Park home living hasn’t always had the best press. Looking across the pond to our American counterparts, the typical trailer parks we see there are often thought of as undesirable and with a poor reputation as places to live.
However, this misconception is as inaccurate as it is unfair. Many people are favouring the convenience, cost effectiveness and community spirit that is unique to park home living. But why exactly is park home living such a great alternative to a traditional housing set up?
The cost
With the housing market in disarray and rent costs soaring, many people are opting to live in a park home purely for the cost alone. Park homes are almost always considerably cheaper than a traditional ‘bricks and mortar’ home to buy outright. Add to this they are generally furnished and much more economical in terms of utility bills, and you can soon see how there are great savings to be made. Many parks are looking to become self-sufficient by using solar panels and wind turbines to generate power – this is also a great way to reduce energy costs.
Community spirit
One of the key things that attracts people to park home living is the sense of community spirit that sadly doesn’t exist much in the modern world anymore. Some people liken park home living to a 1950’s way of life in that there is a strong, tight-knit community, and generally, the majority of residents are of a similar age and mindset – an article in Housing LIN, suggests that 68% of park home residents are over the age of 60 and many sites have communal hubs where groups and clubs meet up.
Space
Park homes offer a smaller space indoors (less cleaning and ideal for downsizing), with more outdoor space to enjoy than you’d usually get in a flat or city home. Park homes Gloucestershire based, for example, (http://www.parkhomelife.com/) offer this ideal combination.
Security
Along with the sense of community, comes added security and safety in numbers. The vast majority of the people that you see on site will be residents themselves, meaning that the likelihood of crime is much lower. Many sites also have wardens, CCTV and limited access to visitors. So safety and security are more reasons why it is an attractive option for those in their senior years.
