We have interest in buying a mobile home, or a manufactured home, and live in a mobile home park permanently. The homes we have looked at are very nice as are the various parks. Can anyone give me their opinion on what to look for in a home or a park? What should we ask before we move in to a park? Is there a particular manufacturer of these homes that are better quality that others? Thanks for all your help.
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We live in a new manufactured home and it is very nice. We did choose the park option as it was what we could afford at the time with our new and growing family. I wish we had just went ahead and purchased land to place our home upon. We not only have to pay a mortgage, but also the rent for the rather small lot, and all the utilities, too (sewer, water, garbage, power, lawn maintenance, snow removal, etc). Plus whatever improvements we make to the land belong to them, not us.
If this is not a worry for you, then a park is a great place. The people near us seem to be older in age and can be very quiet. Every spring the park puts a construction dumpster somewhere in the park to aid in spring cleanup. Neighborhood Watch is built in, and the streets are fairly well cared for.
Ask LOTS of questions of the park before you commit. Our park gave out a handbook with rules and things that answered most of our questions. See if the management is done personal, or through a rental management company. Find out what kind of lawn upkeep is required and what kind of rules there are about cars and parking. ANYTHING you have a question about should be asked beforehand.
As to the brand of home, we have a Fleetwood. We really like it and have had only 1 minor problem that was quickly covered by the warrenty. And they are well built! We like to tell people that our house went down the road at 70 miles per hour so it's pretty sturdy! LOL! Also, when they are made, they are completed to the code requirements in your area if you buy new. Also, if you buy a new home, you will get to choose the colors in the home - carpet, lino, walls, etc.
Good Luck!
We did not like the park scene. At first it was alright, but, then it got too noisy. It reminded me of living in an apartment building, with all the people, and being close, and noisy kids. So, we found some land to move our mobile home to. And within 2 years had the land paid off. It is so nice and private. I love it.
Mike,
If you plan on living in a park and rent the land do yourself a big favor by only renting your place. If you can, please buy your land and then put a place on it. I live in Ft. Myers Florida and I can tell you horror stories about people who bought their place and after having it on rented property for a few years they were told that the property was sold and that they would have to move.
PS MIKE When considering a park, visit it at different times of the day. Morning, afternoon and especially late in the evening. See if it fits your lifestyle. PeggyLee
WOW! I did a double take to see where you live. I am a sales representative for manufactured homes and was hoping you lived close by but no such luck! Ha! Ha! We sell Holly Parks and they are top notch manufacturers. Fleetwoods are good too. Some of the features Holly Parks offers are (and these are all standard)--detachable hitch, middle zone construction with 6" side and endwalls, the 14 ft. wide have 2 x 6 floor joists with 16" on center and the 16 ft. wide have 2 x 8 floor joists also 16" on center, Master water shut-off valve (you really want this even if your dealer charges extra for it), Individual water shut-off valves on lavatories, sinks and commodes, Side located roller guides on bank of drawers, 100 AMP electrical service is standard--I suggest you upgrade that to 200 AMP, they come with R-19 insulation in the floor, side and endwalls and also the roof.
Here in Middle Georgia I know you can buy a land/home package. You get to choose where you want it (check out subdivisions) and then they finance the cost of the trailer with the price of land. Most trailer places like to do this because if they get someone who won't pay, they can kick the person out and resell the place without having to move it.
I live in Florida, and I had a friend who used her savings to buy a mobile home. At least she thought she had bought it. She did not read the contract carefully. The small print said that she had bought the right to live in the mobile home for as long as she wanted, but if she decided to move, the home returned to the park owner. She had given the owner enough money to pay off the home too, but he didn't use it to pay the home off. This was an attractive, well maintained park in Largo, Florida so I would beware before signing any contracts and have a lawyer or real estate agent look it over prior to signing.
Hi Mike,
I have lived in two mobile homes and now own a manufactured home which we have had for 8 years. If you are looking at used homes, ask to see all maintenance records such as when was the roof last sealed, new heater put in, etc. Not only will you know those facts but you will know about the seller, if they have taken good care of the place, etc.
Look at ceilings (esp. in closets) for signs of water damage and also check all windowsills for the same. Check floors for soft spots. Ask about if they have done any special care to prep the home for different seasons.
I have liked every home I've been in, but two of them we remodeled a bit to suit us. I must say that remodeling can be difficult because mobile and manufactured homes are made a little differently than stick-built homes--for example, doors tend to be smaller and are hard to replace and the pipes are different sometimes, too.
Well. We live in Canada and we just purchased a brand new mobile/trailer style manufactured home. I can't tell you too much about it because we dont' move in til next week. But.........
We purchased the option to have cement pilings underneath (to replace the wooden blocks) We chose this because it is more secure and you dont' have to worry about levelling off your trailer all the time because it reduces the shifting. This also allowed us to a cheaper house insurance rate (half of what it normally would have been) because since it's anchored, it falls under the house category instead of being just a "trailer"
Another bonus I really appreciated is the fact that everything is brand new and it comes with 5 brand new appliances. PLUS in the subdivision we are in, we don't pay lot rent - we own the land so we pay taxes like everyone else!
Goodluck!
We live in a family mobile home park and are under rent control, but every July the rent goes up about $7 so the 7 years we have been here it is $49 more a month for space rent! If we were not under rent control I cannot imagine how much more it could tally up over the years.
Want to find out if we can come to the factory to order a new Holly park mobile home?
We just bought a manufactured home built in 1975. One thing I would suggest is NOT living in a park, because of hassles with lot rent, etc. Also, you'll have a skirted foundation in a park, which can create all sorts of problems (animals doing their business under your home, the home being less stable, etc.)
We chose instead to buy a double-wide on a permanent foundation. It's in a friendly small town, and we bought the lot as well as the home. So we have no park fees, more land (even a privacy fence!), and a better home for a lower price.
Nice thing about the older mobile homes is that I've found they have more closet space than the newer ones. Our home has TWO walk-in closets! We dealt with a Realtor to find this home, so we had no hassles whatsoever. :-)
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