Is moving into a mobile home community insane or an intelligent move? Let’s compare and find out.
PRO: no permits or land prep. – One of the benefits to building a home and moving into a mobile home community is not having to purchase permits or prepare the land to build the home. We’re currently in another waiting phase as we wait for our manufactured home to be built, but once it’s completed, it gets moved to the community and the contractors put it together (so to speak). We won’t have to wait on city permits to be granted. Nor will we have to wait for our land to be prepared. Land preparation frequently involves soil testing, grading (especially if it’s on a hill), access to electricity and water, access to a sewer or installing a septic tank, to name a few items that deems a house “livable.” Our lot within the community has access to all of these things and is ready to go.
PRO: affordable housing – A key feature of mobile home communities is the affordability aspect. The homes are usually well below market value compared to existing stick-built homes. They are often a fraction of the cost. To give you an example, if I wanted to purchase a 1,471 square foot house that’s comparable with the manufactured one I’m building, it would cost me a minimum of $555,000 in my area. I’m paying $226,000. That’s 59% difference in cost (or more than half the cost). This might not be the best example to show how affordable mobile homes are (we went over budget with upgrades), but in most cases, a mobile home is much less than a traditional home. Property taxes and insurance are also much less compared with a traditional house = savings!
NEUTRAL: land lease instead of HOA fees – The community I’m moving to has a beautiful recreation center with a library, gym, theater, ballroom, tennis courts, Jacuzzi, and large pool. All of these amenities are available for me to use without having to pay additional fees. My land lease covers this expense. I’m comparing this to a condo or townhouse HOA fee. In the Los Angeles area, HOA fees range anywhere from a few hundred dollars a month to almost a thousand a month. My land lease is under $900, which is reasonable considering all of the amenities plus I have a place to put my house.
PRO: minimal land maintenance – For some people, having access to acres and acres is just what they want, but with that comes a great responsibility; caring for it! Behind our lot is a field and hillside. It will be beautiful to look at, but I’m so glad I don’t have to mow it! The community maintains all the common areas and mows the hillside to keep brush at bay.
PRO: 24/7 security and/or less traffic – There are plenty of communities that offer security or are secure in some way, but those homes usually cost a lot more. I’m not paranoid, nor do I think I need to live in a secure community, but it’s a nice benefit. Many mobile home communities are usually built in a cul-de-sac style, making it less accessible for typical traffic patterns. They usually only have one or two ways in or out making traffic a moot point.
Since I’m only focusing on the positive aspects here, I’ll quickly point out that some obvious ‘CONs’ to not owning the land is the possibility of the land management doing whatever they want with the land at some point. That could mean selling it to another company and raising land leases or wanting to raze it to build something else. Another negative is not making any money off the value of the land. Ultimately, the only thing a mobile home owner owns, once it’s paid in full, is the home itself. But I’m willing to take that risk to live in my own little house in the valley.
*Photo credit: Karl from Surviving Oakridge
5 Comments
I think mobile homes are a great alternative to traditional housing. With the relative expensiveness of houses these days any alternatives are going to help the bottom line. One issue I see is the resale value on a mobile home vs. a town home or a condo. Also, I think society isn’t privvy to the idea of a mobile home yet. There remains some stigma around it. Lots of good information here!
@Elsie – You’re right, resale can be a bit tricky. Manufactured homes seem to sell best in hot real estate markets. Knowing this, when I decide to resell (if and when) I’ll have to time it just right.
I grew up in an area with lots of mobile home communities and I always remember positive things, many of the things you mentioned even! I also remember having lots of friends and kids my age living in very close proximity! 🙂
@K – The community aspect can be terrific. The community we’re moving to is very close-knit with a variety of age groups (yet, still very quiet). I’m looking forward to moving to our home in the fall.
What got my attention the most was the way you emphasized that one of the main advantages that mobile homes have over their stick-built counterparts was the fact that it’s a lot more affordable. I think my friend will appreciate the idea because he has been asking me about a house that he can afford with his minimum wage pay. I thought that a house like that does not exist until I saw this article. Perhaps, if he would invest in a mobile home, then he won’t have to worry too much about living costs. I will suggest this to him. Thank you.