Residents at Chatham Estates got a letter from the owner, Curtis Westbrook, saying they had found a buyer who will be repurposing the land. For many families, the neighborhood was a lifeline, some leasing mobile home lots for $400 a month at a time when the average monthly rent in Cary is as high as $2,100.
One mom of four told ABC11 that she has lived there for five years, and many neighbors have been there longer than that.
"We're sad, and we don't know where to go or what do. The kids like their schools, work is nearby. But everything is so expensive," she said in Spanish.
Those who rent worry that finding another place in Cary won't be at the same price.
And even those who own their mobile homes will have to move them, and that could be costly.
Experts say that's always a challenge when people don't own the land under their homes.
"So that is a risk of people who live in mobile homes. A lot of them do like mobile homes because it's, they own it. They don't have to deal with landlords for that," said North Carolina State University Economics Professor Mike Walden.
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In the letter to residents, Westbrook thanked them for being good customers and friends to his family, and blamed the decision on his declining health.
He also provided them with relocation assistance.
But some are concerned that it won't be enough to help. It's an issue that Walden said speaks to the incredibly fast growth happening in the Triangle and beyond.
"This is one of the fastest-growing regions in the country in terms of people moving here, that's going to push up land prices," he said.