Who can tell me about mobile homes?

[happily single]

I don't go into grisly detail, but yet another home I was purchasing fell through. Unfortunately, beleive it or not, choices are slim here. We've found several mobile homes in a well kept park. The homes are small but appear well kept; however, both are 36 years old

Can anyone tell me about living in a mobile home? Things I should be aware of, things to consider. I know that I would have to park a rental fee for the land, but what else?

Thanks.

 

[Belle0101]

I've always heard that the resale value is very low.

I think you have to be more careful of the water pipes in the winter too. It seems they have the potential to freeze more often than in a brick and morter home.

I've a cousin that rents in a mobile park home and pets are a concern. The manager has to approve all pets.

I hope that helps some.

 

[browneyes106]

My family lived in a double wide mobile home for about 20 years before my parents bought a prefab/modular home. Mobile homes are hard to keep warm at times because the walls are thin. Dents to the exterior can cause problems. The mobile home we lived in didn't have too many problems. We had to replace the windows a few times and we replaced the skirting at least once.

We owned the land were the trailer was set up so we didn't have rental/park fees.

 

[almburr]

They attract tornados!

 

[monkeyboy]

We prefer to call them Manufactured homes

 

[bookgirl]

We call them Tornado Bait around here.

 

[Starbrite]

I think you're safe from much tornado activity in RI.


What do you want to know?

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

Make sure they have water shutoffs under the sinks. Check around the walls near the bathroom for mold. Oh and make sure the walls dont have a slick texture or you will never be able to get paint to stick. Ours was nice, windows leaked a little cold air in the winter and we got a mouse in the heating vent once but we liked living there. If you have pets check on the rules on them, we almost got kicked off our lot because our cat was 23 pounds (no pets over 20)

 

[GingerJay]

I don't know if you're paying cash to not, but you'll probably not be able to get conventional financing with a mobile home on a rental lot- it would be considered personal property and you would have to pay a much higher interest rate

 

[Colleen27]

As a previous poster mentioned, the pipes are more apt to freeze than in a site-built home because the skirting around a mobile home doesn't provide as much insulation and shelter as a foundation.

Older homes tend to be very drafty, just like site-built homes but to a greater degree because mobile homes aren't held to the same standards as conventional buildings. The walls are thin and usually panelling/wallboard rather than plaster or drywall, it is hit or miss as to how well insulated it might be, and the windows are more difficult to replace than in a site-built home. And they get H-O-T in the summer, even in the north, because they're essentially a big tin can sitting in the sun. The older they are the more there is to worry about, just like a house, and deferred maintanence tends to be more of an issue because so many people view them as transitional housing rather than a long term residence/asset.

They tend to depreciate like cars or other vehicles, rather than appreciating like a traditional house, and getting financing can be very difficult (and come with personal loan type rates, not the lower rates offered on traditional mortgages).

I'd steer clear of being in a mobile home park, but that's just me. When it comes to your yard/lot, a mobile home community is just like an apartment - your yard isn't yours. Expect rules about pets, landscaping/gardens, children's playthings, and everything else about your outdoor space. DD's best friend lives in a mobile home community, and there are a lot of rules - they can only have two parking permits per address so their teen boys have to leave their car at a friend's house, they aren't allowed anything in the yard that isn't put away overnight (no swingsets, sandbox, gazebo/canopy, and even their BBQ has to be in the shed between uses), can't grow a vegetable garden or hang laundry, can't have dogs or outdoor cats, etc.

Personally, it seems to me to have all the downsides of ownership without the perks - you're responsible for maintanence and all utilities, as you would be with a house, but you aren't building equity and you don't have the freedom of ownership of your lot. And you're still paying rent to a landlord, on top of a monthly payment on a depreciating asset. It can be a better option than being stuck in an apartment long-term, especially if the price is right, but it isn't really ownership either.

 

[tonilea]

Just walk away. We bought one in the late eighties - new. If I knew then, what I know now - we would have never, ever done it. I blame youth and stupidity. It is nigh impossible to get anyone to quality repair work... and you will have significant repair work.

 

[luvsJack]

I lived in a double wide that we bought new for 11 years until it burnt. Before that a tiny single wide that was very, very old.

The double wide burnt. We didn't lose our clothing or most of our belongings because of ds's quick thinking but the fireman told me something that made me rethink replacing it with another one. He said that a double wide will normally burn to the ground in 12 minutes. It took them 12 minutes to get there. Older ds and dil had an old single wide that burnt. It was a massive hot fire in a matter of seconds and they lost everything they had. They just burn really easy--something to do with being off the ground, I guess.

Water pipes do freeze easier. We wrapped the pipes every winter for this reason and had to let water drip all night if the temps got below freezing. (which woud be a lot for you, I am guessing).

Old trailers have a tendency to leak air around the door and windows making them really hard to keep warm and sometimes it can seem like its coming through the walls.

I was lucky in that my dad could repair most anything so all the repairs on the trailer were done by him. I don't regret having either trailer, but I don't think I could go back to living in one either.

 

[happily single]

Thanks for all the replies. I have decided to pass. It seemed like an option, but just not an option for me.

I did know that most banks wont finance manufactured homes, but if you ask me, any home that has wheels on it are MOBILE HOMES.

My grandmother lived in a beautiful, huge, I mean huge doublewide back in 2000, but that was brand new.

Something about living in a 36 year old tin can just wasn't that appealing to me.

Thanks again

 

[DVC-Don]

It's really hard to get insurance if it's more than 10 years old around here.

 

[kbsparky]

Many mobile home parks will not allow older trailers in them. Even if there are older ones already present, they wont allow other older houses to be moved in -- they are trying to get rid of them through attrition.

I would not recommend anyone buying one that is over 15 years old. They made `em with metal siding and roofs before then, literally making them a tin-box!

Newer mobile homes have well insulated walls, and are energy efficient. I can't say the same thing for those really older ones -- the studs in the walls were often ripped in half before construction to save on material costs!

 

[donaldduck352]

Thanks for all the replies. I have decided to pass. It seemed like an option, but just not an option for me.

I did know that most banks wont finance manufactured homes, but if you ask me, any home that has wheels on it are MOBILE HOMES.

My grandmother lived in a beautiful, huge, I mean huge doublewide back in 2000, but that was brand new.

Something about living in a 36 year old tin can just wasn't that appealing to me.

Thanks again

Good thing.Like all other posters stated,older MH are money pits.I know,I own 3 of them and rent them out.But the income I take in doesn't cover the cost of repairing them.And I do my own work.

Another ave you can take is looking for a contract for deed home and land package.Sure the intrest will be higher,but at the end you will own both.

Also wanted to add,36yrs ago codes were not what they are today.Hire a inspector before buying.A few things to look for in older homes is asbestos in the insulatioun,lead in the old paint,lead pipeing in the plumbing and aluminem wiring to name a few..

 

[bumbershoot]

You've made your decision, but I wanted to reply earlier so I'll throw in my 2 cents.

I had a few friends while I lived in SC that had double-wides, and there's a wide variety. Some had absolutely junky ones, I couldn't believe how awful they were. Others had really nice, swanky ones. The only way you knew it wasn't a *house* was the slight movement if someone moved too fast down the hall (I don't think it was placed properly...it was a rental). Those had air conditioning, heating, nice windows, good walls, etc.


Also, my aunt lives in one, on the coast of FL. She owns it outright, and wants to move but cannot sell it. Why? Because it's OLD, and isn't up to code, so no one could get a loan for it. However, the new ones with all the codes up to date and everything, those are the ones she's seen ripped apart by the big storms, while hers has just gone through the storms right along with those, and lived to tell the tale. All that happens with hers is that the *extras* get battered...her porch, etc. The actual structure itself is perfect, even after something like 20 years. Now I've never seen her place, so I cannot tell you what it looks like, but she's been pleased with how it has held up (except for those times when she wishes it would just blow away so she could go somewhere else).

 

[donaldduck352]

You've made your decision, but I wanted to reply earlier so I'll throw in my 2 cents.

I had a few friends while I lived in SC that had double-wides, and there's a wide variety. Some had absolutely junky ones, I couldn't believe how awful they were. Others had really nice, swanky ones. The only way you knew it wasn't a *house* was the slight movement if someone moved too fast down the hall (I don't think it was placed properly...it was a rental). Those had air conditioning, heating, nice windows, good walls, etc.


Also, my aunt lives in one, on the coast of FL. She owns it outright, and wants to move but cannot sell it. Why? Because it's OLD, and isn't up to code, so no one could get a loan for it. However, the new ones with all the codes up to date and everything, those are the ones she's seen ripped apart by the big storms, while hers has just gone through the storms right along with those, and lived to tell the tale. All that happens with hers is that the *extras* get battered...her porch, etc. The actual structure itself is perfect, even after something like 20 years. Now I've never seen her place, so I cannot tell you what it looks like, but she's been pleased with how it has held up (except for those times when she wishes it would just blow away so she could go somewhere else).

I can agree with this.The 3 I rent are 20yrs+ old.They did withstand all the hurricanes back in '04 with no damage!!

Let me also add,if it wasn't for this horrible marcket,Iwould sell all 3 of them at cost.Bieng a landlord S@#$%!!!!!!!!!!

 

[goofyernmost]

I guess I can only express my own experience. Years ago, when I first got married we bought an older mobile home. We lived in it for around 3 years. It wasn't a Hilton Hotel but it was comfortable and served our purpose.

Even though it was supposed to depreciate in value, we sold it for slightly more than we paid for it and that afforded us a down payment for our first stick built home. That was the first of two homes that we owned over the next 26 years until we divorced.

I immediately bought a mobile home in a park that was about 15 years old. That was 10 years ago. I have done some upgrades, but they were for my benefit and not because I had too. The original appliances are still here and working fine, even the washer & dryer. I was fortunate that my lot was in the front of the park so when I look out my windows all I see is the main road and no other homes. It's like being alone. The park offers water and sewer and trash collection as part of the park rent. The streets are kept free of snow and I have enough lawn that I get to mow as if it were my own place. Since it isn't on owned property my taxes are personal property taxes that amount to around $280.00 a year instead of the $3000.00 I used to pay.

The pipes can possibly freeze, but that is fixed with a thermostatically controlled heat tape and in the past 10 years I haven't even looked at it. It just stays plugged in and it still works fine. It provides a very comfortable living area for me, a nice modern kitchen with a lot of cupboard space. A soaking tub & shower, carport and small front porch. In this day of declining home prices it stands a good chance of still being worth what I paid for it, plus.

Because of the lower cost to purchase it is paid for and my lot rent is only $360.00 per month. That leaves me plenty of money for my frequent trips to Florida, allows me to easily make the payments on my Cadillac and put money away for my retirement.

Frankly, I can find absolutely nothing wrong with mobile home ownership. High status? Probably not. Comfortable, affordable shelter that I am not ashamed to show anyone? Absolutely!

OP, in your case the only thing that I would be concerned with is the age of the home. 35 years is probably before they started to use 6 inch walls and something other than paneling on the walls. That is a very legitimate reason to be concerned due to the age, but not due to the fact that it is a mobile home or in a park.

 

[STLDisney_Freak]

We live in a mobile home in a doublewide. I like my house. It is close to my parents house. I live in a mobile home park. Yes there are rules, but that is what I like about it. It keeps the "trailer trash" out. People have to keep their yards clean and their houses looking good. When it is paid off, I don't plan on moving. I haven't had to do alot of repairs to my house. Normal upkeep like I would anywhere else. The only thing I do hate is the skirting which I plan on getting some insulated skirting eventually.