Buying a used manufactured home from an owner

[R Evans]

My wife and I live in Alabama and are planning to buy a get-away mobile home on a river from its present owner. The home is an older single-wide model (I would guess from the 70s or 80s) but is in reasonably good condition. What documents, exactly, do we need to sign in order to make the purchase official? We have never before made this major a purchase directly from an owner, and we want to be sure we do things correctly. Many thanks for any help you may be able to provide!

[rmurray]

For sure you will want a bill of sale...Often this is called a purchase agreement..

Alabama is now a title state...but has not always been...The owner may well not have a title...I would call your local title office and ask how ownership is transfered in this situation..