Tips And Tricks For Selling A Mobile Home To Be Moved
You’re ready for the next stage in your life, so you’re planning on selling a mobile home to be moved. Of course, many people sell their homes each year so you know you’re not alone in selling your home, per se. Still, your home selling situation has two added twists. First, it’s a mobile home you’re talking about. Second, you’re selling just the home itself, not the land it’s sitting on.
Why you might be selling a mobile home to be moved
When it comes to selling a mobile home to be moved, there are different factors that could have led you to the decision. Perhaps you’ve been living in a mobile home park and you don’t own the land your home is on.
Or maybe you’ve lived in the home on a plot of land you own. It’s been a long journey, but you’re about to make a big change. You’ve saved enough and made all the arrangements, and you’re about to put your dream mobile home or brick-and-mortar home on the land. Clearly, you don’t anticipate needing your current mobile home any longer.
You loved your mobile home, and it served you well. It’s just time for the next stage for you. But you’re sure it would make a great home for someone else. Whatever your situation, you’re ready to pass it on to that next person.
Incentivizing buyers
Of course, buying a home is a big step. Since most people don’t have the money to buy homes on a whim, homebuying is a process that requires thought, planning, and perhaps saving. Plus, when you’re talking about a mobile home that will need to be moved before the homeowner takes up residence, you add another layer of cost related to moving it.
Thus, you may be looking for ways to “sweeten the deal.” If there were any ways to make the process more appealing to buyers, you’d jump at them. Time to put on your thinking cap and brainstorm ideas to get to a place where both you and the buyer are happy to proceed. However, keep in mind, different buyers may have different priorities so what may appeal to one prospective buyer may not necessarily grab another.
Moving the mobile home
How about getting together some stats before prospective buyers arrive? Try reaching out to local mobile home movers, telling them what kind of mobile home you have. See if they can give you a quote to move your home within a certain radius of its current location. And you could even compare several movers to see if there’s much difference between their quoted prices. This way, you’ll have something to share if a prospective buyer wonders how much it might cost to move your home.
Some buyers may be slightly overwhelmed by the cost of paying to have the mobile home moved to its next location. Here, you could think about exploring your options for making it less of an issue for them. Of course, while your first thought may be to let the buyer pay the entire moving cost, what if you’re looking for ways to make it more feasible for them?
Sharing moving costs
What if you borrowed from the concept of owner financing and checked if it was possible for you to help with the cost of moving the home? Whether you pay the entire cost or split it with the purchaser, you could look into this to see if it’s an option open to you.
On top of this, keep in mind that some mobile home parks will pay to move a home into their park. We mentioned this in our article How to Move a Mobile Home For Free (Plus Budget-Friendly Moving Tips). You might choose to let buyers know about this if they’re concerned with the moving costs. If they haven’t already picked a particular mobile home park, buyers could make a point to select one that does this if they can find one in the area.
Sweetening the home
When you’re trying to convince someone they should snap up your home, it makes sense you might want to spruce it up, right? After all, maybe you tidy the house just when friends are coming over to visit. And, if prospective buyers are weighing whether they want to actually live in your mobile home, they’ll be spending even more time than guests. So, it makes plenty of sense to show your home while it’s looking tip-top.
Repairing & remodeling
Now, repairs may not be on the agenda for everyone selling a mobile home to be moved. But some of you may need or want to make adjustments before you offer the place to someone else. Maybe the home has areas that need to be repaired. Or perhaps, you’re just hoping to increase your place’s curb appeal or give it a fresh new look from remodeling.
Fortunately, remodeling is a topic we’ve tackled before here on the blog. So if it’s the bathroom you’re thinking about or the kitchen, check out our articles. Other things on your mind could be:
- Windows – check out our Replacing Your Mobile Home Windows in 9 Easy Steps.
- Roof – take a look at our Mobile Home Roof Over Ideas | A Great Upgrade To Your Home or our Mobile Home Roof Repair Tips: We’ve Got You Covered This Winter.
- Painting – see our Mobile Home Colors: How To Choose Your Interior And Exterior Paints or our Can You Paint The Outside of a Mobile Home ? | FAQ.
Do some inspecting of your own
Plus, when it comes to repairs, keep in mind that prospective buyers may point out things they perceive as issues. Your willingness to fix these things for someone who is seriously interested in buying could be a move in your (or your home’s favor). A home inspector might also point out issues. Take some time to evaluate whether your mobile home is in good shape. You may be able to identify and fix things before someone else points them out.
What it looks like when buyers walk in
Next, take a minute to envision two scenarios with us. Scenario One: prospective buyers walk up your front steps and into your mobile home. The first thing that hits them is a strange, musty smell drifting out of the house. Slightly put off, they proceed anyway.
The inside of the house looks like a tornado swept through recently. Magazines, toys, dishes, and random clutter are strewn across the floor and piled on other surfaces. The floor looks like it hasn’t been swept in days (or weeks). And that strange smell hanging in the air hasn’t gotten any better. In fact, is it possible it’s even worse in here?
Or it could look like this…
Now for Scenario Two: your potential buyers hop out of their car and head up your front steps. They have just a minute to note the friendly green potted plant to the left of your door before you answer the doorbell with a smile.
Next, they step into a well-lit, welcoming home and wander around the kitchen and living room areas, taking in the cozy flicker and pleasant smell of the candles you lit a while ago. They note how tidy the house seems with well-placed furniture (not overcrowded) and clear walkways. Not to mention sparkling clean windows that let in plenty of daylight.
Now, let’s get to the important question here – which of these two scenarios would you prefer when looking to buy? Fairly obvious, isn’t it? You’d opt for scenario two. The point is that when selling a mobile home, you want prospective buyers to like it. Best case scenario – they like it enough to buy it from you.
Clean and tidy
So, as you’re selling a mobile home to be moved, keep in mind you want the house to look like a good buy. And we’d add, do more than just repair it where it’s broken. Keep it clean and tidy. This could involve household chores like:
- Sweeping floors
- Mopping
- Wiping baseboards
- Vacuuming carpets
- Dusting
- Washing kitchen cupboard exteriors & the outside of the refrigerator
- Cleaning off countertops
- Washing windows
- Wiping down bathrooms (don’t forget the tub/shower).
Plus, you may want to clean/tidy your porch and even areas around the mobile home (like the carport or lawn).
Minimize
Correspondingly, work on busting clutter around the house. Clean accumulated mail off countertops. And put away laundry that’s piled up. Find a home for toys, books, and games that end up laying around the house in random places.
Plus, consider giving some attention to your laundry area, end tables, bookshelves, desks, and dressers. If your house has plenty of furniture and decor, evaluate whether it might be a little too much when you show your home. For the best results, get an outside opinion on this from a friend or acquaintance you trust. Staging your home might also be a possibility.
Check before you act
As you get started selling a mobile home to be moved, be sure you ask yourself: do I have the green light to sell my home and have it moved? At first thought, it may seem like all that matters is you, the seller, and the other party, the buyer, and both of your wants and needs. However, be sure you check who else might have a stake in this process.
For instance, in Maryland, “A resident must give a park owner a 30-day prior written notice of his or her intent to sell the mobile home, regardless of whether the home will remain on the site or be moved.” Check with your mobile home park administrators if you’re unsure what your obligations to them are. What your obligations are may vary depending on what state you live in (and what mobile home park you live in). Next, check out this article where we commented on transitioning your home from real to personal property.
Get documents together
It makes sense to collect any necessary documents as you get ready to sell your home. So, go dig into your fireproof storage box (or wherever you keep these important papers) and collect anything that you need.
Why not get started on this sooner rather than later, in case you find that you’re missing something? This way, you’ll leave yourself some time to track it down. In addition, you might want to grab any paperwork/information you have from your home’s manufacturer. Plus, if you still have owner’s manuals for things like your refrigerator, oven, and microwave, don’t toss them. Keep them in case the next homeowner wants them.
Check your data plate
It might also be helpful to collect information from your data plate so you’re familiar with information about your mobile home. This way, if a potential buyer asks you, you’ll be ready. For instance, your data plate will give you information about wind zones.
Getting the word out
Clearly, if you’re selling your mobile home to move, you’ll want people to know it’s available. Of course, this means you’ll be looking to get the word out somehow.
Don’t forget that word of mouth could be helpful here. Neighbors, friends, acquaintances, or relatives could know someone who’s looking to buy a mobile home. Alerting them that yours is available could land you a buyer.
Additionally, if you’re looking to be proactive, you could make a couple of phone calls to local mobile home parks. Let them know you have a home you’re looking to sell and ask if they know of anyone who’s looking. Plus, you could even ask for permission to drop off an informational flyer for your home at their office.
While we’re on the subject of informational flyers, that’s also something you could opt for. Take some pictures of your home and type out relevant information (including how many bedrooms and bathrooms it has and its square footage). Then, find locations where you can leave the flyer for interested buyers.
More ways to connect with buyers
Of course, you can always reach out to a company like US Mobile Home Pros and see if they’re interested in your mobile home. We’d be happy to hear from you! Alternatively, take some time to research the possibility of listing your home on an online auction site or a site designed for selling mobile homes.
Time to move on
Once you’ve been successful at selling a mobile home to be moved, get ready for the next task. If this means it’s time to pack up and move out, check out our packing tips, then get to work!