Evening everyone, I have a couple/few questions about buying a mobile home. What different types of heat would be used for mobile homes? Gas,oil,propane etc which is better or cheaper, although I would be pretty much stuck with whatever it was. Can anyone give me any suggestions to look at when it comes to buying a mobile home? Todd (Teacher) mentioned the cost to heat in the winter could be a very high cost. Does anyone else here have any other tips for me to consider? I need some help on this, if you have any experience or thoughts please let me know. thanks everyone...... I've always said to myself that it would be a heck of a lot better to buy a mobile home than rent a place to stay, but I could be very wrong, I still like the idea of owning the place than renting......


PS: no trailer trash jokes..... I may be in need of a place very soon, possibly the next couple months! thanks

 

Hey Chris thought of something else. If it was built before 1976 it will not be HUD approved. What this can mean is it may have aluminum wire instead of copper. Aluminum can start fires. The one I had was built in 75 but had updated wiring. Something to think about and look at. You also want to check the insulation underneath and make sure it is in good shape and not lying on the ground. Ask if it has heat tape on the pipes. This is still used to keep pipes from freezing, but is also a fire hazard. Make sure the roof has been sealed should look like it is painted white. These suggestions are all for older trailers. If it has a comp roof on it it is most likely newer and has a lot better insulation. You just need to check things out and make sure it is what you want. I agree it is better to own then pay rent. Feel free to shoot me lots of questions.

 

thanks Todd, I did read about the wiring in older trailers and I also have a friend at work who does home inspections who will check the place out for me. The place I looked at on Saturday was pretty old (pre 75?) and looked OK but I didn't get a chance to see the inside. I will definitely need your advice going forward on this. I honestly have no problem living in a mobile home as long as I have a place I can call home. thanks as always, I appreciate your response....

 

...Hi Chris, below are some links on the subject... I hope they help in your decision...Good Luck 4-Sure
Buying a Mobile Home - Tips for Buyers

We have created a new section of Home Buying Institute for people who are considering buying a mobile home.
www.homebuyinginstitute.com/buying-mobile-home.php - Cached - Similar
Manufactured Housing: Consumer Tips

If you're thinking about buying a mobile home, Consumers Union can help you pick the right one at the right price. This report includes money-saving tips, ...
www.consumersunion.org/other/mh/brochure.htm - Cached - Similar
Mobile home buying tips

These tips should help a buyer find the best deal on either a new or used mobile home.
www.essortment.com › Money & Finances - Cached - Similar
Buying a Pre-Owned Manufactured Home

Complete household resource Web site for mobile home, modular home and ... integrity is the most important factor to consider when buying a preowned home. ...
www.mygreathome.com/buying.../buying_preowned.htm - Cached - Similar

 

The thing that has always made me wonder why bother with a Mobil home, at least in my area is the space rent. So you pay 1/3-1/2 the cost for the actual home. But then you have a space rent of $400-650 a month FOREVER. So even when its paid for, you are still paying for the space rent. Not to mention when you add the space rent to the actual mobil home payment, it comes out to be about the same as a fixer upper house payment.

 

Hey, thanks guys, I know it is not the ideal place to live for the majority of people, but it is always something that I considered for just myself, and maybe my daughter can come and stay for a weekend with me? Michael I've seen anywhere from a $145 lot rent to $390 around here, I'm still looking into my possibilities.

Space, thanks for the info and links, I will be looking into them and I also have a pretty good friend at work who can do an inspection for me........

 

I don'tk now what the regulations are where you live, I'm in North Carolina. It is not required to get poured footers, but my dad did so he could insure it as a house and not a mobile home. Ours is a '95 model, and it is well insulated. The heat we use is a built in fireplace with I believe propane... it may be natural gas though. The air conditioner I'm not sure about. But you better make sure you get one big enough to cool your square feet. My brother has one that is too small.... it works its butt off and burned up in about 2 summers of NC heat and didn't do a good job when it did run.

Our home stood through Hurricane Fran without a problem.. our neighbor who did not have poured footers or concrete underpinning had his house shift about 6" off the foundation.

We bought the lot ours is on... don't know why you can't do that and not have to worry about renting a lot. Might be different regulations in different places.

 

Sorry i have nothing to give to this but my best wishes.

Good luck Chris.

 

im with jose, i dont know crap about mobile homes, but good luck with the search chris.

 

thanks Duane, very good info and thanks Jose and Ryan, I'm in the hunt for a place and I will let all of you know how it goes and hopefully I can find something good enough for me