Weather, it will be Michigan?

June 22, 2011

Some things never change—particularly when talking about Michigan weather. The week before we arrived, it had been high 90s and sunny. Since the wedding on Saturday, it has been thunderstorms, threat of hail, and tornado watches almost every day here in southeastern Michigan. Currently the worse weather is just north and northeast of us near Flint and Port Huron.
Before we moved to North Carolina from Michigan, it seemed that the sun would come out 3 days and the clouds and rain the other 4 days—and ALWAYS on the weekends. The chores I had planned this trip have been put on hold so long as the weather remains wet.
One of the things we did get to do today was to do a drive through of a local modular development. Mary’s sister had mentioned Sylvan Glenn as a possible residence after Mary’s niece purchased a vintage single wide in the development a few years ago. When Mary hand flown up over Easter break, she had done a preliminary look and talked with the park’s owners. It is really a nice park. It is laid out neatly and is mostly 1960s and 1970s single wide mobile homes. Most are 50 to 70 feet in length. The idea is to restore the vintage trailers with new windows and siding. Some may need interior work. Then you pay 50% lot rent for the first year. Most trailers cost $10,000 to buy and restore. Some are already complete, some sell for $2,000 and need another $6,000-$8,000 in repairs.
We have been looking at different states for a domicile once we leave the confines of out rented house in North Carolina. Most full timers seem to “move” to South Dakota, Texas, or Florida. But the more we look around we wonder why not Michigan? Plates for out 5er seem to cost $75-$125 year depending on which state we settle in. My truck plates will be more than I spend now in North Carolina ($52). In Michigan we can get permanent plates (which we already have paid for in 2009) for $300 and the truck will be around $65. The only real cost will be that no-fault auto insurance that runs about $150 a month just for liability coverage. The trade-off in trailer plates and not paying property tax on a rented lot, might be enough to give Michigan the edge.