As you read this you might want to keep in mind four possibilities may have taken place here. The first possibility is that this allegation could just be made up by MCM in order to further intimidate residents into keeping their mouths shut about conditions in the park. The second possibility is that maybe it is true and exactly as they have stated. The third possibility is that maybe a resident approached a prospective buyer of one of the mobile homes that MCM (CMS) has for sale here and killed the sale with negative remarks and now MCM is pissed. The fourth possibility would be that someone selling their mobile home in the park is claiming that the park management may have interfered with the sale of their home and the park wants to turn the blame around onto its residents. I don't know what actually happened but why should residents have to take what the park says in their letters as fact? Past experience has taught me that I must question and investigate anything that MCM states is true and you should do the same!
Let's look at the letter very closely and try to see what MCM is actually telling us. In the first paragraph they say, "We have been informed about something disturbing that is happening in the Upland Cascade Mobilehome Park community. We are writing to you out of a concern this has caused." If our park owners and management are really concerned about your ability to sell your homes it's only because they hope you will play their game and sucker someone into accepting the terms of the long term lease from which you are trying to escape.
The second paragraph claims "that at least one resident who has negative feelings and thoughts about the mobilehome park had intentionally approached a prospective buyer and voiced their judgmental and derogatory opinions about the park to that buyer." Again, do we have to take this statement by MCM as fact? Remember and think about the four possibilities I have mentioned above. The second paragraph continues, "Every person is entitled to their own opinion and freedom of speech; but to intentionally seek out a potential buyer of a neighbor's home and possibly kill the sale is just wrong and unkind." Yes, we are entitled to our opinions and freedom of speech...no debate there however, based on all the information that has been provided previously in this blog, in your wildest imagination can believe that Jeffrey Kaplan, Thomas Tatum and MCM have room to preach about something being "wrong and unkind" in their parks? Paragraph two ends up sounding a bit hypocritical when you watch your neighbors being unfairly priced out of their homes. What is so righteous and kind about that?
Paragraph three then goes on to explain how potential buyers may visit the mobile home park several times to evaluate the possibility of living here. MCM explains that potential buyers may "engage a resident in a conversation looking for some insight as to whether or not to buy in the mobilehome park. We would ask residents to use their common sense and to not let their emotions get in the way of giving objective answers to any questions." How on earth does one give an objective answer to a question without speaking the truth??? If you find yourself swimming in a pool of hungry sharks and someone on shore yells out to you "How's the water?"...do you set your emotions aside and reply "The water is fine." with no mention of the sharks? This is what MCM and our park owners are asking you to do and this is totally absurd.
Paragraph four states: "Negative statements by current residents may not only stop a sale, but may eventually have the potential of decreasing home values throughout the park." My God, how sickening that statement is in view of what MCM, Jeffrey Kaplan and Thomas Tatum have done to their park residents!!! Our home values have already been decreased due to our park owners' greed, outrageous rents, unconscionable long term leases, deteriorating park conditions and questionable business practices.
In closing, I have not and would not intentionally seek out a prospective buyer with intent to kill the sale of a home in this park, but if someone approaches me and asks my opinion I would not hesitate to do the right thing, the honest thing and warn them about the "sharks." What would you do?
