Debating on a newer Manufactured / "Mobile" Home ... A Doublewide

[Astro14]

Mobile home - a great way to turn a modest amount of money into zero money. They depreciate, they fall apart.

You’re better off renting an apartment, then you’ll have fixed, known costs, and predictable cash flow, instead of a money pit that you can’t get rid of in a few years.

 

[Schandyman]

Mobile home - a great way to turn a modest amount of money into zero money. They depreciate, they fall apart.

You’re better off renting an apartment, then you’ll have fixed, known costs, and predictable cash flow, instead of a money pit that you can’t get rid of in a few years.

Not accurate by no means. renting is renting, I and many others on here I'm sure been down that road. Many mobile/manufactured homes are rented out I know several people that either own them and rent out or that are renters alone and like anything owned there's ownership costs involved. If I were to tell a young family just starting out I'd tell them yes purchase an actual home because the average young family will move 2-3 times based on monies available starting out size of their family if they have more children and school district's available. so yes 9x out of 10 their initial investment on say a starter home would benefit them, Especially in these crazy covid times with the exception of selling high buying high anyway that's getting off topic.

For a retired individual or couple there's 100% no negative in the purchase of a manufactured home. My parents are headed towards their 70s had the experience of owning 2 homes a townhouse and now a manufactured home. For retired people that have no plans on moving again many I spoken to are not concerned about resale value and once again times changed my aunt purchased her manufactured home for 80k she was offered 165k at the height of this scamdemic. The downside is their considered chattel property so they don't mortgage well and maybe homeowners insurance is a lick higher then again retired folk are selling their homes and buying cash so scratch the mortgage nut.

 

[PimTac]

Another thing to consider is that mobile homes may not be so mobile anymore. In Washington state, once a mobile home reaches ten years of age, they cannot be transported on the roads.

 

[Astro14]

Renting is clear and straightforward - pay a certain amount, get use of the apartment/home. I've rented many times in my life. A couple of houses, and a few apartments as well. That suited my needs, and the needs of my family at the time. Clear, straightforward transaction - pay $$, get a product, walk away at the end of the lease.

Not one wealthy person has ever entered into a mobile home contract.

There is a correlation there. Pay attention to that.

People who have money spend their money on things that appreciate in value. They manage their cash flow. There is a place in cash flow to rent, when other circumstances dictate.

Mobile homes lose money. They depreciate. They don't last.

Putting money into things that lose value and don't last is a great way to end up with less money in the end. Smart people avoid that.

 

[supton]

Unfortunately I think Miller88 would have to get "lucky" and find a rental that has a large yard, as he has all the toys dictating space. May have to rent two places: one to live in, one to store the toys in.

I know there are house rentals out there with space in the yard, but I do not know his area so as to know if they are "common".

 

[dblshock]

We're kinda getting down to it here. The real estate bubble is about to burst and I'll end up unable to sell the swamp shack if I don't move soon!

I know there's a stigma with mobile / manufactured homes but ...

The real estate market in upstate NY has been relatively stagnant the last decade or so. Unfortunately with work from home being very popular in the NYC/NJ area, a lot of people have decided to move to upstate / Central NY. Our real estate market is crazy.

Our budget is $180K. I'm sure we could go higher but I don't want to. We still have the swamp shack and I'm planning for worst case scenario where I end up having to sell it for $30k or something and end up holding onto the mortgate for 3 or 4 more years. Having double mortgages isn't ideal, but I'm tired of dealing with all of the problems that the swamp shack has.

I DO NOT WANT AN OLD HOUSE. My fiance really wants an old house. We found one in our price range that looked nice and I entertained the idea. The house was an excellent lesson in why I do not want to deal with a house built in the 1800s. It was a disaster. Even something built in the 40s/50s is too old, IMO. Just asking for constant problems with sagging, rot ... knob and tube wiring ... no thanks.

Unfortunately - for what we want we just aren't finding anything. I can't live in a development. They aren't conducive to my hobbies - a friend of mine lives in a development and his jeeps are always attracting codes officers. I don't want to deal with that. We will not have kids, so we can have live somewhere without a good school district. Rural works great. More room to park stuff, more room for our dog to run and less nosey neighbors.

However, we are finding homes are within our price range. Though severely inflated, they are available. 20 or so years ago, there was a bit of a boom and a lot of the more rural areas were divided up into 1-2 acre lots and there were mobile homes placed.We're finding there are some 1200-1500 sqft doublewides built between 2000 and 2005 on acre lots. With detached garages.

It seems that "post standard" homes don't seem to catch fire and burn up like the old ones. Some friends of mine just had one put on a plot of land they bought and it's extremely nice. 2x6 walls, drywall! , very nice flooring and appliances. The build quality is awesome. IT's sitting on a pad and has a block skirting around. Looks like a modular!

Anyone have any thoughts / comments on looking at one that's around 20 years old? As long as it has normal flooring material - plywood / osb, copper wiring, modern plumbing (no CPVC for me) and isn't too old I think I could deal with it. As long as it's on a concrete pad! No more dirt crawlspaces for me.

And if placed in snow country check the roof weight rating and local codes....many weren't built for snow weight.

 

[RhondaHonda]

I’d go modular at minimum if you can swing it. We basically gave away my wife’s grandfather’s mobile home in a decent little park in Florida. I think we took $5,000 for it just to get out from the lot rent and would’ve taken nothing just to be free of it.

I’d look for a lot with an older mobile home on it, that way all then utilities are there vs developing vacant land. Since you don’t need a ton of space I’d build something simple, 1200-1500 sq feet, but energy efficient and live in the crappy mobile home til it’s done. Id still think you could do something sufficient with building supplies costing what they do for $125/sq foot.

 

[Dave Hess]

Unfortunately I think Miller88 would have to get "lucky" and find a rental that has a large yard, as he has all the toys dictating space. May have to rent two places: one to live in, one to store the toys in.

I know there are house rentals out there with space in the yard, but I do not know his area so as to know if they are "common".

Ultimately he will find something in his price range.

I would like to see a photo of the swap shack (his words) and the flooding issues.

If my son was in his situation, I’d help him buy a house that meets his needs, No HOA , yard for dogs, etc…

 

[Dave Hess]

We're kinda getting down to it here. The real estate bubble is about to burst and I'll end up unable to sell the swamp shack if I don't move soon!

I know there's a stigma with mobile / manufactured homes but ...

The real estate market in upstate NY has been relatively stagnant the last decade or so. Unfortunately with work from home being very popular in the NYC/NJ area, a lot of people have decided to move to upstate / Central NY. Our real estate market is crazy.

Our budget is $180K. I'm sure we could go higher but I don't want to. We still have the swamp shack and I'm planning for worst case scenario where I end up having to sell it for $30k or something and end up holding onto the mortgate for 3 or 4 more years. Having double mortgages isn't ideal, but I'm tired of dealing with all of the problems that the swamp shack has.

I DO NOT WANT AN OLD HOUSE. My fiance really wants an old house. We found one in our price range that looked nice and I entertained the idea. The house was an excellent lesson in why I do not want to deal with a house built in the 1800s. It was a disaster. Even something built in the 40s/50s is too old, IMO. Just asking for constant problems with sagging, rot ... knob and tube wiring ... no thanks.

Unfortunately - for what we want we just aren't finding anything. I can't live in a development. They aren't conducive to my hobbies - a friend of mine lives in a development and his jeeps are always attracting codes officers. I don't want to deal with that. We will not have kids, so we can have live somewhere without a good school district. Rural works great. More room to park stuff, more room for our dog to run and less nosey neighbors.

However, we are finding homes are within our price range. Though severely inflated, they are available. 20 or so years ago, there was a bit of a boom and a lot of the more rural areas were divided up into 1-2 acre lots and there were mobile homes placed.We're finding there are some 1200-1500 sqft doublewides built between 2000 and 2005 on acre lots. With detached garages.

It seems that "post standard" homes don't seem to catch fire and burn up like the old ones. Some friends of mine just had one put on a plot of land they bought and it's extremely nice. 2x6 walls, drywall! , very nice flooring and appliances. The build quality is awesome. IT's sitting on a pad and has a block skirting around. Looks like a modular!

Anyone have any thoughts / comments on looking at one that's around 20 years old? As long as it has normal flooring material - plywood / osb, copper wiring, modern plumbing (no CPVC for me) and isn't too old I think I could deal with it. As long as it's on a concrete pad! No more dirt crawlspaces for me.

Can you post a link to the mobile homes you might be considering ?

And link to a house you would consider buying ?

Just curiously wondering…..…

.

 

[IndyIan]

I would atleast check with a reputable builder and see what they can do for building a simple rectangle house with a full basement. Maybe there are no crews left who can bang out a house like that in a couple weeks? Maybe find an Amish builder like these guys and build the extended version of this with a garage/shop at one end? 8hrs from posts in the ground to walls and a roof enclosed with steel.

I'm especially impressed at 7:30 where they just hand up the trusses, no messing with cranes or telehandlers..

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Can you post a link to the mobile homes you might be considering ?

And link to a house you would consider buying ?

Just curiously wondering…..…

.

This one is the same layout to the one we're looking at. Just the one we're looking at is a lot nicer inside. And not on a basement. Which is weird

397 French St, Parish, NY 13131 | Zillow

Zestimate® Home Value: $70,000. 397 French St, Parish, NY is a mobile / manufactured home that contains 1,248 sq ft and was built in 2002. It contains 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. The Zestimate for this house is $141,100, which has increased by $1,877 in the last 30 days. The Rent Zestimate...

www.zillow.com

Ultimately he will find something in his price range


I would like to see a photo of the swap shack (his words) and the flooding issues.

If my son was in his situation, I’d help him buy a house that meets his needs, No HOA , yard for dogs, etc…

I'll see if I can find some pictures of the flooding over the years we've had. Please hold!

 

[HonorAndHonesty]

Look at resale possibilities, it can be hard to finance a new manufactured home with traditional lenders in some cases. If you go to sell it will the potential buyers be able to get financing on a 15 or 20 year old mobile home?

I have a friend with a cheap fleetwood trailer which is probably 7 or 8 years old now, it is expensive to heat with r-18 insulation in the ceiling, is built with many poor quality materials and despite his meticulous maintenance is not holding up as well as he was hoping for. Granted this was almost the cheapest single wide he could find, so in that regard it may have been a good value overall.

Factor in energy costs into the equation. They are only going up!

 

[Dave Hess]

Miller88,

Thanks for posting link, now I have a better idea what you are considering on buying.

.

 

[gathermewool]

Can you post pics and details of your "swamp shack"? How about your toys?

Off the cuff, why have so many supposed toys if you can't afford a decent house? I know you only live once and all, but your current residence sounds like a nightmare. I'd rather suffer through a cheap condo for half a decade or more while you save up for a house you'll be happy with than settling now for some POS.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

We did make an offer and got accepted on it. With the crazy real estate market, we came in $50,000 below our budget and about $75000 below what an equivalent stick built (on nearly an acre) would cost.


Here's some pictures of it. Digging the driveway. And it has a kitchen. In the swamp shack, the kitchen is a sink, 1 base cabinet and 2 wall cabinets.

It was kept in great shape. I crawled around underneath, moved some insulation around and didn't see any rot/mold. Not pressboard floors so that's good. Appears to be well insulated, has triple pane windows. 100a service to the home itself, 100a service to the garage. Kinda weird but I've seen it before.

4'' waste pipe. CPVC supply lines (will be fixed eventually). Copper wire, 14 gauge but that will be changed some day to 12/2.

Closing costs due to the lower appraisal costs are significantly lower. $6000 under the last house we went under contract for.

Look at resale possibilities, it can be hard to finance a new manufactured home with traditional lenders in some cases. If you go to sell it will the potential buyers be able to get financing on a 15 or 20 year old mobile home?

I have a friend with a cheap fleetwood trailer which is probably 7 or 8 years old now, it is expensive to heat with r-18 insulation in the ceiling, is built with many poor quality materials and despite his meticulous maintenance is not holding up as well as he was hoping for. Granted this was almost the cheapest single wide he could find, so in that regard it may have been a good value overall.

Factor in energy costs into the equation. They are only going up!

Speaking to a few different lenders on it, in NY they don't seem to have a problem lending to a post 1986 mobile home as long as it's on a concrete pad, block skirting and tied down. This one meets those criteria. I was mistaken, it's a 2003 instead of a 2002.

Can you post pics and details of your "swamp shack"? How about your toys?

Off the cuff, why have so many supposed toys if you can't afford a decent house? I know you only live once and all, but your current residence sounds like a nightmare. I'd rather suffer through a cheap condo for half a decade or more while you save up for a house you'll be happy with than settling now for some POS.

Here's a google street view. You can see how it sits lower compared to the house on the right. It also has some sag on the 2nd floor but I've since fixed that. Note: Not my chevy truck , not me in the driveway.

I don't personally need a nice house. A cheap, modest house is perfect. My plan was to buy it and pay it off shortly (I could pay it off right now, 5 years into ownership) and either live debt free or fix it up and sell/rent it to move on to something out in the country.

The toys are a Jeep or two. Between the Jeep, trailer, my truck, fiance's car, my daily driver ... our driveway is full. Nothing is particularly expensive, I do everything on a budget.

 

[Schandyman]

We did make an offer and got accepted on it. With the crazy real estate market, we came in $50,000 below our budget and about $75000 below what an equivalent stick built (on nearly an acre) would cost.


Here's some pictures of it. Digging the driveway. And it has a kitchen. In the swamp shack, the kitchen is a sink, 1 base cabinet and 2 wall cabinets.

It was kept in great shape. I crawled around underneath, moved some insulation around and didn't see any rot/mold. Not pressboard floors so that's good. Appears to be well insulated, has triple pane windows. 100a service to the home itself, 100a service to the garage. Kinda weird but I've seen it before.

4'' waste pipe. CPVC supply lines (will be fixed eventually). Copper wire, 14 gauge but that will be changed some day to 12/2.

Closing costs due to the lower appraisal costs are significantly lower. $6000 under the last house we went under contract for.


View attachment 85856
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View attachment 85858




Speaking to a few different lenders on it, in NY they don't seem to have a problem lending to a post 1986 mobile home as long as it's on a concrete pad, block skirting and tied down. This one meets those criteria. I was mistaken, it's a 2003 instead of a 2002.




Here's a google street view. You can see how it sits lower compared to the house on the right. It also has some sag on the 2nd floor but I've since fixed that. Note: Not my chevy truck , not me in the driveway.

I don't personally need a nice house. A cheap, modest house is perfect. My plan was to buy it and pay it off shortly (I could pay it off right now, 5 years into ownership) and either live debt free or fix it up and sell/rent it to move on to something out in the country.



View attachment 85855


The toys are a Jeep or two. Between the Jeep, trailer, my truck, fiance's car, my daily driver ... our driveway is full. Nothing is particularly expensive, I do everything on a budget.

Nice little place you found congrats and best of luck. Yes future upgrades would be

1) replacing CPVC with PEX
2) Upgrading electrical to 200A service replacing receptacles and switches *if you have those self contained ones like in most mobile & manufactured homes they're not desirable. Make sure your GFCI'S all function and if the garage has a sub panel feeding it it's properly grounded and not bonded with the neutral. Check for proper size wire gauge and it's corresponding breaker. Not sure on code for mobile/manufactured homes but you may need AFCI protection as well.
3)roof condition?
4)upgrade insulation?
5) municipal or private sewer/water? If private check well and septic?

You sound knowledgeable you'll be alright.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Nice little place you found congrats and best of luck. Yes future upgrades would be

1) replacing CPVC with PEX
2) Upgrading electrical to 200A service replacing receptacles and switches *if you have those self contained ones like in most mobile & manufactured homes they're not desirable. Make sure your GFCI'S all function and if the garage has a sub panel feeding it it's properly grounded and not bonded with the neutral. Check for proper size wire gauge and it's corresponding breaker. Not sure on code for mobile/manufactured homes but you may need AFCI protection as well.
3)roof condition?
4)upgrade insulation?
5) municipal or private sewer/water? If private check well and septic?

You sound knowledgeable you'll be alright.

I have a bunch of pex left and all of the crimping tools from reconfiguring all of the plumbing on the swamp shack. If / when the water heater fails, we'll just go tankless. More space.

There may be additional requirements to do the service upgrade - the garage has it's own panel that comes from the meter so we're already pushing 200. I'm not sure what the power company would have to do to run 300a to the house. It does have an electric water heater, stove and dryer so definitely something I'd like to do. As for upgrading to AFCI, I'm on board with that! I did check all the GFCI outlets and they work (surprisingly). I'll probably end up pulling all of the outlets out and changing from the stab to the screw connection. I don't trust the stab and go style.

It's got insulation underneath. Fiberglass. Not a huge fan of that. Ideally, when I upgrade the wiring and plumbing I'll go with rockwool. The walls are insulated , not even drafty at the base. Doens't appear to be 2x6 construction.

Roof is tin, I'm happy with that. Public water but septic. I'm okay with septic. The swamp shack is in a low lieing area and the town has a sewage pump that has to pump it uphill to the sewage treatment plant. That costs me $600 a year to have sewer! Nuts!!

 

[4WD]

I think it’s much about knowing what you are getting in - and if it matters. So, personally it would have to be on the right land and still mobile in case I want to build while living there. One of our engineers did this - and he’s a big spreadsheet guy who can show you what he saved doing much of the work on the house - and being in the contractors day everyday … He’s ahead on what he lost flipping a basic mobile home … Was also able to keep clearing land - working on flood control etc …

On the other end - in my small village a rich guy built a huge mansion in town on a few acres. He told me that the city wanted receipts for construction cost as tax base. Instead he hired a specialist that showed that nobody will buy this house for what they spent - especially if the taxes were that high - so they knew a multimillion dollar home would lose money before the first cement was pumped.

 

[Schandyman]

I have a bunch of pex left and all of the crimping tools from reconfiguring all of the plumbing on the swamp shack. If / when the water heater fails, we'll just go tankless. More space.

There may be additional requirements to do the service upgrade - the garage has it's own panel that comes from the meter so we're already pushing 200. I'm not sure what the power company would have to do to run 300a to the house. It does have an electric water heater, stove and dryer so definitely something I'd like to do. As for upgrading to AFCI, I'm on board with that! I did check all the GFCI outlets and they work (surprisingly). I'll probably end up pulling all of the outlets out and changing from the stab to the screw connection. I don't trust the stab and go style.

It's got insulation underneath. Fiberglass. Not a huge fan of that. Ideally, when I upgrade the wiring and plumbing I'll go with rockwool. The walls are insulated , not even drafty at the base. Doens't appear to be 2x6 construction.

Roof is tin, I'm happy with that. Public water but septic. I'm okay with septic. The swamp shack is in a low lieing area and the town has a sewage pump that has to pump it uphill to the sewage treatment plant. That costs me $600 a year to have sewer! Nuts!!

a call to the utility company or a licensed electrician will tell you the condition of your service drop and if it can supply a 300A panel. i see that vapor barriers have become a big thing i dont know if there is a such thing in over insulating but i guess this could be true, too much insulation and vapor barriers then the structure can't breath. its more insulating properly in the right places then over doing it. my 1st home the previous homeowners did a lot of work themselves and had the attic so choked up with insulation mixed with poor venting it couldn't breath and was a mold pit. nothing wrong with a tin roof the underlayment materials now a days they're quieter than some asphalt roofs. $50 a month does sound steep for sewer but it must be a steep hill to pump beyond .

 

[4WD]

We did make an offer and got accepted on it. With the crazy real estate market, we came in $50,000 below our budget and about $75000 below what an equivalent stick built (on nearly an acre) would cost.


Here's some pictures of it. Digging the driveway. And it has a kitchen. In the swamp shack, the kitchen is a sink, 1 base cabinet and 2 wall cabinets.

It was kept in great shape. I crawled around underneath, moved some insulation around and didn't see any rot/mold. Not pressboard floors so that's good. Appears to be well insulated, has triple pane windows. 100a service to the home itself, 100a service to the garage. Kinda weird but I've seen it before.

4'' waste pipe. CPVC supply lines (will be fixed eventually). Copper wire, 14 gauge but that will be changed some day to 12/2.

Closing costs due to the lower appraisal costs are significantly lower. $6000 under the last house we went under contract for.


View attachment 85856
View attachment 85857
View attachment 85858




Speaking to a few different lenders on it, in NY they don't seem to have a problem lending to a post 1986 mobile home as long as it's on a concrete pad, block skirting and tied down. This one meets those criteria. I was mistaken, it's a 2003 instead of a 2002.




Here's a google street view. You can see how it sits lower compared to the house on the right. It also has some sag on the 2nd floor but I've since fixed that. Note: Not my chevy truck , not me in the driveway.

I don't personally need a nice house. A cheap, modest house is perfect. My plan was to buy it and pay it off shortly (I could pay it off right now, 5 years into ownership) and either live debt free or fix it up and sell/rent it to move on to something out in the country.



View attachment 85855


The toys are a Jeep or two. Between the Jeep, trailer, my truck, fiance's car, my daily driver ... our driveway is full. Nothing is particularly expensive, I do everything on a budget.

Glad you found a deal - but really glad that’s not your truck