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I'd be interested in hearing some realtor opinions on mobile homes.
For quite some time I've viewed mobiles (trailer homes) with a sort of negative stigma, having driven through the areas with some really nasty trailer parks. On the other hand, looking at the websites of the newer mobile home manufacturers, some of the newer models look really nice! I realize that different areas of the country are probably better suited to mobiles, but I had some concerns:
1. Do potential buyers tend to skip over newer mobile homes without even wanting to view them in your experience?
2. Do mobiles tend to have higher utilities costs (heating, cooling) vs traditional homes of similar size?
3. Is there any trend that appears to be changing the public's perception of mobile homes, or is there still a stigma or sorts for the foreseeable future?
4. Are there any particular reasons that you would either encourage or dissuade someone from seriously considering a mobile home, assuming they aren't looking to buy in a tornado hazard zone?
The terms mobile, manufactured and modular are sometimes mistakenly used interchangeably. Various Federal or more local codes apply.
Some depreciate as soon as you buy them, similar to a car. Fine as long as you know that going in.
Financing is a big thing.
If built before Manufactured Home Standards (6/76) the manufactured home (once called the mobile home) is considered to not be compliant with HUD code. FHA won't insure loans on these. Sometimes even newer ones are hard to finance.
However, if that happens check your state financing.
I lived in a community where the hoa docs did not allow for manufactured homes. Yet, some people put them in anyway. Some people also utilized some sort of pods (sections) but, given the lay of the land, they still look odd years later. These were added on to what seem to be manufactured homes. However, those docs were created a long time ago.
I have known people who loved manufactured homes and others who didn't want anything to do with them.
If it comes with a title issued by the Motor Vehicle Dept...
otoh, manufactured modular houses that are delivered to a build site and assembled...
At the moment I'm not interested in one with wheels and a steering wheel, but that isn't completely out of the question.
I was referring more to the homes that are manufactured in a factory and transported assembled to the home site. I realize that this is different from a modular home, where the pieces are built in a factory and then assembled on site. I'm a fan of the Deltec round houses, but then I've got pretty weird tastes.
I realize that this is different from a modular home...
I've lost track of just what it is you have in mind.
Modular Homes are comprised of several different boxes, or modules, that are individually
manufactured and transported on-site where the are assembled into a cohesive structure...
onto a permanent foundation.
Last edited by MrRational; 10-14-2013 at 02:52 PM..
I had always associated modulars with regular construction houses, since they are built on site, although for the purposes of this thread it might make sense to consider it a separate category 'in between' mobiles and traditional construction houses. I can spot a mobile pretty easily in a real estate listing, not so much for the modulars.
Cully pretty much summed it up. Mobile homes (most often single wides) are considered personal property like a car and wil be titled like a car. These homes generally lose value over time.
Manufactured homes (typically double wide or larger) can be on temporary foundations, piers or blocks, or on a permanently fixed on a foundation. When permanently fixed it will have an affidavit of fixture and a HUD certification plate from the manufacturer. Generally the quality of these homes is quite good. Of course there are good manufacturers and not so good. Believe it or not, many are being produced in China and are being shipped here to the U.S. for sale. The biggest problem is financing and the stigma of being less desirable. However, in some areas of the country, particularly in rural areas they are widely accepted. They can hold their value in these areas.
Some manufacturers like Wausau Homes (in the midwest) build modular homes that can be comprised of several modules, sometimes 6, 7 or 8, and cannot be told from a stick built home. They even have two story models. Wausau Homes.com/photo-gallery
Interestingly enough I have been observing some new home builds in my area by major national builders and have noticed that they have been building homes with walls, roof trusses, joists and other major components already pre-assembled and delivered by truck with openings already in the walls, etc. No measuring and cutting necessary. Can electrical and plumbing modules be far behind? Not a big stretch from manufactured home.
I would think that a huge part of this is the location. A park where you make payments on a titled dwelling and pay lot rent, is one thing. A prefabbed house that sits on a foundation and is titled as a Hud compliant on its own lot, fixed dwelling is a lot different. My grandparents had a Wausau home that was built thirty something years ago, and while you could look at it and kind of see the two sections/double wide base, it mostly just looked like a lake cottage, which was what it was. It was nice!
It doesn't require an engine or wheels to be a "mobile" home.
If they're (single or double wide) built on a steel frame... it's mobile.
Upon doing a little further research, now I get it. I had no idea that the mobile home itself was actually being towed behind the tractor trailer...I had assumed they were loaded up onto a flatbed trailer and secured down to it instead of actually having axles and wheels installed to the unit itself and towed as a unit. You learn something new every day.
The frame must be pretty strong indeed to withstand this without damage. I wonder what happens if they are involved in an accident, if the structural integrity of the house is compromised.
Having a brand-new MFH is tempting now, but think two decades into the future:
Some trailer parks make rules that MFH built before a certain year will no longer be allowed on their lot. Anyone with an older model will need to find another trailer park that will accept it, and then have it transported.
Look online at some of the prices of 20+ year old MFH's. They are practically giving them away compared to what was paid. Others say the MFH is all yours if you have it moved. Not good return when the MFH is expected to depreciate all the way down to zip.
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