floors and new black steel appliances. Laundry room with full size W/D, full pantry closet and a broom closet. Hall coat closet - home office and a master bedroom that is 13 X 18 feet. Bartered for exterior paint (I own a business service and one of my clients is a painter)
The neighbors who knew the prior owners all said they'd never know it was the same home.
It's full paid for of course, no 30 year mortgage for this woman!
When someone complains to me about how I word something in a blog, post, or article, I usually reply with "well how do you word it on *your* website? Oh, you don't have a site? Guess you know where you can go!"
I heard that complaint a *lot* when I first moved in to my current trailer park... "It's a Manufactured Home Community, not a trailer park."
Hrmmm... did it come in on wheels? Can it go out on wheels? Is it built by the lowest standards possible? It's a trailer.
Do the people let their dogs run around pooping in everyone else's yard and not clean it up? Do you hear kids screaming at 7AM on Saturday? Does your neighbor have more furniture on his porch than in his house? It's a trailer park!
Now, I'm being tongue-in-cheek here, but not by much.
Really, though, if people don't like it, they can go read someone else's blog, I always say.
Hi Dennis,
Great points! Parks are definitely a hit or miss but thankfully there are a lot more good ones than bad. Thanks for the chuckles!
Where I am from 'mobile home' is used more formally, they are nearly always called 'caravans' even if they are on the same site and never move and then they are sometimes called a 'static caravan'. Caravans are popular for staying in on an inexpensive family holiday on a holiday parks where there is usually some kind of entertainments or at least a pool. Some people live in the parks all year if it is open all year. A posher more expensive type of home is a park home. They cost a lot and are usually for better off older folk.
I have stayed in caravans/mobile homes many times and really want one of my own. Had an extra titchy touring one I lived in as a teen. Now want a proper 'mobile home' or 'caravan' They are usually much smaller than American ones so I am looking on your brilliant site for some ideas for 'single wides', a term we do not use because they are all single wides!
Thank you for your comment. I've read a lot about caravans in Europe. The designs over there are great and I hope the US builders will pick up a few tips from them. I've read about the caravan parks in France and seen some beautiful photos. I hope to visit one someday.
Thanks for commenting. I would love to see and learn more about caravans and hope to hear from you again!
think you should have stuck to mobilehome living why change for someone,s comment ssorry but that just sounds like you,re selling out
Hi Jackie,
I'll be honest, repairing holes in older faux paneling is a pain and rarely comes out like you want it too. You could use a patch kit made for drywall but it will never blend in unless you paint the entire wall and even then it will probably be noticeable. My best recommendation (and cheapest) is to just add a board across the entire section and paint. Adding some trim around it (along with some waterproofing) will help make it look like it's supposed to be there. Mobile home paneling simply wasn't made for easy repair or updating.
Best of luck!
You're wrong my friend. From my point of view, Mobile means "wheels" that's motorhomes and rv trailers in trailer parks that have a strong reputation for "trailer trash" due to Trailer parks allowing rentals - the basis for the well known term "trailer trash"
I support the new regulations that call us manufactured "homes" with safe regulations and no rentals in manufactured home parks that separates trailers with wheels from homes on foundations. It allowes the average person to feel to comfort of investing in an inexpensive "home" and be able to sell their "home" as real estate with a realtor. This is one of the last chances for average people who are locked out of housing market, to have a decent home to live in that keeps its value.
The public still has a serious fobia about trailer trash in trailer parks. When you buck the new terminology, and call manufactured homes, trailers or mobile homes you encourage the "trailer trash" label for manufactured homes that hurt the average person, especially seniors,trying to maintain their dignity, and protect what little assets they have. Mobile home parks are not trailer parks.
These new regulations and terms are here to protect us. From my point of view calling a manufactured home a mobile trailer is wrong.
Byron Starr Vancouver BC
Retired Chief Building Engineer & proprietor of ASH ( Affordable Housing for Seniors)
Can you see my point? - Had I called ASH ( Affordable mobile trailers for seniors ) Do you get it?
When you buck teh terminology
If you're in a park and don't own the land you cannot call it real estate. It's real property.
Hi Gail,
Thanks for the comment. I hope I've been clear on the difference. You are absolutely right, in every state I'm familiar with you cannot have a manufactured home classified as real estate unless you own the land the home is permanently installed on (unless you push for it or it's misclassified). Another sticky issue is the classification of a permanently installed manufactured home - a lot of people think that the skirting used (cinder block, brick, etc) will automatically classify it as permanent.
You have great points, Mr. Starr and I respect them. I do try to use manufactured home when I feel it is needed or more beneficial to the reader. I feel the industry has much more important issues to focus on than the terms the general public uses. No one how cares what they are called, only that they are made well, financed fairly, and affordable.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Don't feel bad, I still call them TRAILERS! My first was a 1961 8' x 40' Kit Coach located in Ithaca NY in Schwans TRAILER Park. Now I have a 14' by 60' in Florida on the water.
Amen to you. I married my husband in 1979 he had worked for his farther since he was ten. He was an aluminum contractor. which meant he put up roof overs, screen rooms , vinly rooms ect. Fun fact he was the first person to design and put on rolled aluminum roofing. We got a letter from a jonhny come lately that we were to stop unsing their system. i mailed them years of work that we had done . never heard another word. could have stopped them we had no desire. But when we married, I was from ga all mobile home we called trailers and he stressed to me that that was an insult. a trailer was something you pulled behind your car. Now we live in a mobile home and i to am insulted if someone calles it a trailer. Thanks for your site.
Right on! Don't change the name, change the industry.
Look at McDonald's. Once known for fast service, good food, low prices, and smiling servers, now they make cheap products and raised prices that have the strength of a cockroach during Armageddon. We all know it's junk and many won't eat there because it's junk... but take a year and create a better affordable product (one that preferably would be destroyed in nuclear explosion along with the rest of us), train your employees to smile, and your name will not need to be changed because your reputation would change.