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Show modem mobile home on a good site offers excellent Experts advise that a well-buil- t, vbtue. Ten million Americans live in mobile homes today, and sales are increasing. This "double-wid- e ," furnished, $16,000 model offers more luxury and space than many conventional homes. Now, U.S. has set durability standards for mobile homes. percent over 1975. Dr. Gerald Deitzer Take for example. When he came to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington after teaching biology four years in a German university, he and his wife Barbara had a typical housing problem. There wasn't enough cash for a down payment on a new house, and they didn't want to buy all new furniture for a rental apartment. 32 Finance arrangements by Carl Norcross year marks a major turning point e history. Since June, mobile homes carry a seal showing the meet construction and livability standards of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The standards make mobile homes more fire- - and fhis mobile-hom- wind-resista- nt and are designed to overcome complaints about construction and to give them longer life. HUD also has nearly a dozen research projects that should further improve mobile homes. A new image of mobile homes is now being created by the increasing use of units. Today's mobile homes look better because they look more like houses. With more space and refinements, they are attracting a new class of buyers who have more money. "double-wide- " the average price of a singlefamily house goes higher and higher now up to $43,600 mobile homes are a better bet than ever for millions of families who want a house but can't afford a conventional one. The mobile home industry has inherited the d market and this year will sell about 95 percent of new homes under $25,000. Sales this year are up As single-fami- ly lower-price- "A mobile home solved everything," says Deitzer. "We paid 25 percent down on a new $10,500 home and financed the rest through a local bank for 10 years. It came completely fur- nished. We pay $146.63 each month on the loan, plus $80 ground rent. It would be hard to find a decent apartment for this price, and this is better than an 5 j apartment." Their mobile home is 14 by 65 feet, has a fully equipped kitchen with washer and dryer. The Irving room is comfortable, the bathroom d street in They live on a Middlebrook Park in Germantown, Md., 20 miles north of the capital. And best of all, the home is theirs. They own it. ; j . tree-line- 'You can't say no' - Across Washington to the south, in Chantilly, Va., is another pleasant mo- -: e park, called Friendly Village "If you come out of an apartment and see this park, ycu can't say no," Mrs.'; George Pepin says. Her husband, a retired Navy chief, warrant officer, agrees: "We have ant ' expanded living room with more space than in many apartments we've had. We pay $102 rent, including an extra $5 for this location near the clubhouse and pool." They paid cash for their home so have no finance charges. f Nearly 10 million people live in thejr bile-hom- 12, t Mobile homes are improving their image, and many parks seem attractive. But, check! Some are not as good as they look. 10 j |
