<prompt> Human: Hello personalfinance, My parents are thinking of buying a mobile home and have asked if I could help out. I am personally not too excited of buying a mobile home. From reading other threads and doing some googling I do not see the benefits of it. You do not own the land and will need to keep paying in order for the mobile home to be in the area. The houses are not made to last and lot of people compare them to a car where it just depreciates in value and you will sell it after a couple of years. I am trying to convince my parents not to do this and I want to see if I am doing the right thing here; trying to steer them away from the mobile home. Some background: My parents and I both live in the Bay Area and I am fortunate enough to have a good job. My parents live in San Jose where they pay 2.2K a month for a one bedroom and its in a not so good complex. My mom is tired of paying rent and it not doing anything for them, and wants to live in a better place and since by themselves they cannot afford anything in the Bay Area they are thinking of a mobile home. My mom asked me for a little bit of help, and I am happy to share somethings but in my head I know this money might as well burn and its not an investment.I want to propose to my mom that I would be more inclined to go in with them on a condo, or a townhouse somewhere in the area. They cost lot more but at least I think of them as more of a real investment please tell me if I am wrong here.Some background on finances, my parents and I are first generation Americans. I have a bit of student loans left, but not too much. My parents make close to 100K, I make around the same. My mom has been doing a quick look around and mobile homes are between 150k - 200K and condos are pretty much 350K and up. I have always been happy to help my parents out here and there, because they have done alot and I have a great relationship on them, but how I think of mobile homes currently, I have no interest in giving them a large chunk of money for one. However, going in on a property that is more of an investment I would be fine with. So I would like to ask you very smart people, if I am right in assuming that mobile home is a bad thing to get in this situation and we should try to go for a condo or a town house?  <response>: Owning a real home, you generally pay interest but on top of that build equity over time through appreciation, so yay.Renting a place, you pay rent and gain no equity. Wash.Financing a trailer, you pay interest and lose equity over time through depreciation, so boo. 