Guides

Guides for manufactured-home buyers

Plain answers for community operators, dealers and investors who buy manufactured and mobile homes: where to find them, what to check, what moving costs, and how to fill vacant lots.

• Mobile home vs. manufactured home: what's the difference?

  Mobile homes, manufactured homes and modular homes are not the same thing. Here's what the June 15, 1976 HUD Code changed, how to tell them apart, and why it matters when you buy.

• How to find mobile homes for sale by owner

  Where for-sale-by-owner mobile and manufactured homes actually get listed, the words sellers use, and how to check a dozen sites without spending your whole morning on it.

• Used manufactured home inspection checklist

  What to check before you buy a used mobile or manufactured home: the HUD label and data plate, title, roof, floors, plumbing, electrical, frame and setup. A printable checklist.

• How to fill vacant lots in a manufactured home community

  Practical ways community operators fill empty home sites: buying used homes to move in, new home programs, community-owned homes, and the rules and costs to check first.

• How much does it cost to move a mobile home?

  Typical costs to move a single-wide, double-wide or triple-wide manufactured home, what drives the price, and the setup, permit and utility costs people forget.

• Where mobile home investors find deals

  How mobile home investors build deal flow: the listing sites to watch, the seller phrases that signal a discount, how to judge a deal quickly, and how to track follow-ups.

Written by the Pipeline Park team. General information, not legal, tax or financial advice; rules vary by state.