How I Found A Mobile Home to Buy

Now that I was convinced of the great advantages of mobile home buying, how did I go about finding a good one to buy? First of all, I had to decide whether I wanted a new mobile home or a used one. Like anything, there is a trade-off with price and condition, so it depends on your budget. Like most people, I decided to get a used home, and like with traditional home buying, I had to start with a real-estate agent, and ideally one that specializes in mobile homes. So, I drove around a couple of nearby mobile home parks and looked at the for-sale signs. The signs were from a variety of companies, but I noticed one company that had over half of the listings in the park. I checked out their website and called them up to get an agent that could help me find a great home. They helped me figure out how much I could afford, what park(s) might be best for me, and then took me to look at appropriate listings.

Another great advantage with mobile home buying is that even if you start out in a used home, you can easily trade it in for a new one later on, just like you trade in a car. I could get a brand new home, in the same spot as my old one, without having to move to a new neighborhood. Of course, I'd still have to pack up my stuff and live in a hotel or with friends/family for a few weeks, but then I'd have a brand new home! And if you've been in the used home for at least a year, the park cannot raise your space rent to the current market value, but must keep it at the same amount as before. This is a great strategy: find an old used mobile home that has a really low space rent, buy it and live in it for a year, then trade it in for a brand new home at the same low space rent!