Mobile home

[Oaktree]

On the subject of cost, they had a lot of upgrades put in. They put pencil to paper and it cost the same amount as a stick built house. About the only difference was the house was done in 4 weeks VS months for stick built.

Dunno about that, depends on the builder. I've seen stick built houses go up in 2-3 weeks once the foundation's poured and set. All depends on how well co-ordinated the various crews are.

 

[RoyKing]

I would buy a used one to live in while you plan the real house and be your own subcontractor.

 

[mcfarmall]

In my neck of the woods, if it's built on a steel frame and has a VIN number and a title from the Sec'y of State (just like my camper or utility trailer) then it's a mobile home. If it's stick built in a factory, has NO steel undercarriage and is set on site with a crane, then it's a modular.

 

[Frankenkubota]

I've found that the Mobile Home industry has come up with some of the very best floorplans you can ever have in a rectangular shaped building. The newer models have also gone all out in making them extremely attractive with some very nice finishes.

Having worked on quite a few of them for clients, I've also learned that they have figured out every possible way to cut a corner that there is. From going with the cheapest electrical outlets ever invented, to the bare minimum in plumbing to the lightest framing allowed. They are a fast and cheap way to have a place to live, but the also lose value every year. If you pay $50,000 for it new, you will never sell it for that amount in the future unless you do something with the land to make the overall property worth more then the mobile home.

My ex was a title officer and she worked with several local mobile home companies. Their business plan relied on repossessing a brand new mobile home 3 times before selling it for the last time. They provide financing that they know the buyer cannot afford, so they plan on getting as much upfront cash as possible, then taking the mobile home back and selling it again when they fail to make their payments.

I need to learn to hitite only what i refer to. In this case, financing and takin it back.

One of my favorite singer songwriters is a texas guy named James McMurtry. You might recognize the name, his daddy was a very successful writer...The Last Picture Show etc etc etc.

He has what i call a hillbilly rap song. It's about 11 minutes and talks about going to a family reunion at his Uncle Slatons up in Oklahoma. "Uncle Slayton had to leave texas but, he won't say why.". IMHO, it's one of the greatest songs ever and if you are from texas you should recognize most of the landmarks he talks about.

One line is........ uncle slayton sold them 40 acres, owner financed cause he knows they are slackers and he....takes it back.

Song called Choctaw Bingo

 

[MF243RedTop]

I have been told it needs to be 1976 or newer, has to have a title, minimum of 500 sq ft, has to be hud approved and wind loads of 2-3 whatever that means?

A Guide To Understanding Wind Zones For Mobile Homes

In Georgia the 2-3 would be wind zone rated for hurricane force winds. Here they typically require a wind zone 1 or 2 depending on how close you are to the coast. Since your in FL I'm guessing that number goes up.
Those specs should be placed inside the home on detailed placard usually in a bedroom closest wall, kitchen cabinet door..

 

[SARG]

We have lived in one since the eighties on four acres. It was all I could afford at the time.
I have replaced the windows and the siding (twice).
I'm in the last decade now .... so why bother to go through a move.
I would not do it again ......... it was a bad decision.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

The difference between a manufactured home and a modular home is in the actual building process / materials and building inspections. You can have the same identical house / floor plan side by side and not tell the difference. However, you will pay anywhere from $10-20k more for the "modular" home.

This costs buys you "upgraded" construction materials: 2x10 floor joists vs. 2x6, 2x4 roof trusses vs. 2x2 (or combination), full residential wiring done to national electric code, full residential plumbing done to plumbing code. Full drywall. The building process goes down the same assembly line, however the local county inspections that would take place at a site built house (framing, elec., plumbing, insulation, hvac, etc... all get done at the factory by the same local inspectors.

The "manufactured" home only gets one inspection, done by a HUD in-house inspector, at the end of the assembly line. HUD requirements are the bare minimum. Staples vs. nails, #3 graded lumber vs. #2 and better, 14 g wire on big circuits, cheaper Hvac and ductwork.

The idea that it will depreciate..... well, I have refinanced a "manufactured home" 3 times over the last 25 years, cashing out more than the house initially cost, and now selling it, again making more in profit than it cost (all said, increasing in value about $250K over 25 years). It is (and has been) considered to be "real estate property" since day one of being set on a permanent foundation. It has a conventional mortgage, and the buyers are purchasing it with a conventional mortgage.

Yes, I have seen other manufactured homes totally deteriorated beyond repair, getting selling prices basically what the land is worth. It all depends on how well it was maintained and how good it was initially built. (Buying a $50K unit vs. $100K unit).

I have also seen stick built houses with cracked foundations, cracking floor tiles, cracked drywall, and the best one ever.... a weed growing out from between the baseboard and the carpet from the outside .... this was on a brand new $300K site built house! That 'builder' was a hurry up, get it done, use the cheapest labor, etc... type of builder....

 

[crazyal]

Since a mobile or manufactured home will not work how about a RV trailer? They are easy to find used for a decent price. If it's in good shape and you keep it up chances are you can get some of your money back. I don't know about the laws where you are, some states don't allow people to live in RVs year round while other states could care less about if you register them as long as you don't drive on the road.

 

[Jim Nelson]

Since a mobile or manufactured home will not work how about a RV trailer? They are easy to find used for a decent price. If it's in good shape and you keep it up chances are you can get some of your money back. I don't know about the laws where you are, some states don't allow people to live in RVs year round while other states could care less about if you register them as long as you don't drive on the road.

This is exactly what we did when we upgraded from a '82 mobile home to a '03 mfg. home. We just tapped into existing septic,water,and electric and lived right on site while everything was being done. There were inspectors in and out all the time and never a word was said. We sold the travel trailer for what we had into it when we were done. We also rented a storage pod that we kept on site and that was the only extra expense we had.
All in all it was a good experience and I'd do it again in a heartbeat if the need came up.

 

[1930]

A Guide To Understanding Wind Zones For Mobile Homes

In Georgia the 2-3 would be wind zone rated for hurricane force winds. Here they typically require a wind zone 1 or 2 depending on how close you are to the coast. Since your in FL I'm guessing that number goes up.
Those specs should be placed inside the home on detailed placard usually in a bedroom closest wall, kitchen cabinet door..

This was super helpful. Thank-you