Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I see so many nice acreage parcels or pretty farms and instead of houses they have mobiles -some not so nice? They probably aren't poor with all that land.
My guesses are maybe the tax rate is low on mobiles or maybe only ranch hands live there but they are just guesses.
Have you ever been in a mobile/manufactured home? Lots of them are very nice inside and are actually constructed better than a stick built...and they can be moved...
Mobile and manufactured homes are assessed for tax purposes - and taxed - differently from site-built homes on fixed foundations. Unless a person also owns the land on which the mobile/manufactured home is sited and chooses to convert it to "real property" to be taxed the same as a site-built home.
I have long wondered if there are cost savings to be enjoyed by keeping the mobile/manufactured home separately registered?
I am not personally against mobile homes-- I could be comfortable in many places. Once again it just seemed odd that's all. $500,000 property - $30k mobile?
Have you ever been in a mobile/manufactured home? Lots of them are very nice inside and are actually constructed better than a stick built...and they can be moved...
I am not sure these days but there used to be a difference between a mobile and a manufactured home. The latter were usually higher quality with at least 2x6 walls etc. Mobiles could be anything like 2x4 walls or worse etc. However, these days the standards could have changed, I don't know. There are a lot of problems with mobile homes such as shoddy construction, animals getting into the underbelly, non-standard fixtures, doors etc. - it is actually pretty normal to pay twice as much for a replacement mobile home door than for a "real" one from Home Depot, even though the replacement mobile home doors are "junk".
My guess as to why more mobile homes is lower prices (a used one can be found for next to nothing), you have an "instant house" instead of spending months building, many times in rural places people develop raw land and it takes too long to build and there may not be available or affordable skilled labor. Also, there are many mobile home places that offer financing on land+home and if you are fairly poor, that may be a great deal. We have friends in Deming (he is a semi-retired physician) who bought 20 acres and put a nice mobile home on the acreage - it was just too much hassle to build a house in addition to drilling a well, fencing and cross fencing pastures etc. etc.
I am not sure these days but there used to be a difference between a mobile and a manufactured home. The latter were usually higher quality with at least 2x6 walls etc. Mobiles could be anything like 2x4 walls or worse etc.
My understanding of the terminology is as follows:
Mobile, Manufactured: Cheap construction. Bring in 1-4 pieces on a trailer, schzoop, presto, now you have a trailer to live in.
Modular: Fabricated offsite, but meets or exceeds construction standards for stick-built. More expensive, and for some reason, never hear about them in NM.
The "M" names sound similar, and there's a great amount of confusion about what's what. Manufacturers of the cheap ones benefit from this confusion, so expect the confusion to stick around.
My understanding of the terminology is as follows:
Mobile, Manufactured: Cheap construction. Bring in 1-4 pieces on a trailer, schzoop, presto, now you have a trailer to live in.
Modular: Fabricated offsite, but meets or exceeds construction standards for stick-built. More expensive, and for some reason, never hear about them in NM.
The "M" names sound similar, and there's a great amount of confusion about what's what. Manufacturers of the cheap ones benefit from this confusion, so expect the confusion to stick around.
Ah that's right - I forgot about modular, thanks for correcting me
In my area there are basically two types of homes that are brought in on wheels:
1.Mobile/Trailer homes that generally have 2X2 frames with metal roofs and siding. These are usually parked with the axle and tongues left in place and anchored against high winds. Usually some sort of siding material is used to close off the undersides. It's not uncommon to see "travel trailers" being used as semi-permanent or permanent housing.
2.Manufactured homes which can have either 2X2 of 2X4 frames with a variety of wood product sidings, shingle or metal roofs. These are usually set upon some sort of prepared foundation - most likely cinder blocks - and the axles and tongues removed.
Manufactured homes are modular, generally, meaning that they are brought on site in two halves. I can't recall seeing more than two halves. Not impossible that there are ways to hook up more pieces.
Now - that having been said, there are, of course, variations on the theme. Especially where there is need for temporary housing (man camps), construction offices, tool sheds, etc.
Another type of permanent house falls into the PREFAB category - is manufactured and usually fitted together at the factory, then disassembled and brought in on flatbed trucks in pieces OR modules. I've seen houses go up in a days time using this latter method. Drive by in the morning and there is a concrete slab on the lot. Drive by in the evening and there is a standing house with roof in place needing only the finishing work to complete it.
NM usually ranks second or third for most manufactured homes per capita. Drive through nearly any town and you'll see them everywhere. The rank and file like to live in them until they fall apart, then they buy a new one and place it right next to the dilapidated one; then bring the extension cord over. Its very economical
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
