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Mobile Homes Are So Expensive Now, Hurricane Victims Can't Afford Them (bloomberg.com)
An anonymous reader shares a report: Hurricane victims emerging from ravaged trailer parks are discovering that the U.S. mobile-home market has left them behind. In Florida and Texas, dealerships are swarmed by buyers looking to rebuild their lives after hurricanes Harvey and Irma, but many leave disappointed. The industry, led by Warren Buffett's Clayton Homes, is peddling such pricey interior-designer touches as breakfast bars and his-and-her bathroom sinks. These extras, plus manufacturers' increased costs for labor and materials, have pushed average prices for new double-wides up more than 20 percent in five years, putting them out of reach for many of the newly homeless.
The low-end models are still there, as always. More expensive models are also available, which increases the AVERAGE price.
The manufacturers haven't abandoned their primary market, people who are broke because they have don't think long-term, so they do things like spend a ton of money on something that falls apart in a few years rather than putting 10% down on a house which will go up in value.
Insulin is cheap to make. You can do it with less than $100k of equipment bought new or slightly used. Insulin can be produced using bacteria grown in bioreactors â" and they have a good yield. Iâ(TM)ve seen it being made, and understand the entire process. The problem really is the market entry requirements.
The microprocessors being used in computers today are much more advanced and require far more capital intensive manufacturing equipment than what was used 2 decades ago â" yet the cost has reduced. There is even a DIY Open Insulin project of people making their own insulin. The insulin we have today has changed only slightly over the years (donâ(TM)t buy any BS that itâ(TM)s dramatically better), but the cost has skyrocketed. Obviously some nefarious force other than laissez faire competition is at work.