Sunday, May 11, 2025

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.

Escape the Renting Cycle Once and For All

Living in an apartment can have many drawbacks. High monthly rent. Noisy neighbors that roll bowling balls across their floor (your ceiling) at all hours of the day and night. Lack of in-unit appliances like laundry. The worst part of the apartment living experience is that, for many, it can seem impossible to escape the renting cycle and move out of an apartment and into a home.

That’s where manufactured housing can come in. With prices far more affordable than the average site-built home, you can make your dream of homeownership come true. Think about your own home, more affordable monthly housing costs, neighbors that don’t live directly above you, and your own laundry appliances to use. Not to mention the increased peace of mind and security.

Let’s go deeper into some of these and explore how you can escape the renting cycle once and for all by buying a manufactured home of your own:

Affordability of Manufactured Homes Compared to Renting

On average, manufactured homes cost around $92,911 for a new manufactured home and $60,733 for a pre-owned manufactured home, based on 2021 sales data from Datacomp. When it comes to the monthly home costs you’d pay in a manufactured home, they usually rank in the high hundreds of dollars, depending on factors such as location and whether or not you pay a lot rent.

Compare that to your average apartment rent ($1,124 in 2021, according to Statista) and the cost-savings are evident. For many living in suburban or urban centers, your rent may be even higher. Right away, the financial benefits of owning a manufactured home are evident.

Quality of Life Improvement

This part’s worth mentioning again: you’ll most likely see a significant quality of life increase if you move from an apartment into a manufactured home.

Noisy neighbors above, below, and to all sides of you? If you own your own manufactured home, that’s no longer an issue. Someone’s floor will not be your ceiling.

Taking an elevator or a tall flight of stairs just to get to your front door? Not with a manufactured home. You can walk right up to your front door without the hassle of a staircase.

Some apartments don’t even include washers or dryers in the units themselves. With a manufactured home, you’ll have your own washer and dryer, so you’ll never have to leave the house to do laundry again.

With all of these conveniences and more, not to mention the cost savings on top of that, manufactured homes in 2022 are becoming more and more of a no-brainer.

Security and Privacy

In a manufactured home environment, you get to take charge of your own home security if you own your home – ranging from the type of locks you’d like to use, to your home security system of choice.

That’s just one example of how manufactured homes offer increased security and privacy over an apartment setting. There’s also the increased privacy that comes from not living as closely to your neighbors, and the security that comes with being able to outfit your door with whatever kind of locks you choose.

Some modern manufactured homes even come with garages or carports for storing your vehicles and other necessary tools, giving you that much more space and security for your belongings.

Own Your Own Home

It goes without saying that when you rent your apartment, you never truly own the place that you call home. Sure, there may be some benefits when it comes to maintenance and utilities, but the increased cost of living that comes from high monthly rent payments quickly outweigh any positives.

However, when living in a manufactured home, you can own your home. This means:

Generally lower monthly housing payments
Freedom to decorate or modify your home in most cases
Perform home maintenance on your own schedule
The freedom to paint your walls any color you choose
Owning any pet that you like if your home is on private land
Enjoy more space in your home

You can also choose to own your manufactured home either on private land or in a manufactured home community. In a community, also known as a land-lease community, you own the home, but lease the land it sits on. Manufactured home communities are great for residents that want to take advantage of amenities that are available to them.

Escape the Renting Cycle

Now that we’ve gone over all of the benefits of manufactured homes compared to apartments in 2022, the one question you might have is: “How do I get started?”

The answer? MHVillage, the nation’s leading website for buying and selling manufactured homes. Get started on your manufactured home search today.

The Definitive Checklist: Everything To Do Before You List Your Mobile Home

If you’re getting ready to list your mobile home for sale, you want your listing to get the attention of as many prospective buyers as possible. People who browse mobile homes will want to find a home that personally calls to them, and as the seller your job is to make your listing pop to ensure your mobile home sells as fast as it possibly can.

Our checklist of everything to do before you list your mobile home listing will help your listing shine:

Consider Where You’ll Move

Before you think about selling your mobile home, first you should have a game plan for what you’ll do after your home sells. Do you already own your next home, or are in the process of buying? Or do you have other living arrangements lined up?

No matter what your plans will be once you sell your mobile home, you want to plan as far in advance as you can so that you’re not left without a home once you sell. Many home sellers choose to start their mobile home search before their current home sells, and place offers on homes contingent on the sale of their existing home.

Consider If The Time if Right

There are many factors that impact whether a mobile home market is ripe for selling. Used mobile homes in 2022 sell at higher prices than in years past, meaning that mobile home sellers can get more money now for their mobile homes. However, for many sellers, the extent to which they need to sell may vary.

For example, if you’re growing your family and need more space for your children to play, you may have a strong need to buy a new mobile home. Some home sellers may not need to sell as urgently, but the market should also be a consideration when you make that decision.

Know Your Market, and Your Price

Before you decide to list your mobile home, do some research in your local market to see what mobile homes sell for. Look into such items as their condition, their size, their location (such as if it’s located near a highway or a downtown complex), and what other features or amenities they come with.

This will give you a strong idea of what homes similar to yours will sell for in your market. This, of course, will also be based on a professional mobile home appraisal and inspection.

Staging Your Home

Staging your mobile home is a crucial step before you sell. Regardless of your mobile home’s value, if it’s not appealing visually when you list your home online, you’ll have trouble finding a seller.

When you stage your mobile home, you usually redecorate the interior – from the furniture to a fresh coat of paint – to make it as attractive as possible for mobile home buyers. When it comes to your mobile home, a picture does indeed tell a thousand words, and you want to communicate through photos that your home will provide a high-quality space for living, dining, entertaining, and everything else under your roof.

Here are a few tips for when you’re staging your home:

Don’t get too complicated with your furniture. A smart, simple layout focused on communal gatherings, such as chairs around a table or couches facing each other, looks good in photos.
Get a fresh coat of paint up there. It bears repeating that painting your mobile home before you list it can make it look fresher and newer, thus increasing its visual appeal
Less is more. Square footage is an important selling point for homes, so when staging your mobile home, ensure it’s as clutter free as possible to show off all of the space that you have.

Marketing Your Home

When writing your mobile home listing, you’ll want to use phrases and terms that draw readers into your home – both figuratively and literally.

For example, you want to find words that play up the factors that make your home appealing – such as the size of your home, the layout of your kitchen, any new appliances you may have, and so on. These can include, if they apply:

“State-of-the-art appliances”
“Open concept kitchen”
“A large home ready to move-in”
“Endless entertainment space”
And so on.

For the outside of your home, if you have a wide patio or a deck perfect for entertaining, call those out too. Also let your readers know if you’re selling a mobile home on the lakefront.

The main idea here is to put a prospective buyer in your shoes. Talk about rooms that are perfect for entertaining or remote work, and reference all of the relaxing they’ll get to do in your home. When a home buyer sees themselves in the home, they will be more likely to show interest in it.

Now that we’ve gone over the different ways to make your home listing pop, it’s time to get your listing published. Head over to MHVillage today to publish your mobile home listing.

The Best Energy-Efficient Homes are Factory-Built. Here’s Why.

The past year has seen an increase in average energy costs, meaning homeowners pay more for heating their homes during the winter months and cooling it during the summer. When it comes to energy-efficiency, it’s on a homeowner’s mind far more than it used to be. Thankfully, manufactured homes are increasingly energy efficient and offer cost-savings for homeowners across the nation. These homes, which are built in a factory, promote more energy-conscious practices than one might expect.

Here’s why the best homes for energy efficiency are factory-built:

Factory-Built Bonuses

Factory-built homes live up to their namesake. They are built part by part in a factory, assembled right there at the plant, and then transported to the home site.

This process, while different from site-built house construction in a few ways, marks a key difference when it comes to energy efficiency.

For one, since they’re made inside of a factory and then shipped to the home site, the building process is far less likely to be impeded by weather conditions, unlike homes that are site-built. If a rain storm appears over construction on a site-built home, it can soak all the wood and potentially cause damage. During the factory-built process, the home is weather tight thanks to being entirely indoors.

Secondly, because factory-built manufactured homes are built to a specified floor plan and produced in multiples in most cases, there’s less leeway needed during the building process for unforeseen issues. This means that the customer saves thanks to materials being purchased in larger quantities to reduce the overall cost.

All of this means that factory-built manufactured homes are literally built more efficiently from a time-savings standpoint.

Appliances

Modern manufactured homes are outfitted with modern appliances that not only work faster and quieter than ever, but promote even more energy savings than in years past.

For instance, washers and dryers now offer “low energy mode” that wash and dry your clothes using far less energy than normal. Dishwashers can now work similarly, and modern manufactured homes may include these appliances as standard.

Temperature Control

Similarly, many smart thermostats, which now automatically regulate temperatures inside your home, come standard with modern manufactured homes, such as the ecobee smart thermostat to the right. These thermostats are great for lowering your home’s temperature automatically during times of lower usage, such as overnight, and prioritizing use during a resident’s most active hours.

While the amount of energy you save depends on who you ask, some energy providers say you can save up to 30% of your energy costs annually by using a smart thermostat from brands like ecobee, Honeywell, and many more.

Tips For Improving Energy Efficiency

If you’re a manufactured home owner and are looking for ways to improve your home’s energy efficiency, here are a few tips:

Insulate your windows and doors. Clear insulation around your windows, weatherstripping, and ensuring there are no gaps around your doors and windows are key.
Annually inspect caulking, and re-caulk if necessary. This can be a major source of cold air drafts in your home if you don’t keep up with your caulking.
Ensure that your mobile home’s insulation is in good shape. If not, explore getting it replaced.

Now it’s time to find the mobile home of your dreams and take charge of your energy-efficiency. Visit MHVillage today to search for mobile homes for sale or rent in your area.

How to Go From Searching to Closing When Buying Your Manufactured Home

Recently, we wrote about how to go from listing to closing when selling your manufactured home. What about the other side of the coin – if you’re looking to buy a manufactured home?

There’s a lot that goes into buying your manufactured home that you’ll need to know before you officially start the process, so this guide on all of the steps to take when buying your home is a must-read.

Set Your Wants and Needs

Like with any home purchase, you’ll want to create a list of your priorities when getting ready to buy your manufactured or mobile home.

Consider first the things that you MUST have for your mobile home. This can include enough bedrooms for you and your family, yard space for your pets, central air and heating, and so on. Your needs should be the things that you cannot spend a single day without.

From there, you can set a list of added desires that you might look for in your dream home. Modern manufactured homes boast features such as jacuzzi-style bathtubs, kitchen islands, walk-in closets, and other fixtures commonly found in luxury homes. Take a look in your market to see what kinds of features manufactured homes near you have, and see which ones call out to you as desirable for your next home.

Set a Budget

Once you’ve firmed up your wants and needs, it’ll be time to figure out what your budget is when shopping for manufactured homes.

Your manufactured home budget won’t be a single price that you want to pay. Generally your budget will be a range of the lowest you want to spend on a manufactured home, as well as a “ceiling” value – the most you can spend on a home.

This range should be based on a few different factors, including:

The price at which manufactured homes sell for in your area. You can get a good idea of this by browsing MHVillage and seeing manufactured homes similar to yours within a certain radius.
The condition of the home you’re looking to buy. If you prefer a new manufactured home over a used manufactured home, for example, your sticker price will likely be higher.
How much you personally are able to spend, given your financial health, including income and expenses.

Get Your Credit In Order

Before you begin the buying process, it’s important to take a look at your credit score to ensure it’s in the best shape it can be prior to buying your mobile home. If you have time, take some of the following steps to try boosting your credit score before your buy your home:

Don’t open any new credit accounts in the months prior to your home purchases. Mobile home lenders will typically frown upon this when reviewing mobile home loan applications.
Avoid changing jobs or close unused credit card accounts too soon before you buy your home.
Pay down any existing balances you can and catch up on your past-due accounts.

If your credit score is less than perfect, don’t fret. Many lenders offer loans for mobile home buyers that are ideal if your credit score needs improving.

Find your Dream Home

Now comes the fun part – finding your dream mobile home! Looking in your market for the mobile home that’s right for you and your family can be fun, but it does have its challenges.

One of the most important things you’ll do throughout this process, however, is tour mobile homes that you want to potentially buy. This gives you a firsthand look at the home you may end up living in, while familiarizing yourself with its features and the surrounding neighborhood.

At this point in the process, you may already be asking yourself whether you want to live on private land, or in a manufactured home community. While both have their pros and cons, living in a community allows residents to take advantage of amenities and communal facilities while leasing the land that your home lives on.

Closing Paperwork

Once you’ve gotten an offer accepted on a mobile home, it’s time to go through the closing paperwork. Depending on which state you’re in and which type of manufactured home you’re buying, the exact forms you’ll fill out may differ.

You’ll most likely fill out a purchase agreement, which outlines the sale and the required contingencies needed to complete the transaction, whether that’s financing approval or a third-party inspection. During the process, you’ll also receive a mobile home title from the seller, or multiple titles if you’re buying a multi-section home.

Other paperwork involved during the process may include tax-related documents, a final purchase contract, and any documents from a manufactured home community if you’re moving into one.

Moving Time!

After all is said and done, you’ve finally gotten to move into the manufactured home of your dreams! Once you’ve closed on your home, you can take time after you’ve moved in to redecorate or remodel if you so desire. For example, a fresh coat of paint right before or after you move can really help make your home feel more, well, like your home.

So what are you waiting for? Now that we’ve given you the ultimate checklist on how to go from listing to closing when buying your manufactured home, start your search today. Visit MHVillage to browse and buy the latest manufactured homes for sale.

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