Resale mobile homes can easily be found on the internet from dedicated park/mobile home agents through general selling portals. The search will always start with one criteria, location— and then coastal or inland? Coastal for holidays or inland for residential.
Once the location is filtered in, the search begins to narrow. At that point, you look at the homes for sale in the area and see if any park stands out. By that, we mean by the numbers for sale.
Once you have a home in mind, research the park. If you are lucky enough to know the area already, look to see what the nearest similar parks are offering. If a park 20 miles away with similar facilities and lifestyle has homes for sale similar in price to the park you are interested in, that is a good sign.
Park contract
Asking to see a copy of the park contract has to be the first step when you have a home in mind. Most residential parks use similar contracts with standard clauses.
If you plan to use the home as a holiday home and rent it out to get an income from it, you need to know how much of an income you can expect after taking out the costs involved.
The park contracts will also determine how often you pay the fees.
Who owns the mobile home?
Mobile homes do not have registration documents or ownership certificates. The good news is that only homeowners will be given park contracts. If the home is located in a park and the seller is selling with the benefit of a park contract, you will buy the home from the owner.
It is also a fact that all parks insist the home is insured. To double-check everything, if you are not dealing directly with the park and agents, you can also ask for a copy of the insurance.
Proof of purchase
A Sale Agreement by Private Arrangement document is the best document to use when buying a mobile home. It will set out exactly what the terms of sale are.
Terms include no debts on the home and exit fees and rent paid up to the date of the sale. Under the terms of the agreement, ownership is transferred automatically following the full payment.
Parks and agents should have this process well covered.