A Detailed Analysis Of Mobile Homes And What Owning One Entails

A mobile home refers to those homes that are manufactured. A number of engineering processes are involved to ensure that they meet the standards that are set by the federal building code, which has been adopted by the Housing And Urban Development (HUD) department in the United States since 1976. These types of homes are designed and constructed in the factories so that they can be installed on-site at different locations within the United States.

Single, double and triple wide homes

In the current economic climate having a mobile has become popular because of their ability to guarantee the buyers with high levels of quality. This is because most of the materials that are used are of high quality, though they come at much lower prices. In addition, the buyer is also able to make self preferred designs. This has led to the increase of mobile home lots and acres of land for sale. There are a number of different mobile homes. These are the single, double and triple wide home designs. All of these types are unique in their own ways. However, they all help you to save your money when obtaining your new home in the sense that you will not need to make any sacrifices for any features that you are looking for. Thus, they are floor plans of different types and sizes that meet the needs of all customers. For instance, the single wide homes are smaller and more affordable homes that are 18 feet or less in width and 90 feet or less in length. They are transported to the site as a single unit. On the other hand, the double wide homes are those that are divided into half during transportation and are reassembled at the planned destination while the triple wide homes are transported in three, four or five distinct units.

Advantages and disadvantages of a mobile home

The popularity of the use of mobile homes as compared to that of the traditional or regular homes has increased significantly in the recent years. This shift has been greatly attributed to the numerous advantages that come with the purchase of mobile homes as opposed to the traditional ones. There are some benefits that are associated with the ownership of a mobile home. They include:

1) The affordability of the mobile homes that makes them the best alternative to purchasing a home that is already in existence or making an investment in a home that is constructed in a new site. With the quick and efficient building processes, most of the savings are easily transferred to the consumer.

2) They are entirely customizable, since they provide the mobile home owners with most of the amenities that are featured in magazines and TV shows. They include contemporary kitchens that are completely constructed with appliances of stainless steel, vaulted ceilings, Bathrooms that are well appointed with custom fixtures such as excellent bathtubs and well built shower stalls and shower doors as well as bedrooms that have walk in closets and cabinets that are complete.

3) It is easier to move a mobile home as compared to a traditional home in case you would like to shift locations. It can be divided into half and reassembled at the desired place since it does not take long to reassemble.

Despite these benefits, a number of people have also found it disadvantageous to own mobile homes. Therefore, in this way, the ownership of the traditional houses can be considered to be more advantageous. These are:

1) They are not as sturdy and steady as the regular homes. As such, they are likely to be destroyed by hurricanes and tornadoes more than traditional houses.

2) They possess a temperature difference as a result of the poor insulation, which makes it impossible to keep them at a proper temperature. This makes it necessary to have an air conditioner when it is hot or cold. They may also need the installation of more water heaters.

3) It is easier to hear outside noises and sounds that are caused by the use of cheap and light material.

Traditional house vs mobile home

There is a great difference that is brought out by owning a traditional home versus owning a mobile home. There is a difference in the ability to ensemble mobile homes on site as compared to traditional homes that are built on site. Mobile homes are cheaper and have limited options of designs, hence easily depreciated. Additionally, when compared to traditional homes, they are not energy efficient. However, they offer a perfect solution for many people since they are cheap and easy to maintain with the wide range of skirting options to reduce the gap between the home and the ground.

There are varied ways with which a mobile home is shopped for. It is different from the process involved in shopping for a regular home in the sense that shopping for a mobile home provides some degree of flexibility, which makes it possible for you to design your home in the most suitable way depending on your choices, tastes and preferences. However, despite this advantage, there are also a number of considerations that you need to take into account when dealing with a mobile home. They include the establishment of the budget that is required for the purchase of your mobile house in advance and determining the size, plan and interior features of your mobile home before hand.

The need for constant maintenance

Regular maintenance of these structures is an important element. Some of the items to be maintained include the sidings, and the rain gutters. This is because it mainly helps in reducing the level of destruction, hence helping to save on the costs since the need to perform regular repairs will be reduced. As such, maintenance of the mobile home is a mandatory exercise and an obligation that must be followed strictly for the purposes of letting your warranty remain valid.

Mobile home maintenance options encompass the entire space that is covered by the mobile home. These include the mobile home park that is usually made of asphalt or concrete. It has been discovered that a properly maintained pavement has the ability of lasting for up to 50 years. This is unlike those that are not maintained that can only last for 25. Moreover, maintenance of a mobile home park pavement is entirely cheaper than having to construct a fresh asphalt pavement. The carports should always be repaired and maintained. This is because it is expensive, consumes a lot of time and causes a lot of disruption to the residents. It is also the same case when it comes to entry doors, windows, roof, wall, water heaters, stairs and lighting fixtures since they will cost more if they have to be replaced completely. It is in this sense that you have to be aware of the mobile home maintenance options and strictly adhere to them.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: How Does Mobile Home Financing Work?

A: when it comes to home maintenance options, there are a number of financing options made available depending on one’s need. An example is Cascade, one of the highly rated manufactured home financing companies that pride in having longer customer satisfaction history in 35 states. Cascade loans are ranging from conventional loans for top qualifiers and other programs for prospective buyers with past credit challenges. These include; FHA loans suitable for those clients having imperfect credit and unable to make large initial deposits. It also assists buyers with greater debt to income ratios coupled with stronger compensating factors showing their ability to meet cost from monthly incomes.

VA loans are also available to veterans with over 620 credit scores. It covers full cost hence down payment is not essential, however, are mortgage insurance fees exempt. In addition, Cascade also avails Conventional loans similar to site built home mortgages. This requires over 680 credit score and below 43% debt to income ratio with a maximum loan up to $417,000. It has no monthly mortgage insurance premiums applicable to the value of 80% or less. Unlike other loans, it can be used for second homes.

Q: What Happens When A Mobile Home Is Repossessed?

A: A mobile home can be repossessed by the creditor in case a borrower defaults depending on its nature that is whether it is a personal property or real property. The creditor can directly repossess personal property but for real property, the creditor has to foreclose on the manufactured home.

For real property, the creditor can; Replevin thus a judicial process where he or she files a lawsuit in court seeking the court to award a repossession order. Secondly, the creditor can opt for Self-help repossession which is a non-judicial approach. It involves taking the home back without a breach of peace or taking borrower’s personal belongings such as furniture and any other property within the home.

After repossession, if one owns the land then it is similar to foreclosure but when the land is not owned by defaulter, he or she has a right of getting the personal property out through preparation of an inventory. The mobile home can henceforth be sold to a new buyer, however, if the value is lower, the creditor may try to recover the balance from the defaulter.

Q: Where Are A Mobile Home's VIN Numbers Located?

A: There are two ways of finding the Vehicle Identification Number namely the easy and hard ways. The easy ways have the VIN list with additional pieces of facts located at 'data plates’ a paper sticker on the interior of all mobile homes. It is often placed on the master bedroom closet wall, near the back door and on the inside of the cabinet under the kitchen sink. On the data plate, the VIN is commonly referred to as manufacturer’s serial number.

When the data plate has been painted over or kept away for safety, one has the hard option left, that is to check the front steel beam cross member under the home where it is normally stamped. One has then to remove the skirting across to see I- beam where the numbers are stamped into 2 inches horizontally and vertically running letters. For double wide walls, the numbers end with either A or B and the title paperwork for the home will end with AB designation.


Q: Are Mobile Home Roofs Safe To Walk On?

A: The safety of walking on mobile home roofs largely depend on few issues such as one’s ability, weight and type of roof which are vital for balance purposes. For the light weighted individuals it is advisable to walk on the trusses while on the other hand, the heavier parties should avail a sheet of plywood favorable for not concentrating but dispersing the pressure from their weight. Most importantly, neither the lighter weight nor heavier individual should walk along the outermost roof edges.

Q: Are Mobile Home Fireplaces Safe?

A: The safety of mobile home fireplaces seem to depend a lot on the nature of construction and the structure age and also prescribed area regulations. One thus should strive to comply with set standards and seek advice from experts and occasionally take insurance covers. Additional safety measures should be looked into such as the installation of air tight furnaces used for wood burning and equally having their chimneys insulated.

Q: Are Mobile Home Parks A Good Investment?

A: Mobile home parks are still a good investment, especially since people are consistently looking for affordable housing despite the state of the economy, whether in recession, depression, recovery or boom periods. Hence like any market, affordability remains the pillar. Besides, today’s governments and local authorities come with stringent rules on new construction making old ones remain viable.

This business opportunity also boasts of not being affected by world events or being susceptible to stock market dynamics. It an investment that not only allows one’s money work for him or her but also makes him or her retain control. It also forms part of any positive retirement plan marked by good value, desirable cash flows and income from sales of other property within the park.

Q: Who Sells Mobile Home Skirting?

A: There are numerous firms dealing with most items needed for mobile home set up such as home skirting. People have dynamic tastes and hail from different places hence based on proximity one can purchase at one and not the other. Most renowned places include; Complete Home Supplies Inc. and Mobile Home Parts Store which are one stop quality shops. They deal with a wide breadth of facilities such as kitchen cabinets, exterior accessories, doors, baths and interior decors amongst other things.

Q: Are Mobile Home Faucets Different?

A: It is first important to note that mobile home faucets are in more than three qualities namely the cheapest, brass stemmed units and chrome plated plastic. Additionally, they are both simple and cheap to replace, unlike the mobile home baths which require the exact match. In conclusion, some mobile home faucets are similar while on the other hand, some faucets are different from the on-site built faucets. Faucets come in 5 varieties, including center set, single hole, wall-mount, mini-spread or widespread.

Q: Are Mobile Home Toilets Standard Size?

A: Mobile home toilets are easily replaceable with any of the ones available in the market since they have standard sizes. It only presents two choices, i.e. either regular or handicapped toilet. The later is high thus important in cases of mobility challenges. Like on site built toilets, they too occasionally require replacement.