Mobile AKA Manufactured Homes

[hwillm1977]

Both my parents and I have lived in them... but we lived in parks (I don't know why that makes a difference, but I can tell you about our experience owning/living in them)

I lived in a 1970 model trailer 12x60, three bedroom one bath. It was all I could afford to buy at the time and it's how I got into home ownership. I live in Eastern Canada, with regular days during the winter below -30 degrees celcius. Our heat was with a forced air electric furnace, 10,000 Watts. Our bill would get as high as $400/month for electricity and heat through the worst of winter. We had a peaked roof on ours and newer windows that had been put in before we moved in. We had to heat tape ALL the pipes that went under the trailer to stop them from freezing every five minutes all winter long.

I bought it for $10,000 and sold it for $12,000 with new flooring and freshly painted so it was staged to look nice. I lived in it for 4 years and absolutely would do it again. It allowed me to save the money I needed to buy the place we live in now. Our lot rental was $210/month and the lot was tiny but it was better than an apartment.

My parents live in a 1995 model mini-home, it's 16x72', three beds, 2 baths. They have taken good care of it. They live in the same climate as me, only about an hour away. They put new doors on this year and are planning on replacing the windows next year too. Their power bill (including heat and air-conditioning) is on equalized billing and they pay $120 every month of the year. There are just two of them there though, and they heat/aircondition with a mini-split heat pump and electic baseboards for when it gets so cold the heat pump no longer functions. They love it and think it's just the right size for them, but they hate living in the park because my dad likes to tinker with solar experiments and he's not allowed in the park. They intend to move the home to it's own land as soon as they can afford it. They paid about $42,000 for it 12 years ago and models similar in their park are selling for around $65,000 now (which is also what their property tax assessment is now).

 

[FarmerChick]

I have manufactured home.
When I moved to NC I was going to build. I never knew all these homes existed to just buy, slap together and have a home in 2 months



1996 Fisher doublewide
1700 sq ft originally. I added a giant mudroom and tv/playroom for the kiddo a few years ago bringing it to 2100 sq ft

When I shopped I saw the difference in quality. Fisher was top of the line. All my 'look' of the home is that of a stick built. I made sure of that when I bought.

I got extra options that were important to me. Sheetrock throughout, upgraded carpets, increased insulation where I could and more.

I made sure I bought a nice home the way I wanted. Permanent on brick. Goes thru monster storms no problems. In fact I have had no manufacturing troubles from this home.


key to any home is upgrade where needed and take care of it. I take very good care of my home. After all it is the most expensive thing I own other than my farmland.

Would I buy manufactured again. Absolutely.

My elec. is controlled nicely. Highest is usually Christmas time with my outside lights and it runs about $140. I heard the horror stories of big elec. bills in trailers but never experienced it.

One thing I am considering now is heat pump upgrade. It is the original from 1996 and does very well but I think being so old, I could cut my bill a bit if I were to get a newer, energery saving model (??) but since this runs and no problems I almost don't want to spend the money now

 

[nachoqtpie]

We have a 1999 Champion doublewide. It's on a permanent foundation. We bought it used 3 years ago so I can't tell you how well maintained it was before we bought it.

It's tough to keep it cool in the summer, and heated in the winter. It still has "trailer" windows, but I don't know that we want to spend the money to put new ones in considering we're not staying here but another 2 years or so. We also have a fireplace, but my husband won't let us USE it because he doesn't want to pay to have a chimney sweep come out (Tho it would/could save us a lot of money). We have 1500sq ft, but the house still feels very small. I think part of that is because our master bath and closet are about as big as our bedroom! They come a whole lot different now tho. If you are buying new, they have GREAT features that you can add on. Some even come with solar panels!

ETA:
Our Electric bills aren't horrible either. I think our highest electric bill ever was something like $160, and that was this year when the temps were consistently in the 100s.

I would also buy another trailer or modular. They can be very nice if you spend the money to upgrade and to make sure you have the best quality that you can afford.

Just make sure you are getting what you want!

 

[FarmerChick]

oh yea floorplan is so important. never settle for a floorplan you 'kinda' like
I checked tons of homes before I got this one. I love my floorplan

 

[TTs Chicks]

oh yea floorplan is so important. never settle for a floorplan you 'kinda' like
I checked tons of homes before I got this one. I love my floorplan

very important - I don't know how many we looked at that just weren't quite right, but this one is laid out exactaly the way we wanted.

 

[Leta]

Well, the reason that I specified "on your own land" is because a bunch of the negative stuff that I read when I Googled was griping about parks. And we are not looking at a trailer in a park, we are looking at one on 10 acres, so all the "tiny yard-weird rules-crazy neighbors" stuff doesn't apply here.

My gut instinct says that this place probably won't be a bear to heat, because it has a big woodstove in it. It also has a propane furnace, but the don't have a pig, so my guess is that they never, ever use it.

I am mostly concerned because it's a 1990. It's already 21 years old.

Also, it doesn't have a barn. If it did, we'd be all over it, and intend to build a garage with an apartment before too long. Unfortunately, because we'd have to build a barn first, the garage/apartment would take much longer to achieve.

They are asking $45,000.

 

[lighthawk]

Some things to look for...
Are there shut offs at all the plumbing fixtures? Don't want to have to turn off the main water supply to fix a leaky faucet.
Are the faucets metal or plastic. A lot of manufacturers install plastic unless requested otherwise.
Is there room under the crawlspace to work or is everything crammed in?
Is there a sump pump in the crawlspace? Could indicate a water problem.
Is the frame sitting on concrete blocks or poured pillars?
What type of tie downs are in place and are they in good condition or rusted?
Is there exposed piping or is it tucked behind insulation? If exposed is there heat tape on it.
Are the windows double hung or single hung? Do they tilt in for easy cleaning? With single hungs the upper sash will not tilt in or even open.
Is the furnace in the house? (usually they are tucked away somewhere) If it is, turn it on and see how loud it is. If they don't have a pig does it even still work at all? Keep in mind if you have to buy wood for the stove it can cost as much as buying gas for the furnace. Even if you have all the wood you could ever use the furnace should be in good condition as a back up if you have to be gone for an extended period.
Propane dealers in this area will not deliver propane to fill a tank smaller than 250 gallons. If they are using a 100 gallon tank or less you have to bring it to the dealer to have it filled.
If it is 20 years old most manufacturers use a 20 year shingle. Will it need a new roof soon?
Are the roof vents rusty?
Carefully check all the ceilings for any sign of current or previous water damage.

Seems like a lot I know. Some of these points may or may not apply to you. Just my best heads up.
Mine is 24 X 42 built in 1998. 3 br 2 bath. I wish I knew then what I know now.
Good luck.

 

[Leta]

Thanks lighthawk! That was very useful.