So we sold our house finally (the 1st couple that went through it jumped on it, and my father has made a decision on a major downsize, he's getting up in his years and we want something that is going to be less to take care still nice to own and cheap on bills, So we have decided to go with the Mobil home route, We looked at already pre placed ones which are a lot cheaper but all the nice ones were either really expensive or very out of date So we did some shopping for some new ones, Well we found a place in Lancaster that is going out of business because the owner of it recently passed away. Our only stipulations to this were going to be that is has to be a double wide and with dry wall finish Every one we looked at were either really up there in price or had a really bad floor layout until we found the one we settled on. normally the one we got is a $120K trailer but it was deeply discounted down to $80K it was the show model for the floor plan that this lot had, It has a drywall finish pre painted, a wood burning fireplace, all appliances a high pich roof (makes it look more of a ranch than a trailer), granite counter tops, and just about every option they had to offer, I'm a bit skeptical about this change of living but the lot were looking to put it on is more of a house type lot than your classic trailer park, Anyone have any incite on this? just looking to find out what to expect
Hi--I'm so pleased and excited to hear of your excellent choice of housing--a manufactured home. I will put you on the list, and look forward at some point in the future to pay you a personal but short surprise visit. I won't need your location or address, I'll just ..........find you.
Check your state laws regarding those, here in Maine you can go and buy what ever size property you want and put in a well and septic and pad or cellar and drop those right there. So you are not stuck in a tornado magnet, I mean trailer park. That way you are not limited to trailer park neighbors, just check local codes about them.
We live in a double wide on 25 acres, they aren't like the old 12 by 72 or whatever size they were trailers. The place just worked for us when we were looking as it had a barn and the land for our animals.
Steve
------------------ Technology is great when it works, and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't
I lived in one the winter of 09, and just loved it About 1,000 sq-ft 3-bedroom (well, 2 as one had been converted to a full-size laundry/wardrobe/dressing room). I replaced all the lights with CFL's and made sure I had all the "passive draw" appliances (TV, VCR, DVD, computer ect) on power bars and cut power to them when I left in the morning. Power was never more than 40 bucks a month.
300 bucks of propane lasted me all winter (I had the thermostat programmed to go down to 50 when I left--why heat an empty house--and up to 70 at 6pm, yet even if I popped in for lunch or mid-afternoon it was never below 60. (I assume solar heating effect)
They are INCREDIBLY energy-efficient PLUS give all the privacy/freedom of a house with the ease of upkeep of a condo or townhouse. Seriously, when I buy again (as I've said before) it will be those I look at 1st. If the "no basement" is an issue for storage, its easy enough to get a 20-foot shiping container and slap some siding and a roof on it for under 5 grand total and long-term you are STILL miles ahead of the cost of a basement. (well, a 40-foot container if you want to set up an indoor .22/airgun range )
Power-wise, now with 5 years tech advancement I would go with LED lighting, and if I owned it dicth the water tank and put in an on-demand. Power cost would go down to 20-30 to live the same way I did (pretty damn comfortably)
The one downside I didnt like was the lack of attached garage, meaning if you are working out there in bad weather you have to go out into the elements every time you need to go to the house, but that could be solved with an enclosed breezeway if you owned it....plus millions of people manage to survive without basements and attached garages, I just got spoiled on that one farm.
As to the house-lot, I dont know. Mine was out on a (now) corn farm that had been tobacco, and the place itself had been the inlaws suite for a previous owner, and the upkeep, decks, ect showed it was family and not just a rental unit.
[This message has been edited by MidEngineManiac (edited 08-09-2014).]
Structurally, those are built better than some stick-built homes. They glue everything and sometimes use 2x6 walls. They are built in an enclosed factory, where the lumber is not exposed to the elements. Where they usually skimp is the interior trim and doors although I have seen higher end ones that have as nice trim as stick-builts. They don`t hold their re-sale value so well for the most part, which is really the only thing I have against them. I had an older (circa 1970`s) that I doubled up the subfloor, furred out the 2" walls to allow me to use standard jambs and doors. And put up drywall. With the exception of a 7 ft ceiling from inside you couldn`t tell it was a mobile home.
Higher end 2100 ft² manufactured houses around here brand new put on 1acre will run you just 75k and that includes the septic and well. You get tapped and textured walls, granite countertops, all the apliances, a hidden gun safe in the master closet, huge master tub and a peer and beam foundation.
When we where house hunting my wife was not open to a double wide but I wanted more property and no neighbors. We settled for a concrete slab house with 3/4 of a acre in a smaller town just outside of Dallas county. My wife has come around and is ready to get out of the city and has let go of her unfounded hate for double wides. We are updating or current house and should make a 50k profit on it which might get us out of a house payment on our next place.
I lived in one the winter of 09, and just loved it About 1,000 sq-ft 3-bedroom (well, 2 as one had been converted to a full-size laundry/wardrobe/dressing room). I replaced all the lights with CFL's and made sure I had all the "passive draw" appliances (TV, VCR, DVD, computer ect) on power bars and cut power to them when I left in the morning. Power was never more than 40 bucks a month.
300 bucks of propane lasted me all winter (I had the thermostat programmed to go down to 50 when I left--why heat an empty house--and up to 70 at 6pm, yet even if I popped in for lunch or mid-afternoon it was never below 60. (I assume solar heating effect)
They are INCREDIBLY energy-efficient PLUS give all the privacy/freedom of a house with the ease of upkeep of a condo or townhouse.
Has not been my experience with them, and both my m-i-l and niece each live in a "not-very-mobile" home now and it is not their experience either. Even in Texas, where propane is readily available from Gulf Coast refiners, the price of propane is (as of Aug 1 2014) $2.45/gal delivered. That means a single 250 gal tank filled to 200 gal 'level' will cost almost $500. A quick search of spot propane price in Pa shows: PA Lackawanna Jul 9 2014 Residential Home 101 to 200 gal @$2.69/gal with a $9.62 delivery fee.
According to US Dept of Energy: Average annual energy cost of a single family on site built home is $1.16/sq ft. Average annual energy cost of a single family off site manufactored home is $1.76/sq ft.
Every mobile home built in the US today, that rolls off the assembly line is immediately eligible for weatherization subsidy through the DoE Weatherization Assistance Program. That speaks volumes about their energy efficiency--or lack thereof.
[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 08-09-2014).]
Remember I am talking 09 prices too....back then (for comparison) the farm had a 1,000 (1,2000 ?) liter tank (one of the big long horizontal ones anyway) and that ran me 1400-1600 to fill completely from 5% or less (lol, yeh, I like to run 'em down on rental places just so if work moved me back then I wasn't leaving behind any more than I had to)
I moved into that mobile, and it had 2 of "stubby" vertical tanks (450-500 each? ) and I filled one to 80% which came to 300 and low change, and I only took the one fill that season.
Also, remember, this is Ontario--we build to a LOT different standard than you guys down there when it comes to insulation.
<edit> propane and oil are readily available here too, we get it from under lake erie, and down in our "oil belt" around petrolia, sarnia (refineries there and in Oakville) http://www.lilith-ezine.com...ed-Oil-Reserves.html
Get further west along the north shore of Lake Erie and its not uncommon farmers have tapped their own land for their own use. Propane and Natural gas can get pretty cheap here depending on the supplier (and damn contract rights to tanks, territories and all the other legal BS )
[This message has been edited by MidEngineManiac (edited 08-09-2014).]
That means a single 250 gal tank filled to 200 gal 'level' will cost almost $500.
Just out of curiosity, in the WORST case scenario where the gas is used constantly, how often do you have to fill the tank? Out in the valley here in California, almost everyone has one beside their house and I always wondered about the refill frequency.
Just out of curiosity, in the WORST case scenario where the gas is used constantly, how often do you have to fill the tank? Out in the valley here in California, almost everyone has one beside their house and I always wondered about the refill frequency.
Worst I had was winter of 05 or 06, it was a consistent -15 to -25 for a month and that cost me 800 bucks, or about 2/3rds of a tank (heat only, stove and water were electric).....but like a BBQ tank it really depends on use. In retrospect I should have gone and picked up some oil-filled portable radiators and could have saved a ton of money that way, but nobody thought the cold snap would last that long.
Plus the house was originally built for (and designed around) wood heat, so very "leaky" to supply fresh air. I sealed it up as best I could but really once a place has been designed like that, it is what it is. So that added to the cost.
[This message has been edited by MidEngineManiac (edited 08-09-2014).]
There is a big difference in construction between manufactured () and prefabricated ().
this ones a trailer so id say its manufactured but its still pretty nice, its held up for the past 2 years as a show model so its doing something right.
this ones a trailer so id say its manufactured but its still pretty nice, its held up for the past 2 years as a show model so its doing something right.
If its a real "trailer" PK, make sure to get underneath, tear off the corplast (or get a home inspector) and check the rodent damage, mold, etc---there is a few of us here that have worked for RV dealerships and know "park models", dont be afraid to P-M, dude.
If its a real "trailer" PK, make sure to get underneath, tear off the corplast (or get a home inspector) and check the rodent damage, mold, etc---there is a few of us here that have worked for RV dealerships and know "park models", dont be afraid to P-M, dude.
we will be, its an absolutely gorgeous trailer though, for the price were paying were also getting it fully furnished with the exception of the 2 small bedrooms and all the decor
ours has 6" walls for the northern Maine winters and we have never gone threw more than a tank and a half of oil, 275 gallon tank. even when it was -20 for weeks at a time. if its insulated right and made for northern winters they ain't that expensive to heat.
Hi--I'm so pleased and excited to hear of your excellent choice of housing--a manufactured home. I will put you on the list, and look forward at some point in the future to pay you a personal but short surprise visit. I won't need your location or address, I'll just ..........find you.
Does it come with a free mullet and a broken down Camaro sitting on blocks for front yard art? Just kidding...sort of The new homes are really nice- our neighbor had one with a jacuzzi/hot-tube in the master bedroom, a fireplace in the living room and a vaulted ceiling entryway. They have come a long way from the ones I remember my aunt living in back in the late 70's.
Does it come with a free mullet and a broken down Camaro sitting on blocks for front yard art? Just kidding...sort of The new homes are really nice- our neighbor had one with a jacuzzi/hot-tube in the master bedroom, a fireplace in the living room and a vaulted ceiling entryway. They have come a long way from the ones I remember my aunt living in back in the late 70's.
They really havem I was iffy when my dad first suggested it but the one we picked up is just gorgeous, you could mistake it for a small rancher with the right skirting.
Anyone have any incite on this? just looking to find out what to expect
Sounds like the kind of place my parents moved into after they retired. VERY cool place. And pennsylvania dutch country is not too bad either - REALLY good home-style cooking everywhere. Sounds like a good move to me -- WAAAYYYY better than a move to Los Angeles
[This message has been edited by PaulJK (edited 08-11-2014).]
One thing to be careful of, is that trailer houses depreciate really quickly. If you spend 80,000 on a trailer house this year, in a few years its going to be worth considerably less. Same thing with any other type of manufactured home, just not as severe as a trailer house. This also messes with your ability to insure the house, because insurance companies typically insure the house for the depreciated value, which decreases every year. So you run the risk of your insurance not covering the amount of your mortgage. The land the manufactured housing sits on might rise in value, but unlike a traditional stick-built home, the manufactured home will probably only decrease in value.
One thing to be careful of, is that trailer houses depreciate really quickly. If you spend 80,000 on a trailer house this year, in a few years its going to be worth considerably less. Same thing with any other type of manufactured home, just not as severe as a trailer house. This also messes with your ability to insure the house, because insurance companies typically insure the house for the depreciated value, which decreases every year. So you run the risk of your insurance not covering the amount of your mortgage. The land the manufactured housing sits on might rise in value, but unlike a traditional stick-built home, the manufactured home will probably only decrease in value.
Depends on how you insure the place, even stick built homes can be worth less depending on the policy wording, read those very carefully !!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND THE FINE PRINT !!!!!!!!!!!
I forget the actual term but minus our deductible we get new for ours, last winter or maybe it was the winter before, my memory sucks, we had a hell of a wind/snow event that ripped half the shingles off our roof and minus our deductible we got a brand new roof, I believe it cost us just under 5K. Minus our 500 buck deductible and we shopped around for a good contractor to get the job done and they replaced the entire roof with better than what the place came with for $3,500 25 year shingles and rubber underlayment. Our heat and air-conditioning bill actually went down !
Do you have a plan on where you are going to put the trailer? Lot rentals can vary greatly. Good mobile home parks will aren't cheap. Sicne you have a trialer you will need the basic services, water, sewer, electric/phone/internet that parks offer.
We owned a mobile for awhile. My only recommendation would be to buy an empty lot to have it set up on. It's nice to "own" your own home but if your in a park, while you own the home you don't own the lot it is on and have to pay rent for the lot plus abide by park rules. If you think HOA rules suck, mobile home park rules ca be worse. Things like not even being able to park out in front of your mobile, no unregistered vehicles being allowed to be parked on your lot and such. That's one bad side and the other is space rent. It's not like you pay space rent for 10 years and then it goes away. You pay it for the duration and if you get evicted then you have to remove the mobile from the park or lose it. If your not able to pay your space rent, well chances are you don't have the money to have your mobile moved either. I've been there and that's how we lost ours and ended up moving to Utah. Also, space rent is usually half or so the cost of renting an apartment but over the years with annual in increases in space rent, over time it can become As expensive as renting an apartment if there aren't any laws governing what they are allowed to charge I your area. Basically, I will never do that again unless it is on a lot I own or am paying for to own. Mobiles have come a long way and are a lot nicer now than they use to be, but there are drawbacks if you have one IN a mobile home park.
That way you are not limited to trailer park neighbors, just check local codes about them.
)
) and prefabricated (
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