Palm Springs Paradise: Tiny Home Community Offers Affordable, Resort-Style Living

Solving the Tiny Home Conundrum: Location and Financing
The two biggest hurdles for anyone aspiring to the tiny house lifestyle are finding a legal place to park and securing financing. In this episode of Less House More Moola, Laura speaks with Brian Morrison about the innovative solutions being offered by Paradise Tiny Home Community in Palm Springs, California. This brand-new resort-style community is tackling the affordability crisis head-on, particularly in high-cost areas like Southern California.

Links 

https://paradisetinyhomecommunity.com/

tinyhomesparadise@gmail.com

Go to thetinyhouseadviser.com

Transcript

Less House More Moola Podcast (00:01)
Hey everybody, Laura here. Welcome to the new year. It's January. I've been away. I've been in Colorado working on the project up there, taking some time out, doing a little analog hours at the end of the day with no internet connection. That was legit. So

As we start the year, I wanted to bring you some good news for folks that are still seeking a community or a place where they can live tiny. Maybe you've heard about it. Paradise tiny home community in Palm Springs, California. So I had a great conversation with Brian Morrison over there. So that's what's coming up today. Leaning into the year. There's a lot.

There's a lot going on and there is a lot on my mind and there's a lot that I feel like we need to be talking about right now. And so as we head into the year, we're going to be talking more about resilience, more about the ways that tiny and alternative living can help us create a life that can weather.

what is happening all around us. So lots of topics on this. have a model about resilient wealth that I want to bring to you one piece at a time. I want to be talking more with guests about resilience. This has come up a number of times last year, but I think as we lean into the future,

we need to be focused on resilience and how we are creating ways to take care of ourselves and those that we care about in our community and ways that we can do that without perhaps being quite so reliant on systems that are breaking down. So looking forward to exploring resilience with you in 2026. the meantime, enjoy this conversation with Brian Morrison.

Less House More Moola Podcast (02:53)
Brian Morrison, welcome to Less House, More Moola podcast. Super excited to get to chat with you today about your community.

Brian (03:01)
Thank you so much, Laura. So happy to be here with you.

Less House More Moola Podcast (03:05)
Yeah, you know, I think this is one of the key, you know, the two primary drivers of people's inability to figure out the tiny life is where they're going to park and the money part. And it seems like that you have got kind of an angle on both of those things. So super excited that people find out about your community as a resource and the ways that you are successfully getting people into the community.

Brian (03:33)
Well, we are brand new. We just opened about a year ago and we haven't been doing too much for marketing and it's just been an outpour ever since we opened the floodgate and it's been wonderful because it's needed, ⁓ especially here in California where, you know, affordability is just out the window, sustainability and this is all new. We're kind of going into new grounds. We're the first of our kind in this area and looking forward to everything coming.

coming forward this year.

Less House More Moola Podcast (04:04)
So tell listeners where you're located and just give us an overall commercial for what you've got going on there.

Brian (04:13)
Yeah, well we are Paradise Tiny Home Community and located in the Greater Palm Springs area. So beautiful views of the open desert and Santa Cinto Mountains and maybe even a little big bear in the back there. ⁓ This community is brand new. We do work with several vendors. ⁓ As far as our tiny homes go, so we have something for pretty much everybody. ⁓

We know summers can get hot out here and the weather can be ever changing. So we have a lot of amenities, outdoor activities, everything from resort pools to hot tubs and pickleball and you know, pretty much a little bit of something for everyone, billiards. And yeah, we're looking to bring people in and show them that there's more to life than than just wasting your money away on your home. We have so much more to give, more to do.

Less House More Moola Podcast (05:10)
So take us back a little bit. How did you come to that community and what's your story?

Brian (05:15)
Well, I started off in real estate. I've been doing that for several years. And in Palm Springs, it's quite the market. It's quite the expensive, elite type of place to live. If anybody's ever been out here, it's a lot of celebrity. then you've got the regular people, the working class, who are mixing in with that. But there's a major overlap as far as housing costs because of it. People want the weather, the activity.

⁓ and it's just gotten to a point where it's priced everyone out. So, ⁓ I've worked in the luxury side, ⁓ for many years and seen what it's done to the regular family that just can't afford a house or the student that gets out and wants a place to live. they're, the rents are incredibly high or the senior. And I came together with the, ⁓

the brains of the entire operation. name is TJ Modi. ⁓ And he had this great idea for the tiny home community in a time where it was so needed. And it's just been a blessing to be able to do what I wanted to do in the first place, which was find people homes.

Less House More Moola Podcast (06:33)
So TJ, tell us the story of how the development happened. TJ bought land or how did that all work?

Brian (06:40)
Yeah, TJ started out in the RV side of the business and just saw the potential for people ending up moving into their RVs and on the road living. it's kind of a touristy type of living. You're not really standing still at any time and making it possible for people to be able to actually have like-minded community and

and he put it together. I think he has a great vision and we're looking forward to seeing where this goes.

Less House More Moola Podcast (07:18)
So it sounds like the vision is really about creating that lifestyle for folks that are in the community. You mentioned a number of amenities. ⁓ Tell us like the full scope of what the vision is for the community.

Brian (07:34)
Well, we do have a lot more land to go. This is kind of our phase one of the land project. We've got 90 spaces available. We're probably about a little less than a quarter full at this point. And again, we just started really ⁓ marketing ourselves and getting the word out that we're here. ⁓ As far as amenities and whatnot, it is a community and resort style living. So tiny homes can get a little

We're talking 400 or smaller square feet of living. You've got to get out and be able to do things. Got a beautiful clubhouse, know, with a little bit of something for everyone. And it really is about knowing who your neighbors are and that community feel. And we've already started feeling it, which is amazing.

Less House More Moola Podcast (08:24)
So you said working with vendors, so that means builders, right?

Brian (08:29)
That's correct, yeah. We work with several different vendors, builders, local ones. Our furthest one out is the Boxable, which is in Las Vegas. We have several of those always on hand. They're kind of a crowd favorite. They are nine foot by nine foot open floor plan with a super high ceiling and just completely modern living. People will walk right past them and say, you know,

I do tours daily and people say, yeah, that's probably not what I, cause it doesn't have that same ⁓ fray type of design to it. It could have, you know, modernism to it. It's a box. And then they walk inside and go, okay. This is the one. It's a complete, it's a complete 180. As soon as they walk in the door, cause they're great units and they're solid and it is a house. I mean, these are, these are very well built units.

Less House More Moola Podcast (09:17)
Hahaha

Amazing. And so when people show up at the community and they're interested, like what's the pathway for them?

Brian (09:36)
⁓ Well, the first thing, know, call, make, everybody has to do a tour. ⁓ You can look all you want online and look at these homes, but you have to go see it for yourself. There's no way pictures can capture walking in and exploring the space for yourself. And not every model is for everyone. You've got to find what works best for you. Come in for a tour, find something that you like or work with an outside builder and build it yourself.

and you can bring it in. We only have a few stipulations to what we need in order for you to bring your own. And they're pretty basic, being built on a chassis, ⁓ RVIA certification. So pretty much built like a motor home. It's a home, but it's on a chassis. When it gets put into place, gets skirted and, ⁓ you know, ⁓ it looks like a house. mean, it hides the chassis underneath and the wheels and...

It's our only regulations that we have to follow here.

Less House More Moola Podcast (11:33)
So people can bring their own, they can buy one from the vendors, partners that you're working with. So people often, you know, kind of run into this point of like, how do I finance a tiny home? How are you seeing it done? How is it happening in your community?

Brian (11:51)
Yeah, that's always a challenge. mean, when you find somebody that will finance, you hang on to them. I mean, this is all new ground. So a lot of, ⁓ know, the usual funding that we would do for mortgages just don't work that way. We do work alongside 21st Mortgage and Credit Human, and we do have some in-house financing for a few of the models that we actually purchased to bring in.

And usually when we purchase to bring them in, we replace them as we go. So we can always have that to offer. The in-house financing obviously is going to be the most expensive way to go. It is really better to find your own financing, but it is possible here. You know, for people that want a one-stop shop type of thing where you can walk in, find your lot and your home and say, I want to put it here, move it around the park and ⁓ make your payments.

directly to the park.

Less House More Moola Podcast (12:51)
Yeah, that's a unique option. I don't know how many communities are offering ⁓ in-house financing for units. so what are, can you tell us a little bit more about what the terms are there in terms of, how much down and, and what that, how long the loan is and that sort of thing generally?

Brian (13:12)
Sure, these are short-term loans usually between five and ten years. Ten being the absolute maximum that we can do. What we do ask is down payment of at least 15,000. 15,000 gets you in the door and a 12 % interest rate which is obviously pretty considerable. you know, I always give the warning you should

probably look elsewhere, but if you do need it, you're a spot and you're ready to come in, it is a great option. So the payments usually would come out, I believe in the five year, ⁓ with the interest, it comes out to about $1,500 a month. So it is affordable, especially if you can compare that to ⁓ apartment rents, which in the area here, anywhere local.

Less House More Moola Podcast (13:46)
Yeah.

Brian (14:05)
LA area, Riverside County, you're looking at $2,500 to $3,500 just for rental. So it's money well spent.

Less House More Moola Podcast (14:12)
Yeah.

Yeah. And then get to that debt free spot in five or 10 years at the most, and then you own your home. And so is there a lot rent on top of that? How do people that are owning their homes stay there in the community?

Brian (14:30)
There is. Each lot is significant in its own way. The sizes do differ a little bit and the desirability of the view. Every place has a view. We have a wonderful location. I don't know if you've seen the pictures of our landscape out here, but of course some are more desirable than others. So our lots start at $695 per month and go up to $895 per month, depending on which one you choose.

And we do have that all mapped out. We do also have our own utilities here. We have our own solar farm. A small footprint is a big deal here. So our utility packages, our electricity, our water, our waste, our trash, and this is all a flat rate every month of $300. So you put it together and you could have a lot with utilities for less than $1,000 a month.

Less House More Moola Podcast (15:30)
there seems to be more and more of this sort of localized small network energy grids that are coming up. And that's a really smart, a really smart add to the community so that you're not sort of tied to the larger grid that maybe has its struggles or concerns. So that was a really good resilience point that you all put into the community, it sounds like.

Brian (15:49)
Yeah.

Absolutely, and we don't have brownouts and we were under our own construction. just the fact that I came into this from a 4,500 square foot home. I live on site. I work on site. The move was, it's a bit of a jump. I'm not going to lie. You have to be ready for it mentally and just be able to get rid of things. ⁓ My electric bill was more than my rent.

My lease and my home. So for me, it's kind of a no-brainer. I feel so much more free and just can do it as I put it. The stress is priceless. Stress-free.

Less House More Moola Podcast (16:37)
Yeah, that's awesome. you're there wearing all the hats and helping the community get its voice out and filling up the community and seeing the residents that come in. Tell us, you have a great success story and an example or sort of a combined example of the people that you're seeing and how it's changing their lives.

Brian (17:00)
Well, the best part is, is it's people from all walks of life. I'm seeing students come in where housing is just unattainable. have daughters, one who's 19, heading out into the world. She's going to school, she's working four jobs, and she has no chance of getting a home. This is a, and you know, I bring her in here and she looks at the houses and she's like, I'm done, this is all I need. And it is, it's a need.

And it's great to bring people in, show them exactly what they're getting for their money and how much they're saving and able to just live their lives and the looks on their faces. I don't believe I've found anybody that came here, looked at a home and said, no, you know what, I changed my mind. This isn't for me. It's just the opposite. And there's just a matter of how do I do it from start to finish. I've got a house, I've got...

so much stuff and this is probably our one real hold up. know, people that have got to sell their homes and the housing market's been at a standstill for, you know, a year now. ⁓ It's a buyer's market and the prices are just outrageous and the interest rates are outrageous. So we're really waiting ⁓ for, we have so many people that could, we could be filling the place right now if their homes would sell.

That's just one of the hurdles that we're looking at.

Less House More Moola Podcast (18:28)
Yeah. So is Paradise Tiny Home Community gonna look for more sites or are you all just pretty much confined and satisfied where you are?

Brian (18:41)
Oh no, this is just this is just phase one. Yeah, we have land behind us next to us. We, as I stated before, we're phase one. I'm hoping within the year to 2026 to be at about 80 % capacity. Once we get there, we are ready to grow. We have another five acres that will be immediately. I'm sorry, seven acres that would be immediately available.

Once we get to that point to be built, more homes can come in and then another 20 afterwards. So we've got some growing to do. There's no stopping. ⁓ The owner of the company is purchasing land. ⁓ The entire street, he's really looking to ⁓ make this his own and has a vision for the entire area.

Less House More Moola Podcast (19:37)
Well, it seems like that there's no shortage of people that are, are in desperate need of attainable housing and a good community and a place where you can live with other like-minded people. So I'm sure that that growth is probably just going to be just in time.

Brian (19:55)
I'm looking forward to it. It's great to be able to offer it. People do have something in there. If you mention a tiny home to somebody who has no idea what you're talking about, they can't conceive of the idea. And I don't know if you've run into this too. They say, what business are you in now? You mentioned the tiny home and you go, okay.

disinterested until they see what it's about. You know, it's funny to watch.

Less House More Moola Podcast (20:22)
you

Yeah.

And that's why we have all these great events where people can go and see for themselves what tiny homes are like and the kind of the community that shows up for tiny homes. There definitely has been a lot in YouTube and on the television to orient people to the idea, but for sure they can't imagine it until they're inside of one, I think. So it's really important that you have that tour feature where people can come and

and tour.

Brian (20:57)
Absolutely necessary. Yeah.

Yeah, I wouldn't let somebody buy a tiny home without first coming out You know, you got to try on the shoes first and you have to see it for yourself. I've been in tiny homes where I'm over six feet tall and it feels a little compressed You want to walk move around a little bit? There's certainly some that are kind of hobbit houses that I just couldn't do physically And then there's the other ones, you know that that do make sense, you know these ten foot

high ceilings and ⁓ so definitely go out if I can recommend anything go out and see it for yourself. We actually offer rentals so people can come out stay with us for a couple days or a week and enjoy the ⁓ you know what we have to offer and make sure it's for you. It really is a different lifestyle so you do have to look at every aspect of it.

Less House More Moola Podcast (21:52)
that makes sense. So Brian, where do listeners see your community? Learn more. Where can they track you down?

Brian (22:02)
Well, you can always go to our website. I mean, you can actually plan a tour directly from there. It's paradisetinyhomecommunity.com. My direct email is tinyhomesparadise@gmail.com I'm always open 24 seven or give us a call 760-990-7024. And I'd be happy to walk you through every step of the way and see where this goes.

Less House More Moola Podcast (22:31)
Well, thanks for your time and for sharing the news of your community and the work that you all are doing and your vision for the future. It's another great resource for folks. Thanks for your time.

Brian (22:42)
Thank you so much for having us and spreading the word. ⁓ know people appreciate you through and through every day.