| Facts About Trailer Homes

Trailer homes or mobile homes come in all shapes and sizes. Some are meant to be moved around (hence the word trailer) while others like modular homes are just stay in one place. Modular homes are simply prefabricated homes that can be built really easily and much more cheaply than conventional homes. Trailer homes are similar but can be moved around more.

There are two major sizes for trailer homes: single-wide 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. Double-wides are twenty feet or more wide and are 90 feet in length or less and are towed to their site in two parts and then put together on site. Then there are even big homes that can be built, though they rarely are. This does not happen a lot and only under expensive circumstances.

While homes like modular homes aren’t often moved, trailer home owners often “trade”, or sell their home to a dealer in the form of the reduction of the purchase of a new home. Sometimes when people move, they transport their home with them as it could be cheaper than buying a new trailer home. These “used” homes are either re-sold to new owners, or to park owners who use them as inexpensive rental units.

The trailer home form of housing goes back to the early years of cars and motorized highway travel. It was derived from the travel trailer, a small unit with wheels attached, that were often used for camping. Larger units intended to be used as dwellings for several months or more in one location came to be known as house trailers.

In the beginning, these homes were initially marketed primarily to people whose lifestyle required them to be on the move. However, in the 1950s, the homes began to be marketed as an inexpensive form of housing designed to be set up and left in a location for long periods of time. During the 60s and 70s, the homes were made even longer and wider, which made them more likely to be kept in one location and not moved around. They became less mobile and more like regular homes. Nowadays, when a factory-built home is moved to a location, it is usually kept there. Mobility of trailer homes as greatly decreased over the years and very few real “trailer” homes exist.

Many people who could not afford a traditional homes or did not want to commit to spending a large sum of money on housing began to see trailer homes as a great alternative. The units were often marketed as an alternative to apartment rental.

However, financing for manufactured homes can be very difficult to arrange. Most banks won’t finance manufactured homes if there is no land included. But there are many companies that specialize in financing just mobile and trailer homes and can meet the needs of owners that don’t have land. The United States Department of Agriculture has rural development guaranteed loan and direct loan programs for low-income individuals living in small towns and rural areas.

Trailer homes have a long and unique history- they are not simply homes for the poor. While they are not for everybody, they offer a lot of benefits to people around the country and are something that should be considered by people looking for an inexpensive home.