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Suggestions on first time buying manufactured home

last year

Hello! I an currently in the process of purchasing land for the first time and searching for a double wide to place on the land. this is my first time purchasing and would love to get some suggestions about absolutely anything related to buying a manufactured home, things you would have wished you knew before. I would also love to know how much is a normal interest rate? they seem so high to me although i know they are rising everywhere, im located in houston tx. we have currently chose a champions home but are in the midst of getting specific pricing, did you guys negotiate that? where did you guys purchase your manufactured home and how much are you guys paying? sorry in advance if i am all over the place l.

Featured Answer

One Devoted Dame

last year

last modified: last year

I'm in Central TX (for now...), and I considered a manufactured home for quite some time. Here are my thoughts, sorry if they're all jumbled up, lol:

Thoroughly research the property tax rate for your county and surrounding counties. Here in TX, property taxes are among the highest in the nation for stick built homes (the first year, I paid $700 *per month* for a $270k stick built house, which is truly insane), which is why a lot of folks turn to manufactured homes here. That monthly tax burden plummets with a manufactured house that isn't attached to a permanent foundation. A significantly reduced property tax obligation reduces the chances of losing the home to the government.

Instead of having the dealer set up your home, I would find a 3rd party manufactured home inspector/leveler guy, and ask them for referrals. We have a lot of clay soil here, and if y'all have clay there, too, you'll want to get everything secured and buttoned up properly to avoid marriage line issues. Also ask about the best dealerships to purchase from, as well as the best hurricane protection measures.

Consider buying a parcel of land from a county sales tax/auction. If you go this route, verify that you can improve the property immediately (homestead or ag exempt properties can be bought back by the original owner -- for the auction price plus all accrued taxes -- within a certain time frame... up to 2 years, I think).

Ask the county's development/engineering department for 5, 10, and 20 year plans (roadway extensions, large businesses, etc.)

Familiarize yourself with the going rate for land in your area; check the county's GIS maps and assessments, so that you don't overpay and end up with negative equity from the beginning.

I have personally witnessed home appreciation in my part of Texas with manufactured housing. Check out your area.

Yes, interest rates are higher for manufactured home loans. Research homeowner's insurance -- I think GEICO covers manufactured homes (if I recall, they use a 3rd party; I didn't get quite that far along in the process, to be certain).

Don't buy anything in a floodplain. Check out the FEMA maps for specific addresses. Only buy a property labeled "X" or "shaded X"!

Do you plan on keeping chickens or adding other structures like greenhouses, carports (covered parking helps reduce auto insurance from hail damage), additional manufactured homes, etc.? Look into any applicable County and/or HOA policies.

Research septic system types and installation, water well depth and placement (a geological engineer can help with this), propane tank/natural gas (bury everything you can, and buy, don't lease), solar, and rainwater collection.

Think about orientation (North/South/East/West -- you don't want most of your living spaces facing west without a ton of trees blocking the sun's heat), approach to the home, and curb appeal. Make it inviting. <3

Wow, that ended up being a lot, I'm so sorry! lol I've been looking into this for a few years now, so these were almost all of my notes. :-D

Edited to add:

Oh!!! I nearly forgot about pest control!!! Ask the inspector and installer/set up crew (not the dealership) about skirting options and how high to raise your home, to minimize your chances of dealing with mice, rats, rabbits, and other opportunistic critters from making your home *their* home, as well.

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Comments (13)

millworkman
last year
Interest rates on double wide manufactured homes are considerably typically higher than a normal house, on top of the fact that the value plummets very quickly.
Ally De
last year
last modified: last year
Agree with millworkman. If it were me, I'd look for a nice little stick-built starter home - something where sweat equity can really work in your favor. That's exactly what I did with my first house. I came from almost nothing, but worked my butt off and what I got out of that first house set me on my way.
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booty bums
last year
Do not, under any circumstances, buy a new manufactured home.

You want real estate to appreciate in value, and mobile homes are guaranteed to lose value.

Instead, you should do 1 of the following...

- Build a modest stick-built house

- Buy a cheap pre-owned mobile home that has already experienced significant depreciation
cpartist
last year
The best thing you could do is buy a small stick built older house that needs cosmetic updating in a decent neighborhood. That will appreciate. A double wide will not.
mxk3 z5b_MI
last year
Have you considered a modular home? These are built in pieces off-site then assembled at the home site on a permanent foundation, and you can have a basement. I can't imagine why these would depreciate -- they're not "mobile homes", and I'll tell you I've looked at some and unless you already knew it was a pre-fab you would be fooled. Something to look into, but do see if there are any building restrictions against modulars on your land.
mtvhike
last year
I assume the OP meant modular. Are you going to have a foundation or a basement?
einportlandor
last year
Folks, mobile homes and manufactured homes are NOT the same thing. Seems to be some confusion here.
millworkman
last year
"and searching for a double wide to place on the land."

And the op specifically mentioned double wide...................
PRO
Mark Bischak, Architect
last year
I think the OP is looking for a double modular wide manufactured mobile home.

ODD gives good advice.
booty bums
last year
Folks, mobile homes and manufactured homes are NOT the same thing. Seems to be some confusion here.

There is no confusion. The OP specifically mentioned a "double wide", which is absolutely a mobile home.
functionthenlook
last year
last modified: last year
Mobile homes were built before 1976. Manufactured homes were built after 1976 per federal law. Manufactured homes after 1976 comply with HUD national building codes.

Manufactured homes that are tied permanently to the ground and wheels/axles are removed are real property like stick built homes. It varies state to state

They have real estate titles, pay school/county/township taxes and bought/sold like any other stick built home. not tied to the ground they are considered personal property and are registered to the DMV. Real property manufactured homes increase or decrease the same as stick built home depending on the housing market at the time.

If high taxes are a problem in an area then personal property is probably the way to go. That should be figured out case by case basis.

Our camp is a 1980 real property manufactured home. I call it my hybrid home. It has part block crawl space and part block basement, a stick built add on and concrete covered front porch. We bought it in 2020. Before that I've never even been in a manufactured home. It is no different than living in my stick built home. The only difference I can think of is you enter the basement from outside and the furnace is in the home, not in the basement.

After buying our camp I would have no problem buying a new manufactured home.
PRO
Mark Bischak, Architect
last year
If you think about it, all homes are manufactured.