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Does trailer trash have anything to do with trailers?

vesper said:
I say if a person can afford a trailer and not rent it is a better choice. It is far better than the one who ends up buying a house that straps them and ultimately robs them of any joy because they struggle to put everything toward a mortgage payment. There are a lot of folks who live beyond their means to keep up with the Jones'. There are a lot of stupid people who screw themselves because they refuse to live in reality.
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Yes and those who are living beyond their means in a suburban house, and are eating raman noodles every night so they can meet that mortgage, are the quickest ones to call you "trailer trash" in your comfortable well appointed manufactured home.
It makes them feel superior.
 
Buck Ewer said:
Yes and those who are living beyond their means in a suburban house, and are eating raman noodles every night so they can meet that mortgage, are the quickest ones to call you "trailer trash" in your comfortable well appointed manufactured home.
It makes them feel superior.
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I'm sure there is some truth to that. Unfortunately a person's worth is often judged by the house they live in or their profession etc.. . Personally I judge a person on what kind of heart they have. Without a heart you are nothing in my book.
 
A manufactured home would be nice, but only if it was out in the country on your own land. Having one in a park costs too darn much. At least around here. And they raise the space rent on you, too.

Personally, I always wanted a tiny house or cottage. Little. Easier to warm or cool, easy to maintain, less room to fill with stuff you just gotta have. Tumbleweed Houses are too small. But a little cottage? Oh yes. I would love such a place.

Heck, even a teepee would suffice for me.

6dfd03fe4d477a7989f81bdb62ccc91d.jpg
 
MaggieD said:
I know some pretty fancy and beautiful trailers and trailer parks.

What constitutes trailer trash to you?
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  • Overly aggressive personalities that get aggressive over petty issues revealing a lack of social skills and skills to mitigate disagreement constructively.
  • Poor mainstream english grammar
  • drugs, especially meth
  • a need for a certain code of honor born of selfishness
  • poor hygiene and/or grooming skills
  • an atypical prevalence for dominant/subordinate relationships and the presence of physical and/or emotional abuse to reinforce it
  • lower than average IQ
  • extreme politics, extreme social conservativism or social liberalism


Not all traits a present in each individual, but these sorts of things tend to be indicators. I see a lot of people like this in the area I live. About half the hourly folks at the factory are this type, but it tends be more representative of older populations as far as I can tell, while you have younger trailer trash (like my ex brother in law, the sanford and sons of the local cummunity), it seems more rare.

I see it as an example of unmoderated (by intelligence) human instinct taking over and these people are more representative of classical cultures (like steppe horsemen, medieval folks, some muslim societies, or vikings) than modern people. they represent a lower level of social development and perhaps people who are unable to keep up with modernity due to a lack of IQ, impulse control, and stuff like this.

I don't know the cause of these traits, whether it is something they learned as a child, the result of poor nutrition, or whatever. but something went wrong.

I suspect many will call me out for this opinion.
 
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MMC said:
Mornin' American. :2wave: Which group of people use the term more tho. Minorities or other Caucasians. City People or country folk?
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Picking out who says it the most is also racist. :lol:
 
MaggieD said:
I know some pretty fancy and beautiful trailers and trailer parks.

What constitutes trailer trash to you?
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I think there is a high probability that this picture was taken at a trailer park. But it does look like it was a fun party :):

passed_out_drunk-1273.webp
 
vesper said:
I say if a person can afford a trailer and not rent it is a better choice. It is far better than the one who ends up buying a house that straps them and ultimately robs them of any joy because they struggle to put everything toward a mortgage payment. There are a lot of folks who live beyond their means to keep up with the Jones'. There are a lot of stupid people who screw themselves because they refuse to live in reality.
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I disagree completely with that bold assertion. A mobile home nearly always goes down in value so financing is very difficult to get at reasonable rates and nearly all such loans require that land be used as the collateral. While investment in buying a home may sound wonderful it also prevents one from taking a better job offer a few years later 50-100 miles away. The term mobile home is a bit misleading because they are expensive to move and still require buying or leasing a lot with utilities. Renting gives you freedom to take advantage of the housing market in "hard times" while buying mandates that you suffer them. When was the last time that you saw/read a story in the news about super high rental rates for mobile homes causing hardship?
 
ttwtt78640 said:
I disagree completely with that bold assertion. A mobile home nearly always goes down in value so financing is very difficult to get at reasonable rates and nearly all such loans require that land be used as the collateral. While investment in buying a home may sound wonderful it also prevents one from taking a better job offer a few years later 50-100 miles away. The term mobile home is a bit misleading because they are expensive to move and still require buying or leasing a lot with utilities. Renting gives you freedom to take advantage of the housing market in "hard times" while buying mandates that you suffer them. When was the last time that you saw/read a story in the news about super high rental rates for mobile homes causing hardship?
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Maybe for some it would be more advantageous but not for all. Mobil homes can be set up in communities/parks and are sold just like any other home but much more affordable. Take a young couple or a person right out of college starting at an entry level position. Rent in my area is pretty expensive plus a renter still has utilities to pay. I would think if one could purchase a trailer already set up in a community it would be no more than renting per month and still have value when you go to re-sale. I've never lived in a trailer but if I was faced with having to rent versus owning something, I would choose ownership.
 
vesper said:
Maybe for some it would be more advantageous but not for all. Mobil homes can be set up in communities/parks and are sold just like any other home but much more affordable. Take a young couple or a person right out of college starting at an entry level position. Rent in my area is pretty expensive plus a renter still has utilities to pay. I would think if one could purchase a trailer already set up in a community it would be no more than renting per month and still have value when you go to re-sale. I've never lived in a trailer but if I was faced with having to rent versus owning something, I would choose ownership.
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My rent is $300/month and that won't buy much (if anything) as a mortgage payment. What you are buying is that, typically small, plot of land with utility hook-ups but the improvements (mobile home) account for basically nothing. You also must consider maintenance costs - if an appliance breaks down the renter gets it replaced free while the homeowner must foot the bill.
 
I have considered moving into a trailer. It would cut my rent in half and I am a cheap ass.

I don't plan to buy another house until I get my name off the old mortgage. ... Which if my ex wife doesn't do soon, I may demand she sell it and we split it.
 
vesper said:
Maybe for some it would be more advantageous but not for all. Mobil homes can be set up in communities/parks and are sold just like any other home but much more affordable. Take a young couple or a person right out of college starting at an entry level position. Rent in my area is pretty expensive plus a renter still has utilities to pay. I would think if one could purchase a trailer already set up in a community it would be no more than renting per month and still have value when you go to re-sale. I've never lived in a trailer but if I was faced with having to rent versus owning something, I would choose ownership.
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:agree: While some people prefer renting as a lifestyle, I was raised to believe that saving for a down payment on a house was preferable, so although we did have to rent when we first got married, it was only till we could buy a house. When I look at all home ownership requires, though - deck needs stained, I get to pay for repairs, property taxes, lawns need to be mowed etc, I wonder sometimes if renters aren't smarter than I am! They sure seem to enjoy their lives playing while I work! :mrgreen:

Greetings, Vesper. :2wave:
 
ttwtt78640 said:
My rent is $300/month and that won't buy much (if anything) as a mortgage payment. What you are buying is that, typically small, plot of land with utility hook-ups but the improvements (mobile home) account for basically nothing. You also must consider maintenance costs - if an appliance breaks down the renter gets it replaced free while the homeowner must foot the bill.
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Wow $300 is unheard of in my area. The cheapest 2 bedroom apartment in my neck of the woods run around 700 maybe more. For a few hundred more a month you could have a nice starter home. Yes there is the cost of upkeep. But I still think the better route to take is to invest your money into something if possible.
 
vesper said:
Wow $300 is unheard of in my area. The cheapest 2 bedroom apartment in my neck of the woods run around 700 maybe more. For a few hundred more a month you could have a nice starter home. Yes there is the cost of upkeep. But I still think the better route to take is to invest your money into something if possible.
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That investment need not be in local residential real estate (all of your eggs in one basket). By investing the savings in housing costs into a no load mutual fund you can still get a good return with a much more diverse (and liquid) investment. Which has gone up more since "the crisis" - your house value or the stock market?
 
ttwtt78640 said:
I disagree completely with that bold assertion. A mobile home nearly always goes down in value so financing is very difficult to get at reasonable rates and nearly all such loans require that land be used as the collateral. While investment in buying a home may sound wonderful it also prevents one from taking a better job offer a few years later 50-100 miles away. The term mobile home is a bit misleading because they are expensive to move and still require buying or leasing a lot with utilities. Renting gives you freedom to take advantage of the housing market in "hard times" while buying mandates that you suffer them. When was the last time that you saw/read a story in the news about super high rental rates for mobile homes causing hardship?
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Depends on where it is. My buddy bought a double wide on 10 acres just outside of the Ocala National Forest. Pretty nice.
 
vesper said:
Wow $300 is unheard of in my area. The cheapest 2 bedroom apartment in my neck of the woods run around 700 maybe more. For a few hundred more a month you could have a nice starter home. Yes there is the cost of upkeep. But I still think the better route to take is to invest your money into something if possible.
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:lol: I got just the thing for ya Vesper. ;)

th
 
polgara said:
:agree: While some people prefer renting as a lifestyle, I was raised to believe that saving for a down payment on a house was preferable, so although we did have to rent when we first got married, it was only till we could buy a house. When I look at all home ownership requires, though - deck needs stained, I get to pay for repairs, property taxes, lawns need to be mowed etc, I wonder sometimes if renters aren't smarter than I am! They sure seem to enjoy their lives playing while I work! :mrgreen:

Greetings, Vesper. :2wave:
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We rented too when we first got married and saved for that down payment. First house was a "fixer upper" in a really good neighborhood with great schools. In a few years after a lot of blood sweat and tears, we doubled our money + on the resale. That allowed a huge down payment on our next home. And it too has now doubled in value from the original purchase price. Now we are considering two condos. One in this area for the Summer and another in a warmer climate in the Winter. Yes there is a lot to the upkeep but if we had continued to rent we would have nothing to show for all that money spent.
 
vesper said:
We rented too when we first got married and saved for that down payment. First house was a "fixer upper" in a really good neighborhood with great schools. In a few years after a lot of blood sweat and tears, we doubled our money + on the resale. That allowed a huge down payment on our next home. And it too has now doubled in value from the original purchase price. Now we are considering two condos. One in this area for the Summer and another in a warmer climate in the Winter. Yes there is a lot to the upkeep but if we had continued to rent we would have nothing to show for all that money spent.
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That was the logic that convinced me! Money is too hard earned to throw it away, although you do have a roof over your head while renting. I have owned tree different houses so far - the first one was brand new in a development of 100 new homes, but we did have to build a garage; my second one was buying the house from my parents that I grew up in - a big Tudor style brick, cause we now had children and needed the room - and they didn't, and the one I now live in is a smaller brick ranch, but it still has 4 bedrooms for when my kjds from Texas visit.

If my daughter wasn't kidding when she told me she thought I should know that she and her siblings had put a down payment on a room for me at the nursing home, so I'd just better keep that in mind and cool it with the mouth, my next home may be there! :lamo: I'm not overly concerned about that possibility, though, because they're all trying to convince me to relocate to Texas, and they have it all worked out and I needn't worry about where I'm going to live, there are lots of houses close by that I could buy, or I could live with each of them on a rotating basis since I like to cook and they don't ...blah, blah, blah. Things do go full circle, don't they?
 
polgara said:
That was the logic that convinced me! Money is too hard earned to throw it away, although you do have a roof over your head while renting. I have owned tree different houses so far - the first one was brand new in a development of 100 new homes, but we did have to build a garage; my second one was buying the house from my parents that I grew up in - a big Tudor style brick, cause we now had children and needed the room - and they didn't, and the one I now live in is a smaller brick ranch, but it still has 4 bedrooms for when my kjds from Texas visit.

If my daughter wasn't kidding when she told me she thought I should know that she and her siblings had put a down payment on a room for me at the nursing home, so I'd just better keep that in mind and cool it with the mouth, my next home may be there! :lamo: I'm not overly concerned about that possibility, though, because they're all trying to convince me to relocate to Texas, and they have it all worked out and I needn't worry about where I'm going to live, there are lots of houses close by that I could buy, or I could live with each of them on a rotating basis since I like to cook and they don't ...blah, blah, blah. Things do go full circle, don't they?
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I'm learning it is best not to tell the kids everything. :) Like you, I just don't worry about those coming years because like you have planned for them. The whole trailer subject is a good one I think in making the point no matter what your lot in life, living within your means while being able to invest in your future is most important. For some a trailer allows them to do that. I had good neighbors, both professionals, a few years back sold their home to purchase a piece of property that they had fallen in love with. They purchased a used trailer and put it on the property and lived in it for 3 years while they worked at clearing the land and had their dream home built doing some of the work themselves. It's gorgeous. And when they were ready to vacate the trailer they found a buyer for it.
 
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