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!

One thing to consider when purchasing a trailer home is the rapid depreciation often of these homes. Unlike normal homes, these properties lose value over time not gain. Early homes, even those that were well-maintained, tended to depreciate in value over time, much like motor vehicles, rather than appreciate in value, as with site-built homes. Your trailer home is cheap but a depreciating asset.

A combination of factors has caused most jurisdictions to place zoning regulations on the areas in which factory built homes are placed, and limitations on the number and density of homes permitted on any given site. Many areas have strongly limited or forbidden all single-wide models, which tend to depreciate in value more rapidly than modern double-wide models. Lots of trailer homes can cause the value of the town to go down and might attract a bad crowd.

Moreover, there is also the constant discussion about legal fixture and the legal status of a trailer is, or could be, affected by its incorporation to the land. This sometimes involves whether or not the wheels have been removed or not.

In regions not considered “high-wind” zones, over-the-top tie-downs have not historically been used for single-wide manufactured homes. Piers or pilings comprised concrete and/or wooden blocks, placed on-grade at intervals beneath the trailer frame, have historically been accepted as the norm in most parts of Canada.

Tie-downs consisting of spun steel cable, wrapped around the trailer frame and fastened to driven or screw anchors are typical in most locales, although not necessarily consistent among all manufactured homes.
The mounting and tie-down methods typically employed may, or may not comply with the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Under some circumstances (leased land, for example) a lender or insurer may want some assurance that a mobile home is still transportable. In this case, the wheels of the home must always be on the home in case it needs to be moved.

The actual process of moving a mobile home as a vehicle is a point of interest which a home inspector cannot address or confirm, and involves considerations which only the selected mover could evaluate. It is however reasonable to believe that if axles could not be installed for any reason, or if the unit is found to be not roadworthy as a vehicle in its original configuration, it could possibly be moved by other means, much the same as any small house.

There are many legal issues tied to mobile homes, most of which have to deal with their status tied to the land, what rights the homeowner has versus which rights the landowner has (if the two are different), zoning rules of the county the home is placed in, and the value of the home. Before you buy a trailer or mobile home, make sure you consult a lawyer and read the rules of the area in order to ensure minimal future legal complications if a problem were to arise. In many parts of the country, mobile homes are encouraged and the law is clear. However, in other parts, the law is used to reduce trailer homes and if you get into trouble, you might have many legal problems.

Before you purchase a trailer home, look up the legal issues that might arise and the town’s laws on these times of home. You can also consult a laywer or real estate broker who might be able to help you.

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.

1. Check crawl space venting, and look for evidence of mildew, rot, rust, etc. under the unit - especially in exposed, retrofitted plumbing, electrical and duct work. These are costly things to fix.

2. Are the supply and waste piping adequately insulated, and heated for winter conditions? Is any exposed?

3. Is there adequate combustion air for a standard gas or oil furnace? Most of the furnaces we observe are standard gas or oil, forced-air, down-flow style. The make-up (combustion) air source is usually from under the trailer, excepting newer installations of direct-vent furnaces.Is there adequate ductwork? In some mobile homes the original configuration provided for supply and return air only at the furnace closet door. Much of the retrofit ducting is flex-duct, and may be damaged or deteriorated under the unit. Everything under the unit is also susceptible to rodents so you need to make sure everything is sealed properly.

4. In cold-weather regions, uninsulated oil tanks (outdoors) are subject to condensation and rust, especially at their bottoms. You need to make sure your tank is insulated properly.

5. Depending on the soils under the trailer, the unit may heave and shift under heavy frost conditions, unless the pilings are mounted below frost level.

6. Many units are insulated with Urea Formaldehyde Foam Insulation (UFFI). This might, or might not be a consideration - depending upon history and attitudes in your local area. Polyurethane foam and other insulation are sometimes mistakenly identified as UFFI.

7. Mobiles are generally quite air-tight and (in cold-weather regions) retained moisture will cause excessive condensation on windows, especially metal-framed and/or single-pane units. Many mobile home in colder areas are re-fitted with wooden or vinyl, double-pane windows.

8. Older mobiles had 50 or 60 amp electric capacity, and newer models most often have 100 amps. However, depending on the mobile home park, they may be connected to a pole-mounted shut-off, of less than 100 amps.

9. In many mobile home parks, water and sewage are private or communal - not municipal. It is important to know how your sewage is managed, who is responsible and who pays for maintenance and repairs to private or communal systems.

10. Beware of owner-installed porches and additions. These demand diligent inspection. There is frequently wood-earth contact, and poor ventilation underneath - and frequently unorthodox framing methods. The porch roof-to-wall flashings are frequently substandard and problematic.

If you think about these things before you purchase your home, you’ll be in a much better situation!