Great looking single wide in Asheville, NC.
Buying a used mobile home is no easy task. Mobile homes don’t have huge websites like Zillow that analyzes every home purchase and calculates value versus worth for each zip code like site-built home buyers have.
Used mobile home buyers have to rely on a much smaller network of resources and a combination of knowledge and inspection skills to ensure we buy a good used mobile home. And after reading this article you will have a better idea of what to look for in a used mobile home (and what to watch out for).
A manufactured home that is 5-10 years old can be a great buy. A home that is between 10-40 years old can be an even better buy assuming it was well-maintained and can be moved or sits on its own land.
Unfortunately, some really awesome older mobile homes cannot be moved into some places. Many parks won’t allow you to bring in a home that is 5 or 10 years old. Many towns don’t allow single wides of any age to be placed within their city limits. You’ll need to research the rules that apply to your particular situation.
If you are buying a used mobile home and the land it sits on, you will attack the situation just as you would if you were buying a site built home. When a mobile or manufactured home is permanently attached to its own property it’s typically categorized as real property.
Note that if you are using government backed loans (FHA or VA) you will want to stick to manufactured homes that they accept in the program (usually 10 years old or less). You’re still buying a used mobile home (well, manufactured home but I can’t write mobile or manufactured home every time) and you’ll still want to use the tips we give below to find the best home for you and your family.
Once you know what kind of home is acceptable to your situation or legal in your neck of the woods you’ll want to do some soul-searching and figure out what you need in a home.
Do you need a lot of house or just a little? Do you prefer a single wide with a kitchen on the end or a double wide with the kitchen in the middle?
Or, are you retired or single and just need a cheap, but nice, home that allows you to travel the world with all the money you save not paying an expensive mortgage?
Are you a DIY junkie that just can’t get enough sawdust or someone that would rather not play with dangerous power tools?
Once you understand what you need in a home it’s time to learn about the construction and how to inspect the home.
Thanks to the internet, buying a used mobile home without land is much easier than it used to be. Search Craigslist, local trading papers, newspaper classifieds, local real estate channels, internet classifieds or even Ebay for local or regional used mobile homes.
To buy a used mobile home on land you will do the same as above but you may be able to hire a real estate agent. Just make sure they are knowledgeable about factory built housing.
Read our editorial, Manufactured Housing Discrimination is Everywhere here.
First impressions will be one of your most powerful tools when buying a used mobile home.
You can usually tell if the home has been properly cared for and maintained by appearance alone. Homeowners that have kept their home neat and tidy are more likely to stay up to date on maintenance. If you see that the home wasn’t well cared for you’ll need to be extra cautious.
The two most important things to look for when buying a used mobile home is water damage and wiring issues. These are the two things that will be most difficult to repair or correct.
You can easily replace a light fixture or update the stove or floor covering but water and electricity require professionals and professionals are expensive.
Electricity is one of those things you just don’t play with. So if the home is older than 1976 it should have already been re-wired and a new breaker box put in place. If not, you will need to re-wire the home and have an inspection done to ensure everything is safe.
If the home should have been rewired years ago but wasn’t you may want to consider moving on to another home. Look at like this, if the seller didn’t have enough money or care enough to replace outdated or unsafe wiring that could burn their home down what else didn’t they do?
You should know that from the late 1960’s to around 1973 a lot of mobile home builders used aluminum wiring. Technically, the aluminum wire itself isn’t the problem but the connectors they used to combine the wires are a huge fire hazard so no aluminum wiring in a mobile home of any age.
HUD standards did not take effect until mid-1976 but you still need to check out the breaker box for ample, organized circuitry and check all the wall switches. Everything should work and GFCI switches should be utilized at all water sources. Read how one homeowner learned about the danger of her Federal Pacific breaker box here.
Plug into every outlet to make sure it works or use a tester. Seriously, wiring is no joke – test it.
You need to be a super sleuth when it comes to water in a mobile home . Look everywhere!
Thoroughly inspect around every water source and look above and around windows and doors and walls for signs of water. Water is always a mobile home’s biggest enemy.
Look for leaks at all water sources: sinks, tubs, toilets, dishwashers, washing machines, and showers.
Inspect the water heater and the floor and walls around the water heater. Flush the toilets while running water, look for pressure loss.
Look under the home for signs of water damage or leaks. Wet insulation is usually a sign of a leak.
Bathroom floors are the most commonly damaged and replaced areas in mobile homes.
Believe it or not, several manufactured home builders installed carpet in the bathrooms. Yep, I’m serious! Homeowners could have a seriously water damaged floor in their bathroom and never even know it till the floor fell in.
Be sure to lift the floor covering and check for mold, bowed and sagging subflooring, and wet spots in and around the tub and toilet, especially.
Personally, I would never buy a used mobile home unless I could visually inspect the bathroom and kitchen floors so if the sellers have a problem with you lifting the floor covering I would walk away, quickly.
Related: Manufactured Home Safety Inspection Checklist
If the kitchen cabinets or interior doors won’t stay closed without help, you may be in a home that is un-level.
An unlevel mobile home puts stress on the home’s joints and can cause leaks, squeaks, and other things you don’t want to deal with. Most mobile and manufactured homeowners don’t realize just how important it is to keep a home level. Soil settles and the earth shifts during freezing and thawing, so a mobile home needs to be checked at least every other summer to make sure everything is level.
Related: The Directory of Mobile Home Manuals can help you learn more about mobile homes.
By looking for certain issues under the home you can save yourself a lot of issues in the future.
Look at all the piers. Each and every pier should be supporting a beam. If you see space between the beam and the top of the pier, the home could be stressed and compromised.
While you’re under the mobile home, inspect the plastic sheeting, or underbelly, for tears or holes. The plastic sheet under a mobile home is more important than most people realize. It acts as a vapor barrier, insulator, and protection for the home.
Used mobile homes should have good insulation and a healthy underbelly! If the owners didn’t maintain or properly care for the underbelly they probably didn’t care for the roof or the flooring either.
If the roof is not properly maintained, the entire home can suffer damage.
Each type of roof have their own issues:
Flat roofs need to be sealed on a regular schedule. Some professionals advise new coating be applied every two years,
If you end up purchasing a used mobile home with a flat roof, you will need to seal it immediately after the move. The trip will cause the sealant to break bond.
Related: This website has some great tips about buying a used mobile home here.
Metal roofing should be dent free and trimmed properly. All seams should be water tight and sealant used around all cuts. A wider eave is never a bad thing. Insulation should be placed under the metal panels.
Shingled roofs require re-roofing every 15-30 years. Check that all shingles are in place and all angles and cuts are water tight.
Depending on your location, your used mobile home will have to pass several codes before you can occupy it. Inspections for transportation, structural design, electrical, plumbing, foundation, and several others may be required. Naturally, you want a home that will pass theses inspections.
This is where it pays to spend a couple hundred dollars and have a professional manufactured home inspector come in and inspect the home. They should not be affiliated with the seller at all. Spending $200-400 dollars at this point is a lot better than learning about a leak on the left corner eave and needing a $5,000 repair a year later.
Learn more about mobile home inspections here.
The market for buying used mobile and manufactured homes without land is a lot different than the real estate market for site-built homes. A site built homebuyer can easily learn what their home should be valued at and a seller can learn what the home is worth.
The used mobile home market doesn’t have all that but we do have two companies that are now offering manufactured home appraisals online, NADA and MHVillage. Punch in some data, give them $25-30 and get a decent appraisal on the home you are considering.
Of course, if you are buying a used mobile home with land you’ll go through the same or similar steps as a site built home buyer.
The information in this article should get you comfortable enough to at least narrow your choices down for a used mobile home.
We also wrote an article with 15 Tips For Buying A New Manufactured Home. It has some good points for both new and used mobile home purchases.
Related: Guide to Buying Foreclosed Manufactured Homes
With the right knowledge and research, you can find a solid and affordable used mobile home that meets your needs.
Living in a used mobile home is a great way to save money and still live comfortably. It gave my family a chance to catch our breath and save money while still living in a stylish home.
If you have anything to add, please let us know in the comments. I can update the list, and we will be able to help more people that are buying a used mobile home.
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View Comments
Do u have to have permission from a land Lord to buy a used manufactured home in a MHP? I bought one in Ca and can not pay the space rent for it, land lord she can't accept the space rent. What next?
Hi Jeanie,
In almost every case you will need to get a preapproval from the park before buying or selling a home. I had one couple tell me they paid cash for an older single wide in a park but wasn't allowed to take possession of it because the seller didn't give the park first dibs on buying it. There are some tricky contracts in some parks.
Best of luck!
Hi Crystal,
Thank you a million times for your article! I am going to retire soon and live on a very strict budget.
I have been in contact with MHVillage regarding buying the land lot with a MH on it. I only have $75,000 to pay for both the lot and MH. If I pay in cash, can I receive a discount on the purchase? Is there anything more I need to know about this major investment?
Many thanks!
Hi Jami,
You should be able to negotiate quite a bit with cash money! Sellers love that! Just make sure you don't rush and inspect every inch of the homes - you want to good bones, no water damage, and well-maintained. Then when you think you have found 'the one' hire an inspector for a few hundred dollars.
Best of luck!
Your information on buying a Mobile home is very helpful. I want to know how do you find out information on the Park where the home is ?
Hi Suzanne,
The best way to find out about a park is to knock on doors. I'd also check the Better Business Bureau, Facebook or Yelp reviews, and any posts on local websites like Topix. People are very vocal when they have been wronged. I know safety is a big issue with something like this so please take along a friend and tell the homeowners exactly why you are there in the first few sentences. Something like, "I'm thinking about buying a home in this park, what do you like about the park?" Ask about the positives first so you can establish a quick bond that will put them at ease a little and they will likely be more truthful when you ask about the negatives.
Best of luck!
I wish I had found this article before i had purchased my single wide 14 x 70 foot 1984 trailer on a lot... I was a little desperate to move out from under my father in laws house and wanting to not pay a lot in rent. Already we have to call someone in to look at the furnace and we havent even moved in yet. The old owners of course claim that the heater worked fine when they moved out and perhaps this is true... I did look carefuly for water damage and a little under the trailer but i am not any expert.. every thing appear clean and the park has some fairly strict rules about upkeep... I paid cash and will move in soon...The way I see it in two years i will have paid just as much in rent and i will still own something, Hopefully I can sell it and put a down payment on something newer with land,
Hi Marnie,
Our furnace needed a fuse replacement in the unit, and it was only a few dollars to replace. Yours could be a small issue, too. I've heard blowers go out a lot and those will cost a couple hundred or so. Don't lose hope!
thank you for that helpful information, knowledge and being informed is a great help and I will do my due diligence before purchasing one , thanks
Hello, I am looking into buying a used home at a mobile home park. I am curious as to what a typical buying process looks like and what important details I need to know about the home before handing over my money. Will I receive a title like one would when buying a car? How do I go about changing the Home title to my name. Do I get the title, change it to my name and then pay once I know it’s mine? What about tax history? The Home I am looking at buying is by owner not the park, they do want cash payment instead of a certified check. I just want to know what to do to ensure a safe transaction. I don’t want to get scammed out of $13,000. Thank you.
Hi Lin,
The answer to all your questions depend on your state but here are the basic things you need to do:
First and foremost, please have an inspector inspect the home before you do anything.
1. Make sure there are no liens or other legal obligations tied to the home.
2. Make sure the park accepts the transaction. Many will charge a fee for ownership transfer.
3. Make sure the person selling the home is the person you are giving the money to (title).
4. I don't like the idea of cash transactions. This is likely illegal because it is over 10k plus you want to establish a thorough paper trail during this whole process.
Click here and you will be taken to a site that has all the title forms you may need for every state. The forms themselves will give you an idea of what your state requires in title transfers.
Best of luck!
Considering purchasing a mobile home in Central Florida. Looking at costs aside from the purchase price (which I can pay upfront) such as lot rent, utilities, insurance, etc. Ironically the mobile home is a few blocks from my apartment near shopping and my part time job. Want to carefully consider all.
Hi MiaMama!
You and I are in the same boat! It's a huge decision that shouldn't be rushed. Definitely, investigate the park. Talk to the tenants because if the park is bad the home and the entire situation will be, too.
Best of luck! If there's anything I can help with just reply to the comments.
I had no idea that bathroom floors are the most common damages areas in mobile homes, nor did I know that they came installed with carpets! A friend of mine is considering moving into a mobile home, so I'm trying to help him gather as much information about them as I can. Thanks for the information! Now I have a better idea as to what to look for in a mobile home.
https://homenation.com/
We purchased 4 acres in the middle of nowhere in north Florida in 2015. In the middle of this lot a 1973 trailer from hell loomed under the trees. We knew nothing about mobile homes, but it had a well, septic, an electrical pole, and a pretty decent kitchen. We did not look under it, but the kitchen floor sagged, and the smallest bedroom window leaked. After asking around, we found a contractor willing to restore it for weekend use. He and I put our heads together and planned our 20,000 dollar renovation. He fixed the roof, windows, floors. 2 decks, all interior doors, ceilings, walls, totally new bath, electrical, and paint. It was a monumental undertaking! Some said I could buy new for that amount of money, but with new permits and county fees, I would have probably ended up with a toaster instead of the 768 square feet I love. I love that it is a retreat from the city whenever we want. Also, I cringed when Irma came through here a month ago, but she still stands! There was no water anywhere in the trailer. Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith and just do it. God blessed us with this gift.
Hi Lynda,
We want to see it!!!! I would love to share your story - could you please email me at crystaladkins@mobilehomeliving.org.
Hope to hear from you soon!
I am having a hard time deciding what to do. I have lived in my mobile home for 4 years and will be paid off in about 5 I am getting ready to pay towards the principle. I want to move it because the property mgmt keeps going up on the price of the land. My dilemma is do I walk away and purchase a new one on my own property or pay off and then buy land and move it. I want to have it paid before I retire. I still diddle with the idea of purchasing a site townhouse where I don't have to worry about lawn maintenance etc. which would be closer to my job. Need to decide.
Hi Linda,
You are definitely in a tough spot! If the home is nice and well maintained and you can find a small piece of property to buy that would be nice. You will have all the prep and grading and utility installs and home movers and installers to pay in addition to the land. A brand new home would be great but they aren't cheap. You will have land and upkeep on the home versus the townhouse but you'll likely have HOA fees on a townhome. Could you maybe sell the home you have now and use that money to pay on the new home or townhouse?
Sometimes, manufactured housing isn't the best choice for a family. I can't tell you what to do but when I have a tough decision to make I always make a chart and put the good on one side and the bad on the other. It helps to put things into perspective.
Best of luck! Let me know what you end up doing.