What to Look for When Buying a Used Mobile Home

Mobile homes come in all shapes, sizes and degrees of quality. You can find single wide, double wide, single story and two story homes. Mobile homes can be very economical or as expensive as on site homes of similar style and dimensions. One of the most economical ways to purchase a mobile home is to buy used. They can be bought from a current home owner or from a used mobile home dealer.

Instructions

1. Determine when the home was manufactured. Although newer does not always mean better, it usually does in this case. As with any type of home, older can mean dated wiring and plumbing.

2. Look for water stains. Water stains at the edges of the ceiling means that the roof has been leaking. Water stains on the walls often means that the plumbing has been leaking. Also look for water stains around the windows and doors. Do not take the risk that these areas are still leaking.

3. Check the flooring throughout the home. Walk over all of the flooring in every room to check for weak or rotten spots, especially in the kitchen, bathrooms and utility room. Many mobile home floors are made from particle board, which is one of the cheapest materials that can be used.

4. Look for large cracks in the corners of the ceiling and walls, and make sure each of the door frames are not coming apart. Some cracks are bound to happen when moving one; however, many and large cracks may be a sign of being moved to often. This could mean that it’s had multiple owners.

5. Check underneath the mobile home to make sure it has all of its insulation. Damaged or missing insulation means that the plumbing and flooring are unprotected.

6. Before purchasing a used home, or nearly anything for that matter, do some Internet research. Research whether lighting, appliances, or other items have been recalled. Mobile homes come in very high to low quality initial manufacturing, with some being assembled very quickly with low quality materials.

7. If you’re moving the mobile home, where will it be located? Many areas have specific zoning laws for mobile homes.

Tips & Warnings

• Don’t rush a mobile home purchase. Many brands are better than others.

• Consider the depreciation or appreciation of the home’s value. Unless it is going to be your final home purchase, is it wise to buy the single-wide that will only depreciate in value?