New Century Estates

I am shopping for a place to live in C-U, and a mobile home is my first choice-affordable, a small and manageable yard, a choice I’ve been happy with in the past before purchasing homesnn.I have known people who have lived here, and it’s conveniently located and pet friendly . Geez, the manager seems to be someone much like myself-people seem to feel strongly about him, either love or hate-no middle ground huh?-I actually found him very helpful and personable-with only one issue that is very delicate and personal, but which is not that uncommon, so I will share. They have rent to own options that might be perfect for me, except for this-and it’s a sensitive issue. He has made a HUGE point several times of saying “you’d better have good credit.” Here’s the thing about that. Some of us, even with a very long-term solid job history, end up in bad situations that truly aren’t our fault. I ran into a jag of very bad luck with health issues-self supporting and no work, no pay. It took perfect credit right down the loo. Things are good again and regular income that’s sufficient for these prices-but there was that bump in my history. I have to say that, given that this IS a mobile home park, it would be very human and kind to take these circumstances into consideration and look at the overall picture-regular on-time payments for a few years now after literally getting back on my feet, and a regular income sufficient for my needs and obligations-instead of being dismissed automatically because of that rough patch that will take your score down and leave it there for a painfully long while after you’ve managed to rectify the situation. I don’t feel that it’s an unreasonable ask. I do understand, as the granddaughter of a landlord who had headaches of evicting deadbeats, that this is something any responsible manager would have an obligation to avoid if possible-it’s expensive and time consuming to evict someone who doesn’t make home payments a priority, and I GET that-but there ARE mitigating circumstances sometimes, and it would be really nice if there could be a BIT of understanding and flexibility as opposed to getting locked into an arbitrary standard that doesn’t take hardships beyond our control-that we have actually worked hard to remedy-into account, and work with people who are demonstrably making an effort. I will probably end up going in a different direction because of this inflexible policy-no hard feelings about it-but sometimes, business really isn’t just business, it’s about humanity and the human condition any of us could find ourselves in with an extended illness or other misfortune, and it would be nice if there was some level of understanding and accommodation for that. It’s a nice park with a lot of long term residents who seem happy, an on-site hands-on manager, and reasonable lot rent. Aside from my personal issue, I would recommend this to anyone who has perfect credit. I guess I do wonder why a person with perfect credit wouldn’t just buy a house, but that’s their choice. Looks like a good spot to live.

The ground floods everytime it rains. Then it ices over and they don't salt.

Met with James Snodgrass the manager. Super knowledgeable and helpful. You can train people to be and do lots of things but you can't teach people to care. Mr. Snodgrass knows and cares about every resident. He knows what is going in the community and does his best to balance everyone's needs and wants. James and New Century Estates are a great team and have created a community that offers solid value for the money and it is a great environment for anyone looking for a good place to live.

I used to live at new century. In my opinion it is one of the cleanest, best parks I have seen. If my job was closer to champaign, I would definitely move back!

Locals are friendly and he. Park Manager James knows his business... Assertive without the aggressiveness that I have experienced in others before. He was faced with a challenging situation and handled respectfully and professionally!