Exeter mobile home owners plan to dig in

The residents of Lindenshire Mobile Home Park were blindsided by the registered letters that arrived in mid-November.

"It was the last thing I expected, " said Joseph Cayer, a resident of the Exeter, N.H., park for 14 years.

The letters informed the residents in verbose legalese that Morgan Acquisitions of Pittsfield, N.Y., had signed an agreement to buy the 88-acre, 392-unit park for $15.6 million from the current owner, Mark Kaufmann.

"Are they going to build condos or bazillion-dollar homes?" asked Anita Jordan, a retired teacher who has lived in the park for 18 years.

Barbara Morrison, a 23-year resident, wondered if she was going to be preparing her last Thanksgiving meal in her mobile home.

But the news that the park was being sold wasn't all bad for the residents. It also represented an opportunity.

Under New Hampshire law, the residents of the park have 60 days from receipt of the letter to form a cooperative and make a competitive bid to purchase the park. Kaufmann, the park owner, must then negotiate in good faith with the co-op. If the sale to residents is unsuccessful and the state finds that the owner did not negotiate in good faith, it can impose a penalty of 10 percent of the purchase price.

Tomorrow, the Exeter River Mobile Home Cooperative expects to make an offer that matches the Morgan Acquisitions price. If it is successful, it will be the largest mobile home cooperative in the state, joining more than 40 cooperatively owned mobile home parks in New Hampshire.

With the help of Chris Clawsby, project director of the manufactured housing park program at the nonprofit New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, the residents of the park voted on Dec. 13 to form a cooperative and explore the possibility of purchasing the mobile home park. The vote was overwhelmingly in favor -- 192 to 2.

"It's all about empowerment," said Jordan. "We can't just stand by and watch somebody else control our lives."

Jordan was elected president of the cooperative's board of directors. Morrison was elected secretary and Cayer an alternate to the nine-member board.

The three co-op officials and several other residents of the mobile home park met with a reporter in the kitchen of Jordan's mobile home on a recent weekend.

"We decided enough is enough. We want to take control," said Jordan.

The last few weeks, the board has been getting a quick education about the mechanics of operating a mobile home park. Factoring in the cost of the 9 tons of salt it takes to treat the 6 miles of roads in the park each winter, pumping its septic system, and other expenses , board members have determined the cost of monthly rental of a mobile home lot if the cooperative does purchase the park.

Morrison said when she first moved into the park, the lot rental was $32 a month. It is now $350. The new figure presented by the cooperative to its members at a meeting on Jan. 3 was $415 a month.

"It's a raise, but who knows how high the rent could go with a new owner. We don't have to make a profit," said Jordan. "This is about survival."

The Jan. 3 meeting was attended by 110 members of the cooperative. They voted unanimously to continue to explore buying the property, but the number did not represent a majority of cooperative members. So Jordan and fellow board members began banging on doors and soon got the majority necessary to move ahead. The final figure was 146 yes, 1 no.

The purchase would be funded by a bank loan -- traditionally 80 to 90 percent of the estimated value of the park -- and the remainder a low-interest loan from the community loan fund.

Jordan said she bought her mobile home for $60,000 in 1989. She said newer units sell for as much as $100,000.

"They call them mobile homes, but they're not really mobile," said Cayer. "Mine doesn't even have a hitch on it. It rusted off. I don't think I could move it if I had to."

Jordan said the average price of a home in Exeter is about $325,000, out of reach for most mobile home owners.

"This is a community that has a lot of handicapped and disabled," said Cayer. "But it's a pretty good melting pot. We have people of all ages and professions. We look out for each other, and there isn't any crime."

Jordan said she fears that a new buyer might evict the current residents of the park, subdivide the 88-acre property, and build new homes. But Clawsby, who has advised the co-op every step along the way and has lived in mobile home parks, said that is unlikely because of zoning laws that would have to be changed.

Clawsby said he has helped residents of several other mobile home parks form cooperatives. "It is gratifying work," he said. "Once they buy the property their mindset changes. They start making improvements and have basic pride in their property."

"Little people can move mountains when they get together," said Roger Morrison, Barbara's husband. "It's David against Goliath, and all we need is a big enough stone."