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Old 04-10-2017, 09:34 AM
 
16,715 posts, read 19,301,177 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BostonTankah View Post
What's the difference between 900- 1000 sq ft mobile and 1525 sq ft 2 floor home?
Am I too simple minded?
You cannot compare cars in this way because they're all made of steel.

To compare a mobile home to a real house is like comparing a cheap particle board dresser to a cedar chifferobe.
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Old 04-10-2017, 09:44 AM
 
6,589 posts, read 5,834,453 times
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In Massachusetts... I looked into trailer parks and mobile home parks at one time. There are only a few, and not in convenient areas. I guess the land is just too valuable here; once upon a time it might have made sense, but today, you can subdivide and sell 1/4 acre lots zoned for permanent $300K residential structures and make a lot more money than leasing or selling mobile home lots or running a trailer park.

I've also looked into buying a piece of land and just putting an inexpensive manufactured home on it. There are plots of land available here and there, more on the west end of the state and a few in the central area, almost nothing in Middlesex County (eastern Mass.).

This is a pretty good resource to explore what's available. You need to put in some parameters like maximum cost and minimum acreage, and it will show you a clickable map (click on "show map"). Typically you can find 3-5 acre plots here and there, sometimes larger, for under $100K. You can put a modest $20K manufactured home on it, install your septic tank and utilities, and presto! You have a home for around $100K or even less. Now and then you'll see plots of land for $50K.

Just be careful: you get what you pay for. Some of these rural areas have a lot of social dysfunction -- some areas around Worcester have a lot of drug addiction, poorly performing school districts, etc. But if you can find a quiet corner, and don't mind being one to two hours out from the big city, you can live for cheap. You do have to do your due diligence on raw land, though: you have to do a "perc test" which clears you for installing septic systems and it may cost something to get the utilities. You have to make sure the land is zoned for residential use and isn't under some kind of zoning restriction. Also, you can't buy these things with a typical home mortgage; land is considered "unimproved property" and therefore harder to sell, so banks won't give you a loan without substantial collateral and a higher interest rate. Sometimes the seller will finance the loan for you but in the end you're paying through the nose. Save up and pay cash if possible.

Good luck!
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Old 04-10-2017, 09:53 AM
 
1,717 posts, read 1,670,707 times
Reputation: 2203
I've never lived in a mobile home but from what I've observed:
Mobile homes are hard hit in tornados and natural disasters, hurricanes. So that's my main issue with them, safety. When I find a place to live, I want a safe environment, both the walls around me and the community.


Mobile homes aren't as well soundproofed. You can hear the kids shut in their room and the neighbors next door as I'm sure they hear you.


Now I'm not sure if it's true in all cases but it seems that there's lack of pride in living in a trailer and that reflects on keeping up with maintenance and the area around it. I see more ratty mobile homes on overgrown lots than I do homes.
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Old 04-10-2017, 09:53 AM
 
Location: SC
8,793 posts, read 8,097,708 times
Reputation: 12991
This is my impression of what the stigma is, based on an ex girlfriend's place. I'n sure not all MHs suffer from all these issues, but many do.
  • Cold.
  • Neighbors can be sketchy.
  • Almost all components are exceptionally cheap.
  • Parks full of animals.
  • Noise from highways, neighbors, animals, badly running cars.
  • Cramped.
  • Fire Trap.
  • Must be tied down, but still susceptible to bad storms.
  • I've seen few with parks that don't flood often (a couple inches).
  • Park may be sold out from under you and it may be difficult to find a new location in the same city, school/safe zone.
  • Rain on tin roof sound.
  • Retains almost no value.
  • Easy to break into.
  • Easy to trap someone inside.
  • Difficult to get loans for them.
  • You don't own the land and can be kicked out.
  • Expensive to find a new place to put it.
  • Cookie-cutter design.
  • Still have to answer to "land-lord."
  • In most places, there is a stigma attached to them and can affect your kids and yourself in social situations.
  • Interest rates are high because it is not "real" property, but "personal" property.
  • Few have a permanent / quality structural foundation.
  • No garage/out buildings so many must purchase additional storage space.
  • Landlord may prohibit working on cars.
  • Landlord may be quick to tow undesirable vehicles.
  • Often very little control over landlord increasing rent every year. Then the moving issues come up again.
  • Cost of insurance can be excessive compared to perm home.
  • Old trailers have almost NO value, an old house is considered "charming."
  • Parks generally have no trees between units to block sunlight and heat.
  • Open a door and visitor is looking right into your living space.
  • Very little opportunity to remodel/improve.
  • Walls are paper thin.

Last edited by blktoptrvl; 04-10-2017 at 10:54 AM..
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Old 04-10-2017, 11:19 AM
 
Location: Rochester, WA
14,313 posts, read 11,797,987 times
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Many of you guys are describing mobile homes made in the 1970s as if nothing has changed at all, and that's not true. Modern manufactured homes can be very high quality in terms of construction and features.

And manufactured home does not mean it's in a park. Manufactured homes can be in a park, or on 40 acres. And often are. As is true for any home... Location is everything.

These are important distinctions to make.
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Old 04-10-2017, 11:30 AM
 
24,509 posts, read 17,979,930 times
Reputation: 40204
The HUD code for manufactured homes has resulted in higher quality than was the norm 40 years ago. Many states have manufactured home code that goes well beyond HUD code for things like insulation and snow loading. A 40 foot double-wide is still a POS but it's at least not a firetrap and is unlikely to fall over in a 70 mph breeze or collapse from a couple feet of snow.
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Old 04-10-2017, 01:13 PM
 
Location: Back in the Mitten. Formerly NC
3,830 posts, read 6,690,934 times
Reputation: 5367
Especially when on a permanent foundation, a manufactured home is no more dangerous in inclement weather than a traditional house.

My largest complaint is that many things are not standard sized, which makes replacing/upgrading difficult. (Maybe this has changed- the one I lived in during middle school was built in 1994/1995.) Anyway, a door, faucet, etc... all of these were non-standard size. I remember it being such a hassle for my mom. I also remember when she ordered new furniture, the couch would not fit because of the smaller door size.
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Old 04-10-2017, 01:41 PM
 
17,389 posts, read 14,925,309 times
Reputation: 22614
Quote:
Originally Posted by Diana Holbrook View Post
Unlike older mobiles, newer manufactured homes are very well built and will last your lifetime. They have solid walls and solid doors and the same luxury features you'd find in any updated home. They can be a good bargain in the right setting, particularly in rural areas, and can appreciate in areas where the neighborhood and land they are on is appreciating as well. Not so much in parks or small lot subdivisions. Go to some dealers and see them new in person.
Meh.. Yes and no. I will say that I bought a doublewide out of foreclosure in 2006, have been there since. It was 3 years old, vacant for a year and a half of that when I got it. The biggest problem that i've had was a water heater failing that required flooring replacement.. Subfloor was particle board so when it got wet.. It was not good. But honestly.. Alot of stick-builts are doing this now.

I spent a fair amount of time patching up poor setup.. Obviously, when I replaced the hot water heater, I put a pan with a drain on it this time.. But when they ran the water access and all they didn't seal the holes up properly.. So, the first year, I wound up with a fair number of mice. Several cans of spray insulation foam and steel wool took care of that.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jaynarie View Post
Especially when on a permanent foundation, a manufactured home is no more dangerous in inclement weather than a traditional house.

My largest complaint is that many things are not standard sized, which makes replacing/upgrading difficult. (Maybe this has changed- the one I lived in during middle school was built in 1994/1995.) Anyway, a door, faucet, etc... all of these were non-standard size. I remember it being such a hassle for my mom. I also remember when she ordered new furniture, the couch would not fit because of the smaller door size.
This.. It hasn't changed, though, like with anything, there's levels you can go.. Some of the 'high end' mobile homes/manufactured housing use standard things. Normal studs, drywall, doors, fixtures.. Things you can go to Home Depot and get off the shelf.

Mine, however, was not a high-end.. Doors are a specific size.. Have to buy most everything at a mobile home parts store. Faucets and light switches are the most god-awful things ever.. I have replaced all of them with standard parts because they failed. Drywall is this 5/8" vinyl covered stuff..

I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to replace the screen door. It's apparently some package unit with the front door.


Quote:
Originally Posted by blktoptrvl View Post
This is my impression of what the stigma is, based on an ex girlfriend's place. I'n sure not all MHs suffer from all these issues, but many do.
  • Cold.
  • Neighbors can be sketchy.
  • Almost all components are exceptionally cheap.
  • Parks full of animals.
  • Noise from highways, neighbors, animals, badly running cars.
  • Cramped.
  • Fire Trap.
  • Must be tied down, but still susceptible to bad storms.
  • I've seen few with parks that don't flood often (a couple inches).
  • Park may be sold out from under you and it may be difficult to find a new location in the same city, school/safe zone.
  • Rain on tin roof sound.
  • Retains almost no value.
  • Easy to break into.
  • Easy to trap someone inside.
  • Difficult to get loans for them.
  • You don't own the land and can be kicked out.
  • Expensive to find a new place to put it.
  • Cookie-cutter design.
  • Still have to answer to "land-lord."
  • In most places, there is a stigma attached to them and can affect your kids and yourself in social situations.
  • Interest rates are high because it is not "real" property, but "personal" property.
  • Few have a permanent / quality structural foundation.
  • No garage/out buildings so many must purchase additional storage space.
  • Landlord may prohibit working on cars.
  • Landlord may be quick to tow undesirable vehicles.
  • Often very little control over landlord increasing rent every year. Then the moving issues come up again.
  • Cost of insurance can be excessive compared to perm home.
  • Old trailers have almost NO value, an old house is considered "charming."
  • Parks generally have no trees between units to block sunlight and heat.
  • Open a door and visitor is looking right into your living space.
  • Very little opportunity to remodel/improve.
  • Walls are paper thin.

Ugh.. Ok.. Alot of this.. Ok.. If you buy property and the home.. Half of your items there are out. landlords, parks, etc.. All that's out the window. And bad neighbors can happen anywhere.

Cold - Mine isn't. Now, when I need a roof put on, I plan to redo insulation and amp it up some, but it's not BAD.

Components cheap - See above. Yes that can be an issue if you go with the low-end ones.

Cramped.. Don't know about that.. I've got over 2k square feet.. Not all that cramped for me.

Fire trap.. Can be. Just as a normal home can be.

Tie down.. No home is going to do well in a tornado. Having it on a permanent foundation does help.

Rain on tin roof. I have a composite roof. So, rain sounds the same as it does in a stick-built.

Loan difficulty.. This is true for purchasing one other than new. But, once they're on a permanent foundation and the tow hitch is removed, it does get easier. But, not as easy as a normal house.

Cookie Cutter.. Not true. If you buy 'off the shelf', yes.. But you can actually design them and have them custom built for you now.

Stigma.. Not really. Some of them you can barely tell that they were a mobile home. People around here have garages built onto them.

Interest.. Again, convert to real property by putting it on a foundation.

Insurance for me is not much different. I'm out in the country, no city water, no fire hydrants, fire station is 2 miles away, so.. I'm screwed either way.

Old having no value.. true-ish, but not for the reasons you'd think. First, homes prior to the HUD rules, this is true. But most of the homes built since the reason they have no resale value is because they haven't been taken care of. You take care of one, it lasts.



I bought the house for about $37k at auction.. Sunk another $4k into having it put on a permanent foundation and that included 3.5 acres.. In all honesty, I about bought 3.5 acres and had a mobile home thrown in free.
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Old 04-10-2017, 01:54 PM
 
15,631 posts, read 26,115,429 times
Reputation: 30907
Quote:
Originally Posted by Diana Holbrook View Post
Many of you guys are describing mobile homes made in the 1970s as if nothing has changed at all, and that's not true. Modern manufactured homes can be very high quality in terms of construction and features.

And manufactured home does not mean it's in a park. Manufactured homes can be in a park, or on 40 acres. And often are. As is true for any home... Location is everything.

These are important distinctions to make.
The trailer my grandparents bought in 1968 (could have been 66) and placed in a gorgeous park in a corner treed lot near the creek.... is still there in fine condition. And the tiny park is still beautiful. I was amazed. Given that so many parks have been razed and even more have been neglected, to find this jewel is really kind of amazing.

However...mobile homes are fraught with issues like depreciation like a car, no real foundation, and unless well taken care of are liable to fall apart much faster than a neglected home.
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Old 04-10-2017, 02:29 PM
 
Location: Dessert
10,826 posts, read 7,199,634 times
Reputation: 27899
My mother-in-law lived in a mobile home (aka doublewide manufactured home) that was built in the 1950s. It was as comfortable and actually larger than my stick-built home. When she died a few years ago, we sold it for nearly $100K, twice what she paid for it 15 years earlier. But it was in a popular park (in pricey Silicon Valley), and the house itself was pulled out and replaced with a new model. (Yes, they basically paid $100K for the right to rent the lot.)

I LOVED my Mitsubishi Mirage. Unfortunately, after 15 years, I replaced it with a Kia. You can probably imagine how that went. Cheaper isn't always cheaper. Happy now with a Honda.
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