Mobile homes - very beginner questions

16 years ago

I am relocationg to a new state and have not been able to find a home wih the privacy I crave. So I'm going into an apt when I move and will keep looking. Paying tons in storage costs for all the house stuff I have.

Current situation - trying to sell a small but beautiful custom stick built home with geothermal heating/cooling etc. on 9 acres because I thought i would be staying here for 10+ years. I've only been in the place 1.8 years. Sigh. Market is dead dead dead.

I don't want to go through this again. I work for the goverment and new commanders or the BRAC process can really throw a wrench into your plans.

While seaching the MLS I found a little 2 acre property that seemed nice location, trees, etc. but the little old house is basically a tear down. As a matter of fact it might be a modified trailer from the 40's.

So...i think, no way am I building again - how about a trailer? So I google. What the heck - why is it so hard to find information?

How much does a decent (mid-end) trailer cost? Something I'll be happy in for 10 years.

The little house I think had a basement (don't know what its like). Can that be capped off or something and used for tornado's? Its too close to the road, anything I put up i would want to move back.

Do you think I'll run into county problems? Aren't some places saying no trailers and no houses less than X square feet? (I tried to call today but got voice mail)

I though about modulars when I built here but frankly it was almost or as much as stick built then you have to deal with the "stigma" when selling.

Thanks for any insights,

Oh, my new location will be around dayton OH

Here is a link that might be useful: mls listing

Comments (3)

bus_driver
16 years ago
Local ordinances pertaining to mobile homes probably vary more from one location to another than one can even imagine. Some localities are trying hard to eliminate mobile homes. If you contemplate buying a new mobile home, the dealer might be the best source of information. I know you said you work for the government. The person who best knows the regulations for that area might be an inspector who is in the office only a little while in the early morning. Here locally, the person who answers the phone frankly knows only how to answer the phone. When I go in that office, I look deep in her eyes and there is no one at home! If you were considering moving to my area, I would advise getting the ordinances and reading them yourself. For a property here to remain grandfathered for mobile homes, the SELLER must submit within 24 hours of the deed transfer, in writing, a letter notifying the Planning Director of the sale and the BUYER must, within that same 24 hours, register that property for mobile home use with the Planning Director. Obviously that means personal hand delivery. This is in addition to the normal recording of the property deed. Even the best local real estate attorney did not know of this regulation until I told him. He told me this would be easy to defeat in court- but he did not say it would be low cost. And the local "Commissars" are counting on that to forestall any challenges. They also have some regulations on mobile homes that permit "unbridled/unfettered discretion" on the part of the enforcement officer. Many court precedents have ruled such to be unconstitutional, but it costs a lot to mount a challenge. Here, I do not trust the Planning Director to be forthright about these ordinances. I asked him if a public housing unit would be built to house the folks forced out of mobile homes (that they paid for)- he just had a blank stare. I am not an attorney, but I review the work of my attorney carefully.
marys1000
Original Author
16 years ago
Good info. I called the county who told me to call the township who told me that anything with wheels, i.e. a manufactured home, a trailer, a SW or DW was strictly verboten.
After some of the stuff I've read here though maybe it wasn't much of a thought to begin with. Don't know what to do.....Yurt? :)
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lilium_guy56
16 years ago
I'm in mid-state NY. The 5 counties that surround me all have the same restriction. NO MOBILE HOMES CAN BE PLACED OUTSIDE OF A DESIGNATED "TRAILER PARK". THat law started in 1996. There are currently mobile homes which are on their own land. When sold, the new owner MUST remove the MH and build a perminent house. The reason for this idea is simple. MH with axles come under the heading of motor vehicle laws. and the can not be taxed as a house. however you can bring in a SW or DW and if you remove the axles and bolt it to a perminent foundation it is allowed.