Mobile homes affect people in only two ways: you’re for them or dead set against them. Most peoples’ opinions about mobile home living come from seeing some of the run down trailer parks that straddle the highways wherever you travel in this country. One gets the image of a small, cramped living space with cheap plywood wall paneling set in a row of nearly identical mobile homes, cheap housing that loses its value in a short time. True trailer parks of that description do exist, but they are anachronisms. The new mobile homes of today and the new mobile home parks are designed for twenty-first century living of the first rank.

New mobile homes are an excellent choice for young newly married couples who can’t come up with a large enough down payment. It is possible to buy a new single wide mobile home for under $50,000, which is a far cry from the cost of an equivalently sized stick-built home. For that price you’ll expect to get three bedrooms, one full bath and one half bath, a nice kitchen, living room, and even a laundry room. These new models come nicely decorated and include curtains, a stove, and a refrigerator.

There is also the ongoing argument about depreciation and how much money you will lose when you decide to sell the mobile home. There is no question that mobile home values depreciate over time, but consider the level of investment made. A new mobile home can be financed for ten years and leave you with a monthly payment that will be less than what it would cost you to rent equivalent accommodations. In addition when you do decide to sell, you will get some of your investment returned. No matter how much you get, it will be significantly larger that the nothing you will receive when leaving a rental property. If you compare your mobile home investment with a 30-year mortgage on a stick-built home you’ll find that in ten years the mobile home will be paid for, but the principal on the stick built will have been reduced by less than one third.

Maintenance is another area where the mobile home owner can save money. Maintaining the siding and the roof are much easier and less expensive to than maintaining the equivalent components of a stick-built house. The roof is a perfect example. It can be re-tarred by the owner at much less cost than that incurred for replacing a shingled room on a stick built home, and he can access the roof from a small ladder.

That dreaded curse of devaluation can be a blessing at tax time. Property taxes are based on assessed value. As your mobile home depreciates, you taxes will decrease. Homeowner’s insurance may also be a place where you can save money.

One final consideration that can increase your return on investment is where your mobile home is situated: in a trailer park or one your own property. Many mobile home owners with their homes located on their own land see the appreciation in the land value exceeding the amount of depreciation on the mobile home, leaving them with a net gain in equity.

Whether you’re a newly married couple looking for a first home, or a retired couple looking for a vacation home or a new home in a warmer climate, seriously consider the economic benefits of selecting a mobile home.

Trailer homes are prefabricated homes built in factories, rather than on site like a normal home, and then taken to the place where they will be occupied and used. Many of these homes can then be moved later (so called mobile homes). Trailer homes are usually moved by tractor-trailers (hence the name) over public roads to sites that are usually in rural areas or high-density developments. In some countries, these homes are used for temporary accommodation on campsites since they are inexpensive. While trailer homes are usually placed in one location and left there, they do retain the ability to be moved on a trailer again if needed. Behind the cosmetic work fitted at installation to hide the base of the house in the ground, there are strong trailer frames, axles, wheels and tow-hitches that are also hidden.

The two main sizes for trailer homes are single-wides and double-wides. Single-wides are eighteen feet or less in width and 90 feet or less in length and can be towed to their site as a single unit. They are much smaller and easier to transport in the future. Double-wides are twenty feet or more wide and are 90 feet in length or less and are towed to their site in two separate units, which are then joined together. Sometimes there are even triple-wides and even homes with four, five, or more units that are built, although they are not very common.

Trailer homes also are different from site built homes in that it is not uncommon for owners to “Trade up”, like with a car. While site-built homes are rarely moved, mobile home owners often “trade”, or sell their home to a dealer in the form of the reduction of the purchase of a new home. These “used” homes are either re-sold to new owners or to trailer park operators who then rent them out. Single wides are more likely to be traded than double wides since removing them from the site is much easier.

Trailer homes are often thought of as the homes of rednecks, Katrina victims, and poor people in the south. We often think of “Trailer Park” trash when we think of trailer homes. However, people from all walks of life and all over the country live in trailer or mobile homes. They are a much more affordable means of housing than a traditional home. While it is true that most of the occupants are of lower income, it is because these homes are simply more affordable. they make better economic sense for people with low wage jobs who might not be able to afford a mortgage.

Yet trailer homes offer another benefit for people- they are cheaper to keep and help you get rid of consumerist lifestyle. Since trailer homes are smaller than regular homes, they cost less to heat and cool and can lead to lower utility costs saving money and helping to save the environment. Moreover, the small space ensures that you only have room for what you need. You can’t have as much stuff in a trailer home so you are a less of a consumer. That’s a good thing in my opinion.

There are many different types of mobile and trailer homes on the market and many things you need to consider when buying a trailer homes. Make sure you do your research when looking for a mobile or trailer home so you don’t end up with one of those FEMA trailers! It’s important to consider everything before you purchase a home and I hope this website helps!