rancho santa barbara mobile home park
i scooted up to santa barbara county this weekend to check out 5 mobile home parks. in my eternal search for a quiet green place to retire i thought i would broaden my search to include manufactured homes.
vista de santa barbara mobile home park
along the american riviera (as santa babs is known) i can either afford a condo or a mobile home. after my visit this weekend, i know which one i’ll be choosing.
mobile home!
rancho granada mobile home park
all of the parks i visited had lovely grounds with tidy streets, lots of trees, and a well-tended ambiance. most people had small planting areas, some had yards, porches, and patios. all of the parks are close to my favorite walking beaches.
they range in price from the low 200’s for an older model up to nearly 600k for a newer model less than 5 years old. lot rents depend on the mobile home and park but in this area they’re in the $500-850 range. some of the lot rents include water, gas, trash, and sewer.
these homes pictured are all located in senior parks for those over 55. perfect for someone like me who wants to live a quiet life.
certainly i will miss the mariachis, ice cream truck, dogs barking, helicopters, neighbor chatter, parties, bandsaws, leaf blowers, fireworks, and construction noises.
but not that much.
i will enjoy having a tiny yard to tend and an extra bedroom for guests. my house will be larger, my yard smaller, and the responsibilities of home maintenence and repair will be easier.
i love the santa barbara area and i know people there. i’ll still be close enough to los angeles when i need a big city fix, or an international airport. it’s settled then, i know where i’m retiring. of course, as we know only too well, many things can happen to change this equation, but in my mind at least things are settled.
i’m still playing around with venetian images in my landscape sketchbook. still immersed in the beginning of the school year 30 school days down and 150 to go. not that i’m counting.
i’m enjoying most of my new students very much. this year we’re using google classroom and i absolutely love it! i have a virtual classroom online where i post assignments, etc., You may remember me mentioning an incredible writer I had in 3rd grade… Here’s a story he’s working on in the G.C.
The Laundromat
I work in a laundromat for 24 hours a day, I meet many amazing people that tell me about their lives while they wait for their clothes. My job is to assist people with the dryers and the washing machine. Many people are too lazy to wait for their clothes and just drop them of so I can do it for them. I like my job but I have low pay and I get treated bad by my boss. Today was a long day of working and talking with my customers. Today I met a smart kid that made his own business from scratch. It was already 12:19 and I was still at work. I heard a noise come from dryer 562. I went to check the dryer and when I was there I was so astonished of what I found. I yelled for help because there was a man in the dryer.I thought he was hurt but he was fine. My boss came in and started yelling at me and threatened to fire me. I guess he was having his sleep. I asked the man in the dryer why he was there and he told me that everyday dryer 562 opens up a portal that leads into another world. I thought he was crazy but………he proved
Over and out friends, see you soon!
Hi Mary Ann. I’m thrilled that you are so much closer to your decision. I also bought a mobile home upon retirement but found it to be a big mistake. The corporate owners of the park kept increasing the space rent, driving many of the pensioners out. When my space rent became the same as a mortgage payment, I opted out and am back in a condo (with the tax benefits of that monthly cost). While I loved the space (I had a 2000 square foot home) … I just couldn’t justify the monthly rent feeding a corporation and not my own investment. So, I encourage you to do some investigation into who owns the property and what their record is for 1) keeping the community “senior” and 2) annual rate increases. Manufactured homes can be a great option, given the right circumstances (owners of the community).
all sound advice jan! some of the lot rents are in excess of $800/month. the lot rents seem to vary widely. i’ll definitely do my research.
I love your blog…I always walk away learning something beautiful!!
Thanx for making my day!!
why thank ya!
Retired from medicine in 2015 age 56. 31 years in practice enough. Now art Yoga exercise full time. My life is so full and I’m grateful beyond belief
sounds fantastic kathy, just the thing i like to hear. i’ll be 56 in january, but still have some years to go.
It looks nice, but… we don’t have trailer parks in Sweden so I have to ask: what? what is it and how does it work? I thought it would be hiked up trailers and caravans? It looks like regular small houses in your photos, so where are the “mobile” things in the equation!? I don’t get it. But yes, it looks nice. 🙂
no time for a proper reply, but you can search “mobile home” on wikipedia and you’ll see exactly what they are 🙂
Hello Mary Ann,
I busted out laughing when you wrote I will miss the street noise, parties, bands whatever. In fact, I am still laughing. When we moved from Redondo Beach to Carson City Nevada I forgot the world was quiet. And stars!! OMG! No more sleeping with big floor fans to make ‘white noise’ either. We live in South Carolina now. You have a lot of time to think about retirement. Why do we live here you may ask? $$$$$. We have a big house with a big salt water swimming pool and our property taxes are $2,000. Enough said!
barbarella! when i was a wee babe we lived in sumter south carolina… i can’t wait to live in a quiet world.
Good plan😊
Hi Mary Ann! I just did this! I bought a big new house on 1/2 acre in NorCal 2 years ago and couldn’t really handle it. With real estate up I was able to sell at a profit and bought a newer manufactured home in a beautiful park. I put in new floors, lighting and paint. It’s perfect! I even have a third bedroom/ office with french doors for my new studio. I do not miss the yard work or the 9 1/2 foot ceilings to change a light bulb, lol! I am the youngest one there but so what. I am disabled so it was the right retirement choice for me. And you will be by your beloved seashore!!! It will be a great community too. Congrats on your decision and being open to new ideas. Never thought I would do it but it just made sense.
jessica your situation sounds great! i too have thought about buying a house, but i don’t want to have to move again for a long time. where abouts in northern california are you?
Congratulations, Mary Ann! I am thrilled for you. It must feel like such a relief to have a plan in mind. You have set the wheels turning in my mind about retirement from teaching; I am a few years behind you and am thinking about my plan. Sunshine year round, the ocean, peace and quiet…it all sounds quite heavenly (I live in the snowy northeast and would love to be away from the snow and cold one day)!
well come on out to CA LIF FORN IA and you can join our womens’ art commune camp slash trailer park! by the time you get here we’ll be all set up.
I hope you find your “happy place” in a mobile home area. My Aunt retired to one here in the northeast and just loved
her home…She had a lovely yard and garden and a cozy “florida room ” (as she called it)–a screened in room for 3 seasons
here in NE. good luck hugs, Julierose
i think i’m gonna love mine too!
Congratulations on your decision. For many years, a friend had a mobile home in the park at Paradise Cove, an unobstructed view of the ocean and a golf cart to drive to the beach when walking wasn’t the first choice. It seems like a dream of a plan. And your young writer…of course it’s a portal. xo
oh those paradise cove mobile homes are crazy expensive nowadays, but i’ve heard the park is just gorgeous!
Congratulations on narrowing your retirement community search! Love the story from the 3rd grader–he’ll be a famous author someday!
definitely!
What about the artist commune/community?
Your new place looks wonderful especially if its close to the beach.
this is it! come on out! artist commune/camp at the trailer park. perfect for introverts. together, but separate.
How exciting! Those homes look just perfect. I’m happy for you!
I’m happy for you, Mary Ann! The mobile homes look lovely. I moved from a high maintenance 3+ acres to a condo and I suddenly had more time for my art. Go figure! You’re smart to stay mindful of being close to an international airport. The Santa Barbara Air Bus is a terrific shuttle service from SB and Carp to any terminal at LAX. You go girl. Retirement will be upon you before you know it!
i await its arrival with bated breath!!
I enjoy following your dreams. I might have more access to you should you move closer to me than you do now. I miss you MaryAnn. XxOo
Looks lovely. Retirement at the end of this school year? This will give you more time to create online classes? Right?!
i wish! 2023 is my earliest date of withdrawal from the madness
Clever you!! I would like to end up in the same sort of place, though one a few hours north of you. 55+ plus appeals because I hate children, and the one I”m thinking of is right across from a “back-of-the-bay” nature park. Turtles and egrets and herons, Oh My!!!
Best wishes on your dreams!
you better spill the beans so i can check it out bobbie. or else!
Love all your blogs and look forward to them always! Hoping there’s another instalment to the wonderful story and if not the imagination will have to do! Thank you!
Whaaaaaat!! I will try to contain myself and not think of all the possible beach walks and blind contours in my future❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I really enjoyed seeing all the properties as I have never been out to California. How many years before you retire? When I was teaching, we often used to dream about retirement and now that I am retired, it feels as if I have always been out of the work force even though I still go back as a sub teacher. I imagine you will be looking for a place with big windows and lots of light? I know that if I were to move from this home, I would definitely be looking for a bright room where I could work on my art. (Right now, I work in the basement…yeah, I know, not the best place).
Your student is a a great little narrator. I was disappointed that the story was unfinished. It reminded me of all the private aspects my students shared of their lives in their writing. Those details made me a more empathetic person. No one really knows what problems the students bring into our classrooms.
oh yes! big windows and flooded with light. he finished now…will try and post the ending soon
Those parks look very nice and inviting. You’re making me want to move to California…something i didn’t think i would ever say! Change is good, right?
yes ma’am!
I’ve been missing you, glad to hear what you are up to! Those are some pretty splendid mobile home parks, it sounds like a good idea. I was rather hoping you would end up much farther north, but you give great reasons to stay close to LA. Your student’s story is fabulous, I hope they will let you continue to share with us, because now I’m hooked!
blowing you kisses dear gwen xo
Hallelujah!!!!
Wow! Another adventure. I purchased a mobile home when I returned from Mexico due to illness. No regrets.
really nice to hear from you donna. also like hearing of others who have done the same thing. inspiring!
I have two good friends who retired to mobile home parks, in manufactured homes, and they absolutely love it. One is here in Orange County, the other is in Westlake Village. All of the same reasons you mentioned. I remember, long ago, when I first found your blog and we realized we were Carp regulars, your saying that you intended to retire there even if it meant living in a trailer park. Well . . . lol
Good for you, Mary Ann! It sounds wonderful!! 😄😘
there ya go! i’m doing it. eventually!