Buying a mobile home involves more than just choosing one and making an appointment with a loan officer. You’ll want to plan ahead and know what to look for.
Because mobile homes can lose value and are vulnerable to weather damage, it’s wise to inspect the mobile home you’re interested in before purchasing. You can do it with an appraiser, but you can also bring someone who knows a mobile home or has lived in one before.
Consider the age of the mobile home. If it’s very old, you’ll need to look for damage to the ceiling, floor, walls, and windows from normal wear and tear, weather, or flooding.
Look at the ceiling. Needs to be replaced? Does it offer an overhang? Is there an attached porch in the front or back? How does it look? Are there brown stains on the ceiling? This indicates leaks. Are the walls bowed or warped? This indicates swelling of moisture and moisture between the walls caused by rainwater seeping inside. Look under the trailer and inspect the ducts and pipes, as well as the floors for flood damage.
Let’s say you find a nice used trailer to buy that doesn’t require repair, or a new one ready to move into. You will need a place to put it. Are you going to buy a piece of land to put it on? Rent a lot? Move it to a trailer park?
You can buy a quality mobile home, one that can rival any home in appearance. You just need to do a little preparation before buying. Talk to a few people who have bought or lived in them. You will find that there are advantages and disadvantages.
The advantages are that they are cheap, easy to relocate, and cheaper to maintain. The downsides are that there are pesky restrictions, they depreciate if not set for permanence, and they are vulnerable to weather damage such as tornadoes, torrential rains, and flooding.
If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly, slower country pace, whether solo in a private garden or in a communal mobile home park setting, why not consider converting a mobile home into a permanent home?
Imagine having a backyard deck or pool, having neighborhood barbecues, or even growing your own garden. You can realize your dream of owning your own home, and it doesn’t have to be as expensive as you once thought.