Trailer/Mobile Home - Pros & Cons

[_19disnA]

With college dorms not livable during breaks and summer is why we’re considering this. She’s going to school for PT and she’s hoping to have an intership during the summers, so she will need somewhere to live.

Not sure what PT is but I doubt your daughter is the only college student at this university who has this issue. I would first have her talk with someone in the admininstration to understand the available options. I doubt colleges expect their students to be buying houses in order to go there.

 

[tvguy]

Our friends bought 5 acres and put a mobile home on it as a "temporary" home until they could build a traditional house. They never did get around to building that traditional house. Advancing age prompted them to sell. The most telling part of that were the offers that were HIGHER if they removed the mobile home to close the sale. They finally accepted a lower offer and did not remove the mobile. And remember, a traditional house will last hundreds of years. The average life expectancy of a mobile home is 40 years.

 

[Jml813]

In addition to the extreme temperature concerns. The other issue that pops up is internet access. A lot of trailers, or/mobile homes have trouble getting a good internet signal. Depending on where you are. You will need to look at a hotspot type situation or cellular. And that can be problematic, especially if there is a need to have a particular speed for classes etc.

 

[Kitty 34]

My big question, Slo, to you is why the need to actually buy a trailer. If it's close to her college I'm sure they have rental trailers, right? And if it's in the Fort Wayne, IN area, I would honestly be concerned with weather situations. Sorry

 

[kymom99]

Not sure what PT is but I doubt your daughter is the only college student at this university who has this issue. I would first have her talk with someone in the admininstration to understand the available options. I doubt colleges expect their students to be buying houses in order to go there.

Physical therapy was my assumption.

 

[lifesavacation]

As far as depreciation, Airstreams hold their value pretty good. I could see a college student living in one and thinking it was pretty cool. My sister just bought one. She wanted an RV that would not be an eyesore in the driveway. They are super expensive, though.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Thanks Dan - we thought so too.
Definitely seems nicer than an apartment.

I appreciate your post.
I just don’t want silly, sarcastic weather comments.

NE Indiana - close to Ohio border.
The weather isn’t to drastic there.

Great questions - I’ll add them to my list of things to ask

She would be living there about 6-8 years.

Good thought - we did think of that so we may just buy it with no mortgage and then whatever we get for it when DD doesn’t need it anymore is better than nothing.

She’s still a freshman, but an old freshman. She missed the cutoff for kindergarten so she was 6 when she started.

With college dorms not livable during breaks and summer is why we’re considering this. She’s going to school for PT and she’s hoping to have an intership during the summers, so she will need somewhere to live.

All great things - I’ll add them to my list

We discussed this with her and she’s ok with that - she used to cut the lawn at home and shovel the driveway. Luckily she’s incredibly responsible so I’m not worried about any of that.

Most college kids who want to stay at school year round get apartment rentals, usually with a roommate. Solves all the listed problems, and pretty much puts the least work and cost on the college student...

 

[NotUrsula]

I lived in one for 8 years, and my mother continued to live there for another 10 years after that. It was an established park in a fairly rural area; mostly singles and families, not retirees.

The issue with the pipes is extremely important; even in the deep South where we lived, freezing pipes were an issue. A bigger issue for us was that we always had problems with hot water in winter, because we were on propane, and the vented door to the hot-water-heater compartment was on the exterior of the trailer. Like all trailer doors (more on that later) it was flimsy and poorly insulated, and strong wind invariably managed to take out the pilot light on the gas water heater. I vividly remember the endless number of times I had to go out in the pouring rain, dismount that door (it was on slip-joint hinges), remove the flame-guard, re-light the pilot, reattach the guard, and then remount the door, struggling with it in the wind; it usually took at least an hour, and often we just boiled water for baths for a couple of days until the weather cleared so it would be easier. I cannot imagine how nasty a chore like that would be in a place where snow and ice are common occurrences. (Water heater technology has improved since then, but be aware that trailers still usually put the non-electric utility access panels on the outside for safety.)

Here is another serious issue re: storms and tornadoes, and if you fail to make sure they are up to code, your home will be uninsurable: tie-down straps. These are steel straps that are anchored in the concrete pad and pass over the roof of the trailer to be anchored the same at the rear. You want to inspect them very carefully for stress cracks and/or corrosion in the anchors. Here is the Indiana structual code for mfrd housing. https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/INRC2020P1/appendix-e-manufactured-housing-used-as-dwellings

And back to the doors: One, never buy a mobile home with sliding glass doors. They ALWAYS get out of alignment when the home is transported, and are almost impossible to return to true; so you get leaks &/or a door that you can't open. They are also a huge energy leak in a structure that is already pricey to heat and cool for its size. Next is the security factor: mobile home doors normally open outward and tend to be rather flimsy, and all the locks in the world won't keep someone out if the door itself can be bent out with a crowbar. Pay very close attention to the strength of the door structures if you are proposing that a woman live alone in a mobile home.

If you don't build a porch-type roof over a mobile home, the roof will need to be re-coated every 2 years at minimum, and possibly more often if there is weather damage from ice, etc. Lots of people DIY this job for about $200, but if you hire someone it costs about $1K. In more rural locations there can also be issues with animals chewing through the floor insulation to try to find warm shelter; if the home is already on a pad, crawl underneath and check for signs of clawing or chewing.

 

[Southernmiss]

If your daughter is doing PT internships does that mean your expecting to move the home to new locations?

Our son did pharmacy internships in our state that rotated every month to new locations.

He was fortunate to be able to get some near his college apartment and some near our home so he was never needing to look for housing, but others were not as lucky.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Might it make more sense for you to buy a conventional home in the area, where you rent out the extra bedrooms and your DD manages the property for you? When I was in college, I knew a guy whose father did this. You wouldn't have the "cons" involved with a trailer, and could own it as long as she needed it (and probably sell with some appreciation).

 

[mjkacmom]

I’ve had kids in off campus houses and apartments, they loved having roommates. My 21 year old is living with 3 of her dpt cohorts in Boston, the program is pretty intense and they all study together after classes at the university (everyone in the program), but it’s super helpful to live with classmates for studying purposes, plus commuting to clinicals. My daughter is applying to summer ones here at home so plans to sublet her room. She pays $1000 a month and won’t be getting paid for clinicals.

 

[NYCgrrl]

As a investment long-term I don't think it's a good investment (in general I'm not sure they appreciate as-is, but maybe someone else could comment on that who has experience buying /selling them in and out of a trailer park) BUT if what you spend now is comparable to the rent you'd be paying for the next 3 or so years, and it's a case of getting more for your money (as in space, comfort, that sorta thing), then it could make sense.
Will you be able to sell it when she's done with it, or perhaps rent it to another college student? Might be able to recoop your costs a bit if you are feeling like being a landlord.

Unfortunately, the average TT/ 5th wheel depreciates the minute you drive it off the lot same as a car.
Go thru the underside of the RV and seal up holes to lower heating or cooling costs and as rodent control.

 

[PezRuth]

Might it make more sense for you to buy a conventional home in the area, where you rent out the extra bedrooms and your DD manages the property for you? When I was in college, I knew a guy whose father did this. You wouldn't have the "cons" involved with a trailer, and could own it as long as she needed it (and probably sell with some appreciation).

This would be my suggestion if possible.

 

[loves to dive]

I've lived in more than one mobile home. One in Macon, GA when I was a child and one in Athens, Ga after my divorce and I had a toddler.

Those comparing mobile homes to RVs, they don't. We own a fifth wheel and there is a world of difference in the build quality and weather related issues between the two. The one I lived in in Macon was in a park, families mostly. We had no weather related issues and it even snowed one year (the year Kennedy was killed on the day he was killed) and even with that extreme cold we had no problems. The one I lived in with my son was just on someone's private property, he lived in one and rented out 3 more. Again, no weather related issues either heating or cooling. He did have it under pined so I'm sure that helped. I can't say I ever heard the rain, I do in the RV. I also feel the wind in the RV and didn't in the mobile home. Now days they are built a little better than they were back in the 60s and 80s and some are very spacious, certainly bigger than duplexes or apartments I've lived in.

I would just do the math as far as rent vs mortgage and do a little research on lot rental, whether you have to under pin it there, what are the utilities, etc. I live in a college town (go Dawgs) and there are a number of smaller parks here that cater to college students. My son actually lived in one on private property with 2 other guys when he was in college (again Go Dawgs).

 

[Moliphino]

Go thru the underside of the RV and seal up holes to lower heating or cooling costs and as rodent control.

That reminds me! For a while at work, due to space issues, I was working in a temporary trailer behind one of our buildings. Some sort of critter must have gotten in and died in the walls or similar and the whole thing reeked of dead animal. It was horrendous.
I had flashbacks recently when I got a new air freshener in my car. Took me a while to figure out why the innocuous laundry smell was reminding me of death - my coworker had bought a bunch of Target air fresheners to try to cover the smell and this was the scent.

 

[slo]

Thank you for EVERYONE’S continued replies - they are ALL very helpful. You are giving us lots to think about

 

[mrodgers]

Not sure where your DD is going to school, but my only concern would be high and low temps.

DH and I have a travel trailer which could have similiar issues to a mobile home. In prolonged below freezing temps, you have to be careful that the fresh water pipes don't freeze and the home could be drafty in spots. When it's really hot, it maybe harder to keep the home cool because of the lack of insulation.

And yes, thunderstorms are terrifying.

My parents have a very old stick built home in the country, they get drafts and hot spots and frozen pipes because of the crummy insulation. And a bunch of their neighbors live in mobile homes and suffer from the same issues.

I've been in 2. First was when we first got married. 2nd one is now that I'm forced to live in after divorce.

It cost me by myself about the same to heat in western PA (oil heat) as it did to heat our very small but well insulated by me in 2006 ranch house (1007 sq foot plus basement vs. 995 sq ft single wide no basement.)

Summer is very difficult to cool, but I don't think from construction. It's an ancient AC unit hacked into the furnace system. The entire system is outside and comes in below the kitchen where it splits to the outside walls into the living room and down the center through the bedrooms and bathroom. My issue is unique with this setup as all the cold air backfeeds through the furnace so the furnace closet is like a meat locker while the rest of the home is hot.

I skipped Christmas this year because I was laying half hanging out in the snow in -5° all day Christmas eve and Christmas redoing my heat tape and insulation because we had a power outage on Friday and there is no way to keep pipes from freezing during a winter power outage.

It is great and cheap (or use to be cheap) for temporary housing and much better than renting an apartment when starting life out. Not so great if you don't have a choice but to live the rest of your life in.

Note, the first one we were in was 1 year old (1995 bought in 1996) and they didn't live in it before selling. What I'm in now is 1976 and vastly different. Actually built better in the 70's than the 80's and 90's. Better aesthetics for the 90's and newer, but they were more solid in the 70's.

 

[mrodgers]

One huge con is that you likely won't get your investment back, as a mobile home/trailer is a depreciating asset. Depending on whether you pay outright for it, you may owe more when she graduates than it's worth.

In a few years during college, yeah, not getting any money back. Compared to decades, paid $19,000 for our 1995 brand new. Can't touch the same thing in the 2020's for under $35,000 where I am. The higher housing prices go, the mobiles follow along as more people can't afford a house any more. They obviously don't appreciate high like a house, but they are not depreciating in today's world of economic turmoil.

As much as I hate it, I would still chose a mobile home over renting.

 

[mrodgers]

One more thing to note. With everyone mentioning RV's and travel trailers. Those are not mobile homes and nothing about an RV translates to a mobile home. Completely different. Not difficult to heat or cool if you have decent HVAC. It's no different than a house while an RV is not being heated with a regular house furnace or regular standard whole house AC unit.

 

[barkley]

i almost did this type of housing in college (travel trailer). ultimatly i opted not to b/c as a student who also worked part-time i needed to be in a living situation wherein if anything arose needing repairs i had to be able to call upon someone to take care of it. i could not stay home from school or work and wait for a plumber/electrician....to show up vs. calling a landlord and (at least in apartment situations) having their staff be able to access my place and take care of it.

In addition to the extreme temperature concerns. The other issue that pops up is internet access. A lot of trailers, or/mobile homes have trouble getting a good internet signal. Depending on where you are. You will need to look at a hotspot type situation or cellular. And that can be problematic, especially if there is a need to have a particular speed for classes etc.

i highly recommend starlink-they have a specific mobile set up for rv's and travel trailers.