Not everyone can afford to spend their retirement wasted away in Margaritaville, and from the mouths of retirees to the ears of millennials, there are some things they just did not plan for. Sleepy Hollow Mobile Estates, a 154-home resident-owned trailer park in Florida, is just one of the many alternative retirement options cropping up that allows those 55 and better to enjoy their golden years, even when they didn’t plan perfectly. Or, REALLY live it up if they did!
The community includes a pool and clubhouse. It is conveniently located right down the street from a hospital, a nursing home, a hospice, and—after all, you can’t avoid death and taxes—a cemetery. Elected officers (and, we would assume, aging people who just can’t sleep) patrol the grounds, providing an environment of safety that is equal to expensive gated communities. Neighbors are near, activities abound, and paved paths lend themselves to leisurely strolls. "And no stairs!" added Hank Vandergeld, 70, during the interview with Time Magazine.
"Nobody says, 'I'm going to retire to Florida and live in a trailer park,'" says Bill Gorman, who manages business affairs for Sleepy Hollow and 10 other parks. "They say, 'I'm going to move to Florida and play golf, go to the beach, enjoy life.' The trailer is what makes everything else possible.”
According to one study, one in three have not put away anything for retirement, and six of 10 have saved less than $10,000. But, with 60% of Americans owning homes, they have an asset they can sell off to buy a trailer home for a fraction of the cost and reserve the rest to relax, enjoy, and provide for eventualities.