Friday, October 18, 2024

Can You Sell Your Own Mobile Home?

For every manufactured home buyer, there is a manufactured home seller. While many manufactured home listings are handled by lenders, dealers, or manufactured home communities, many manufactured home sellers choose to sell their mobile home on their own. This is known as a “For Sale By Owner” or “FSBO” listing.

Here, we’ll go over some of the benefits of selling your manufactured home the FSBO way, as well as some benefits of getting the most value out of your mobile home listing:

Why You Should Sell

First, it’s important to go over why it’s such a good time to sell a manufactured home in 2022.

One of the biggest factors is demand. Manufactured home sales are experiencing an uptick thanks to lowered interest rates. Not only does this benefit prospective homeowners thanks to the lower interest, but you as the manufactured home seller also benefit from increased home values over recent years.

The supply of homes is another important factor. Because of a decreased supply of available manufactured homes for sale, homes that do get listed tend to sell quickly. This means that if you sell your mobile home, you have high chances of finding a buyer.

The Benefits of a FSBO Listing

As we mentioned earlier, many manufactured home sellers will work with a dealer or their community management to sell their home. However, sellers are increasingly turning towards FSBO listings.

By going the FSBO route, you can take charge of the mobile home selling process and perhaps save some money along the way. For example, you won’t have to pay any seller’s fees to a dealer or other selling entity, and you may not have to make as many compromises when pricing your mobile home correctly.

The Benefits of an Upgraded Listing

When you create your FSBO listing with MHVillage, you will have a couple of pricing options to choose from: Basic, Featured, and Premium. While all of these listing options give you 24/7 visibility to thousands of MHVillage visitors every day, there are some key benefits to a Featured and Premium listing that will further optimize your FSBO journey:

More Visibility

A Featured or Premium listing can offer manufactured home sellers up to 300% more views on their listing compared to a Basic listing, meaning that your listing gets in front of more buyers that are ready to make offers.

Not only that, but Featured and Premium listings offer you increased visibility in mobile home search results on MHVillage, too, along with a photo thumbnail proudly showing off your home.

More Photos

By upgrading to a Premium listing, you can take advantage of adding unlimited photos to your listing, allowing you to show off the very best your manufactured home has to offer. This is especially ideal for FSBO sellers looking to add photos of every room in their home to their listing.

If you’re selling your mobile home the FSBO way and want to get the most value out of your mobile home listing, then upgrading to a Premium or Featured listing is the best way to go.

Start Selling Your Manufactured Home Today

Ready to sell your mobile home?

If you’re all set to list your mobile home and get the most value out of the selling process, head over to MHVillage and create your listing today.

Everything You Need To Know About Moving Your Family into a Manufactured Home

Manufactured homes in 2022 are a great option for those coming from all walks of life – especially families. Whether you have one child or several, or even if your family is just beginning to take shape, a manufactured home for families offers high value and gives any family the opportunity to settle into the lifestyle of their dreams.

Here’s the rundown on how to move your family into a manufactured home:

Finding a Family-Sized Home

Just because a manufactured home is factory-built doesn’t mean they’re one-size-fits-all. In fact, you’ll find that manufactured homes come in a wide variety of different sizes and square footages.

One common type of manufactured homes is called a single-wide. A single-wide manufactured home typically measures 16 feet wide by 80 feet long, and while the square footage can vary, you’ll usually find single-wide manufactured homes with anywhere from 480 to 1,440 square feet.

While this may be enough for small families, you may also consider a double-wide manufactured home if you plan to have, or currently have, children. While a double-wide is not always twice as large as a single-wide, you can generally find a double-wide that has more square footage than a single-wide. In fact, double-wides can have up to 3,000 square feet of space.

As you look for manufactured homes for your family, keep in mind how much space you’ll want for everyone. If the adults need more office space for a remote job, or the kids each want their own bedroom, a double-wide may be the way to go.

All-Ages Communities

Many manufactured homes are located in communities that allow residents of all ages. These communities can make for a great environment to raise a family in for a number of reasons.

First, communities make manufactured homeownership easy by operating under a “land-lease” model. This means that you own the home while leasing the land that it sits on. For the cost of lot rent, you can have a variety of your monthly housing expenses covered, including some utilities and property taxes. Each community will have different guidelines on what lot rent covers.

Manufactured home communities also provide amenities that you and your family may have at your disposal while you live there. These amenities can include anything from pools and jacuzzis to dog parks and walking trails to athletic courts for basketball and tennis. These can provide quality family time if you’re looking for something to do together. Similar to lot rent, the amenities a community offers will vary, so check to see which ones are offered near you.

You can also search for all-ages communities on MHVillage by selecting “Only All-Ages Parks” under the Park Type dropdown menu.

Other Things to Consider

Moving near schools

If you’re moving your family into a manufactured home, it’ll be worth exploring homes that are nearby highly-rated school districts. This way, you can ensure that your children are getting the best education they can possibly get while living in a manufactured home.

Alternatively, if your children will soon be of college age, it’s also worth exploring manufactured homes that are nearby local colleges or universities that they may be interested in.

A Home You’ll Grow Into

While it’s important to move into a manufactured home that fits you and your family today, if you plan on growing your family in the future you’ll also want to make sure your family has that room to grow. When browsing manufactured homes, consider ones that you’ll not only fit into today, but could potentially fit in 5-10 years from now.

If you’re getting ready to move your family into a manufactured home, let MHVillage help you along the way. Visitors to MHVillage can browse thousands of manufactured homes all across the country, with sizes and models that are perfect for any family. Start your manufactured home search today by searching for new or pre-owned manufactured homes near you.

Get The Most Value Out of Your Manufactured Home Lifestyle

Have you recently moved into a manufactured home, or are getting ready to make the move into one? If so, you may be wondering how you can take advantage of your new home to fully live the manufactured home lifestyle of your dreams. Thankfully, MHVillage is here to help. Here are five tips to get the most out of your manufactured home lifestyle:

Decorate Your Home

This first tip might seem like a no-brainer, but it bears reinforcing that one of the first things you’ll want to do with your manufactured home is to decorate it to your liking – both inside and out. If you have a dream living room concept that you want to bring to life, now is the time to do it!

Curate your space however you please, whether that’s for entertaining, cooking, crafting, office work, or something else entirely.

This goes for the outside of your home, too. If you’re able to spice up your home’s exterior with some porchside plants, yard decorations, or whatever you feel like decorating the exterior of your home with, then have at it!

Have Amenities? Use them!

If you live in, or are moving into, a manufactured home community, you may have amenities available at the community that you can take advantage of. And you should, in fact! They’re a great way to connect with other residents in your community and explore everything that your living environment has to offer.

These amenities can include:

Walking trails and dog parks
Pools and spas
Lounges and clubhouses
Boat and RV storage
Athletic courts
And many others!

Keep Yourself Invigorated

If you’re living in a manufactured home at retirement age, it’s important to keep yourself active and motivated with your surrounding neighborhood.

Besides engaging with the above amenities, many communities offer regular caravans into town so that residents can catch up on shopping and spend quality time together.

Some communities also offer rec rooms that keep residents active and exercised, making them another great option for residents looking to maintain an exercise routine.

Maintain Your Maintenance Know-How

Any homeowner will inevitably have to perform some home maintenance. Whether it’s as simple as replacing a light fixture or something more complicated like a full mobile home remodel, it’s important to prepare ahead of time in case you have to make an unexpected repair.

Take some time to brush up on your maintenance skills and watch video tutorials for future repairs you may need to make. It’s also important to maintain and regularly inspect a toolkit, ensuring that no tools are damaged or otherwise in need of replacing. By keeping yourself ready for any mobile home repair that you may need to make, you’ll save yourself headaches down the road if your tape measure goes bad, or you don’t have what you need.

That being said, it’s important to know which repairs can be done the DIY way, and which you should leave to a trained professional. For example, any electrical work should be handled by an electrician.

Use Your Outside Space

Some mobile homes may have patios and decks perfect for spending a summer evening. If you live in a manufactured home that has a patio, deck, or even a front porch, find unique ways to use the space for entertaining or just some summertime relaxing.

In many states like Florida, the year-round warm weather makes the outdoors a perfect place to spend time in, day and night. Even if you only have a front porch, that can be a perfect place to soak up the sun and chat with neighbors passing by.

Moving into a manufactured home can be an incredibly exciting time. That’s why it’s important to take charge of your manufactured home lifestyle so that you can get the most out of your new home. With that in mind, don’t forget to check out the Lifestyle section of MHVillage to read up on even more ways to get the most out of your manufactured home.

If you’re still searching for that dream manufactured home of yours, head over to MHVillage to browse thousands of homes – one of which is sure to be perfect for you.

4 Things Your FSBO Listing MUST Have to Sell Your Mobile Home Fast

If you’re getting ready to sell your mobile home, then you might be anxious to publish your mobile home listing as soon as possible so that you can find the right buyer. However, as the seller it’s important to do your due diligence to ensure your mobile home listing has the right elements to sell your home quickly.

Here is everything a mobile home listing should have before you click “sell”:

The Right Photos

A good mobile home listing will show off the visual appeal of your home with strong, high-quality photos. This is not only your first opportunity to make a positive visual impression on buyers with your home, but it’s perhaps the most important one.

Some mobile home sellers may find it’s worth investing in a photographer to capture high-quality photos of your mobile home from the inside and outside, to ensure that your home’s best qualities shine. You also will want to stage your mobile home, similar to how you would for a mobile home tour.

Different listing options on MHVillage allow for multiple photos on one listing, with some even allowing for unlimited photos, giving you full power when it comes to visually displaying your home.

The Right Language

When writing a description for your mobile home listing, there’s some work you’ll have to do to ensure it attracts as many potential buyers as possible.

Take some time and care to show off everything that your home has to offer, from the flooring to the appliances to the size of the house.

Don’t forget to mention any recent upgrades that the home has had. For example, if you replaced your mobile home’s roof within the last five years or have recently painted, mention that in your listing. Buyers are attracted to homes where the “big ticket items” have been recently upgraded.

Think of it this way: what are all of the things you value in your home that your buyer would also value?

The Right Information

Above all else, it is crucial that your mobile home listing contains accurate information about your home. This includes, but is not limited to:

Number of bedrooms and bathrooms
Square footage
Condition of the home, both exterior and interior
The correct address and location of the home
Whether the home is in a community
Which appliances are included

If you’ve omitted any important information from your mobile home listing, you may find yourself in a few scenarios.

For one, potential residents may either inquire about where the missing information can be found, or decline to engage with your listing altogether. This makes it incredibly important to ensure the information you include on your home is accurate.

If a resident were to tour your mobile home and find that some information, such as the number of bedrooms, didn’t match the listing, that may also turn buyers away.

The Right Price

As a mobile home seller, you’re motivated to get the most value from your home as possible. That’s why it’s so important to ensure that your home is priced at the right value so that you don’t lose out on money from your sale.

Do some research in your market to see what homes similar to yours have sold for in the last few months. That will give you a starting idea of where you should price your home at.

If you’re selling your home the FSBO way, you should also seek out a mobile home appraisal to ensure your home is valued correctly before listing. Datacomp offers mobile home appraisals prior to FSBO listings.

Have You Upgraded Your Listing?

All of the above parts of a mobile home listing will help ensure your mobile home sells as fast as possible.

If you’re interested in getting your mobile home listing in front of as many potential buyers as possible, MHVillage has you covered with options for Featured and Premium listings for FSBO sellers. Take a look and get started on your mobile home selling journey today.

Top 10 States for Manufactured Home Affordability

Manufactured housing is already one of the most affordable ways to own a home in 2022. When it comes to manufactured home affordability, their high quality, factory-built nature keeps costs down and home ownership accessible for over 22 million Americans.

There are 10 U.S. states that, based on 2021 sales data, are among the most affordable in the entire country for owning a manufactured home. If you’re an aspiring homeowner, consider these ten states for manufactured home affordability:

Kansas

New manufactured homes in Kansas sell for an average price of $51,780, the lowest average price in the entire country. And pre-owned manufactured homes sell for even cheaper in the Sunflower State, at just $24,306. If you’re looking to make a move in the Midwest and have a desire to see the plains of Kansas or maybe live near the downtown Kansas City area (the one that’s IN Kansas, anyway), then Kansas is a prime candidate.

Arkansas

Add two letters to Kansas, and you get the next state in our list – Arkansas. If you’re buying a manufactured home in Arkansas, you’ll likely find a home at or around the average of $56,812 for a new manufactured home and $50,394 for a pre-owned manufactured home. For those looking for a house to move into in the American South, Arkansas is a great state to call home if you’d like to buy a manufactured home on a budget.

Mississippi

Just kitty-corner from Arkansas is Mississippi, another great state in the South for manufactured home affordability. In Mississippi, new manufactured homes sell for an average of $57,361, with pre-owned homes in the state selling around that same level. This makes the Hospitality State another leading option for manufactured home affordability if you’re looking to buy a mobile home.

Oklahoma

It’s not just the name of a highly popular Broadway musical – it’s the next state on our list for manufactured home affordability. New mobile homes in Oklahoma sell for $58,743 on average, with pre-owned mobile homes going for $40,777 on average. In the spirit of the Sooner State, if you want to own a manufactured home in the state and take advantage of some of the country’s lowest manufactured home prices, you’d better do it sooner than later.

North Dakota

On the opposite side of the country, we have North Dakota. If you’re buying a manufactured home in North Dakota, you’ll find the average price is $60,841 for a new home and $44,969 for a pre-owned home. Not bad for a state with one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country alongside its strong economic health and opportunities. For the nature lovers, you can even take advantage of the multiple spots in the state where you can see the Northern Lights!

Missouri

Missouri holds both the Gateway to the West and the next spot on our list for manufactured home affordability. With new manufactured homes in Missouri at $61,642 and pre-owned manufactured homes at just $37,026, there’s so much to do and see in Missouri, from St. Louis to the Ozarks, at such an affordable average price.

Virginia

Of the original 13 states, Virginia is the most affordable for manufactured home living. A new manufactured home in Virginia will cost $61,719 on average, with a Virginia pre-owned manufactured home right near that range at $63,436. You might not live right next to Washington’s birthsite, but you’ll save thousands of dollars on a quality home.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania: home to great philly cheesesteaks, Rocky Balboa, and some of the most affordable manufactured homes in the country. New manufactured homes in Pennsylvania go for $62,523 on average, making this one of the lowest-priced states on the country’s eastern side for manufactured homes. Pre-owned manufactured homes come in even cheaper at an average of $37,307.

Kentucky

If you’re looking for affordable manufactured housing in the Midwest, Kentucky might have you covered. New manufactured homes in Kentucky sold in 2021 at an average of $63,742, with the average price for pre-owned homes hovering similarly at $61,970. If you want to check out their namesake Derby or settle in the suburbs of Frankfort, then a manufactured home in Kentucky might be for you.

Georgia

If you had to list all of the things Georgia was known for, affordable manufactured housing might not come to mind at first. But, with new manufactured homes in Georgia going for $64,397, far lower than the cost of site-built homes in the state, any homeowner-to-be in Georgia should consider a manufactured home for affordability and quality. Pre-owned manufactured homes in Georgia are even cheaper, at just $41,900.

If you live in, or are thinking or moving to one of these states and you’re looking to buy a manufactured home, don’t wait on some of the lowest prices for manufactured homes in the market. Visit MHVIllage today to search for manufactured homes by state and find the home of your dreams without breaking the bank.

What Florida Can Teach Us About Scenic Mobile Homes

There are a few reasons why Florida is one of the nation’s hottest markets for manufactured housing. But, a key reason is the fact that scenic mobile homes in the Sunshine State couldn’t be more abundant.

Whether you’d like to move to the Panhandle or right near the Florida Keys, here are a few reasons why Florida is one of the best states for scenic mobile homes:

Waterfront views

When it comes to views right next to the lake, the gulf, or the Atlantic Ocean itself, Florida can’t be beat. Many manufactured homes and retirement communities are right near a body of water, making for the perfect sunrise or sunset view each and every day.

This also makes a scenic backdrop for any walking trail, another popular amenity at communities.

But the key thing to highlight here is that there’s perhaps no other state that has more manufactured homes or manufactured home communities quite like Florida. Because there’s water to nearly every side of the state, not to mention an abundance of lakes within, it’s truly hard to go wrong with a lakeside or oceanside view in Florida.

Year-round warm weather

Florida mobile homes also benefit from year-round warm weather, which make it such a popular destination for retirees.

Across the entire year, Florida’s average temperature is 72.1 degrees Fahrenheit, or 22.3 Celsius. That’s a lot warmer than other states, including those in the Midwest or Northeastern parts of the country. And while the average temperature in Florida in December and January can reach the low 60s, that’s an incredibly moderate temperature perfect for spending your winter months.

State and National Parks

Manufactured homeowners in Florida are more than likely to be just a few miles away from one of Florida’s national or state parks at any given point. And while we can’t go over what’s great about every single one in just one blog post – there are 60 national parks and 175 state parks in Florida, after all – we can highlight a few favorites:

Everglades National Park, is known for its beautiful forestry and swampland, teeming with wildlife and scenery galore. The best part? The park is only an hour or so away from Miami.
Silver Springs State Park is regarded to be one of the best state parks in Florida, thanks to its beautiful spring, glass-bottom boat tours dating back 140 years, and hiking trails.
Myakka River State Park, based near Sarasota, is another incredibly popular park for its kayaking routes and hiking and biking trails. And that doesn’t even cover its on-site campgrounds!

If you’re looking for a mobile home in Florida and want to live near a national or state park, these three can be a great start – but your options are literally in the hundreds!

Picturesque Resort Communities

Florida is a leader when it comes to resort-style communities that offer amenities left and right. From pools to spas to on-site events, Florida has a number of resort-style communities, both for those age 55 and up as well as for all-ages, that offer these kinds of amenities.

If this is something you’re looking for in your scenic mobile home search, MHVillage enables users to look for mobile homes in Florida based on their presence in a community. And, you can even search for specific mobile home parks near you to find which one may have your favorite amenities.

Top vacation spots

Of course, we can’t talk about what makes Florida so great for scenic mobile homes without talking about the state’s many tourist attractions.

First off are the amusement parks. Whether you want to head to Disney World, Universal Studios, or SeaWorld, Florida has it all. And, it’s not difficult to find mobile homes and mobile home parks near the state’s most popular tourist attractions.

There are also the popular downtown centers, from Miami to Fort Lauderdale. These cities also often have plenty of mobile homes listings near them to look at if you desire nearby shopping and entertainment.

If you’re looking for a scenic mobile home in Florida, then look no further. MHVillage can get you started on your mobile home search today to find that perfect Florida mobile home of yours. Visit our database of Florida mobile homes to find your getaway home – or maybe even your everyday home.

12 Painting Ideas for Manufactured Homes

Painting the interior of a home is one of the biggest home improvement projects that can be done practically year-round, and the same holds true for manufactured homes. For many, however, it can be tough to figure out where to even start with painting a manufactured home.

If you’re planning ahead for your next big painting project, here are 12 painting ideas for manufactured homes that will spark some creativity:

Find your theme

Any color can spark an emotional response, or otherwise hold a connection to some kind of feeling. When painting your mobile home, consider finding a theme when painting a room, two rooms, or even your entire house. Do you want to paint your mobile home with different shades of green on the inside, or make each room a different color based on what that room means to you?

Don’t be afraid to project yourself onto a painting project and find different ways to connect rooms by their color.

Go for an accent wall

You don’t have to paint all four walls of a room the same color. An increasingly popular trend is dedicating one wall in a room to an “accent color,” which serves to complement the color of the rest of the room. For example, you could paint a living room a light green, but have a darker green serve as your accent wall. These are a great way to add flair to the interior of your manufactured home.

Find seasonal inspiration for your colors

The time of year can have an impact on how you decide to paint your home. If you’re painting in the winter, for example, you may want to lean more warmer, or more neutral colors for your mobile home painting project. In the summertime, you may find yellows, greens, and pinks calling to you more. For example, you could use 2022’s Color of the Year, Very Peri, for a calming springtime shade.

No matter your mood during any season of the year, paint to it if you so desire! Paint to what your mood says you should paint towards. And if you decide to re-paint down the line – no problem!

Have fun with lines and patterns

There are many tutorials and how-to videos online for using painters tape to apply lines and patterns to paint over. If you’re going to paint your manufactured home and want to add some extra flair, this is a great way to go. You can use painters tape to apply straight lines, or purchase pre-cut patterns to use before you paint.

Paint both the exterior and interior

Some manufactured homeowners may choose to paint the exterior of their home. Depending on whether you’re able to (some manufactured home communities may have rules that regulate painting the outside of a manufactured home), it may be worth exploring painting both the exterior and the interior of your manufactured home at the same time.

There are some things to keep in mind if you go this route. For one, you won’t be able to use the same paint – exterior paint is graded differently for use so it can stand up to weather conditions, unlike interior paint. The painting process itself will likely also differ quite a bit, depending on the type or brand of paint you use and how you go about applying it.

Paint for the nighttime

When painting your manufactured home, you may use swatches to decide which color you’d like to use to paint. Don’t forget to do this process during the nighttime, too, so that you have an idea of what certain colors might look like when the sun is down. Who knows – you may even find a color you like more at night!

Take advantage of dividing walls

If your manufactured home has a dividing wall, you have even more opportunity to get zany with painting. Want to paint the dividing wall a different color from the rest of the room that it’s in? You can do that. Or maybe you want to paint a dividing wall in a room that has a painted pattern, like we talked about earlier – no problem! You can either paint it without that pattern, replicate the pattern, or give it a new pattern altogether.

Ceiling? Why not?

It’s not quite as hard to paint a ceiling as you might think. In your manufactured home, consider whether a room might benefit from having a painted ceiling. This could include a baby’s bedroom, or a home office.

There are a few tips to keep in mind when painting the ceiling in your manufactured home. For one, you should use paint specifically designated for ceiling use, as well as a stain-blocking primer if your home had previous water damage that left stains on your ceiling.

Paint for your mood

Are you painting an office or a studio? If so, don’t be afraid to treat those rooms in your manufactured home with some creativity. Find a color for your home office, such as a blue or a green, that inspires productivity and creativity. And if you have an art studio inside a spare bedroom, make your walls just as artful with a splash of colors or perhaps even a mural.

Get your kids involved

Painting your mobile home, both the exterior and interior, can be a great project for the kids to get involved in. While your kids can take a paint roller to the walls, you can fill in corners and apply painters tape, making a paint job more efficient. Just make sure that you teach proper painting safety, including proper ventilation and wearing old clothing in case of paint stains.

Consider temperature control

It’s a well-known fact that many colors of paint can affect the temperature of your home – especially when it comes to exterior paint. When painting your manufactured home, keep in mind that lighter colors will reflect rays of sunlight – thus making a colder home more likely. The opposite happens with darker-colored homes, as they absorb the sun’s rays and can cause warmth.

Keep it Simple

Sometimes, you might just want to paint a room as simply as possible – and that’s okay! Don’t feel like you must follow any of the above tips if they don’t personally call to you. If you’d rather paint the interior of your manufactured home with just a simple color for each room, then paint that room just one color! It’s all about what makes your manufactured home, your manufactured home.

If you’re getting ready to paint your manufactured home, don’t forget to check out these other tips on selecting interior and exterior paints for your manufactured home as well as how to paint vinyl mobile home walls.

How to Find the Right Size Mobile Home For You

If you’re getting ready to buy a mobile home, you’re likely thinking about the size of the mobile home you’d like to live in. Perhaps you’re upgrading from an apartment setting, or looking to find the home that’s just right for you as you get ready to retire.

It’s important to know how mobile home sizing works before you buy, so consider the following mobile home sizes as you’re getting ready to make your purchase:

Behind the Sizes

Single-Wide

Single-wide manufactured homes are the base-level size you’ll find in the manufactured housing market. In terms of their shape, they’re most commonly rectangular, making the layout simple and easier to navigate. They’ll often have 2-3 bedrooms and 1-2 bathrooms. While the measurements can vary greatly, you’ll often find single-wide manufactured homes around 16 feet in width and 80 feet in length.

Double-Wide

A double-wide manufactured home, despite its name, isn’t always twice the size of a single-wide. This is because, again, not all single-wide manufactured homes are the same size, and that’s also true for double-wides. But, double-wides will often have more bedrooms and bathrooms, about one or two more than a single-wide, and are moved in sections before being joined at the home site. You’ll also have more living space across other rooms of the house, too.

Triple-Wide and Quadruple-Wide Homes

Like a double-wide home, triple-wide manufactured homes are shipped in sections and then joined on-site. Because a triple-wide is so much bigger than a single-wide, offering up to 3,600+ square feet of space, they offer the most options when it comes to floor plan customization.

You can even order a quadruple-wide manufactured home that offers the same benefits as a triple-wide, but on a larger scale. While rarer, they can even look more like a site-built home thanks to their multiple sections.

Sizes for individuals

If you’re an individual looking to move into a manufactured home, you’ll most likely want to consider a single-section home. As we mentioned earlier, these mobile homes typically have dimensions of 16’ by 80’, offering roughly 1,280 square feet of home space before you factor in the specifics of your floor plan and layout of furniture and appliances. However, single-wide manufactured homes may come in a number of sizes, based on the chart above.

If you’ll be moving into a manufactured home with a partner, a single-wide may still do the trick, but if a double-wide manufactured home is in your budget it may very well be worth considering.

Sizes for families

If you have one or more children, a double-wide manufactured home may offer more space and floor plan options that fit your exact family needs. For instance, perhaps each child needs their own bedroom, or perhaps you’d like a manufactured home with a mudroom for the family to hang their coats up in. Maybe the parents even need a custom home office. A double-wide manufactured home, and especially custom manufactured homes, can offer these features.

If you’re getting ready to buy, start your manufactured home search today with MHVillage and find the place of your dreams.

How Safe is Your Mobile Home From Theft?

Manufactured home residents should strive to keep their homes safe from mobile home theft whenever possible. The last thing any mobile home owner wants is to come home and find their belongings gone, or their locks broken.

If you live in a mobile home, or are looking to buy a mobile home in the near future, here are a few things to keep in mind to keep yourself safe from mobile home theft:

Essential Anti-Theft Fixtures

Locks

The first and most important step towards keeping your mobile home secure is ensuring that your locks are in solid condition. This means you should test them regularly to ensure that all of the locks in your mobile home, from your doors to your windows, are secure and working properly.

You’ll also want to inspect the screws that keep your door’s lock in place, as well as the strike plate. If the screws in the strike plate seem too short, consider adding in longer screws if you are able to.

Security systems

To this day, installing a security system into your home remains a highly effective way to keep your home protected.

Some time-tested security systems are installed inside your home and can “arm” your home when you’re away in case anyone unwanted tries to enter.

Not only that, but modern security systems can take the form of smart doorbells that directly connect to your phone, giving you a perfect view of who’s outside your home at any given point. These are often a cost-effective way of monitoring your home for mobile homeowners on a budget, and are relatively easy to install.

If you live in a manufactured home community, check your community’s guidelines to ensure that you are permitted to install a security system, as well as to see whether one can be installed for you.

Pro Tips to Protect Against Mobile Home Theft

Be Subtle About Your Belongings

There’s no better way to protect your mobile home from theft than to be smart about how you display your belongings in your home.

For example, if you can see a large TV or another expensive appliance in your home from the window if you’re standing outside, consider moving it to a place that’s less visible. If a would-be robber can’t see items of value from outside your mobile home, they’ll be much less inclined to break in.

You can also get around this issue by installing blinds and curtains around your windows, if you haven’t already. This can practically eliminate the extent to which outsiders can view inside your home through the windows.

Smart Disposal of Trash

Large appliances such as TVs, refrigerators, and even some computers may come in boxes too large to fit in a standard trash can. While your first instinct may be to throw the empty boxes on the curb for trash pickup, in reality this may draw the attention of would-be burglars who now know that you have a fancy new gadget inside your mobile home.

To protect against this, it’s recommended that you cut up large boxes into pieces small enough to fit into your trash can, or avoid taking them out to the curb until trash pickup day arrives.

You can also consider using a shredder for documents that contain sensitive info, such as social security numbers or important account information, to protect your identity once you throw those documents away.

Using Garages to Your Benefit

Some mobile homes offer garages, sheds, and carports that either directly connect to the home or stand as their own separate structure. Your garage can be a great place to conceal valuables from the outside, such as a car or a bicycle.

Garages will usually come with their own kinds of locks as well. From the outside, this may appear as either a number pad that’s used to open the door, or a key fob on the garage door itself. There may also be a side door, similar to a door you’d find in a house, present in the garage that has its own lock, too.

While these are some of the best ways to keep your mobile home secure, it doesn’t stop there. Don’t forget to check out these other tips on keeping your mobile home secure.

How to Buy a Mobile Home in Florida

Florida is one of the hottest markets in the entire country for manufactured homes. They’re great for retirees, residents can take advantage of year-round warm weather, and are a shining example of lower-cost homes with luxury quality.

If you’re looking to buy a mobile home in Florida, you’ve come to the right place. Here, we’ll go over the entire buying process so you can spend your days in the Sunshine State.

List Your Priorities

The first step during any mobile home search is to determine what you want most out of your Florida mobile home lifestyle.

Many homeowners choose to move to Florida because it’s a prime destination for retirement, thanks to the warm weather and large number of mobile home retirement communities. If you’re looking to retire in the near future, consider that level of need when searching for mobile homes in Florida.

Beyond that, you should also consider the other “must-haves” you want for your Florida mobile home. These could include access to neighborhood fixtures, such as a salon or a library, as well as a double-wide mobile home if you need extra space for you and your belongings.

At the same time, you don’t want to forget your nice-to-haves, either. Have you longed for a home with a back deck? Mobile homes in Florida make that possible, so don’t be afraid to add that to your list if you want to search for a home that comes with one.

Community or Private Land?

Earlier, we mentioned mobile home retirement communities. In this type of mobile home living scenario, you own your mobile home while leasing the land that it sits on.

In a retirement community, you can take advantage of that community’s amenities, which can range from on-site athletic facilities like pickleball and shuffleboard courts to walking trails and clubhouses and lounges. The exact amenities available will vary from community to community, but if you’d like to have those at your disposal while getting to know your neighbors, consider searching for mobile homes in communities.

On the other hand, you may prefer to own your land alongside your home. If this sounds like you, you can search for homes on their own land, too.

MHVillage makes it easy to search for homes that are on private land as well as in a community. When searching for mobile homes for sale in Florida, simply select “Private Property” under the Location Type dropdown menu if you’d like to search for mobile homes on land, and the “Parks” tab above the search bar to look for mobile home communities in Florida.

Figure Out Your Budget

As you begin searching for manufactured homes, you’ll also want to have your budget figured out beforehand. What’s the most you’re willing to spend on a new or pre-owned mobile home in Florida?

Keep in mind that, based on 2021 Datacomp sales data, new mobile homes in Florida sell for $101,139 on average, and pre-owned mobile homes in Florida go for around $47,522 on average. It may be a good idea to base your budget around these figures, but you should also keep the next step in mind when sorting out your budget:

Look Around In Your Market

If there’s a specific part of Florida you’d like to move to, research mobile homes in that area to determine what price they’re usually listed for. This will give you a great idea of what your budget will need to be if you’d like to move to that particular area.

And, doing some pre-buying research into the city of your dreams will give you a better idea of what kinds of homes are available, and which homes are on private land or in a community.

Once you’ve found the manufactured home that you’re ready to call yours, you’ll usually place an offer after you’ve contacted the seller and toured the home. If your offer is accepted – congratulations! You’re now the owner of a manufactured home alongside 22 million other Americans living the manufactured home lifestyle. But, the process doesn’t stop there.

Florida-Specific Considerations

From a paperwork standpoint, the biggest consideration to keep in mind is moving title ownership from the seller into your name. The two main documents you’ll need to complete this process are a title and a bill of sale. While some states require a notary to be present to complete the title transfer, Florida does not have that requirement.

In regards to titles, Florida mandates that one title exist for each section of the manufactured home being sold. So, if you’re buying a double-wide manufactured home, you’ll need to verify that two titles exist and that you receive both titles when buying the home.

If you’re already dreaming of soaking up the Florida sunshine, don’t wait. Visit MHVillage today to view manufactured homes for sale in the Sunshine State today.

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