Author: Raden Payas

Moving from a Mobile Home Day! Your Sarasota Mobile Home Is SOLD!
The day has finally come! Moving from a Mobile Home Day! Your Sarasota Mobile Home Is SOLD!

You have gone through the process of listing your mobile home with a qualified mobile home broker, they have listed, marketed, and shown your home and now you have an accepted offer!

But, wait… you still need to pack your things and move!

How long do you have to do this?!

Once the excitement has died down and you are ready to start going through the process of getting your belongings packed up to begin your next adventure how long is too long to ask when moving your things?

This is a common question that we run into on a regular basis here at The Mobile Home Dealer and one that we feel needs to be addressed both in the reasonable sense as well as the real world of mobile home buying and selling.

Many times Sellers who are looking to sell their mobile home do not review the question of how long they will need to move until the home is sold.

This is one question that we need to have answered during our initial listing appointment and not wait to get this answer until the home has been had an accepted offer on.

The reason for this is we need to express this time frame to all Buyers who are inquiring about the home as many times the Buyers who are looking to purchase a mobile home throughout the greater Sarasota area are looking to purchase and move in sooner rather than later and by explaining to them how long the Seller needs to move out will greatly help them in making their decision on whether to they will buy the property.

Many times Buyers will want to move in and begin enjoying their new mobile home right after they have signed the purchase paperwork and have park approval on file with the park. Although this is a great idea one that can certainly be done if the home is vacant it can not be achieved if the home is currently being lived in.

Most Sellers will request a thirty-day window for them to pack and move their belongings if they are currently living full-time within the mobile home that is being sold. Thirty days is a reasonable time frame but one that should not be extended past this date as anything longer than this time period will drag on the closing and could certainly lead to losing the sale due to the urgency that the Buyer has to move in.

The time for which the Seller can move out is a major negotiating factor during closing as this will determine what day of the month the Buyer will take over the property and who will be responsible for the month’s lot rent.

If the home is vacant we always suggest allowing the Buyer to move in as fast as possible but if the home is currently being lived in full time then thirty days or less is a reasonable time frame to pack up and be ready for the new Buyers to begin enjoying their new home.

We, here at The Mobile Home Dealer, strongly suggest every Seller who needs to move out of their mobile home not take any longer than 30 days to do so upon an accepted offer and park approval has been granted to the new Buyer of a mobile home.

The reason why we suggest 30 days be the maximum is because when the Buyer of your mobile home decides to make the purchase of your home they are ready to pay for it and move into it right away. The Buyer is ready to move forward and separate from their money in order to begin making memories in the home they just purchased. Delaying this any longer than 30 days could create a separation from the Buyers excitement and can very well lead to a Buyer not wanting to close on your mobile home.

We strongly suggest that before you ever put your Sarasota mobile home on the market make sure you have located your title for the home and have laid out an easy-to-follow plan for a timeframe you are able to be moved out of your mobile home. Forgetting to do this may cause you issues that you could have easily avoided if you had taken the time lay things out on the front end.

Furthermore, taking into consideration the process of selling your mobile home, allocating ample time for decluttering becomes paramount. It is advisable to not only focus on securing and preparing the essential documentation, which undoubtedly holds utmost significance but also to ensure the overall cleanliness and presentability of the property. Potential buyers, upon viewing the home, can easily become distracted or deterred by the presence of unwanted items or a lack of tidiness.

A tidy and organized mobile home creates a welcoming atmosphere, making it easier for prospective buyers to envision themselves residing there. The aesthetics of the house play a pivotal role in forming positive first impressions. The allure of a clutter-free and well-maintained space can significantly impact a buyer’s decision-making process, potentially expediting the sale and minimizing any unnecessary delays in the transition of ownership.

By meticulously decluttering and sprucing up the mobile home’s interior and exterior, you not only enhance its visual appeal but also demonstrate your commitment to facilitating a seamless and efficient moving process for future occupants. In essence, the convergence of comprehensive documentation and a visually appealing, clutter-free environment harmoniously contributes to a successful and expedited sale.

If you need more time, this can always be negotiated as long as you tell your broker in advance. If you already have a buyer, make sure that both of you agree on everything and everything must be put in writing.

We have seen a lot of sales end up unsuccessful because the seller changes their mind, won’t cooperate, or is not ready. If you are really serious about selling your mobile home, avoid these issues and focus on complete preparation.

This is Mark Kaiser with The Mobile Home Dealer and we help mobile home Buyers and Sellers get to a better place in life.

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September 25, 2023
Ready To Sell Your Sarasota Mobile Home? Accept Your First Offer!
When looking to sell your Sarasota mobile home, we here at The Mobile Home Dealer always stress to our clients how important it is to take every offer they receive to purchase their mobile home seriously.

Residing within a highly sought-after neighborhood can wield substantial influence over the valuation of your mobile home, potentially inflating your sense of value and pride. The dynamics of such a locale, mainly if you’ve been an attentive observer as neighboring mobile homes change hands at steadily ascending rates over the past few years, can undoubtedly foster elevated expectations as you prepare to list your property for sale. Anticipation builds as you envision the prospect of commanding a price that scales the upper echelons of the prevailing range, if not surpassing the historical pinnacle.

The synergy between your residence and the esteemed neighborhood bolsters your confidence in the value proposition you present to potential buyers. The established trend of ascending property prices within your vicinity instills a sense of optimism that your mobile home, marked by its convenient location and proximity to desirable amenities, holds the potential to fetch a premium valuation. This optimism fuels the aspiration for a substantial return on investment, aligning with the prevailing market sentiment and the precedent set by previous transactions.

However, it’s essential to approach this optimism with a balanced perspective, considering various factors that contribute to your mobile home’s overall value. While the neighborhood undeniably plays a pivotal role, factors such as the condition of your property, its unique attributes, and prevailing market conditions also play a substantial part in determining the eventual sale price. Thus, while the allure of a prime neighborhood elevates your prospects, it’s prudent to temper your expectations with a comprehensive understanding of the broader real estate landscape to ensure a successful and gratifying sale experience.

Before you test the waters with your mobile home, vowing only to consider offers that meet your (admittedly high) expectations, take a deep breath. A mobile home sale that meets your needs isn’t just about the final sale price on paper – it’s also about the contingencies and details that ultimately make the deal successful for everyone involved.

In many cases, the offer that gets you to a sale will be the first one you receive.

Especially when living in a hot real estate and mobile home market, a good – but not amazing – first offer may make you consider waiting to see what other buyers may be out there. Holding off could lead you to a great offer but also backfire.

Part of selling a mobile home is fielding all offers, some of which will be quite a bit lower than what you, as the seller, want to accept, but it is how you respond to each offer is a major determining factor in how fast your home sells.

All of our sales agents at The Mobile Home Dealer must send all offers we receive for the mobile homes we have listed directly to our clients. We mention this because many other firms in the area attempt to act like they own the home they are listing and not send all offers to the Sellers. These sales agents feel it is too much of a burden to ask their clients to consider an offer that is under what their client feels they should be paid for the home.

We do not believe this is the right way to sell a mobile home, and as such, we present all offers, good, bad, and ugly, to our clients.

We do this because when a Buyer makes a written offer, they have already mentally decided that they are ready to purchase a mobile home and are so interested in your home that you are selling that they have decided to commit in writing to giving you a certain amount of money for the purchase of it.

It is important to mention this in this article because obtaining an offer is the hardest part of the process.

When humans mentally decide to buy something, we weigh the pros and cons of this decision and step through any door of failure, fear, or insecurity by simply making the offer. Once the offer is made, then a counteroffer is much easier for the Buyer to give because the most complicated thing has already been done by making the initial offer.

This is the reason why we bring every offer to every Seller.

Once the offer has been made, the Seller needs to understand that the Buyer is ready to buy; we just need to get both the Buyer and the Seller to the same number.

Although this may seem like a difficult task, many times it is not.

Once the Buyer has sent out an offer, the Seller can counteroffer to an already motivated Buyer.

The worst thing the Seller can do is receive a less-than-optimal offer and immediately dismiss it and the Buyer by not counteroffering.

It’s important to keep perspective on any interest you get from a potential buyer and also remember that everything is up for discussion. “There are always negotiations and countering back and forth,” says Patrick O’Connor, a real estate agent with Premier Sotheby’s International Realty in Naples, Florida.

Even if the first offer you receive isn’t the price you were hoping for, you can easily make a counteroffer or negotiate for other details – like skipping an inspection or allowing you more time to move out – that can make the deal the right one for you.

Remember, the Buyer has already decided to Buy, and the Seller has already decided to sell the property.

When looking at selling your mobile home, we always stress taking each and every offer seriously and not relying on the same old adage of “it is just the first offer” as the first offer, which, many times, will be your Buyer!

The Mobile Home Dealer is a licensed mobile home broker in Sarasota, Florida, and the surrounding areas. We provide professional buy and/or sell assistance to our clients. If you have any questions, please get in touch with us by clicking this link. You may also visit our Facebook Page and send us a message.

This is Mark Kaiser with The Mobile Home Dealer. We help mobile home Buyers and Sellers improve their lives.

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September 25, 2023
What Is The Difference Between Mobile Homes And Modular Homes?
What Is The Difference Between Mobile Homes And Modular Homes? Have you been considering a pre-built home but are unsure if you want to go with a mobile home or a manufactured home?

Are you confused and unsure of what the differences are between these two types of homes and if one is more prevalent throughout the Gulf Coast of Florida?

If either of these questions seems to ring true to your situation then we here at The Mobile Home Dealer look forward to giving you a basic understanding of what the differences are and what is more common in the area.

When looking at a mobile home or a manufactured home for your next purchase it is important to realize that both of these homes are built and delivered from a factory and not built from the ground up on your homesite.

Modular homes are also built in factories but are governed by local state building codes (although sometimes states will adopt the federal code). Modular homes are either built on a permanent chassis or on a temporary one. Homes built on a permanent chassis are referred to as being “on-frame” and those built on temporary ones are referred to as “off-frame.” Whether a home is built on- or off-frame will affect how the home is assembled at its destination site.

Mobile homes are completely constructed in a factory and then transported to the home site. Once they arrive at their destinations, they are usually not moved again although they can be if it is needed so long as the home is 20 years old or newer. The reason for this age requirement is within the State of Florida a mobile home transporter will not be able to obtain a moving permit if the home is older than 20 years from the date at which they are looking to move the home

One of the most common concerns for homebuyers looking at mobile and modular homes is the question of how safe these properties are. Both of these home options are constructed offsite and that can lead many to distrust the safety of these homes. However, these fears are unfounded. There is no significant difference between the safety of homes built on or off-site.

Mobile homes are required to have what is referred to as hurricane tie-downs on all four points of the home. These metal straps help keep the home “tied down” in the case of severe weather and should provide plenty of safety and security for the homeowner to have faith in their home standing up to severe weather conditions.

Both modular and manufactured homes are further inspected upon installation at their sites to ensure complete safety for the home occupants.

Manufactured and modular are all significantly more affordable than site-built homes. The primary reason that these homes are constructed in one place is that it allows for controlled production costs. They are constructed inside a factory and therefore are also typically constructed in a fraction of the amount of time a site-built home is which can lead to fewer delays in supplies being delivered and additional costs coming up.

Another difference between modular and manufactured homes is that the former needs land owned by the owner and can be applied for a loan. Manufactured homes or mobile homes, however, are situated on leased land inside mobile home parks. Modular homes are similar to conventional homes but built offsite. Modular homes are not allowed to be placed inside a mobile home park.

Throughout the Gulf Coast of Florida, we continue to see quite a bit more mobile homes compared to modular homes. The reason for this is due to the age of most mobile home parks in the area. When these parks were built decades ago the original owners put all mobile homes into the park for their residents and did not add modular homes to their site plan. As the years continued to go on more and more of the original owners sold their mobile homes and the new owners remodeled and updated the current mobile home to what is seen today.

Whether you are looking for a modular or mobile home both are great options for the cost of ownership and cost of maintenance. Although there are some differences between these two types of manufactured homes, the choice always depends on individual needs. If you own land and want to save money from building an on-site home, a modular home is your best choice. But if you don’t own land and are willing to pay for the lot rent, a mobile home is a good choice.

We have other articles and videos that are useful for everyone who wants to sell or buy their mobile homes here on our website. The more knowledge we have about dealing with mobile homes, the fewer problems we may encounter. If you have questions and need assistance, you can always contact us through this website, or visit our Facebook Page.

This is Mark Kaiser with The Mobile Home Dealer and we help mobile home Buyers and Sellers get to a better place in life.

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September 25, 2023
Here Is What NOT To Do When Closing On A Sarasota Mobile Home!
Hey Everyone! Here Is What NOT To Do When Closing On A Sarasota Mobile Home!

I hope you are having a great week so far and you’re staying safe out there!

We here at The Mobile Home Dealer continued to do our very best to deliver all of the most relevant information to you in the mobile home space and wanted to thank you for taking a few minutes to learn about what needs to happen for the sale of the mobile home to go through on leased land down here in the state of Florida.

Just this week, we ran into an issue that needs to be addressed so that all of the folks watching this now or in the future understand what can not happen when closing on a mobile home.

Here’s a quick story that happened just this week to illustrate this.

We have a listing for a mobile home on a lease land in South Florida. Here, we have a written offer by an eager Buyer who wants to purchase the house from the Seller!

The Seller cannot move out of the home due to being in a financial situation where they are very tight on funds. The Seller also feels they need over six weeks to move out of their home. The Buyer wants to hurry up and move into the home because they are currently staying with family and want their own place. The Buyer has wanted to dictate when they will move into the home before they are park-approved. The Seller wants to get paid in full prior to closing on the home so they have enough money to hire a moving company to move them out of the property.

Do you see what we have going on here?

If not, let me be a little bit more direct.

As licensed mobile home brokers in the state of Florida, we need to have the park approval on file for the Buyer in order for us to sell the home.

If we were to skip this step and sell the home to a non-park-approved Buyer, and they move in and then later find out that they cannot live in the park for whatever reason, then we have a real mess on our hands!

Traditionally, at closing, this is when the keys are exchanged, and all the funds, less the deposit on the home, are handed over.

Right away, we have an issue here.

With both the Buyer and the Seller putting their cart before their horse, with the Seller wanting to be paid in full before closing on the home and the Buyer wishing to move in before cutting park approval, we are moving fast in the wrong direction.

To iron things out, we immediately stopped this sale and told the Buyer they needed to get approved by the park before we moved any further.

This caught the Buyer off guard, but we stressed to them that if they were not approved, we would not sell them the home, which would essentially kill the entire deal.

We told the Seller that they could not get paid in full before closing because the Buyer would then have no assurance that they would ever receive the home as the Seller has all the money but did not hand over the keys.

Once the Buyer was approved, we got half of the sale price as a down payment, had the Seller in writing state that they would be out of the home at a particular date, at which point we would close on the home, and the Seller would receive the rest of their payment for the property.

We at The Mobile Home Dealer always experience something unique, and this is just one of these scenarios where the sale can be thrown out of the window if no one wants to cooperate.

Although both the seller and buyer are in the same difficult situations, it is always important for both parties to follow the process.

The main takeaway here is the buyer rushing to close the deal without getting approved by the park.

If you are looking to buy a mobile home in the Sarasota, Florida, area, you should first get approval from the park before closing a sale with the seller. Moving into a mobile home without the park’s approval could result in many problems or, worse, being kicked out.

You cannot buy a mobile home without park approval because the sale cannot be completed without the park’s management approval of the new owner. The park’s management has to make sure that the new owner is someone they feel comfortable with and that will follow the rules and regulations of the park. This approval process can take some time, so starting it as soon as you are interested in buying a mobile home in a Sarasota, Florida, area park is crucial.

I hope the takeaway that you have learned from this video is that an offer is just an offer until we have park approval, and a closing date is when the keys are exchanged for the bulk of the money.

Attempting to sell a mobile home in any other way will cause more issues than it is worth, trust me!

Need more similar stories? See some of our previous experiences explained in the following articles:

How To Not Get Your Mobile Home Sold – Episode 1
How To Not Get Your Mobile Home Sold – Episode 2
How To Not Get Your Mobile Home Sold – Episode 3
How To Not Get Your Mobile Home Sold – Episode 4
How To Not Get Your Mobile Home Sold – Episode 5

The Mobile Home Dealer is a licensed mobile home broker in Sarasota, Florida, and the surrounding areas. We provide professional buy-and-sell assistance to our clients. If you have any questions, please get in touch with us by clicking this link. You may also visit our Facebook Page and send us a message.

This is Mark Kaiser with The Mobile Home Dealer. We help mobile home Buyers and Sellers achieve better lives!

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September 25, 2023
What Documents Are Needed To Close On A Sarasota Mobile Home?
Hey Everyone! What Documents Are Needed To Close On A Sarasota Mobile Home?

Thank you for taking a few minutes out of your busy day to learn about what needs to be done during the closing of a mobile home on leased land down here in Florida.

After reviewing the details of what happens during a closing today we hope that you have a much better idea of what documents need to be completed, how they need to be completed, and what you can expect when you get to the closing table to buy your new mobile home.

To start, I want to stress to all of you folks who are watching that we at The Mobile Home Dealer are licensed mobile home brokers with the State of Florida. What that means is that we will be doing certain things that other non-licensed Sellers do not have to do as we are licensed by the state of Florida to sell mobile homes on leased land.

Some of the items we discuss today may not be needed if you work with a non-licensed person when purchasing a mobile home on leased land.

The first document we will need is a purchase agreement signed by both the Buyer and the Seller.

Our purchase agreement here at The Mobile Home Dealer is a very basic five-page document that goes over the price of the home, where the home is located, and the actual address of the property.

The next document we have the Buyer sign is a Seller Disclosure Sheet.

This is an important one that the Seller needs to read thoroughly and fully understand what they are buying. The Seller Disclosure Sheet is filled out and signed off on by the Seller at the time we take the listing. On this form, the Seller marks all the issues that, to the best of their knowledge, are wrong with the home.

The Seller Disclosure Sheet is quite detailed as we go through all types of questions such as is the roof in good shape? How are the floors? Does the air conditioning system work? And so on. The reason why this is an important document for the Buyer to fully understand is that this form discloses, what is wrong with the home from the Seller’s point of view.

The Seller Disclosure Sheet is a playbook of the home that the Buyer is buying.

The next document is a power of attorney form.

These forms allow us, The Mobile Home Dealer, to be able to sign on both the Buyer’s and the Seller’s part to transfer the title out of the Seller’s name and into the name of the new Buyer at the Department of Motor Vehicles.

If this form is not signed off on, then we will have to get everybody together, the Buyer, the Seller, and us all at the DMV to get everything signed off on. The majority of the homes that we sell are to Buyers for Sellers who live out of the state of Florida. If we do not have this form on file then this will create a very long process that does not need to happen.

Lastly, we have the title paperwork itself.

Due to us having a power of attorney form on file for both the Buyer and Seller, the Seller will not have to sign the title as we will sign for them and the Buyer at the DMV by using the power of attorney form.

Additional forms that may be needed are if the home is in a trust if the home is acquired through probate, or if there is a will involved.

If this is the case, we will need to get all of those documents associated with the transfer of the home in order to get the home transferred out of the Seller’s name and into the Buyer’s name.

Not having all of these forms readily available will cause unnecessary delays and additional headaches for everybody involved.

We experienced several instances that the buyer is ready to move and wants to close the deal but the seller can’t find the title of their mobile home. Although the buyer can always ask for a copy of the title from the Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV), preparing the needed documents as important as the mobile home title is the seller’s sole responsibility. We have seen a few deals that fell through because of this reason and the seller won’t cooperate.

When completing the sale of a mobile home on leased land we take care of all the forms and make sure that the sales process is as clear and smooth as possible for both the Buyer and the Seller.

Selling a mobile home can be complicated for many, especially those who don’t have proper knowledge of how to do it right. Doing it wrong could only complicate and lengthen the process.

Selling your mobile home can be easy and quick if you’ll follow the essentials needed before selling it. Fix up all maintenance issues, consult professionals who know more about selling your mobile home, price your home at an acceptable rate, and plan everything before you post it for sale. Participating in online auctions, selling via a real estate broker, or advertising your mobile home online and offline are great ways to sell it fast.

This is Mark Kaiser with The Mobile Home Dealer and we help mobile home Buyers and Sellers get to a better place in life!

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September 25, 2023
2 Common Mobile Home Problems And How You Can Prevent Them!
What’s going on, everybody?! 2 Common Mobile Home Problems And How You Can Prevent Them!

This is Mark with The Mobile Home Dealer.

I want to thank you for taking a few minutes out of your busy day to learn about two of the more common problems that older mobile homes have and what you can do as a preventative measure to ensure if these problems do occur in your home how to mitigate them so that a small issue does not turn into a large disaster!

The first problem we want to discuss today is of water damage to your mobile home.

Water damage can happen in one of two ways.

First, the issue can start through a small leak in your roof that then causes moisture damage to the rest of your home.

Many times mobile home roofs have a 25 to 30-year warranty. Once this time is up, a new roof will need to be placed on top of the current roof in order to keep your house nice and dry. You will be able to get a few extra years out of that roof if you take proper precautions, such as sealing your roof every few years. Plan to replace that roof in your mobile home if your house is older than 30 years old and you got the original one on it.

The second way water damage can occur is through the flooring system of your mobile home.

Mobile homes have what is called a vapor barrier that is installed under the base of the home. If you have never seen one, it kind of looks like a large black trash bag that is attached to the bottom part of your house. The purpose of a vapor barrier is to keep the water that comes out of the ground away from your flooring components and flooring system keeping them nice and dry. If the vapor barrier is non-existent or seriously damage you may want to consider replacing it or you could have soft spots start to develop throughout your floors.

Easy ways to fix these common issues are to make sure you get your roof inspected for leaks and if leaks are found to contact a licensed professional in order to do a patch job or to redo the entire roof.

If you have soft spots beginning to emerge in your flooring then you might want to call a licensed professional to get that vapor barrier checked out so it is in proper working order and keeping the moisture away from your home’s flooring system.

The second problem that we see in older mobile homes is termite damage.

Termite damage can begin in the flooring, the subflooring, or the structure of the mobile home. If not handled quickly, then these darn little termites can grow their colonies extremely fast and really cause your home some serious problems.

The base of your mobile home structure is wood. You have wood floors, and wood subfloors, the walls are wood based and the structural components underneath your roof are going to be wood. If you find that you have issues with termites it is not the end of the world! In fact, handling termites on a large scale is taken care of on a regular basis in most mobile home parks on a regular basis.

If your home has termite issues, then termite tenting may be needing to be done. During the tenting process, the home will be covered in a large tarp for three to four days, a licensed professional will go in and deep clean your home getting rid of all those termites.

One way to prevent a lot of these termite issues is to make sure that you keep up with your quarterly termite spraying service. This service is offered by several local professionals and will provide the first line of defense against any serious termite infestation that may occur in your mobile home in the future.

If you are saving from hiring a termite service, another way is to check all wooden parts of your house directly attached to the ground. Wooden parts touching the ground especially when wet attract termites. Termites usually don’t climb through concrete or metal. You can prevent this by spraying common anti-termite chemicals, or sometimes, even used oil will do the job.

There are other small-to-big problems that you may experience inside and outside your mobile home and disregarding these small issues could result in costly repair and maintenance in the future.

It is always recommended that as a mobile homeowner, you should not disregard simple issues like small water leaks, molds, and other irregularities.

Some mobile homeowners are forced to sell their homes for a cheaper price because there is a lot to repair and these repair costs always pull down the mobile home’s selling price. It is also hard to find buyers who are willing to spend thousands of dollars on repairs and extra waiting time while the house is undergoing renovation.

A properly-maintained mobile home always demands a higher selling price when you decide to sell your house in the very near future.

When you own a mobile home, you have a valuable asset that can be sold for a higher price if it is properly maintained. By taking care of your mobile home and keeping it in good condition, you will be able to sell it for a higher price when you decide to sell it in the future. To keep your mobile home in good condition, you should regularly clean it and perform any necessary repairs. You should also keep the exterior of your mobile home clean and free from debris. If you take care of your mobile home, it will continue to look its best and demand a higher selling price when you decide to sell it.

Another one of the most common mobile home problems is leaks. Mobile homes are particularly susceptible to leaks because they are often not as well insulated as traditional homes. This can lead to water damage and mold growth. To prevent leaks, make sure to check your mobile home regularly for any signs of water damage and repair any leaks immediately.

Another common problem with mobile homes is that they can be difficult to heat and cool evenly. This is due to the fact that mobile homes are often smaller than traditional homes and have less insulation. As a result, you may find that your mobile home is too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. To combat this, you can invest in a good quality space heater or air conditioner.

Finally, another common mobile home problem is that it can be difficult to keep clean. This is because dust and dirt can easily build up on the surfaces of your mobile home. To keep your mobile home clean, make sure to vacuum and dust regularly. You may also want to consider investing in a portable air purifier to help keep the air inside your mobile home clean and fresh.

We hope this has given you a brief idea of the major issues that can happen to your home and how to prevent them.

Guys, this is Mark Kaiser with The Mobile Home Dealer and we help mobile home Buyers and Sellers get to a better place in life.

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September 25, 2023
Why Fixing Your Sarasota Mobile Home AC System Is A Bad Idea!
Why Fixing Your Sarasota Mobile Home AC System Is A Bad Idea! We, here at The Mobile Home Dealer, constantly get asked by Sellers of mobile homes in the greater Sarasota Florida area if it is financially worth it to spend money in order to upgrade their mobile home.

The answer is, a resounding, it depends!

Let us explain.

Before we get involved in whether it is worth it or not worth it to spend money to upgrade your mobile home, we feel the best starting point is to have proper expectations of what you are looking to upgrade and what you hope to accomplish.

For example; if you are looking to paint the home a fun beachy color, change the over-flooring, add custom shelving or change out the bathroom fixtures these certainly can liven up the home. However these upgrades, although nice in nature, are based on the owner’s personal preference and do not upgrade the structural integrity of the mobile home itself.

Sure, these will make the home look newer or “beachy” but it does not mean that the upgrades you put in here will bring you any more money when you look to sell the home.

The reason why is that there is no tangible value that can be passed on to the next owner.

If, on the other hand, you are looking to upgrade the AC unit, update the subflooring of the entire home, add a new roof, add brand new appliances, upgrade the plumbing or update the electrical then, yes, these items will certainly see a real-time return on your investment.

Should You Fix Your Mobile Home Air Conditioner?

With the summer coming right around the corner and temperatures increasing each day, we, down here in Florida, are turning our attention to having a good working air conditioning system for the coming wet season.

If your air conditioning system is not working properly and you were looking to get it replaced, do you know if the costs that you spend on a new system will come back to you when you go to sell your mobile home?

This is a question we get asked all the time!

If the seller is looking to sell their home and the air conditioning system is not working properly, should they get it fixed in order to sell their property fast?

Another question we get asked is if the Seller of the mobile home is looking to sell their property can they reasonably expect to get the same or close to the same amount of money that they spent on their new air system returned to them when they go and sell their mobile home?

Both are great questions.

So let’s go ahead and tackle each one individually to help give you a better understanding of the way you may want to go when you are making the decision on if you should go ahead and upgrade your AC system or not or just go ahead and sell your home as is.

Just last week, we were set to close on a property here in Sarasota Florida when the Seller had a blown central AC system. The whole thing was totally shot and was not working at all. The Seller wanted to sell their home fast and was contacted by a local air conditioning company who said that the replacement unit would cost the Seller between about $5,000 and $6,000 to replace the unit, remove the old unit, and lay a new concrete pad.

That was a chunk of change as they were not expecting to pay that!

We agreed, during our listing appointment, that they would go ahead and list the home competitively to start off with but then go ahead and take off that chunk of money from the top of their home because the AC was not working.

By going this route, we immediately priced the home far under any other home that was for sale in that area and it brought the Seller tons of attention doing so. When we put the home up for sale we did our marketing to reflect, that, yes, the new owner was getting a heck of a deal, but the Buyer had to know that the AC unit needed to be replaced.

The home sold in less than a week to a happy Buyer who was going to put in window units and did not care about replacing the AC unit itself.

Everyone was thrilled!

The next question is if you were to put in a new AC unit before selling your home, will it appraise?

I will, without a doubt, say, yes, it will.

So long as the unit has a transferable warranty on it to the new owner and the unit that you put in is less than a year old it should appraise. Where we see issues come up with appraisals is if someone replaces the AC system years ago and the unit has no transferable warranty and the Seller expects them to get the same amount of money that they paid for it a decade ago.

In this case, no, it will not appraise.

As here we just have a used AC system and not something that will bring any more value to the sale of their home.

Although in some cases, fixing the AC system thinking that this could attract more buyers could be true, this always works depending on the situation and the type of buyer and their preference. People buy mobile homes because it is affordable and sometimes, extra costs for appliances that do not plan to use would be unnecessary and could turn them down.

I hope this helps you, the mobile home Seller, give you a better idea of how air conditioning systems appraise when you look to sell your mobile home.

This is Mark Kaiser with The Mobile Home Dealer and we help mobile home Buyers and Sellers get to a better place in life.

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September 25, 2023
Can Mobile Homes Be Used As Investment Properties?!
It seems like when you turn on any reality TV show that has to do with selling a home or remodeling a home, it always goes back to single-family homes, doesn’t it? Can Mobile Homes Be Used As Investment Properties?!

You know the type of show is I’m referring to you.

For sake of not wanting to mention any specific show on this video, it is safe to say that anyone who has ever a channel surfed over the past decade knows these shows.

One thing that I think is always interesting is that I have personally never seen a show explaining the benefits of investing in mobile homes as investment properties as these shows always focus on that a single-family home or sometimes an apartment complex.

Although apartment buildings and single-family home rentals certainly are the tried and true way to put one’s money in if they are looking at purchasing a piece of real estate for investment purposes, I always ask myself why doesn’t someone do a show about investing in mobile homes on leased land as possible rental properties?

My goal today in this brief video is to give you a very, very basic understanding of mobile homes as investment vehicles when used as rental homes.

First, let’s go over the basics so we are all on the same page about what we are talking about here.

As we have discussed several times in the past, mobile homes on leased land are viewed as and taxed as used vehicles in the state of Florida which means that you do not pay property taxes on the home. We have also discussed in the past that most mobile homes in and around the Gulf Coast of Florida are older than 1976 models which means that it is difficult to obtain a mortgage or loan on them as nearly all pre-owned homes of that age are sold and purchased in cash. We have also discussed lot rent, it is the monthly carrying cost most all parks have which covers the usage of land as well as basic utilities, such as water, sewer, trash, and lawn care. Additionally, we have mentioned in the past that most mobile home parks in the area allow rentals so long as they are either seasonal or annual rentals.

We are all aware of the need for affordable housing options as apartment wait lists are continuing to increase. The apartment rents go up accordingly as well. Buying a single-family home right now as an investment property is just plain bananas with how high the real estate market is swelling at the time of this video.

With all that understood, let’s peel back the onion a little bit here.

Most mobile homes only have lot rent as a monthly carrying cost for the owner that they need to pay each month. Most apartments do not offer to-your-door parking or a lot of times even laundry services within the apartment unit for the base price of the rent. As we all know many people are moving to Florida right now looking for more affordable places to live than ever before. Mobile homes on leased land usually don’t carry debt as we have mentioned which brings down the owners’ liability when looking to rent the property.

With all of these things mentioned, do you see all the immediate needs that mobile home rentals meet right out of the shoot?

Mobile homes on leased land are fantastic investment vehicles for those folks who are looking to invest but do not want to take on debt or get into a bidding war with other investors trying to purchase traditional real estate!

Furthermore, the fix & flip investment strategy usually works great with mobile homes. Let’s say you purchase a mobile home for $10,000 and fix it for $5,000. You can sell it for $25,000. A $10,000 quick profit is not a bad idea especially if you are into a fixer-upper business strategy.

Mobile homes are cheap and in Florida, they are not taxed as real estate. People who can’t afford conventional homes always look into buying mobile homes. Not only that they are easier to manage, mobile homes in Sarasota Florida are mostly located inside mobile home parks that are easily accessible. If you are selective during your buying process, your mobile home can appreciate its value and can build your wealth over time.

Any investment that involves real estate has its pros and cons and investing in a mobile home can also be risky if you are not fully prepared and lack knowledge on how to do it properly. The reward can be greater than your expectations if you do it perfectly

Assuming you are looking to purchase a mobile home to live in, there are a number of pros that may make this type of investment appealing.

For starters, mobile homes are generally much cheaper than traditional stick-built homes, so you will likely have a lower mortgage payment and/or be able to pay cash for your home outright.

Additionally, most mobile home parks offer a sense of community that can be appealing, especially for retirees or those looking for a more affordable lifestyle.

Finally, mobile homes tend to appreciate at a rate similar to traditional homes, so you can expect your investment to grow over time..

We look forward to answering any questions you have on mobile home investing and we will be happy to answer additional questions in the coming weeks through our video series on this topic. Feel free to contact us directly with a specific question or drop a comment and a question in the comments below.

The Mobile Home Dealer are licensed mobile home broker in Sarasota Florida and the surrounding areas. We provide professional buy and/or sell assistance to our clients. If you have any questions, please contact us by clicking this link. You may also visit our Facebook Page and send us a message.

This is Mark Kaiser with The Mobile Home Dealer and we help mobile home Buyers and Sellers get to a better place in life.

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September 25, 2023
How To Speed Up The Selling Process Of Your Sarasota Florida Mobile Home?
How To Speed Up The Process Of Selling Your Mobile Home!

Hey Guys!

I am here to tell you that the days when one needs to rely on a paper document to list a mobile home, buy one, or even sell one are times of the past!

Anyone who is either new or has been a part of the mobile home industry for any length of time knows that the majority of this industry itself is in a rather archaic state when it comes to adapting to new technology.

Allow me to give you an example of this:

Last week I was working with a Buyer and a Seller of a mobile home in beautiful Venice, Florida. Here, the Seller currently resides in Michigan and the Buyer lives in New York. This home was going to be sold, the site unseen by the Buyer after they saw it through all of our social media channels after which we did a few video chats with them so they knew exactly what they were buying. Being a licensed mobile broker in the state of Florida, we have to first get the Buyer to become park approved by the park that the home resides in prior to getting the home sold.

That’s a requirement.

This is nothing new for us as we have done this seemingly countless times. I emailed the park to request the application be sent to me for which I expected it to be sent without any issue via email, as almost every other park can do that lickety-split.

This park was different.

The park manager explained to me that they do not email the park application over but I had to physically drive to the office, pick up the paper application, send it to the Buyer who then had to fill out the paper application and then mail it back to our home office here in Florida. Only at that point would I then be required to take the filled-out application and run it to the park office myself for then the park office to begin the process of approving the Buyer for residency for that mobile home park.

My goodness!

I was shocked as this is the only park I have ever worked with in the recent past that still requires this level of effort for a darn park approval!

Not only was I surprised with all of this paper being required to be used but also while being on the heels of the worldwide pandemic and all of the personal touches we had to do in order to get the application back to begin the approval process.

We here at The Mobile Home Dealer try our best to adapt to all the new technologies.

We have been utilizing an online document signing service since the beginning of our company and it has worked extremely well for both the Buyer and the Seller who are either looking to purchase or sell one of their mobile homes with us.

By utilizing the online document signing service we have been able to bring down the usage of paper as well as the cost of the service and eliminate the hand-to-hand touch process altogether making it safer for you to do business this way.

If you have never worked with an online document signing service before working with us, do not worry.

Using technology can really speed up the process for both the seller and the buyer, but still, preparation is much needed, especially on the buyer’s side. Yes, this park is a special case, but even if everything can be done online if the buyer is not prepared to provide their information to get a park approval, the process can still be stalled.

What are the usual requirements that the buyer must provide in order to get approved by the park?

Each park has its own way of going about the actual approval process. Usually, every park will require each person who is going through to be approved to fill out a written application. Along with the application the applicant will need to provide a photo ID, pay a nominal application fee, and agree to have their background checked by the park. If you or your applicant friend does not have a current driver’s license that is okay as usual, a state-issued photo ID card or a passport will do the trick.

Every community has its own set of rules, so it would be wise to do your due diligence and understand them. For example, does the community allow pets? If you are a pet lover, this will be a top concern of yours, right?

Expect the park to ask about running your credit and criminal history. A grave mistake would be unwilling to share this information or being untruthful. This will raise questions about you and, certainly, they are likely to conclude you’re hiding something from them. Cooperate and provide the needed details if you’re looking to join the park.

The background check that most parks go off of is going to be the criminal background the applicant’s credit score and if the applicant has any history of evictions on file.

For safety purposes, the community may scrutinize your background and ensure you satisfy their set of profiles. For example, they’d want to know your previous living arrangements, and why you are moving. If you’re convincing enough, they are likely to accept you.

No mobile home park will gladly open its doors if they know nothing about you. It’s a common industry practice to do a background check.

We will be happy to help walk you through this so that you are totally comfortable with the process itself.

We will be happy to accommodate you wherever you are!

This is Mark Kaiser with The Mobile Home Dealer and we help mobile home Buyers and Sellers get to a better place in life.

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September 25, 2023
When Is The Best Time To Sell Your Sarasota Mobile Home?
When Is The Best Time To Sell Your Sarasota Mobile Home? With all the focus on the high real estate market everywhere throughout the country, one must think, when is the best time to sell your mobile home on leased land?

Is there a better or worse time of year to sell your mobile home when your home is located within a mobile home park?

Should you wait and sell the home until all the other homes in the community are sold, so that you are the only one for sale in that exact mobile home park?

Will selling your mobile home during the time of year when more snowbirds are in the area be a better time to sell your property for more money?

These are all questions we help educate Sellers on a daily basis here at The Mobile Home Dealer.

In our experience, mobile homes on leased land throughout the Gulf Coast of Florida will sell year round, no matter what the real estate market is doing, who is in town visiting or how many homes are being sold in your particular park.

What we have found is that when you sell a mobile home on leased land it needs to be priced correctly and marketed the right way for it to sell fast.

Many times we see the Sellers try and sell their mobile home during the months of December through March believing that there are more snowbirds in the area which will lead to them getting a better shot at selling their mobile home for a higher price.

Although I can certainly applaud this effort and strategy, I am here to tell you that I believe that is not exactly the best way to do this.

The reason being is that mobile homes located on leased land will sell year round so why put all the stress on yourself by only trying to sell your home for a few months during the year?

You see the vast majority of homes that we at The Mobile Home Dealer sell are to out-of-state buyers, through our online resources. By leveraging the power of the online marketplace we are able to get more eyes on your home in a very short period of time regardless of what time of year it is!

Most Buyers who are looking to only sell their home during the winter months are usually waiting and hoping for someone to drive by, see their sign, make an offer that they will accept and then hopefully be able to close the sale. Although I see what they are thinking and I can appreciate that, the Seller is not really getting any real exposure for their property.

Remember, like we said before, the more exposure you get to your home, the more offers you will get, regardless of what time of the year it is.

If you have additional homes in your community that are for sale do not let this be a deterrent for your home sale time frame regardless of what the homes in your park are currently priced at.

Buyer’s buy mobile homes 12 months a year so if you are looking to sell your home at a particular time of the year or there are others in the community for sale, do not feel like this should hold you away from actually selling the property that you are ready to part with!

Deciding whether or not to put your mobile home for sale depends on several factors. In the first place, it is important to analyze in what situation is the sector; That is, if it is an optimal moment objectively speaking or if on the contrary, it is better to wait to see how the market evolves.

Regardless of the above, each owner must carefully analyze what their economic and vital needs are. However, as we have said, it is a good time to put a mobile home for sale.

As we have mentioned many times, the sales prices of mobile homes will continue to rise. Of course, within the limits considered normal, so, for now, experts discard a real estate bubble.

We can all agree that the pandemic has significantly influenced our lives. Nobody could have imagined that 2020 would end with hundreds of thousands of lives lost; that 2021 would usher in a new way of life, and that we would still be living in perpetual terror. Life is full of unknowns. Before, we predicted that the pandemic would cease in 2021. However, no one foresaw the emergence of additional COVID variations and multiple outbreaks. People say that there will always be new variants; that it is like a never-ending marathon with no conclusion in sight.

Nothing and no one is exempted from the pandemic. It spares no profession, industry, or way of life. Our lives have changed considerably in the last year; resulting in previously inconceivable behaviors and activities. We never imagined being trapped in our own homes; wearing face masks and face shields every time we went out or having all our meals delivered straight to our door instead of eating out. We cannot imagine these ridiculous situations becoming the “new normal.

Even so, the pandemic has made buyers more willing to pay more money for the mobile homes they like, both second-hand mobile homes and new manufactured homes, so owners can also ask for more for them

The main reason why it is a good time to sell a home is that there is a great shortage of offers. To this, we must add that potential buyers are more willing to invest in a mobile home that interests them, always, as we say, within limits that are considered normal.

The Mobile Home Dealer are licensed mobile home broker in Sarasota Florida and the surrounding areas. We provide professional buy and/or sell assistance to our clients. If you have any questions, please contact us by clicking this link. You may also visit our Facebook Page and send us a message.

This is Mark Kaiser with The Mobile Home Dealer and we help mobile home Buyers and Sellers get to a better place in life.

See Also:
September 25, 2023