I know thought this is an impossible thing really to give advice about, but I need some opinions. My husband and I, and two kids, one boy and one girl, live in a small trailer that is paid for in a trailer park. This is an older trailer and it is not big enough. Only 2 bedrooms. We wanted to buy, but we can only get a loan for around $110,000 and the houses are around $130,000. We have been trying to save and have some for a down, but the houses keep going up. We thought about buying a trailer in a park, but with all the rules in a trailer park we do not want to do that. This park is okay, but no room for doublewides. We are thinking of renting. Rent will be around $900. We only pay $225 lot rent, but we do not have enough room. If we stay in this area then we will have to pay this rent, but maybe could get a loan for a larger amount next year and buy a house. My income has gone up and he has a good job. We could leave the state and buy a house that was cheaper, but do not know where we could move to because we have no real reason to move other than buy a place cheaper. I look on the internet and see places for sale in states like Texas, Arkansas, Okla., and Kansas and the houses are around $60,000 and even less, but not sure why they are cheaper. Bad neighborhoods, no jobs? Not sure why and I feel that $130,000 and around this price is crazy!!!! Yet I wonder if I am living in the past and this is a normal price for a home. I hate owing money and it seems so safe owning this house and knowing it is paid for. I have thought of just fixing it up a little nicer and staying one more year, but that is what we said last year and the year before. Of course my husband has a drinking problem and who knows if he will lose his job or have health problems. Right now he is cutting back some and he is saving money on cigarettes by rolling his own and buying tobacco. This park is across the street from a bar, which means no driving and too easy to get too, but if we did not live across the street then he might drive and trouble could happen or the effort to get home from the bar might be so much trouble that he might not go as much. My question is, would you work hard and have a husband working hard and both making pretty good money, would you settle for a 14 x 60 trailer that is 25 years old or would you rent a nice house? I am thinking that my kids need a better place to live, but then I worry about making the payments for rent if something happened with my husband, but I have my youngest in our bedroom and he needs his own room. Buy a bigger used trailer and stay in the park? Work hard and make sure the rent gets paid and my kids get out of a dumpy trailer park? Thank you for any ideas! Oh, and he is at the bar right now. I am trying the kill with kindness thing. No yelling or anything. He says, would it be ok if I went and had some beer and talk to the guys since I have not been in a week? I am not sure if he has missed one day yet from beer though. Drinking at the bar at work and working late, and buying beer for here at the house. A six pack did last 2 days, so big improvement, but weekend coming up.
