Manson Floyd has a few things to say about that trailer park on 9th St., just west of Studewood in the Heights:
That park belongs to my Mother. She is 80 and on a respirator and has diabetes and the park is more an act of charity than an act of business. The renters do not pay on time, the City taxes the park more than the adjacent homes and yet she keeps it open. The Park represents what is very right and what is wrong with this country. . . .
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The City of Houston would have the park close down so that developers could buy the land for a song and put up another overpriced house for one rich family to live in. Meanwhile my mother is making it possible for 6 or 7 low income families to live there.
It isn’t pretty, but it is the right thing to do. She should be able to make some money off the park to help pay for her medication. She should be able to leave the park to her family so that they can run it. If she dies the city will not allow the park to remain open. Please spread the word about the park and help me help my mother keep it open.
- SAVE Floyd Trailer Park on East 9th Street [Houston Heights Then and Now]
- Second-to-Last of the Great Heights Trailer Parks [Swamplot]
Photo of Floyd Trailer Park: Manson Floyd
Hah! This should make for some hilarious comments.
The city can’t force them out unless they condemn the property. If they are over taxed, they should try to file a protest. The have until May to do so with HCAD.
If anyone has experience in doing protests (I don’t), they could help them do it. It can even be done online now.
It isn’t hard if the numbers support you. From what a neighbor has told me, it consist of finding like properties (mostly land value in this case since there isn’t any structure) and compare. The property can be simple overvalued.
I feel for Mrs Floyd but having just looked at HCAD the City clearly taxes Mrs Floyd $1 less per square foot of land than any of her neighbors. To claim that they are somehow targeting her through taxes is disingenuous.
Thanks for checking. I didn’t have time to run through HCAD.
Mr. Floyd, my heart goes out to you and your mother. My family owned 5 rental houses in east Houston for 60+ years and we had some low income families living there for a long time. It was a hard decision to sell the property and therefore displace the tenants. The entire neighborhood has changed and the detiorating condition of the homes due to poor management prior to our inheriting the property meant that before long, the NEW neighbors would begin lodging complaints that would be more of a financial burden than we could handle. We did not charge them rent for the last two months so that they would have time and deposit money to find a new home.
I wish you and your family well, your mother is in my prayers.
I don’t know the address to look up on HCAD but according to the previous article the property is appraised at $362k. I wish I owned property that was worth that much.
There is a simple solution to Mrs Floyds problems of course, she needs to increase rent. Her property tax bill last year was $9100. If the remaining tenants all agree to increase their rent to $300 per month and if she can get someone to replace the burned out trailer that is there currently she will be able to realize $21600 per annum in rent (assuming 6 trailers). That gives her $12.5k on top of taxes to cover other expenses and provide a small income. Alternately she could sell the property which will realize her approximately $500,000 free and clear.
Sorry to be blunt but there really is no persecution or elitism going on here.
Also, $300/month in rent is a steal pretty much for anywhere in Houston.
There are some rat-hole apartments in Houston that advertise $99/week which is just under $400/month.
Several of the apartments on Broadway by Hobby are about $400/month also.
Selling this property will more than cover her medication expenses. I wonder what it is about human nature that has us defining and offering pity as a direct relationship to income.
A friend of mine who lives paycheck to paycheck is slowing being priced out of the Heights because of ever increasing rent. Eventually she will leave the neighborhood as well, but no one is building an article around her. Yet the idea of this trailer park closing has riled up so many in conversation. Why is pity disproportionately assigned to the trailer residents when both groups are equally going though the stress of not knowing where they will be living over the coming months?
The answer to your question about your friend would start the same big flame out seen on the previous post about this trailer park.
Apartment rents will be going up in many places with the sheer amount of more renters on the market going up.
Some older complexes will be able to fetch more than before.
From Jeff:
Selling this property will more than cover her medication expenses. I wonder what it is about human nature that has us defining and offering pity as a direct relationship to income.
A friend of mine who lives paycheck to paycheck is slowing being priced out of the Heights because of ever increasing rent. Eventually she will leave the neighborhood as well, but no one is building an article around her. Yet the idea of this trailer park closing has riled up so many in conversation. Why is pity disproportionately assigned to the trailer residents when both groups are equally going though the stress of not knowing where they will be living over the coming months?
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Jeff, the reason people are expressing some sympathy for these residents (although I mainly was expressing admiration for Mrs. Floyd–whom I called “Mr. Floyd” in an earlier post)is that there was an article about them and Mrs. Floyd. It’s not exactly fair that they get the attention, I suppose, but until we heard about your friend, how were we supposed to feel any sympathy for her? Now that you have told us, I can sincerely write (for what little its worth) that I hope it all works out well for her. I know how it is to be forced to move when you don’t have a lot of cash cushion. Been there, and it sucks.
Now that several people have commented kindly on this subject, I have to admit that I agree with most of the posted comments… FWIW.
One thing that Mrs. Floyd and her family could do, is one – sell the property for a nice profit. Two – purchase another property in a low priced area, maybe even one already set-up for “mobile homes”, three – purchase some used mobile homes that are available all over the place in this economy at a steep discount, four – move them onto the new location and five – make the current tenants/occupants/whatever you want to call them an offer to short term finance their mobile home on top of the rent until it’s paid off, or just rent to them and be done with it. She gets lump sum cash from the sale. She probably has enough to buy a cheapie property, snag a bunch of used trailers (most likely in alot better shape than the ones there) and provide housing for the “low income” people she apparently wants to take care of….. and she get’s money left over for a retirement cushion and Rx.
Simple financial planning 101.
In addition, she could most likely get on a medicare advantage plan and get her Rx for free.
RWB- Oh yeah, she’ll be fine. She, much like everyone reading this, is a resilient person and will emerge with a new situation and make the best of it. Much like the residents in the trailer park I suspect. The only point I was making is that what is going on here isn’t new just because an article brought it to the forefront. We all can argue the pro’s and con’s of the significance of this trailer park in the area, but some things are out of our control, and at the end of it all, basic economics tells us the days of this trailer park are numbered.
Me and CK will be standing on street corners in the Heights tomorrow raising money for the trailer park.
The city is taxing these people the same as others! This is an outrage!
In all seriousness..Ms. Floyd, I wish you good health and hope you take the money and find another place for these people to live.