The Fisherville park had been deteriorating for some time, but residents were galvanized to action when the owner announced he was going to sell to another operator who had an even worse reputation. Some of the residents heard about the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, a CDFI that specializes in financing limited-equity takeovers in which the residents of mobile home parks purchase the land. It took three years. But since the Fisherville tenants created a land trust to buy the park, they have repaired sewer, water, and electrical services and rehabilitated an abandoned trailer to serve as a community center. The sense of security and community has inspired many residents to give attention to the aesthetics of their own spaces.
Monthly payments are no higher than their old rents, and a new-found sense of community is evident.