seeking advice on buying a mobile home

[Gypsy]

I never have before. Are there certain things that I should be looking at specific to buying a mobile home that I wouldn't know to look for only having ever bought a regular house?

Thanks in advance.

[haypoint]

A lot depends on what decade house trailer you are looking at. Some had aluminum wiring and it has been linked to fires. Some roof edge leaks resulted in water damage around windows. Many newer house trailers are well built. Many older trailers had poor insulation. In cold climates, frozen water lines is common. Once a pipe has frozen, it is more likely to burst, sometimes long after the actual freeze damage. Some areas have Zoning that restrict house trailers. Some by age, some by size and some by requiring HUD standards.

[Cygnet]

With newer trailers, 2X6 walls are much more structurally sound and better insulated than 2X4.

Check the floor out. Some trailers (even newer ones) are made with chipboard floors that melt when you get them wet.

Check that every outlet & phone jack works. Sometimes they don't even on brand new homes.

Check for rodent infestation. This is a real problem in mobiles of all years.

[AngieM2]

Also, check the r-factor and storm windows and size of hot water heater, and if the water lines have cut off valves in them.

Angie

[Windy_jem]

Get up underneath a used home and look at it from one end to the other and push up on the floors for rotten wood.

[The Paw]

1. newer is better.

2. peaked roof is better than flat roof

3. aluminum slider windows are evil

4. if you plan to move it, check the hitch and frame connection.

5. if really old, watch out for aluminum wiring

6. pay attention to see if dryers, bathroom or range hoods are vented into the crawl space or "attic" area. (they should be vented through the roof to the outside).

7. as noted, check out zoning restrictions and logistics of how to move it to your site, if that is your plan.

[alpacamom]

I have to agree with everything the others have said. We bought an '04 Skyline at the end of '03 and ordered it vs buying off the lot so we could get it exactly how we wanted it...or shall I say, as budget would allow. It was a beautiful home and if we hadn't moved, we wouldn't have sold it (it was a 2nd home for us). We did a ton of research and decided to go with Skyline as they were one of manufacturers with the fewest complaints. We found a lot of great information here: http://mfdhousing.com/how_to_buy/index.php?who=intro they have a forum (MH Forum link in the middle near the top of the page), especially in the first time buyer's forum. Also, google the manufacturer you're considering to find complaints and such about it.

Plywood or OSB flooring and sheathing are much better than novodeck or press board, check to make sure the bathroom sinks aren't plastic, and check out the heating/cooling ducts. My aunt had a single wide and couldn't keep her place heated or cooled evenly, but we didn't have any trouble with our double wide.

We had a hard time finding a company to get homeowners insurance for our manufactured home even though it was brand new, so check around for that and also if you need to finance, you may have difficulty finding a company to finance, so really look around for that, too. We found that the interest rates for financing a manufactured home were a little higher than regular home loans, but from what we found in our research, that was typical.

If you're buying from a dealer, make sure you're dealing with a GOOD one. It will make all the difference if you need any customer service after the home is set up on your property. Our dealer had wonderful customer service and any work we needed done was done very quickly. If you're buying a new MH, check the warranty, also.

Good luck!

[Wolf mom]

When you decide to buy, talk to the seller about how it will be set up.

I have block skirting and had I known then..., I would have had them insulate back of the block with foam spray before the doublewide was installed.

I also am on a slope & the fill dirt was not compacted enough...sigh.

Make sure you have a REPUTABLE company set it up especially if it's a doublewide.

Also remember, it's a cardboard house, so outside maintenance like caulking & painting is a must.

All said, I really like mine. It's low enough so I can paint it, climb up on the roof and do whatever is necessary. PLUS my mortgage payment is really low.

[Hoop]

My advice on buying a mobile home is simple.... DON'T.

You will be buying problems. Think about it. Why is a mobile home $30000 when a conventional home is $100,000? It isn't because they use top quality building methods and materials in a mobile. Its because they use the cheapest materials known to mankind.

From an investment standpoint, it gets worse. That $30,000 mobile home you buy next week may be worth $15,000 (if you're lucky) 10 years hence.

Mobile homes or double wides set up on YOUR OWN PROPERTY won't depreciate nearly as fast. The home itself depreciates, but the value of the land usually appreciates, thus offsetting the depreciation. In fact, some double wides even appreciate in value.

Lastly, is resale. Life happens and we never know where it will take us. One should ALWAYS have resale in mind when purchasing housing.
Mobile homes fare poorly at the resale table. Even when the mobile is set up on your own land. Expect a very slow sale, several price reductions, and little buyer interest.

IMHO, mobiles fill a niche for people seeking temporary housing. If you don't spend an arm & a leg on a mobile, at least you can always walk away from it.

[Ken Scharabok]

As noted above mobilehomes are built in the absolutely minimum time required using the lowest quality materials they can get away with. Singlewides have a life expectancy of 20-30 years. Double-wides a bit more.

In some states in order to scrap out an old mobilehome you have to pay a state fee of a couple of K.

Moving will also cost a couple more.

When I retired to TN my plan was to buy a used singlewide, live in it for a couple of years and then have a small house built. Well, some 12 years later I'm still in it.

I looke at maybe two dozen used ones. In about 90% of them I walked out pretty well faster than I walked in. It is amazing the damage which can be done just through normal wear and tear. Throw 'active' kids or fighting adults into the mix and the damage is enhanced.

The one I got was a couple of years old and still had noticeable repairs done to it. It also has a soft-spot in the kitchen floor. No water near it, so it was apparently there from the start.

Carpets need replacing. What they do at the factory is to put down the carpet and then put the walls over it. Thus you have to cut away the carpet at the bottom of the walls. Under my carpeting is padding maybe 3/16" thick - why even bother.

If buying new, find out if you have to take their complete package. For example, can you purchase it without carpeting and kitchen cabinets and then have them installed yourself?