It’s a sad sight you see when you pass by Anasazi Manufactured Home Park in Littlefield, AZ. Most homes are gone and the park looks deserted and unkempt. Photo by Teri Nehrenz
Owen Equities LLC, under the sole ownership of Margaret C. (aka Peggy) Owen purchased Canyon View Estates LLC in December 2014. The park, renamed Anasazi Palms, at the time of purchase, had several elderly residents who had sunk their life savings into a retirement home and the 99-year lease on the land their homes sat on.
Just two and a half years after Owen Equities bought the property, the park is now closing and a 96-year-old and an 87-year-old veteran battling cancer along with several other residents are being forced to leave the park and possibly even lose their home.
Owen claims she purchased the park as an investment and was swindled by the very man she was to partner with. She was to be the money person and he would develop the park. She further claims she purchased the park, invested $500,000 and never looked at any of the papers until after the sale was final. She claims she was never made aware of the leases until after the purchase; had she known, she wouldn’t have purchased the property.
When she was questioned about trusting a man whom she had only known for a month with a half million dollar investment in Anasazi, Owen’s response was, “I never saw the park financials I believed Al’s story of his successes. Yes, I know I’m too trusting yes I screwed up. My son had always looked over any investment before I got into one because I trust to easily. Guess you don’t realize the park would have closed no matter what it was just a matter of time. No other buyers where interested.”
Owen also stated she never knew about the leases although three of them are recorded with the Mohave County Assessor’s Office. When asked about signing papers that stated there was something up with the lots that were already occupied three months before the sale was final her response was to deny it until she was presented with a copy of the paper she signed and stated, “Al had me sign those papers before I left for my daughters or I’d be out he had someone else interested he said. I think that was a lie now.”
The MLN interview and the questions being asked obviously angered Owen, in a final email to the MLN Owen admitted, “When I realized you were getting your very erroneous info from the park residents I got upset with them and told Jody to charge anyone using other property. This morning I told her I was just reacting to you and she rescinded the charges to the Tabors.”
She went on to further explain, “Park owners have rights too. I hope Cliff informed you the park never overstepped its rights. There are laws to protect both sides.
“Nobody is looking at the fact these 4 (5?) owners bought their homes with an additional cost/value of $25K as shares in a fraudulent corporation from original owners that received the shares for their investment of $25k with Heart. This is like passing on shares in the London Bridge. You might notice all the other concrete and or electric meters in the first phase. Those homes were removed from the park by their owners because they realized they’d been scammed and there was no one running the park. Only these 5 homes where sold. Find out what year these 5 bought their homes. Why don’t you look into what year the SEC started the investigation to when the court case completed. They all should look into court cases against the folks that passed on the fraudulent shares to them. Robbins and Fin I was told tried to make things right with these homeowners by giving the 99-year leases. That left the park to stagnate after getting money out of Wuchenich. How were they prepared to keep the park running for 99 years?
Why would anyone want to live in a park without any management presents? Just a deteriorating park.
“I know that’s what they say is happening now. Lets see new signs, painted inside and out of the clubhouse. Decorated Club house. Reroofed clubhouse not once but twice (forgot to mention that was 2 of the other club house closures due to serious leaks) repairs to heating and cooling system. Trimmed tallest Palm Trees in 2015, very costly, trimmed smaller palms and weeded, repair of water lines over and over again. hand watering of vegetation need I go on. Yes, the weeds are a every growing problem they got ahead of me at home too, my neighbors the same.
“The park can only sustain so much maintenance. It never stopped. There have been times the man couldn’t work for what ever reason but he was always back at. It still hasn’t stopped.
“Do some math how much per month is a $25K 99-year lease worth. Find out how much parks charge for rent from 2000 to 2017. These are unreasonable amounts to sustain a park.”
Owens also went on to cite issues with unregistered guests as an ongoing issue as well.
Residents agree no improvements were made, Al had decorated the Club House long before Owen was in the picture, residents were providing all the maintenance to the property and it looked good before Owen took over. Photos provided by the park residents confirm that.
Any “improvements” that Owen listed were not improvements but rather repairs that needed to be made to keep up with what the law required her, as the property owner, to do. The residents further claim there were never, in 12-14 years, water problems in the park, until Owen took over. Once Owen began having problems with the residents, leaks sprang up left and right and they were discovered when, according to Owen, “I just happened upon it.” One of the leaks resulted in the water being turned off over Thanksgiving according to the residents and Owen further provided one other time; Christmas.
The residents also stated that the park was never a 55+ park until it became Anasazi and there were residents under 55 year old who had been living there for 10 years or more by the time Owen purchased the park.
“Prospective buyers, I’ve been very forthright with not trying to cover up any issues or blemishes. I’ve not advertised for buyers at all. They’ve come to the park now that the existing problems with the park are going away after all the homes are out it will be advertised for sale.”
The MLN did ask many questions and spoke with many people associated with this property. People interviewed for the story were a prior owner, prior residents, mobile home park owners in Mesquite and Beaver Dam, Owen’s attorney, Mohave County Assessor’s Office, neighbors and people Owen associates with on a regular basis along with the people who still reside at Anasazi. Owen was questioned about everything the MLN uncovered for verification purposes. Owen has still refused to answer some of the questions.
Most of the park residents are gone now, having moved or sold their property but some are still there trying to move. Owen insists that residents still owe her money and she’s keeping their home in the park until the money is paid, even taking extreme measures by blocking the home with her own vehicle and waiting at the park in anticipation of their arrival to move homes.
One mover wrote a statement saying that Owen was yelling and threatening him if he continued to try to move Kupfer’s home. When questioning Owen about the incident she stated, “I don’t yell or threaten people at all ever.” The MLN discovered that Owen had in fact been arrested for disorderly conduct on June, 27, 2015, when she blocked Stewart’s trailer and possessions from being removed from the park when Stewart was being evicted. The charges were subsequently dropped when Stewart and his daughter, both victims, neglected to show up to testify.
In final statements Owen said, “Nobody ever looked at the fact that the park was destined to close prior to my buying it. I was the only fool.”
“The park is not up for sale yet. Yes, interested folks have asked. Yes, several of the interested individuals (no Corp) talked about RV parks. Another spoke of an assisted living park. It’s all talk the park is simple closing at this point. Not for sale now. Owen Equities LLC has no future plans for the park itself at this time nor in the immediate future. If nothing else the 151 site park can now go on to being a nice place to live and a profitable business for someone. It will bring in more taxes to our county and more people to vote. Maybe some more volunteer minded individual’s to help make this a better place to live.”
The residents have contacted attorneys who haven’t given them much hope. They can’t really afford legal counsel but have recently contacted an attorney who is working diligently to recover some of the losses the residents have suffered in the move.
