A mobile home was built before June 15, 1976. A manufactured home was built after this date.  This is the date that HUD standards for construction of Manufactured Homes under 24 CFR Part 3280 have been met.

Manufactured Homes built after June 15, 1976 have a HUD tag attached to each movable section.  Like the one below:

This question has a lot of answers.  If you are great at marketing, like to negotiate, can take phone calls and messages at all hours of the day and night and are comfortable talking to strangers you can try selling it on your own.  Although legal now in many states for a Realtor to sell a mobile home in a park, many try to treat them like a traditional sale and don’t know the intricacies of the mobile home world.  Using someone that understands manufactured homes, can talk the language to the potential buyers and remove the roadblocks and headaches of negotiations makes a lot of sense.

This information is on the Title, Certificate of Origin or Purchase Agreement for the Manufactured Home.  If you don’t have any of these, if it was made after June 15, 1976 there should be a compliance certificate somewhere in the home.  It might be inside of a cabinet, under the sink or around the breaker box, etc. There should also be a red HUD tag on the exterior of the home that will give you the basic information.  It can also be on your personal property tax bill or in county records.

Manufactured homes can appreciate in value just like site-built houses. Start building equity instead of pouring rent money down the drain. You will get the investment and tax advantages that only come with owning your own home.  Check with your accountant about how to claim these.

Not necessarily.  Manufactured homes are built to a national code.  Manufactured homes are constructed in a factory environment that is not subject to weather conditions that can impact a home built on site. Energy efficiency and fire safety are just two of many qualities of manufactured home construction that are superior to a typical site-built home.  In addition, Manufactured homes are built so they can be transported down the road at freeway speeds.  Most site-built homes could never handle that kind of stress.

Pretty much anywhere.  A MH park, city lot, rural acreage or farm, as long as there are not exclusions in the local zoning code against manufactured homes, and there usually are not.  Check with your local ordinance enforcement to be sure.

Yes and No.  Purchasing a manufactured home is much like purchasing any other home. The loan you get may depend on whether you already own the property, are putting the Manufactured Home in a Park or Affixing it to a Parcel. Most manufactured home dealers can help contact lenders and provide support and guidance throughout the process.

When you have found the property you want, your manufactured home dealer can connect you with an installer to inspect the site. They can help with step-by-step information on site preparation, help select the right home for your property size and shape and suggest different ways of placing your home on the property.

Manufactured homes are a great solution for rural locations. If you compare the cost of installing a manufactured home to the cost of transporting construction crews to a remote site for months of construction the savings will be significant.