The best way to sell a mobile home

Depending on your reasons for selling your mobile home you might either be happy to get it off your back or sad to see your home go. Whatever your feelings, you want the process to go smoothly and not add to the stress and anxiety. After all, with finding a new home, packing your things, and getting your future in order there is enough on your plate.

If you ask most of us that have had to sell a home before (yes, even a mobile home), the final price is not the only thing that matters. These are some of the other factors that most sellers would gladly trade some of their bottom-line for and which we have taken into account:

• Having a guiding hand to help you
• Working with professional, serious, and respectable buyers
• Not being taken advantage of
• More convenience
• And less responsibility on your shoulders.

Without further ado, let’s look at some of the channels you can use, as well as which one we think is the best way to sell a mobile home overall.

Different ways to sell a mobile home

The only way to properly illustrate why we think a certain way is the best is to make sure what the other options are. After all, different solutions will suit different people and their situations best and although we feel that one way is best in most aspects and most circumstances, there is no one shoe fits all solution.

By yourself

This is undoubtedly the way that requires the most time, work, and knowledge. Not only will you have to actually sell your home on your own but you will solely be responsible to advertise it and get all your paperwork in order. However, it might also have the biggest pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Selling by yourself means that you don’t owe anyone any fees and can set your own price but will have to negotiate it with interested buyers. This also means that you will need to value your home, which is no mean feat in itself. You might need to look for a professional inspection or appraisal.

Pros:

• Sell your home your way, at your own time, and at your own price.

Cons:

• You will need to rely on yourself to get all the necessary paperwork in order.
• You will be responsible for advertising your mobile home, talking to buyers, and to set up showings.
• You will need to inspect and appraise the home or do market research to come up with a viable price.

Through a real estate agent

Enlisting the help of a real estate agent or an agent specializing in selling mobile homes is kind of a middle ground. A real estate agent will only sell your home if you are selling the property with it and even then finding a willing agency might not be easy. Selling a home is not exactly the same as selling a stick-built home and most realtors don’t want the extra hassle.

If you search online you will find agencies that deal exclusively in mobile homes. If you are lucky you might find a local agent that will cut down on any possible long-distance transportation costs or eliminate the need entirely. Do your research on agent fees beforehand to make sure you don’t get overcharged. 10% is the norm, just like real estate.

Pros:

• Less need to advertise your home, contact buyers, and arrange showings.
• You will be dealing with someone that knows the ins and outs and can help you prepare paperwork.
• Honest and reputable agents can help you get a good deal.

Cons:

• You should take care, some agents try to con buyers and sellers alike.
• Be willing to part with a commission fee, usually 10%.
• Can be difficult to arrange showings that accommodate all three party’s schedule.

To a mobile home park

Mobile home parks sometimes buy mobile homes to fill a plot. Depending on the conditions of the park itself they might even buy used mobile homes. If the home is not located in the park already someone will obviously have to take care of moving arrangements for the home. Moving a home is a costly process and severely decreases the value of the home since it becomes harder, or impossible, to finance.

If you are currently living in a mobile home park and your park wants to buy the home from you, it could be the most convenient way to sell your home. The home will stay right where it is when you move out and the park can take the home over to sell or rent out to new members. Obviously, if you are moving out because of strained relationships with the park owners this could be an uncomfortable process.

Pros:

• If you live in the park the home will not have to be moved.
• If you live in the park you don’t have to advertise the home or organize showings.

Cons:

• Mobile home parks will most often than not be looking for a bargain and you might have to bring your asking price down.
• Your home will have to be in good condition to capture the interest of a park.
• If you live in the park, how easy the process is depends on your relations with the park management.

Mobile Home Wholesale | The best way to sell a mobile home

We think that going the mobile home reseller route is the best option, for some very good reasons that we will go into later but primarily because you can sell your mobile home faster than traditional routes. It deserves a quick mention that you will be dealing with industry professionals who are experienced in all aspects of buying and selling mobile homes. They have put time into creating easy to follow processes that guide you through what documents you need, what your home is worth, moving the home, and generally holding your hand and making you feel safe.

Yes, you will need to settle for whatever price they are willing to pay after calculating the value of your home. But you can rest assured that the value of your home will be calculated along standard guidelines and according to set measurements, not personal greed the temptation of a higher commission.

Almost all resellers also provide moving and inspection services and can quote you if they are necessary. This proves they know what they are doing in all aspects of selling and buying mobile homes. Because these are big businesses their reputation means everything and they won’t risk it to turn a higher profit on a single customer. It is also easy to find testimonials or client feedback to filter through good and bad organizations.

Step by step

Check your park rules

You’re not out of the park just yet! To save yourself and the buyer some nasty surprises in the future you should check your agreement with the mobile home park. Do they require a notice period before removing the home? Do they have first option to buy? Do you have to pay rent for a period after you have moved the home?

Even if you aren’t bound to any such clauses a park can make it extremely difficult by refusing to cooperate or steer buyers to their own properties for sale. Good relations with park management and communication is very important.

Collect all home information and documents

You will need some basic information about your home model to get an accurate (and decent) offer. Of particular interest is your homes manufactured by date and dimensions. If you cannot provide this information or prove it the wholesaler might understandably have no choice than to make a worst guess. Dimensions are easy enough to get if you have some measuring tape lying around. Alternatively, you can send a photo of your home and estimated dimensions but this will impact the offer.

There are a few items you can look for in the home that provides information on when and how it was made. The Data plate is the most useful and some even list some of the homes features and appliances. You can look for it inside kitchen cabinets or other nooks and crannies. Any other papers that prove some form of maintenance or improvement can’t hurt. Luckily, dealing with a wholesaler means the other documents will be taken care of in the process.

You will also need to make sure the title is in your name. If you have a lien on the home you will need to pay off the difference (if any) after the sale of your home.

Inspect and appraise your home (optional)

Of course, the mobile home wholesaler will want to do their own inspection and appraisal of your home. However, nervous sellers can have it done by themselves if they feel scared of getting low-balled. Just remember that appraisal services don’t mean you should or will get that price. Your home’s value depends on more than just its age, model, and condition.

• Moving costs,
• Market conditions,
• Urgency of sale,

All these play a role in the ultimate offer you will receive.

Find a reputable Mobile Home Wholesaler

It will be easy enough to find wholesalers by doing a google search. Go to their websites and read their testimonials and see if they look professional and reputable. Don’t always trust testimonials on the company’s site. Google them and see if you can find any dirt or honest feedback on other forums.

You can also check whether they are accredited or certified by organizations like the BBB and scamadviser.com.

Start the process

The process is usually straightforward. These companies have been doing it a while and know the ropes. The wholesaler you choose should have a page or article that explains the whole process but it generally follows along these lines:

1. Tell them about your mobile home: You will need to fill in a form with general information, like your personal details, your home’s address. You might also get the following questions:
   1. Year built
   2. Size
   3. Manufacturer
   4. Roof type/condition
   5. Siding (if any)
   6. Number of bedrooms and bathrooms
   7. Appliances
   8. General condition
   9. Whether it’s on private property or a park lot
   10. Asking price
2. Get an estimated offer: Based on the above information you will receive an approximate offer. If it is way out of your asking range you can cancel the process. If it is acceptable you can move on to the next step.
3. Provide more information/home appraisal: Most wholesalers will request more information on your home, especially photo’s of various aspects. This will allow them to come up with a more detailed offer. Others might immediately inspect and appraise the property.
4. Purchase agreement: Like any legitimate sale the wholesaler should then send through a purchase agreement outlining the conditions of the sale This should be standard document aimed at protecting both parties.
5. Closing the deal: The wholesaler will then send an agent to do a final walkthrough of the home, do the last paperwork, and get the keys from you.

That’s it! As soon as you have sold the home the wholesaler is responsible for any park rental or lot rent. Any lien amount leftover after the sale of the home will still be payable by you.

Bonus tips and considerations for selling to a mobile home reseller

• Find out whether the wholesaler is accredited or certified by any agencies or are a registered LLC. Most should post links somewhere on their site where you can verify it.
• Spruce up your home beforehand but not too much. Wholesalers mostly base the home’s value on its age, model, and dimensions. A clean home and pretty picture pictures can’t hurt but spending a lot of money on repairs might not pay off as much as you think.
• Don’t just read testimonials on their site! Look for first-hand accounts on neutral forums.
• Stick to your asking price but be reasonable. It is unlikely you will get a wholesaler to significantly alter their price. Be reasonable and accept that you might get less for a whole lot of peace of mind.
• Most wholesalers will give you a reasonable amount of time to vacate the home. Although they will have a limit, usually 3 months. In most cases the longer it takes you to vacate the less your down payment will be.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Dealing with knowledgeable professionals.
• No preferential treatment.
• No need to advertise, arrange showings, or contact many interested people.
• No “buyers rush”.

Cons:

• Very little room to negotiate a price beyond what the wholesaler offers.

There you go, we hope you agree that overall a wholesaler is the best way to sell a mobile home if you want a balance between service, ease of mind, final price, and convenience. That doesn’t mean it is the only viable option. In the end, you should go with whichever option suits you best. Remember, it is always possible to use any combination of these channels and take the best offer. Good luck!