Category: Blog

How Much Should You Budget For Your Sarasota Florida Mobile Home Lot Rent Increase?
Ahh yes, lot rent, the monthly payment that is owed to the mobile home park where your Sarasota Florida mobile home is located for the usage and upkeep of the property that your mobile home resides on.

A necessary evil for all Sarasota Florida mobile homeowners.

For those of you who are new to the blog, let’s briefly review what lot rent is and what lot rent is not.

When buying a mobile home within the greater Sarasota Florida area, within a mobile home park on leased land then lot rent will be paid to the park each and every month you reside in that mobile home park.

Lot rent is the amount of money that is paid so that you have the usage of the land that your mobile home resides on.

Most parks throughout the greater Sarasota Florida area will include various other fees within the lot rent such as your water bill, sewer bill, trash bill, usage and upkeep of the park amenities, and even lawn care.

As one can see, you do get quite a bit of bang for your buck with the lot rent fee when living in a mobile home around the Sarasota Florida area.

It would be fair to expect that lot rent will increase each and every year you reside in the land-leased mobile home park.

Generally speaking, lot rent will increase somewhere in the neighborhood by 3%-5% annually.

This increase will help the mobile home park offset the expenses associated with the increased fees they are seeing from their vendors who cut the grass, service the onsite amenities and the increased county expenses associated with the water, sewer, and trash bills that are included in your lot rent.

Obviously, this is only a gauge when estimating the increase as much of this increase is based on the overall inflation numbers that the economy is seeing.

Within the state of Florida, it is mandatory that the mobile home park provide at least a 90-day notice to all of their residents of the upcoming lot rent increase. This will be greatly appreciated so you as a mobile home owner within the Sarasota Florida area do not get caught off guard with an increased payment that you were not expecting.

Most mobile home parks within the Sarasota Florida area will increase their lot rent at the start of the year so make sure you are on the lookout for the letter stating what, if any, increase there will be and for how much sometime in the early Fall of the current year.

Lot rent will be a continued fee that mobile homeowners who reside in a mobile home park on leased land will need to pay.

The important part of this payment is the ability to plan your financials around the increase so that you are not caught off guard by the yearly increase and then in a position where you are not able to afford to live in the mobile home of your dreams within the Sarasota Florida area!

Why does lot rent cost continue to increase?

In a nutshell, the demand for mobile homes is increasing. As the pandemic progresses, young adults who had taken refuge with their parents are moving out. People who had roommates now want to live alone. Couples who are separated or divorced each need their own place.

“During the last year, households began to divide into smaller homes,” said David Bane, analyst of Florida Mobile Home Community, an online market and community for Florida mobile homes.

“People realized that they wanted their own space and flexibility, so suddenly there are people who would have shared housing in a normal environment looking for individual units.”

At the same time, the availability of new mobile homes has stagnated. The interruptions of supply chains, combined with the shortage of workers and materials, have caused generalized construction delays.

The number of American homes grew by 1.48 million last year, according to census data, as more people branched on their own.

The real estate market and the mobile home sector have become highly competitive during the pandemic. The average sale price of a house increased almost 17% last year to a record of $81,700, according to the National Manufactured Home Owners Association (NMHOA).

But as the rich acquired second houses and investment properties, housing is increasingly out of the reach of many others.

The rough estimates that almost 1 million American tenants were left out of the housing market last year, due to the increase in prices and competence of cash offers.

As a result, the mobile housing buyers sector for the first time has decreased to a minimum of eight years, which means that more people are renting for longer than expected. That has given the park owners and companies a wide margin to increase rentals.

At the beginning of the pandemic, there were cities, states, and companies that established limits to rental increases and, in some cases, frozen prices completely.

The pandemic has caused drastic changes in the way people work and live. Among them is the opportunity for white-collar workers, particularly in high-salaried industries such as technology and finance to work from anywhere

As a result, experts claim that there are workers who move from expensive hot spots, such as San Francisco and New York City, to more affordable enclaves, such as Texas, Tennessee, and Florida.

“That richest demographic group is generating much of the heat in the mobile home market at this time because they are the ones that have the dollars to spend and compete for the limited inventory that exists,” said David Bane.

Having said that, not only are lot rents increasing in mobile home parks in the Sarasota Florida area, but also all types of property rentals that include apartments and traditional houses.

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 Is Your Sarasota Florida Mobile Home Park Application Taking So Long?!
As we have discussed previously in the Blog, it is imperative that a mobile home Buyer get approved by the mobile home park prior to closing on their Sarasota Florida mobile home.

The reason for this is that mobile home parks within the Sarasota Florida area require that all park residents are held to the same standards prior to being approved to move into the mobile home park in their new home.

Mobile Home for Sale in Sebring

This process is called the mobile home park approval process.

Here, the mobile home park will require the would-be applicant to fill out a handful of forms to verify their income, identity, and credit history, and consent be provided so that the mobile home park is able to run a criminal background on the applicant.

While each park has its unique standards and requirements for what an applicant must provide to get park approved the consistent theme is that each Buyer must go through this process so that they can move into the community.

By having a park approval process in place it assures each current resident that the new Buyer of the mobile home in their park is held to the same standards as the previous person who has moved in which creates a uniform expectation for all residents in the mobile home park.

Most parks follow the same guidelines and will check the applicant’s criminal background, credit score, and debt-to-income ratio.

In all of our time working in mobile home parks we, here at The Mobile Home Dealer, have yet to find a park owner or manager who can explain why or what they weigh the most when looking reviewing an applicant file to see if they are approved to become a resident or not.

Along with these forms most Sarasota Florida, mobile home parks will require the Buyer of the mobile home to provide a copy of their state-issued photo identification as well as to pay a small fee that will cover the cost of the criminal background report.

These office fees vary but it is reasonable to expect to pay around $50 per park applicant.

Most mobile home park approvals take anywhere between 3-5 business days to complete, but, in some instances, we at The Mobile Home Dealer have seen these park approvals take upwards of 2-3 WEEKS!

Crazy, right?

We agree!

Some of the delays are explainable and some are not, our goal in this post is to discuss what can be controlled by the Buyer so that they have the best shot at getting their application in and approved within just a few days.

Step 1:

Make sure you as the Buyer of the mobile home have all of the documents ready and filled out entirely. If the park requests pay stubs or some other type of income verification make sure you have these documents on hand and are ready to get them turned in with your application, failure to provide the documentation of your income will be a sure way to delay the approval process.

Step 2:

Make sure you have the exact application fee for all applicants ready and know how the park will be able to process this payment. Most mobile home parks around the Sarasota Florida area only accept checks or money orders and not credit cards or cash.

Step 3:

Make sure all of your written documentation is easily readable. If the application is not legible then expect the park manager to ask you to repeat the process which could add several days to an already lengthy process.

Mobile home in Florida

Having all of your documentation ready along with your fee payment and legible documents in hand will help speed up the process quite a bit when looking to gain approval to become a resident of a Sarasota Florida mobile home park.

While there can be additional delays that are out of your control it is always suggested to make sure you have your work done and ready so that the process can go as quickly and smoothly as possible.

Most mobile home parks have a standard process where they will check the applicant’s credit, criminal background, and reported income to lot rent ratios in order to make sure the applicant can afford to pay the monthly lot rent due to the mobile home park each month.

While no park manager or owner has ever been able to coherently explain how they weigh each of the above three criteria we do know that most mobile home parks will take a look at everything as a whole in order to get the best picture of who the applicant(s) are in order to make the best decision possible for park approval.

Most mobile home parks within the Sarasota Florida area will want to see around 2-3 times the reported income to lot rent amount. This can come in the form of retirement, income, savings, or other investments the applicant has. It is also important to note that this is all added together for both applicants who are on the application. Expect to have to provide written documentation for all income sources that are added together for your total monthly income.

Regarding the credit score and the criminal background check most parks will do standard credit pulls and federal criminal background checks, and expect to have to pay a fee to the park for the processing of these two reports.

Lastly, expect to have to provide photocopies of your identification card(s) as well as pay a small fee to cover the entire process for both applicants.

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 Long Can You Wait To Close On Your Sarasota Florida Mobile Home?
Closing day.

The day when one needs to have moved out of their mobile home and be ready to continue on to their next chapter in life.

While the closing day can be met with excitement, and, sometimes, sadness, it needs to be understood how long one can delay the closing date for the sale of your Sarasota Florida mobile home sale.

Before we get into discussing the reasonable time frame for which a mobile home Seller can wait to close on their mobile home sale we first need to stress the fact that the Buyer of the mobile home needs to be park-approved.

As discussed in previous blog entries, it is of utmost importance that every Buyer gets approved by the mobile home park for residency prior to closing on a mobile home.

Sarasota mobile home

The reason for this is that when working with a licensed mobile home broker in the Sarasota Florida area such as The Mobile Home Dealer, we need to always make sure that the Buyer is approved to become a resident so that there are no issues between the park and the Buyer prior to closing.

Most Sarasota Florida mobile home parks hold residents to the same standard if the Buyer is not approved prior to closing on their new mobile home then the park could deny lot rent payment from the new Buyer which could very well lead to their new mobile home being put into the eviction process.

When a Seller is looking to sell their mobile home it is reasonable to request 30 days or less for the mobile home that they just sold to close.

Please note, this is 30 days after the Buyer has submitted an accepted offer and has been approved by the park. Not until both of these items have been successfully completed should the 30-day countdown begin.

The reason why the 30-day countdown should not begin for either the Buyer or the Seller until the Buyer has been approved by the mobile home park is that a park approval can take upwards of 2-3 weeks to complete in some instances. If the Seller agreed to begin their 30-day count down prior to the Buyer getting approved and for some reason, the Buyer did not get approved then the Seller would more than likely to pack up and be ready to go only for their home to get put back on the market!

As one can see this could cause quite a few issues for the mobile home Seller in this instance.

Where mobile home Sellers get into a jam is when they request longer than 30 days post-park approval for their Sarasota Florida mobile home to sell. The reason why a longer close date will cause issues is that most mobile home Buyers are eager to move into their new home and are not willing to wait longer just because the Seller wants additional time.

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 would have taken the time to lay things out on the front end

In addition, when you decide to sell your mobile home and you have enough time to declutter, it is always better to leave everything clean as some buyers can be distracted and turned off by things they don’t want to see. Yes, the documentation is the most important thing to secure and prepare, but the house itself should be presentable so anyone can move without delays.

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.

Mobile Home

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.

Most successful mobile home sales always start with the seller’s complete preparation, followed by the cooperation of both the seller and the buyer. If you think there is something you are not sure of, you can always consult your broker, or contact The Mobile Home Broker for further assistance.

Moving out of your mobile home is one of the biggest transitions you will experience in life. While the thought of leaving your parents’ rules, and your annoying little brother, and going to university or starting a new job can be exhilarating, it can also be overwhelming.

The good news is, feeling nervous or overwhelmed is completely normal and there are ways to make your transition to independence a smooth journey.

The length of time you can wait to close on your Sarasota Florida mobile home depends on the terms of the sale. Generally speaking, it usually takes between 30 and 45 days to complete a transaction. This timeline can vary depending on how long it takes to obtain financing, the availability of title and escrow services, and any contractual agreement between the buyer and seller. Before signing a contract, it is important to discuss the estimated closing date with your real estate agent or lawyer to ensure that all parties involved are aware of the timeline and expectations.

As a general rule, if you are looking to sell your Sarasota Florida mobile home quickly, make sure you are ready to close within 30 days after the Buyer has been approved by the mobile home park. Asking for any additional length of time above and beyond that could very well leave the Buyer in a position where they will go and buy another 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
How Much Will Sarasota Florida Mobile Home Lot Rents Change For 2022?
With a crazy, oftentimes unpredictable 2021 for all wrapping up we now can begin looking forward to all that 2022 brings!

One of the main items that will need to be looked at for all potential Buyers and Sellers of mobile homes within the greater Sarasota Florida area is lot rent.

Lot rent, for those who are new to the blog, is a fee that is owed by the mobile homeowner each month for usage of the land that their home sits on.

The amount that mobile home lot rents in Sarasota, Florida will change in 2022 is still uncertain. Several factors can influence changes in lot rent costs, including the cost of living, inflation rates, and the area’s overall housing market. Additionally, the cost of park maintenance, taxes, and insurance can also influence how much the rent increases. While it is impossible to provide an exact answer at this time, lot rents in the Sarasota area will likely increase at least slightly by 2022.

Within the state of Florida, when a mobile home resides on land that is leased and not owned by the homeowner then this type of property is viewed as and taxed as personal property and not real property. Homes that are located on leased land have titles associated with their ownership of them and not deeds such as traditional real estate.

Aloha Mobile Home Park

If this sounds a lot like purchasing a motor vehicle, then you are correct!

Mobile homes located on leased land are titled and registered at the Department of Motor Vehicles just the same way as automobiles are.

It is reasonable to expect a lot rent increase each year.

The reason for this is that many lot rents around the Sarasota Florida area include some, if not all, of the following:
- Usage Of Lane
- Water
- Sewer
- Trash
- Lawn Care
- Usage And Upkeep Of Park Amenities
As you can see, what one gets with the basic lot rent is much more than just the usage of the land and is one of the main reasons why living in a mobile home that is located on leased land is such an attractive option due to the affordability of this type of housing option!

Mobile home lot rents usually increase somewhere between 2%-3% in order to keep up with the national inflation seen here in the United States.

The reason for the increase is that the cost of fuel will increase that is used for the lawnmowers to cut your grass along with the wages of those folks who are doing the work, the cost of water, the cost of the trash trucks, and so on.

As everyone knows, the level of inflation that we currently seeing throughout the country has certainly hit the Sarasota Florida area full blast and the mobile home communities have not been able to avoid this!

What we expect is a higher-than-normal lot rent increase leading into the 2022 calendar year due to the rampant inflation that we are seeing throughout the area.

While some lot rents will go up the standard 2%-3% we would expect that the average lot rent will increase quite a bit more in order to off balance the inflation levels in the local Sarasota Florida area.

With rising lot rent costs that will be higher than normal, we at The Mobile Home Dealer, are very interested to see how this will affect the Sarasota Florida mobile home market as a whole as many of the owners of these mobile homes are on some type of fixed income that allows them the ability to afford the current lot rents.

While we are certainly unable to tell what the future will hold for Sarasota Florida mobile home lot rents we do feel that all owners should expect to see, at the minimum, a 2%-3% increase on their monthly bill, if not more.

In the state of Florida, it is required that if a mobile home park lot rent is to increase then the owners of the park must give all of the residents a 90-day notice of the increase. Many times this is done through mailings directly to each resident’s home stating what the new lot will be and why it is increasing.

Most mobile home parks in the Sarasota area increase their lot rents each year around the first of the year so expect to see this letter come to your home sometime in the mid to late fall if the lot rent will increase.

What we at The Mobile Home Dealer continue to see year after year is that mobile home park lot rents will increase somewhere around 2-3% each year in order to match the national level of inflation. What this means is that if the lot rent is $600 now then it would be reasonable to expect that next year’s lot rent will be around $620 or so.

While the cost of lot rent is certainly due to increase each year there are certain parks that will only increase the lot rent every few years. The reason for this is that many times these parks fail to accurately track inflation and will over-increase the lot rent one year only for the following year to remain the same so that the increase equals out over the following year.

When looking at buying a mobile home on leased land throughout the Sarasota Florida area we always suggest looking at your income now and asking yourself if it will increase over the time period where you are looking to own the mobile home or if it will stay the same. Once this is determined we suggest next asking yourself how long you see yourself living in the mobile home. The reason for both of these questions is to better prepare yourself from a budgetary standpoint to decide how long you will be able to comfortably afford the mobile home parks lot rent so that you are not in position years down the road where you can’t afford it.

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
Where Are All The All Age Sarasota Florida Mobile Home Parks?!
The Sarasota Florida area is home to more than 100 mobile home parks which are unique from each other. With beautiful beaches, growing local businesses, and a warm climate all year round, Sarasota is becoming one of the favorite destinations for snowbirds during the cold winter season.

People of all ages are coming down to Florida to enjoy their summer holiday, but one may ask, what type of mobile home is suited for myself or my family?

With the continued increase in housing costs throughout the Sarasota Florida area and the need for affordable housing on the rise, one has to ask, where are all the all-age mobile home parks?

Sarasota County has over 100 mobile home parks and only a few of them are for families.

The vast majority of these parks are for age-qualified residents which are usually regulated at 45 or 55 years of age and older.

Palm Terrace mobile home

For many, Sarasota Florida is a destination location with its beautiful beaches, lively downtown area, and close proximity to everything that larger cities such as Tampa and Fort Myers have to offer.

The majority of the mobile home parks within the Sarasota Florida County area were built in the 1960s and 1970s as vacation-style retirement communities where many of the homeowners would come down during the winter months to live and then return up North the rest of the year.

As years went on, these folks were cleverly referred to as “snowbirds”.

Snowbirds continue to own and operate a large portion of the mobile home parks that we see here today throughout Sarasota.

Within these age-qualified parks, there is usually a strong restriction to those who are under the age of 45 living in the home full time. The hardest restriction set is of those of school-aged children living in the home on a regular basis.

While these children are certainly welcome for a few weeks a year, they are not allowed to be living in the homes on a regular basis.

This then begs to ask the question, well then where are the all-aged mobile home parks in Sarasota Florida?

While we, at The Mobile Home Dealer, do not know for sure the answer to this puzzling question we do know the facts about mobile homes that are located within mobile home parks where the owner pays lot rent.

Within the state of Florida, mobile homes that are located on leased land where the owner of the home pays a monthly fee to the park for the usage of the land in a payment commonly referred to as lot rent is viewed as and taxed as personal property. What this means is that these homes do not pay property tax as the land that the home is located on is not owned by the owner of the home, but rather, the owner of the park. The owner of the home does pay title and registration fees just like one would do if they owned a motor vehicle.

When property taxes are assigned, as in when living in a traditional stick-and-brick home, they are usually based on the value of the land and the structure that sits on this piece of ground. These taxes are then paid to the county in which the home is located. Once these taxes are paid to the county, the county uses them for city-based services such as schools, road upkeep, law enforcement, firefighters, etc.

If the owners of the mobile home that is located on leased land are utilizing city services, such as sending their kids to the local public school, and are not paying property taxes that help fund the school district then chances are the school district will begin running lower and lower on their funds to operate the school district. This could then result in educator layoffs, cutting of school programs, or other budget cuts needed to operate the school system.

Sarasota Fl, Mobile Home

If, on the other hand, the owners of the mobile homes that are located on leased land are not utilizing a bunch of city services, in this example the fact that they do not have school-aged children living in the mobile home itself, then there will be less of a strain put on the city services that are not being paid for by the homeowner through property taxes.

All hope is not lost, however!

Just this year, two Bradenton Florida mobile home parks that were age-qualified have changed to all-aged mobile home parks!

While this is a new trend that started just as recently a few months ago, we believe that it will be something that will continue to grow in popularity as the need for affordable housing continues to increase throughout the greater Sarasota Florida area!

Why do most Sarasota mobile home parks allow only 45-year-old and older people?

Although there is no law that says mobile home parks are created just for older people, most parks are occupied by older and senior people for many good reasons.

For senior citizens, who are usually retired and have very little or no source of income, living in a mobile home can provide them with a perfect place to live in, and that too in a very affordable range. Buying Mobile homes is comparatively easier than constructing regular homes, requiring more investment and more hassle.

Perhaps the main reason why younger people like teens and children are not allowed to stay longer in mobile homes is because of noise and other things young people could do that could disturb the peaceful senior living community.

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, don’t hesitate to 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 and we help mobile home Buyers and Sellers get to a better place in life.

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September 25, 2023
Is Sarasota Florida A Popular Place For Snow Bird Mobile Home Buyers?
With the weather (finally!) starting to cool off throughout the Sarasota Florida area one needs to ask the question; will there be more people down in the Sarasota Florida area during the winter months to enjoy the weather?

These folks who come down to enjoy the greater Sarasota area are commonly referred to as snowbirds and usually frequent the area from December through the first part of April each year.

Many of these folks who come down to escape the cold are from the Midwest, East Coast, and Canada.

Sarasota mobile homes are becoming popular among Canadian snowbirds who are looking to have warmer winter homes in the Southern part of the United States. In fact, there are several articles on Canadian websites providing guides for Canadians about owning mobile homes in Florida.

Mobile homes in warm winter are not the only reason why Northern snowbirds are coming to Florida. Travelers who have a limited budget can enjoy the beautiful white beaches all year round.

As last year with Covid-19 finished we did not see nearly as many visitors as we did in previous years due to travel bands and travelers electing to stay closer to home until the virus ran its course throughout much of the area.

Many times these snow birds will come down and fall in love with all that Sarasota Florida has to offer. Common spots that are frequented will be all of the beautiful beaches we call home, the University Town Center, Spring Training baseball games, and the arts district within downtown Sarasota.

We, here at the Mobile Home Dealer, certainly can not blame them as we love all of those activities too!

With travel bans being lifted and everyone getting used to the “new norm” of social distancing and mask-wearing we certainly expect to see a large surge in snow birds throughout the Sarasota area this winter season.

Even though we expect to see more people in Sarasota this year this does not mean that there will be more Buyers.

The reason for this is that many snow birds who come down for the winter look to rent for the winter season. The rentals they select are usually reoccurring rentals from the previous years or homes that their friends from back home owners that they are not using. Rarely do we see folks come down for the winter season without a place set up to stay and then rush to buy something.

What causes this is that the rental market for mobile homes in the Sarasota Florida area during these months is extremely difficult to gain access to if the renter does not already have a place set up prior to arriving in the Sunshine State to enjoy the winter.

Many times mobile home Sellers look to hold onto their property throughout the year in hopes that they will be able to sell their mobile home to a snow bird for a higher price. The thought process with these Buyers is that since fewer people are visiting in the summer months and more people are visiting in the winter months then they feel that they will be able to charge a higher price for their mobile home.

Many times, this does not work.

The reason for this is that many snowbirds are coming down for rentals and not to buy. If these snowbirds are coming down to stay in the winter home that they have already purchased prior to coming down then they are looking to find a renter for their Sarasota Florida mobile home for the other months when the mobile home would normally sit vacant.

Bay Indies-Venice Florida

Mobile homes, especially throughout the Sarasota Florida area, are homes that can be sold year-round so long as the property is priced right and marketed correctly. If the home is priced too high, regardless of what time of year the mobile home is attempting to be sold, it will continue to sit on the market with no real Buyer interest.

While we expect to see a rush of snowbirds this winter season down in Sarasota we do not expect to see a huge rush of mobile home Buyers.

The good news is if you are looking to sell your Sarasota Florida mobile home then you own a property in a destination location that can be sold year-round for a good price and you do not need to wait until the winter to put it up for sale!

So to answer the question of Sarasota Florida a popular place for snowbird mobile home buyers, the answer is yes. Although not most snowbirds will buy mobile homes, Florida is a popular destination for snowbirds due to its temperate climate. A snowbird who visits Florida for the first time may not decide right away whether they rent or buy a mobile home. Most visitors from the North who buy mobile homes in Sarasota are not first-time visitors. They visit here, return home, and then decide to buy when they return.

Yes, Sarasota Florida is a popular place for snowbird mobile home buyers. With its mild climate and wide variety of outdoor activities, it is an attractive destination for retirees and snowbirds who are looking for a vacation spot or a permanent residence. The city has several parks and recreation areas, as well as plenty of shopping, dining, and entertainment options. Plus, there are plenty of Mobile Home Parks offering good value for snowbirds seeking the convenience of a mobile home. These parks are usually close to the beaches, so residents can enjoy the sunny climate and relax in their own homes. The cost of living in Sarasota is affordable, making it a popular choice for snowbirds who are looking for an affordable place to stay.

For many snowbirds, having a mobile home in Sarasota is an investment. When they are not in Florida on holiday vacation, they can rent their mobile homes to other people who have no plan of buying a 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
What Does Sarasota Florida Mobile Home Lot Rent Include?
We, here at The Mobile Home Dealer, specialize in selling one type of mobile home.

When it comes to living inside the mobile home park, one needs to learn and unlearn a lot of things. Mobile homes are different from traditional stick-and-brick homes and mobile home parks carry different sets of rules and guidelines than those HOAs. As a potential mobile home owner, one must do their own research before deciding to live inside a mobile home park.

In the state of Florida, when a mobile home has lot rent associated with it then it is viewed and taxed as personal property and not as traditional real estate.

The reason for this is that a mobile home in this set comes with a title and not a deed when Buying or Selling the property.

Two Rivers MHP

This type of mobile home is where the owner of the property owns the home and pays a fee each month to the mobile home park in the form of what is called lot rent.

Lot rent is a payment that may include several different things but, for sure, will cover the usage of the land the mobile home sits on.

What is a mobile home lot rent?

People who are not familiar with mobile home living may get confused by the concept of lot rent. basically, renting a mobile home lot is different from renting just a mobile home. Paying for the lot rent means you own the mobile home while paying for the lot where your mobile home is sitting. If you are just renting a mobile home, whether you pay the lot rent or the owner depends on the agreement between you (the renter) and the mobile home owner. The lot can be owned by the mobile homeowner or the park owner.

What lot rent covers

In most mobile home parks in the Sarasota Florida area, lot rent covers most of the following.
- Water bill (some parks don’t)
- A piece of land to place your manufactured home on
- Access to the amenities and maintenance (the staff can guide you about the exact offerings)
- Swimming pool
- Playgrounds or play area
- Community center
- Laundry rooms with washers and dryers
- Lawn maintenance and mowing
- Trash collection
The amenities included in the lot rent vary from park to park and sometimes, the number of coverage can affect the lot rent amount.

What lot rent does not cover

Taxes: While property taxes may not be your headache, there will be taxes on the mobile home.

Insurance: Lot rent does not cover insurance. For the safety and security of your property, it is better to get mobile home insurance.

When buying a mobile home inside the mobile home park of your choice, make sure to know what specific amenities are covered by the lot rent. Parks that charge $1,000 and above usually cover most of the bills and other extra things that someone you may not need so it is important to know everything to avoid paying something you may not need.

We believe we will see more parks move towards not including water in the monthly lot rent fee in the future as mobile home parks are increasingly turning that charge of the water bill over to the residents directly.

Mobile home parks throughout the Sarasota Florida area may include several different items within the base lot rent.

The Winds Of Saint Armands mobile home

Some of these may include, what we refer to as, “The BIG Five“:
- Water
- Sewer
- Trash
- Lawn Care
- Usage/Upkeep Of Park Amenities
As you can quickly see, many mobile home parks charge lot rent this is less of a land rental price and more of a condo fee as there are so many things that are included within the base lot rent.

Recently, the Sarasota Florida mobile home community has begun to shift its focus and has started to begin charging its residents more in an a la carte fashion. What this means is that some mobile home parks around Sarasota are starting to charge their residents for the usage of water, sewer, and even at times lawn care.

As you can see this then adds several different bills that need to be paid each month by the resident on top of their lot rent fee.

Although it is too early to tell, we are not sure if this will continue to be a growing trend within the area.

Assuming the mobile home park that you are living in does include The Big Five. then you are looking at an extremely affordable way of living since the only monthly carrying costs that are associated with the property are that of the lot rent, electricity, and whomever you select for the usage of cable and internet.

While mobile parks are starting to change the way they view some of these included features that are normally a part of the monthly lot rent, one thing can not be debated and that is the affordability of living in a land-leased mobile home park!

The Mobile Home Dealer are licensed mobile home brokers 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 and we help mobile home Buyers and Sellers get to a better place in life.

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September 25, 2023
Does A Smoke Smell Affect The Sales Price Of A Sarasota Florida Mobile Home?
Eliminating the smoke smell in a mobile home can be a daunting task, but it is crucial for a clean and healthy living environment. Begin by airing out the home by opening windows and using fans to increase ventilation. Deep cleaning all surfaces, including walls, floors, and furniture, with specialized cleaners designed to neutralize smoke odor, is essential. Upholstery and carpets may require professional steam cleaning to remove embedded smoke particles. Additionally, using air purifiers with HEPA filters can help clean the air continuously. With diligence and thorough cleaning, you can successfully rid your mobile home of smoke smell, restoring freshness and comfort to your living space.

According to The American Heart Association, smoking is one of the hardest habits to quit.

We all know loved ones who either do smoke, have smoked, or have struggled to quit this habit.

Although we can all agree with the comment above, we need to dig deeper to see if the smell of smoke within a Sarasota, Florida, mobile home affects the resale price of the property when the Seller goes to sell their home.

The direct and easiest answer to this question is:

it depends on who the Buyer is.

In our experience here at The Mobile Home Dealer, we can tell you that, generally speaking, there are far fewer people who smoke than folks who do.

Colonial Manor

With this fact out in front, we can say that trying to find someone who doesn’t mind the smell of smoke in a mobile home will be much harder than finding someone who enjoys the smell of smoke in their new mobile home.

What we have seen is that many times, Buyers who are looking at buying a mobile home within the greater Sarasota, Florida, area will look for a lower cost in a smoker’s home than if the home did not have that smell. The same goes for pet odors and the old musty smell that we are all familiar with from our grandparents’ homes when we were kids.

These Buyers will consider asking for price discounts due to the work they feel they will need to complete to rid the home of the smoke odor.

Smells of any kind will turn most Buyers off, but not totally away.

Buyers who are affected by the odor of smoke within a mobile home due to a medical condition usually will not spend any more time looking at purchasing the mobile home due to the odor-causing them personal harm.

It is not uncommon for many mobile home Buyers, especially in this market, to look to buy a mobile home and remodel it. These remodels usually start with new paint and flooring, along with updated appliances and furniture.

If this is the intention of the Buyer, then we usually do not see an issue with the home selling if it carries an odor of smoke or animal smells.

A popular product called Killz is on the market. It is a paint-type material that can be used on all walls and subflooring and will essentially “kill” all odors within a mobile home. After this product is used and has time to dry, what will then be added is either a coat of paint to change the wall colors or to begin laying down new flooring throughout the home. Although this process is one that is somewhat labor intensive, it is not expensive. It can be done rather quickly especially if the Buyer is looking to complete a remodel of the property.

If you are a smoker and are concerned about the cost of which your mobile home will sell because of the smoke smell, do not be too concerned just yet.

We at The Mobile Home Dealer suggest beginning preventative measures to prevent the home from smelling worse than it currently does.

To fix the odor, we suggest smoking outside your home to get new odors. Look at airing the home out regularly by opening the windows and doors for fresh air. Lastly, look at getting rid of the furniture that you have in the home prior to selling the property if at all possible. This is because, most of the time, these smells will be trapped in the fabric of the chairs and couches and will not be able to be gotten out regardless of how they are cleaned.

Although the smell of smoke can attract most buyers’ attention in general, it can’t be a deal breaker. But this does not mean you just ignore it. Having a mobile home that smells like roses can attract possible buyers, especially if you did the repairs before selling your mobile home. A newly repaired and repainted mobile home must be free of any smell except for the used materials, like paint. Having a paint smell proves that the house is newly painted and can attract prospective buyers.

A total house cleaning is strongly recommended for those who want to sell their house. Cleaning can also help you discover areas that need to be fixed, such as water leaks, wet spots, molds, and other small things that cannot be seen without intensive cleaning.

If you are planning to sell your mobile home, it is essential to take some time to prepare it for sale. This includes addressing issues that could turn off buyers, such as bad smells. Smoke smell is common in mobile homes, especially if the previous owner was a smoker.

If you are a smoker, it is best to quit before putting your home on the market. If that is not possible, you must take measures to remove the smoke smell from your home.

There are a few ways to do this:
1. Air out the home as much as possible before showings. Open all the windows and doors and let fresh air circulate through the home.
2. Clean all surfaces, including carpets, upholstery, and walls. Use a strong vacuum cleaner and shampoo the carpets if necessary.
3. Use air fresheners or odor-neutralizing sprays throughout the home. Be sure to use products that do not mask the smell but remove it.
By taking these steps, you can make your mobile home more appealing to potential buyers and increase your chances of getting top dollar for your home.

While we understand smoke odors may be part of the selling process of a mobile home, we strongly encourage both the Buyer and the Seller to take a moment to look past them when purchasing or selling their Sarasota mobile home.

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 Does A Sarasota Mobile Home Park Check On The Park Application?
Ahh yes, the mobile home park application process! As licensed mobile home brokers in Florida, here at The Mobile Home Dealer are all too familiar with this process, as we cannot sell a mobile home to someone who is not already park-approved at the time of closing.

We are unable to sell a mobile home to someone who is not already park-approved because if we did sell these Buyers a home and then they went to get approved and were denied, then they, along with their new home, would need to be moved out of the park!

Mobile Home in Nokomis Florida

This can create a MAJOR problem for these new would-be Buyers as most mobile home transport companies within the state of Florida will not move a mobile home if it is older than 20 years old due to the transporter not being able to obtain a permit from the county the home is in to transport the home legally.

As you can quickly see, this can become an issue as now the Buyer has a home they legally own, that they can not live in, that can not be moved!

Now that everyone knows why it is so important to have approval on file with the mobile home park before purchasing a mobile home in the greater Sarasota area let’s go ahead and tackle the actual application itself.

Most mobile home parks that have mobile homes on leased land within the Sarasota area of Florida follow a standard application process.

Some parks are a little more tech-savvy than others and offer everything through their online portal and others are not that far advanced and require the application to be filled out in paper form either at the office or to have this application physically mailed to the Buyer’s residence.

The application usually is pretty short and checks the potential applicant on three main categories:
1. Credit History
2. Criminal Background
3. Reported Income In Relation To Lot Rent
Credit History:

While we do not work for any park and do not see or review any applications in the mobile home park approval process, we understand that each park will pull a basic credit history of each applicant. Required credit ratings are a bit of a mystery, but generally speaking, most parks look for over a 550 credit score.

For each household wishing to live in the community. A common benchmark for many communities is a minimum credit score of 550. However, other parks may have much lower or higher minimum credit beacon score requirements. Remember Update as of December 2022:

Since mobile homes on leased land in Florida are taxed as personal property and not real estate, they require different but specific documentation. It is important to prepare these documents in advance to expedite your sale.

These documentations include
- The vehicle title of the manufactured home (if titled as chattel) or the real estate deed (if titled as real estate)
- Bill of sale for the manufactured home, with both the seller’s signature and the buyer’s
- Tax records to prove the seller has paid all applicable taxes on the manufactured homes.
Most mobile home parks around the country will require a minimum credit score for those who apply for the park. If two people are applying to be on the same park application, many parks will average the two scores together to get a single score required for park approval

Criminal Background:

A standard background check will be done on each applicant. Usually, the fee associated with the application fee is used in part to pull the criminal background of all would-be applicants.

Most mobile home parks nationwide screen for criminal offenses locally and nationwide. Remember to be honest and forthcoming when speaking to Park managers about your past. Criminal restrictions in parks vary wildly from community to community. Some communities will not allow DUI offenses in the past 20 years, and others will not care in the slightest.

To protect their investment, mobile home & trailer park owners must screen park residents to be a good fit among their established residents. Background checks enable you to protect good tenants while enabling a calculated risk decision to avoid what could be a problem tenant.

Reported Income About Lot Rent:

This is usually a standard 2-3X the lot rent. What this means is that if, for example, the lot rent is $500, then the park would look for the entire household to have reported income somewhere around $1,000-$1,500 per month. The reason for this is that the park wants to do its part in making sure that the applicant has on paper enough money to cover their monthly lot rent payment.

Mobile Home for Sale in Sebring

In addition to the above three most common checking categories, some mobile home parks around the country screen for previous evictions. This will be a deal-breaker in many communities; however, the length of time since the last eviction will absolutely vary from community to community.

After being in the mobile home industry for quite some time, we at The Mobile Home Dealer have yet to find a park owner or manager who will provide us with a hard-lined set of standards that they require all applicants to meet.

Most park managers and owners we have spoken to send all of the information to a third party and the third party that completes the approval has a set standard on which they base their approvals or denials.

What we do for certain is that whatever a park requires the applicant to provide in order for the application to be completed needs to be sent in as soon as possible because if it is not then it will lead to additional delays in the approval process.

While certain mobile home parks may contain several restrictions, they vary from park to park. Aim to keep an open mind and proactive attitude when reaching out to park managers and aiming to get approved within the community. It is typically better to have more clarity rather than less clarity while purchasing or investing in any mobile home on private land or inside parks.

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
Why Do Sarasota Mobile Home Parks Charge An Application Fee?
When the time comes to move forward with purchasing that Sarasota Florida mobile home that you have been looking forward to for so long always remember, that you will need to be approved by the park first before closing on your new mobile home!

We all know how easy it can be to secure a reliable mobile or manufactured home in a leased-land community. However, a challenge arises when it comes to paying for the different mobile home expenses.

Mobile Home in Florida

These expenses may include the monthly rent, utilities, and moving expenses. For those who have a mobile or manufactured home on private property, property taxes, and mortgage loan payments are always what need to be paid for. Luckily, there are certain mobile home parks where the landlord or property manager takes care of some expenses.

Generally, your life in a mobile home park will be smooth if you pay your lot rent on time and adhere to the rules and regulations of the park that are found in the park prospectus. Failure to do so, however, puts you at risk of facing eviction from the community. But do you know that there are some hidden fees that a mobile homeowner must pay? We will explain in this article so keep reading.

When buying a mobile home on leased land in Florida the home is viewed and taxed as personal property and not real property.

What this means is that the mobile home is viewed and taxed the same way an automobile is in the state of Florida as mobile homes on leased land have titles with their owners and not deeds.

When moving forward with the purchase of a mobile home on leased land in Florida one does not pay property taxes on their purchase.

The reason for this is that the mobile home owner does not technically own the land as they are paying the mobile home park a fee each month for the usage and upkeep of the property. This fee is called lot rent.

When the mobile home owner does not have ownership of the land then they will not be paying property taxes but they will be paying registration fees annually for their mobile home.

Registration fees vary by the size of the home, both the length and the width, and how long the registration will be renewed.

The reason why we, at The Mobile Home Dealer, require park approval to be completed before the closing of the mobile home has been reviewed in previous blog posts.

The quick reason for this is that if the new Buyer of the mobile home is not approved by the park to live within it prior to buying the home then both the Buyer and the home itself could be evicted if they are not approved by the park after they have bought the home.

As one can see, this could quickly lead to quite an ordeal as most homes within the greater Sarasota Florida area are older than the age that is required to be able to get permitted to safely and, legally, move the mobile home should an eviction occur.

With this understanding, we now need to look at what a mobile home park application fee is, what it is not, and why there is a fee in the first place.

Mobile Home

Mobile home parks will usually charge a small fee for every resident who is applying to the park in order to be approved to live there. This fee will be charged and will need to be paid at the time the application is submitted for approval by the park managers.

This fee may range from $40 to $100 per person per application. Meaning, if there are two individuals who are applying to the park for residency in one house then the application fee will need to be charged per person, not per home.

Many times this application fee will be paid directly to the mobile home park where the Buyer is applying for residency in.

This fee will generally cover the cost of the criminal background check that is run on the applicant(s) who are looking to gain residency in the mobile home park.

During COVID-19, many mobile home parks within the greater Sarasota Florida area did waive this fee in an effort to try and spark additional applications within the park when residency was down due to enhanced travel restrictions.

This time has since come and gone as we, at The Mobile Home Dealer, are seeing nearly all parks now continue to charge would-be applicants for their application fees.

What this fee will not be used for is towards the would-be residents’ monthly lot rent as that is a totally separate charge that is billed to the applicants after they have been approved for residency on the land that their homes reside on.

When looking to apply for residency in a mobile home park it is reasonable to expect to pay some type of fee when completing the application. Make sure you, as the Buyer, understand how much the fee is and how many people will need to pay it so that when you are ready to move forward with sending in all of your application information for approval you are able to provide the park with everything they need.

Being ready, with payment in hand, will help speed up the application process getting you into your new Sarasota Florida mobile home that much faster!

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