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NO. That's the short answer. The long answer requires an explanation. Mobile Homes/Manufactured Homes are classified as "Chattel", which, in laymen's terms means "Personal Property". Similar to a car. It seems crazy because you live in it and it IS your home; however, the mobile homes we sell are on leased land owned by corporate parks. So when you buy a used Mobile Home/Manufactured Home with us, that is all you are buying. The land does not convey with the home; therefore, it is not considered "Real Property". And "Real Property", meaning homes WITH land, is what a Realtor or Real Estate Agent sells. So, to avoid any confusion, please refer to your agent as a Mobile Home Sales Agent...NOT a Realtor.

Over the years, these 2 terms have become interchangable, so today, when people say "Mobile Home" or "Manufactured Home", they are basically talking about the same thing.

A bit of history....the first true "mobile home" was actually called a Conestoga Wagon. Remember the old Western's where people "drove" horses pulling covered wagons? Yup! Those were built on chassies (ex: a base frame of a car) with wheels (the old Wagon Wheels) and were used not only for travel, but mobile residencies as well. After the invention of the automobile, these "mobile homes" became 5th wheel trailers that attached to cars. These became knows as "Travel Trailers". As demand for a mobile lifestyle grew in the early 20th Century, these trailers evolved into "Covered Wagons" to support the huge popularity of camping in America. After WWII, there was a great need for affordable housing and by the 1950's Mobile Homes had become longer, wider and and more "livable", including both kitchens and bathrooms.

In 1976 the HUD manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards Act went into effect creating better homes, higher building standards and removing the transportability of the homes. They were no longer called "Mobile Homes" since it took speciality equipment and a licensed installer to transport the homes. In 1980 Congress passed a bill that changed the name mobile home to manufactured housing.

So, even though technically every home built since 1976 is considered a Manufactured Home, the term "mobile home" has become ingrained into our vocabulary! So when someone says "I want to buy a Mobile Home"...we know what they mean.

As the broker of record for Florida's BEST Mobile Home Sales, I'd like to think there IS a difference! In fact, it was my mission when starting my company to do exactly that...make a change in the mobile home sales industry in the state of FL.

A change for the better!

The first change in this company is that even though mobile home sales agents are not required to pass a criminal background check to work in this industry, agents ARE REQUIRED to pass a criminal background check to work for THIS company. This raises the bar for anyone who wants to represent our company. We have a higher standard than most other mobile home brokers.

Also, because there is no licensing required (except for the broker), the agents do not need to adhere to any "Code of Ethics" like Realtors are required to do. However, our company has a "Code of Conduct" that every agent must follow, which includes things like honesty, integrity, transparancy, communication and giving our clients the best service possible! If our office receives any complaints about any of our agents, we will take it seriously and do whatever we can to make things right.

As a potential buyer, we are aware that many of these mobile/manufactured homes are "older" and there is always a concern about the "major systems". To alleviate your concerns, when you purchase a home over $25,000 with us, we will provide a 1 year home warranty (from a 3rd party vendor) that will cover the hot water heater, electric, plumbing and AC unit! We want to give our buyers peace of mind when moving into a used home.

We will do our BEST for YOU! If we don't know an answer, we will get one for you. If we can't help you, we will do our best to steer you in the right direction.

This is going to be your personal preference depending on your circumstances. If you are married or with a partner and you trust them 100%, you would probably want to hold the title in both your names.

Be aware, for example, if you put the title in the names John Smith AND Jane Smith, that would require BOTH parties to sign the title if they ever wanted to sell the home. If one of the spouses passes prior to the other, you can have the deceased spouse's name removed (and that would be our recommendation) by producing a death certificate and re-applying for a new title at the DMV. The downside to this is you will need to pay for a new title. If you have a single-wide, the cost would be just under $100. If you have a double-wide, the cost would be just under $200 (and just under $300 for a triple-wide). No matter what, the title will have to be updated prior to selling the unit, so you will eventually incur this cost sooner or later.

If this is a situation you are currently experiencing, reach out to us and we'll guide you through the process.

In order to avoid a situation like the above one, you can put the title in both your names as the following...John Smith OR Jane Smith. This gives BOTH parties ownership, but only 1 signer is needed to sell the unit. That's why whoever the second person on the title is...whether it's your spouse, best friend or adult child...you must be certain you can trust them enough that they would not go behind your back and sell the house without your knowledge.

The benefit to holding the title in "this person OR that person" is for estate planning purposes. If one of the title owner's passes on before the other, nothing needs to be done. The title automatically belongs to the second person on the title. There is no complicated probate process involved and the remaining owner can easily sell the home to another buyer if they so chose.

It is always recommended to keep your titles in a safe place and in a place you can remember, so when you are ready to sell, you know where they are!

Coming from a traditional bank lending background, I was surprised to find out that, YES, you CAN get financing on a used mobile home! Banks who lend on traditional real estate will not lend any amount less than $100,000. However, there are many mobile/manufactured homes that cost far less than that.

There is one "traditional" bank which was actually founded on lending for mobile homes! It has grown quite large in the southern states and is more of a traditional bank now, but they have not forgotten their "roots" and they still do lending for mobile home purchases as well as loans against a mobile home. That is South State Bank and they have numerous locations throughout Florida. We have worked on many successful deals with them and highly recommend them as a lender.

A few of their requirements are:

700 Credit Score

25% down

40% DTI

Call Regina Behlen for all the details: 352-402-3939