[Prichard]

You won't find too many places to plop down a mobile home. Some places are still around, but if the land is any good, developers have bought many of these places up and turned them into condos, townhomes or appartments. There ain't been any money in making mobile home developments for over 30 years.

I think you have slightly outdated information on Florida and mobile homes. If you want a cheap house, and you don't need to be near a city, then buy some acreage and a manufactured house.

[Need_affordable_home]

Originally Posted by Prichard

You won't find too many places to plop down a mobile home. Some places are still around, but if the land is any good, developers have bought many of these places up and turned them into condos, townhomes or appartments. There ain't been any money in making mobile home developments for over 30 years.

I think you have slightly outdated information on Florida and mobile homes. If you want a cheap house, and you don't need to be near a city, then buy some acreage and a manufactured house.

Thats what they are doing here in s. Florida. However the land is cheap and plentiful in n. Florida so there will always be land to plop a mobile home on. There actually is a few places in s. Florida that allows mobile homes but the land is nearly always in the 6 figures, not worth it. Buying acreage and having a manufactored house built is going to cost more than 100k, perhaps more like 150k for nice land and a 3 bedroom well built manufactored house. Too expensive.

I will just move out of Florida and get a big nice house for below 100k

[Dee2e]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,240727,00.html Um, those buying this $150,000 mobile a year ago could become millionaires.

[wacahootaman]

I have lived in mobile homes in rural Florida for years. I have rented some out too. I have set up and developed raw land every time for 7 different mobile homes over the years. I think they are a good option if you know the pitfalls.

Buying raw land is good in many ways but you gotta have cash for the well,septic, MH, move and set up, power pole, steps, etc. Anything really private is probably wooded so there will be land clearing bills too for the homesite and driveway.

Some of those cheaper lots are in devolpments from earlier days where dirt roads were buldozed into thousands of acres and they dont have county maintenence so living down a bumpy, sandy dirt road, really increases your travel time and is very hard on your car. Of course lots on a paved road or county maintained limerock roads cost more. A beautiful homesite a mile from a paved road is no big deal, one 5 miles or more may not be.

But the dirty little secret of buying your own lot and developing it now days are county IMPACT FEES. Many counties in North Florida now have terrible rip off impact fees where it may cost you more for the paperwork than for the used mobile home! Check this out before you buy raw land!

The MHs with the post hurricane Andrew building codes (1994) are the only way to go. They have 2x6 studs in the exterior walls and many other upgrades that make them a much better product than those earlier. Also they have the WIND ZONE STICKERS that are absolutely necessary to qualify for a building permit in most counties. Florida has wind zones 1 through 4 in the building code. You need a wind zone 2 sticker in Marion County or the county will not let you hook up the electric or give you a building permit for the mobile home. So dont buy a used MH without a wind zone sticker that qualifies it for the county you plan to set it up in.

Also check the county flood maps before you buy. Lots of florida land will flood in wet periods and it is not easy to tell with out the flood maps.

Insurance is impossible on an older MH, the post Andrew ones are insurable but it may not be necessary for hurricanes in N. Central Florida unless you live under big trees.

Some rural areas with cheap MH lots in north central Florida

Marion County, Ocala. Check out the Citra area in N marion county, the Ocala Nat Forest area and the big developments in the SW part of the county.

Putnam County, Palatka, Check out the Interlachen area, and areas near Melrose and Hawthorne.

Alachua County, Gainesville. Check out the areas near Archer, Hawthorne, Melrose, High Springs,

Levy County, Williston, Bronson Chiefland

Clay County, Keystone Heights.

My favorite counties are Alachua, Marion and Clay. Alachua doesnt have any impact fees at this time. Marion and Clay fees are absolutely outragous.

Check out Realtor.com for listings. Just type in the names of any of the towns above for many prospects. Trulia.com is good too, and it has lots of good maps for reference.

Another option is to rent for a wile and get to know the area before you buy. Never buy sight unseen. And allways check out the lot and the area intensely before you buy.

[macguy]

Originally Posted by wacahootaman

I have lived in mobile homes in rural Florida for years. I have rented some out too. I have set up and developed raw land every time for 7 different mobile homes over the years. I think they are a good option if you know the pitfalls.

Buying raw land is good in many ways but you gotta have cash for the well,septic, MH, move and set up, power pole, steps, etc. Anything really private is probably wooded so there will be land clearing bills too for the homesite and driveway.

Some of those cheaper lots are in devolpments from earlier days where dirt roads were buldozed into thousands of acres and they dont have county maintenence so living down a bumpy, sandy dirt road, really increases your travel time and is very hard on your car. Of course lots on a paved road or county maintained limerock roads cost more. A beautiful homesite a mile from a paved road is no big deal, one 5 miles or more may not be.

But the dirty little secret of buying your own lot and developing it now days are county IMPACT FEES. Many counties in North Florida now have terrible rip off impact fees where it may cost you more for the paperwork than for the used mobile home! Check this out before you buy raw land!

The MHs with the post hurricane Andrew building codes (1994) are the only way to go. They have 2x6 studs in the exterior walls and many other upgrades that make them a much better product than those earlier. Also they have the WIND ZONE STICKERS that are absolutely necessary to qualify for a building permit in most counties. Florida has wind zones 1 through 4 in the building code. You need a wind zone 2 sticker in Marion County or the county will not let you hook up the electric or give you a building permit for the mobile home. So dont buy a used MH without a wind zone sticker that qualifies it for the county you plan to set it up in.

Also check the county flood maps before you buy. Lots of florida land will flood in wet periods and it is not easy to tell with out the flood maps.

Insurance is impossible on an older MH, the post Andrew ones are insurable but it may not be necessary for hurricanes in N. Central Florida unless you live under big trees.

Some rural areas with cheap MH lots in north central Florida

Marion County, Ocala. Check out the Citra area in N marion county, the Ocala Nat Forest area and the big developments in the SW part of the county.

Putnam County, Palatka, Check out the Interlachen area, and areas near Melrose and Hawthorne.

Alachua County, Gainesville. Check out the areas near Archer, Hawthorne, Melrose, High Springs,

Levy County, Williston, Bronson Chiefland

Clay County, Keystone Heights.

My favorite counties are Alachua, Marion and Clay. Alachua doesnt have any impact fees at this time. Marion and Clay fees are absolutely outragous.

Check out Realtor.com for listings. Just type in the names of any of the towns above for many prospects. Trulia.com is good too, and it has lots of good maps for reference.

Another option is to rent for a wile and get to know the area before you buy. Never buy sight unseen. And allways check out the lot and the area intensely before you buy.

That was a very good post. I have been looking in Washington Liberty and Jackson counties. It is interesting when you look at realtor.com there are 5 mobile homes for every regular home for sale. They almost seem to be the norm in the pan handle. I have been looking at property and have pretty much decided to find something that already has a mobile home on it because the electric and so on are already there.We are planing to maybe liveing in the mobile and then build. There are a lot of things to consider with all this. It seems harder then just buying a house.

[wacahootaman]

Another thing, if possible, make your homesite so the home is not visible from the road. One time my neighbors who lived right on the road were broke into and my place not visible from the road was spared. The thieves were driving by and casing homes getting to know the cars in the yard and when they determined no one was home, they broke in. Both my neighbors on the road were broke into. Because the thieves could not see my place from the road they skipped it.

This kinda of crime is rare though. I have lived in trailers in the sticks for 30 years and have never been broken into.

[wacahootaman]

You can get past the Wind Zone Stickers or buy an older home already set up, you can do a lot with the basic package. Dont buy anything older than the 1980s though, preferiblty at least a 14 ft wide, if you are going to get a single wide.

Here is a pic of one that I set up a while back before the Impact fees got crazy. I paid 1800 bucks for the trailer and put another10 grand into moving,setting it up, well, septic and upgrading it including a front and back screen porch. It is a 3br, 2 bath single wide that rents for 500 hundred a month. Very private in the deep woods. My last rentor stayed for 10 years. It is vacant now but will be available in late spring to rent again.

Nowdays, you can get these old trailers absolutely free from people who built their house and the county gives them 6 months to get rid of the trailer. All you gotta do is move them to your land. That will only work if the wind zone requirements can be met
though.

[macguy]

Originally Posted by wacahootaman

You can get past the Wind Zone Stickers or buy an older home already set up, you can do a lot with the basic package. Dont buy anything older than the 1980s though, preferiblty at least a 14 ft wide, if you are going to get a single wide.

Here is a pic of one that I set up a while back before the Impact fees got crazy. I paid 1800 bucks for the trailer and put another10 grand into moving,setting it up, well, septic and upgrading it including a front and back screen porch. It is a 3br, 2 bath single wide that rents for 500 hundred a month. Very private in the deep woods. My last rentor stayed for 10 years. It is vacant now but will be available in late spring to rent again.

Nowdays, you can get these old trailers absolutely free from people who built their house and the county gives them 6 months to get rid of the trailer. All you gotta do is move them to your land. That will only work if the wind zone requirements can be met
though.

Did you get the private message I sent you? If so what did you think?

[MotleyCrew]

I want to know where you are going to go to find a "nice big home for $100,000" ? I will be right behind you.

[Jammie]

Dee, I read about that a while back. I believe it was in the AARP mag. Isn't that wonderful for those people?

Wacohoot, that was a very informative post.