My 65yr old Mother wants a Mobile Home

[mlong30]

Hi All,

We currently have a 50 acre family farm in Sawyerville, AL where my mother and her sister are from, and they have requested that I look into putting a Mobile Home on our family farm, so we can have a place to stay when we come and visits. They want to pay cash for the trailer, but I know there are some pros and cons in purchasing and maintaining a trailer, that I have no clue about.

We visited a dealer last week during our vacation stay on the farm, and I was shocked to find out, how cheap these foreclosed trailers were.

So, I need to find out the do's and don't.

I'm not sure if its best to purchase from a dealer or directly from a bank, hopefully I could find a foreclosed trailer they are trying to unload for cheap.

I'd appreciated if someone could point me into the right direction as to where to start, since I'm new to this process.

One of my goals is to be as self efficient as possible.

1. How do I go about creating a well/water to use with my trailer instead of city water?
2. Who are the best manufactures of trailers?
3. What's the min age of a trailer, that can be covered by insurance?
4. What type of insurance do I need, in the country in Alabama?
5. Is anyone using wind turbines to generate their own electricity?
6. What's the best way to maintain a trailer to prevent it from going bad.
7. How do I go about having the trailer inspected? Can I do this myself?

These are questions that just pop up in head at the moment, I'm sure I'll have more later.


Thanks.

Matt
Indianapolis, In

[David Oxhandler]

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[mlong30]

David Oxhandler Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Complete Buyer's Guide to Manufactured Homes
> and Land
> The Grissim Ratings Guide to Manufactured Homes -


How old are these books?

Thanks.

[David Oxhandler]

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[Celtlund]

Matt, you have come to the right place for information on buying a manufactured home. The first thing I would recommend it to check with the county, town, or both that the farm is located in to make sure that a manufactured home would be allowed under the zoning laws. If the farm is outside city/tow limits you need to check with the county.

The next thing I recommend is to purchase both of Grissim's books. They are well worth the small investment and can save you a lot of grief, heartache, and dollars.

You were "shocked to find out, how cheap these foreclosed trailers were," but you need to find out what that price includes. Does it include transport to the farm, set up, and air conditioning? Most new homes will include that. Weather you buy used or new, you are going to have to pay for site preparation, hook-up to sewer system or putting in a septic system, and hook-up to utilities. Find out exactly what is included in the price and get it in writing. Most dealers can make arrangements with contractors for utilities and septic systems and they can give you an estimate of those costs. If you chose to purchase from a bank, you will have to make arrangements and pay the cost of transport, set-up, and utilities yourself. That can be a daunting task.

If you are purchasing a used home, make sure you hire a professional to do the inspection BEFORE you purchase the home. If you are purchasing a new home that isn't really necessary as it should come with at least a year guarantee. If you buy a used home, there is no guarantee.

As this home would be used as a vacation home, I presume you are looking at a single wide home rather than a double wide. You can also purchase new single wide homes for a very reasonable price. Just make sure you read the books so you will know what to look out for in either a new or used home. Make sure you get everything in writing and you understand exactly what is included. Oh, and don't pay 100% of the price of the home up-front. Read more about that in Grissim's books.

As far as insurance is concerned, a manufactured home is insured the same way a "stick built" home is insured. The only difference I have found is the companies that insure the manufactured homes specialize in insuring them, but the insurance and rates are comparable to insurance policies for stick built homes. A lot of insurance companies that insure stick built homes may not insure manufactured homes. Once you have decided what you want to purchase, this site or you dealer can help you find an insurance company.

All in all, do your research and if the deal sounds to good to be true it probably is a bad deal. My wife and I did a lot of research before we purchased our new double wide manufactured home and are very pleased with the home, the manufacturer, and the dealer.

By the way my wife is from Kimberly, AL which is just North of Birmingham.