Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Trailer Park Millionaires

BRINY BREEZES, Fla. - The owners of nearly 500 mobile homes in one of the last waterfront trailer-park towns in South Florida stand to become instant millionaires if they agree to sell to a developer. But some are holding out, saying there are things more important than money.

You worked your rear end off at a 50 to 60 hour a week job that you hated and after 50 years, all that your retirement savings could purchase was a trailer near the water in South Florida. "Life's tough. Get over it." is you're motto so you make the best of the situation and settle down and enjoy life and relaxation in the sun and on a budget.

Then one day, someone offers to buy you and all of your neighbor's trailers and land for about a million bucks each. Finally! You're big payday has arrived. You'll be able to live out your retirement in style. The years of hard work finally paid off. But hold on a second, don't start spending your money yet. Ol' Tom is happy where he is and doesn't need the money. He isn't selling and if he doesn't sell, then the deal is dead.

"You just can't buy a way of life," said Tom Byrne, a 68-year-old retired sales
executive from New York who doesn't want to sell even though he would make a
little over $1 million on the trailer and site he bought two years ago for
$150,000. "This is my home."

I'm not a realtor, but doesn't $150,000 sound like a lot to pay for a trailer, even if it's on the water in Florida?

Helpful hint to South Florida job seekers: if Tom offers you the job of starting his golf cart each morning, turn it down.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just heard Ol' Tom finally gave in....
Guess he caved and will give up his beloved trailer and now, poor guy, he'll become a millionaire.

Life's so tough for some people.

--schmo

SomeGoat said...

Thanks for the update schmo. Somehow, I think he'll make it.