Dec
7
Richard Close – The Man Behind The Mobile Home Park Conversions
Filed Under Who's Behind The Mobile Home Park Condo Conversions
Just the Facts: Lead counsel in the successful, ground-breaking California case involving conversion of manufactured housing estate (mobile home park) from rental to condominium resident ownership. Counsel clients with respect to such conversions to increase property value and replace local rent control, as well as acquisition, financing, sales, tax-deferred sales and rent control litigation related issues.
Our Opinion: The man who started it all in 2002 by successfully converting El Dorado Park in Palm Springs against the wishes of residents and the local government. This case has created a backlash that has spread throughout California as city and county governments and mobile home park residents vow to never let it happen again.
Star Wars Analogy: Dark Lord of the Sith. Keep your shields up and your homes out of range of his Death Star.
Recent Public Statement of Questionable Accuracy: El Dorado Park in Palm Springs currently has about 45 of it’s 377 spaces vacant. When asked what effect on the property values and the quality of life these abandoned lots of concrete slabs and weeds have on park residents, Richard had this very original take on the situation: “When you have empty lots it creates more open space. The houses aren’t so crowded anymore. This open space increases the value of the remaining homes.”
Above is a recent photo of a two lot “Green Belt” in El Dorado Park. Richard Close calls this equity enhancing “open space” although most would call it an equity draining eyesore. It wasn’t clear in Richard’s statement how much the yellow police crime scene tape adds to the surrounding property values or if the slump block retaining walls are also considered “open space”.
This person is very lucky to live next to so much beautiful “open space”.