Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/84809
Manufactured Home Community In Conway, NH Purchased By Residents Residents of Benson's Mobile Home Park, a 27-unit community in Conway, recently pur- chased their park, making it New Hampshire's 103rd resident-owned manufactured-home community. Using funding, education and technical as- sistance and training from the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, residents organized and formed the Pine Hill Homeowners Cooper- ative, Inc. in March 2012 in order to convert the park to resident-ownership. The park owners, Alan and Carol Benson, worked with the residents and quickly signed an agreement for the purchase price of $480,000. Northway Bank and the Community Loan Fund provided financing. "We appreciate the Bensons' willingness to work with us so the residents could buy the park," said the cooperative's secretary, Patricia Tilton. "The Bensons were great owners, but now they want to retire. Who better to take over for them than the residents? We're ex- cited about managing the community our- selves." Theirs is the sixth resident-owned commu- nity in Carroll County, the first in Conway. Although the Community Loan Fund works in several areas to connect people and families with loans, training and education, the Con- cord, NH-based organization is best known for its work in manufactured housing. The organ- ization helps people buy and keep their homes, have secure jobs and become economically sta- ble. Residents of parks that are not cooperatively owned usually own the building they live in, but not the land beneath it. Because of that, they miss out on most of the usual benefits of home ownership, including conventional mortgage terms, the appreciation of their home's value and the availability of equity loans. "Residents who purchase and run their com- munities are protected against excessive rent hikes and park closures, and often feel greater EVERLOCK SKIRTING SYSTEMS FOR ALL YOUR SKIRTING NEEDS pride in their homes and surroundings," says Community Loan Fund President Juliana Eades. The Community Loan Fund helped convert its first park in Meredith in 1984. Since then, it has developed a conversion strategy, an an- nual leadership program, a biennial conference, and a management guide for cooperatives. It also offers Welcome Home Loans, which are real mortgage loans for manufactured homes lo- cated in cooperatives or on the homeowner's land. Its strategy is now being applied nationally by a spinoff organization, ROC USA. A full list of resident-owned cooperatives in New Hampshire is available at http://www. communityloanfund.org/how-we-help/roc- nh/nh-cooperatives. For more information on the Community Loan Fund, go online to www.communityloan- fund.org or call Director of Communications and Marketing Steve Varnum at (603) 224- 6669, ext. 277. Econo-Mend EVERLOCK SYSTEMS NEW from Mixand match any EverRock and Everlock Deluxe skirting order to receive free freight and better volume discounts. Mention this Ad and receive 5% off your first qualifying order! Call us for more information! SYSTEMS 6676 GunPark Drive, Suite F • Boulder, Colorado 80301 (303) 530-1566 • Toll Free 1-800-843-3336 • See Website for more info: www.everlock.com No. 16 on Get It Quick Page to Your Bottomboard Mending Problems Part #EM 4165T The Economical Solution • 4"x165Woven Polyethylene Bottomboard Material • Specially Coated with Acrylic Adhesive to Allow Bonding with Mobile Home Bottomboard • No "Hard To Handle" Release Paper • Not Affected by Temperature or Humidity MB Products& Sales Products for the Manufactured Housing Industry For Nearest Distributor call 336-210-6759 No. 17 on Get It Quick Page OCTOBER 2012 23 THE JOURNAL WHITE EverRock