Questions to Ask When Buying a Mobile Home
For buyers looking at a manufactured home, either on rented land in a park or on a lot of their own. These 20 questions cover lot rent and park ownership, the home's age and data plate, support and anchoring, roof and floor condition, titling and taxes, financing, insurance and park rules.
The questions
Open any question for the note
Am I buying the land as well, or only the home on a rented lot?
Why ask it
This single answer decides almost everything else: whether you build equity in land, whether you can be told to leave, and whether a lender will treat the purchase as real estate or as personal property. Homes on rented lots have historically been much harder to finance and to resell.
Who owns the park, and has ownership changed in the last few years?
Why ask it
A family owned park and a park recently acquired by an investment group tend to behave very differently on rent, fees and enforcement. Ask current residents rather than the office, since residents will tell you what happened after the last sale.
What is the lot rent now, what was it three years ago, and what limits an increase?
Why ask it
Lot rent is the payment you cannot refinance away, and in many states there is no cap on how fast it rises. Get the three year history in writing, because the trend predicts your real cost far better than today's figure.
What does the lot rent include, and what will be billed to me separately?
Why ask it
Water, sewer, trash and grounds care are sometimes bundled and sometimes passed through as separate charges that rise independently. Ask a resident for a copy of a recent statement so you can see every line rather than the headline rent.
Do I have to apply to the park and be approved before the sale can close?
Why ask it
Most parks screen buyers on credit, income and background, and an unapproved buyer cannot take occupancy even after paying the seller. Start the application before you commit money, and make your purchase contract contingent on park approval in writing.
What year was the home built, and does it still have its HUD data plate and certification label?
Why ask it
Homes built before the federal construction standard took effect in June 1976 are generally not financeable and many parks will not accept them. The data plate also states the wind and thermal zone the home was built for, which matters if it now sits somewhere with harsher weather.
Has the home ever been moved, and if so when and by whom?
Why ask it
Transport is when frames flex, marriage lines on a double wide separate, and drywall or panel seams crack. A home moved once by a licensed installer with a permit is fine, and a home moved informally is a structural question you need an inspector to answer.
How is the home supported and anchored, and when were the piers and tie-downs last checked?
Why ask it
Settled piers cause the sagging floors, sticking doors and cracked seams that buyers usually blame on age. Get under the home if you can, or hire someone who will, and look for shimmed piers, rusted straps and anchors that are no longer tight.
What is the condition of the roof, and has it been re-roofed or coated?
Why ask it
Older manufactured homes often have low slope metal roofs that were coated repeatedly rather than replaced, and each coating hides the seams underneath. Ask when the work was done and by whom, then look at the ceiling inside for the staining that gives away a slow leak.
Are there soft spots in the floor, particularly in the bathroom and near exterior doors?
Why ask it
Particleboard subfloor fails permanently once it gets wet, and the damage spreads under vinyl where you cannot see it. Walk the whole floor slowly in socks, press near the toilet, the tub, the washer and every doorway, and treat any spring underfoot as a repair to price.
What kind of water supply lines does it have, and have there been leaks under the floor?
Why ask it
Some homes of certain eras were plumbed with materials now known to fail at the fittings, and in a manufactured home the lines run in the floor cavity where a leak sits on the subfloor for months. Ask what has been repaired and whether any of the original lines remain.
What does the electrical panel look like, and is any of the branch wiring aluminum?
Why ask it
Aluminum branch wiring and a few specific older panel brands are treated as hazards by many insurers, and some will decline the home outright. Photograph the panel label and send it to an insurance agent before your inspection period ends.
How old are the furnace, water heater and air conditioner, and where does the ductwork run?
Why ask it
Manufactured homes take specific furnace and water heater models rather than standard residential units, so replacement is often less flexible and more expensive than people expect. Ducts running under the floor also collapse or fill with debris, which shows up as rooms that never get warm.
Is the home titled as personal property, or has it been converted to real property?
Why ask it
A home on a title behaves like a vehicle, with liens recorded and taxes billed differently than a house on a deed. Conversion generally requires the home to be permanently affixed on land you own, and until that happens your financing options stay narrower and shorter.
Who holds the title now, and are there any liens against it?
Why ask it
A seller with an unpaid loan cannot hand you clear title, and in a park sale there is often no closing agent watching for that. Check the title record with the state agency that issues it, and pay through an escrow or title company rather than directly.
What will I pay in taxes: personal property tax, real estate tax, or both?
Why ask it
Depending on the state and how the home is titled, you may owe an annual personal property tax on the home and nothing on the land, or property tax on both. Call the county assessor with the serial number and ask what the current bill is and what it will be after the sale.
What financing is available for this home, and how does the rate compare with a mortgage?
Why ask it
A home not affixed to owned land is usually financed as a chattel loan, which typically carries a higher rate and shorter term than a mortgage on a comparable amount. Get one actual quote before you agree a price, because the monthly cost may differ far more than the purchase price suggests.
Can this home be insured at its age and location, and what will the premium be?
Why ask it
Insurers underwrite manufactured homes on age, roof, wiring, anchoring and wind zone, and a decline at the quoting stage will also end your financing. Get a written quote during your inspection period rather than assuming coverage is available.
What are the park rules on improvements, sheds, carports, parking, pets and subletting?
Why ask it
Ask for the written rules and read the enforcement section, not just the list. What matters is whether the park requires approval before you add a deck or a shed, and whether rules can be changed mid-lease with notice.
If I sell later, does the park have to approve my buyer, and can they require the home to be removed?
Why ask it
Some parks reserve the right to reject buyers, to charge a transfer fee, or to refuse to renew a lot lease for a home over a certain age, which effectively forces removal. Moving a manufactured home is expensive and sometimes impossible, so get the resale terms in writing before you buy.
Buying a Manufactured Home
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Work to Do Before You Commit
Price the lot rent trend, not the lot rent
Get the last three years of lot rent in writing and calculate the annual increase, then project it forward over the years you plan to stay. On rented land, this line is the one you have no control over: you cannot refinance it, and in most states nothing caps it. A home that looks affordable at today's rent can become unaffordable while remaining hard to sell.
Talk to three residents before you talk price
Knock on doors on the same street and ask how much the rent has gone up, how the park handles water and sewer billing, how long repairs to roads and common utilities take, and whether anyone has been forced out. Residents have no reason to sell you anything, and they will describe the management you are about to live under.
Hire an inspector who works on manufactured homes
The important defects here are different from a site built house: pier settlement and anchoring, subfloor rot under vinyl, marriage line separation on a double wide, ductwork in the belly, roof seams, and undersized or aged mechanicals. Ask directly whether the inspector will go underneath the home, because that is where most of the answers are.
Line up insurance and financing before your contingency expires
Both can fail for reasons specific to manufactured housing: age of the home, roof type, wiring, wind zone, or the fact that it sits on leased land. Get one written insurance quote and one loan quote early, since finding out late usually means losing a deposit rather than renegotiating.
What to Check Yourself During the Walkthrough
- Walk the entire floor slowly and press near the toilet, tub, washer, water heater and every exterior door.
- Open and close every window and door and note any that bind, which often points to pier settlement rather than swelling.
- Look at ceiling and wall panel seams for staining, tape lifting, or fresh paint concentrated in one area.
- On a double wide, follow the marriage line down the center of the home and look for separation at floor, wall and ceiling.
- Photograph the HUD data plate, the certification label, the panel label, and the furnace and water heater plates.
- Look under the home at piers, shims, tie-down straps, the belly wrap and any ducts hanging loose.
- Check where water leaves the lot in heavy rain, and whether the ground slopes toward the home or away from it.
- Run every faucet and the shower at once and watch pressure, then look for staining in the cabinet under each sink.
Red Flags
- A home built before June 1976, which most lenders and many parks will not accept.
- No HUD data plate or certification label, which makes age, wind zone and lender eligibility hard to establish.
- Lot rent that has risen sharply since the park changed hands.
- A seller who cannot produce the title, or a title with a lien still recorded on it.
- Soft flooring anywhere, which usually indicates a leak that has been running longer than anyone admits.
- Recent roof coating with no invoice and no explanation of what it covered.
- Park rules that reserve the right to refuse your future buyer or to require removal of homes over a set age.
- Pressure to pay the seller directly rather than through an escrow or title company.