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Mobile home suggestions needed

1K views 10 replies 11 participants last post by  kroll 
#1 ·
My wife, me and our 14 yo son currently live in a 500 sq ft. Tiny home and it’s a bit cramped. We are thinking of buying one of the cheaper mobile homes. Do any of y’all live in one or know some info about pricing and what’s the best deal? We’d like to stay under 40k, around 30 would be great. We already have 6 acres with existing well and septic. Thank so much for helping out. Also we are in East Tn.
 
#2 ·
I live in a mobile home and have since 1995; but not by choice! In general a mobile home is probably the easiest way to put up housing; and if you plan well, may be good for many people. They are not the safest type of home to live in; and if they are not well situated on your property and tied down well you're just a disaster waiting to happen. As for prices, you know you get what you pay for...a "used" mobile would be cheaper and just as good as a new one....as for as mobiles go.

If I had had as much cash as you have to start my homestead I would have chosen to have a small basement dug and a large "weathered-in" room above it that I could build at my leisure and as $$ permitted. (We of course have a Building Department that dictates what one can live in here in this county. Still by doing it as described it could have been done.)
 
#3 ·
I lived in a 1600 + sq ft double-wide for years. I bought it used. Look for a double-wide - not a single wide. This one I bought for under 70K had been upgraded with 2 x 6 framing, added insulation, double paned windows, lush thick like new carpeting....I put it on a block wall rather than skirting, tore down a wall to open it up inside, added a wood stove. later I added a small enclosed porch on the front to get rid of the flat look, put a porch on the back. Loved it!

Research the manufacturers of double wides, take your time and buy used. They range in price and quality. It's too bad they have a bad name as they can be really lovely.
 
#6 ·
Be aware that a mobile home will depriciate, much like a car or truck. They are not considered as real estate in nearly every place I am aware of. Loans to purchase, transport, and set can be hard to come by if you are thinking you can get a low rate llike you can for real estate right now. Speaking of loans, you can get a stellar rate on a real home now and as mentioned by muleskinner2 you will end up with more to show for your money and it can be passed down to family when the time comes. Just think it all through carefully.
 
#7 ·
I can agree & disagree with some of the posts. I have lived in a D/W for the last 20 years. The home is 30 years old, now, & will sell for twice as much as I paid for it. LOCATION & CONDITION !!
Some mobiles are much better built than others .Compare the quality . I can walk across the roof & it is as sturdy as the $150,000 I sold to downsize to this. It is 1100 square feet, which is half the size of the home I sold. They are not as well insulated as a typical home.
Taxes are cheap, BUT insurance is HIGH ! Loans on older, used homes are hard to find !
 
#8 ·
You can find clearance and sales on mobile homes online if you search for it. You can easily find a bigger living space for under 40k. If you want quotes you can go to local mobile home dealers and see what they can offer you. Most local mobile home sellers are often open to land/home packages, little to no down type of promotions, including costs of transport, hookup, etc. to the same loan. It's a matter of talking to them and seeing what they can do for you. Since you're across the US, I'm not sure if the links I have for mobile homes would apply to you since they may not ship all the way out east.

Our mobile home is a Cavco and it has lasted for about 50 years already. I'm convinced that if the siding was better maintained and the foundation was more supportive then it would last much longer. It has survived quite a lot, but we do know that it's not going to last forever.
 
#9 ·
Yeah, I was going to post something similar. There are lots of on-line listings of pretty decent 3 bedroom 1200 sq ft. mobile homes for sale in Tennessee that come in the $30k - $40k range.

The question is have you budgeted for the site prep? You need a compacted gravel pad, vapour barrier, new skirting, utility hook-ups, moving costs, tie downs, and you'll probably have to build a couple of mini-decks/landings/stairs as well. When I set up a mobile home on 155 acres a few years back, I think the site prep and moving added up to more than the cost of the used home.
 
#10 ·
From google....."Small to large 600 to 1,150 square foot single-wide homes can cost anywhere from $25,000 to $78,000, while double to triple wide 1,250 to 1,900 square foot homes can cost $48,000 to more than $95,000. These tend to be more durable since they are made of a mid-grade construction."---

My home is a Fuqua--33 x 55...and cost 34000 back in the late 80s...If you can swing it, dig a basement to put the home on....

Sometimes people want to stick build where a mobil home now sits...and selling the mobil home is tough..I've seen them offered for free..but the buyer has to pay for removal and transport costs...
 
#11 ·
Wanting to do the same and that's to down size, but my plan is to build myself a pole barn which after getting few prices would be about 40k if I have it done by someone else. I believe that maybe I can DIY it and and maybe come close to drying it in. Like others said there is always those unforeseen issues so have little stash for that.
Trailer house is faster,install one day and living in it the next and heck decks would be fun diy project
 
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