Tag: cheap mobile homes for sale in sarasota

Considering Buying A Sarasota Mobile Home?
Considering Buying A Sarasota Mobile Home?

Have you thought about relocating to Florida and are considering a mobile home as an affordable second home or primary residence?

Currently, with over a thousand people per day moving to Florida, there has to be a reason why the rest of the country is coming down here and why so many are electing to purchase a mobile home in Sarasota at this time!

After speaking with several out-of-town clients who are considering moving to Florida, they are excited about the fantastic weather, but also the fact that they are able to do a little bit more outside on a daily basis with the COVID restrictions than other states.

Many counties here in Florida have mask requirements, but the businesses, parks, gyms, and beaches, they’re all open!

Having the ability to enjoy all that the state of Florida has to offer, not only during the winter months but during a national pandemic, is certainly a reason that draws many people to the Sunshine State.

Another reason why is that there is such a large inventory of affordable housing options, whether it is for a family or a retired couple looking to call Florida their new home.

Most of these folks that we work with are looking for a clean, safe, and affordable option to live in throughout the Sarasota area, for which this area has tons of those places to choose from. These amenity-rich communities have so much to offer their residents such as the location close to the beach, close healthcare facilities, several A-rated school districts nearby, and so much more!

We here at The Mobile Home Dealer specialize in selling mobile homes on leased land throughout the Gulf coast of Florida and can assure you that there is a home that can meet anyone’s budget throughout the area!

After finishing up a very turbulent 2020, we expect to see mobile home sales continue to skyrocket throughout the coming year due to so many people wanting to move south, whether it is just for the winter or for a more permanent stay.

With COVID restrictions continuing to loom throughout much of the country, we expect that the snowbirds from up north will extend their stay in order to truly enjoy the Florida lifestyle!

Currently, there is a slight lack of homes in the market that are for sale due to so many of the homeowners not being sure if their homes will sell due to everything that is going on right now with the COVID restrictions nationwide.

Bay Indies-Venice Florida

Update as of December 2022:

Although COVID-19 is still looming, the options for mobile home buyers are now better than in the previous 23 months since this article was first published. If you have decided that 2022 or early 2023 is the best time for you to buy a mobile home, consider knowing some of the most important things to consider when buying a mobile home in the Sarasota area.

Know When Is The Best Time To Buy: Mobile home pricing is volatile and can increase or fluctuate based on many circumstances. The average cost of mobile home prices may be lower, and discounts may be available from January through March. Waiting for a good timeframe to buy a mobile home can be pleasing to your wallet.

Know What Size Fits You: There are three basic sizes of mobile homes, single-wide, double-wide, and triple-wide. Single-wides generally run about 15 feet wide. Double-wides run 26 feet wide and triple-wides can run upwards of 45 feet wide. These types of mobile homes only refer to the width, not necessarily the floor plan. If you have a bigger family, It is indeed always preferable to buy a mobile home that is bigger considering that the price is worth it and people usually regret choosing the small size.

Know What Floor Plans Are Available: Mobile homes are available in numerous floor plans to accommodate families of all sizes. It’s essential to consider things such as gathering spaces, the need for a home office, kitchen size and amenities, and master bedrooms or master suites. Make a checklist of your family needs and best practices before meeting with a mobile home representative.

Know Your Financing Options: Although buying a mobile home in the Sarasota Florida area mostly involves cash, in some cases, financing is also an option. Approved buyers can get a mortgage under loan programs such as FHA, VA, USDA Rural, Chattel, HUD, or other conventional options. There may also be niche loans available for people with low credit scores and income in some cases when buying a new manufactured home.

Know Your Customization Options: The cost of your new manufactured home will be driven by square footage, design, and customization options. Today’s mobile homes are crafted with high-quality materials and luxury amenities are available. Given the cost-effectiveness of these living spaces, buyers are often happier when they get all their dream home options met.

Mobile homes on the market that are priced right and marketed correctly always sell fast.

So if you’re looking to purchase a mobile home, make sure you move fast once you see the home you’d like come up on the market for sale.

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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April 12, 2024
What Is My Sarasota Mobile Home Worth? Episode #1
“Hey, Mark. What Is My Sarasota Mobile Home Worth?” We at The Mobile Home Dealer get asked this all the time and we’ve decided that coming up with a series to go over what items and upgrades do add value and those that do not would be helpful for all of our viewers.

In this multi-part series, we will look to review what items bring value to your home in dollars at the closing table, and what upgrades come in value in your enjoyment of usage, but not necessarily cash money in your pocket when you sell your home.

First and foremost, before we even get started, we want to make perfectly clear that we at The Mobile Home Dealer believe that whatever upgrades you do to your home, you should go ahead and enjoy them for what they are!

This series is simply the perspective taken on what brings money to your pocket and what doesn’t, not what is enjoyable for you while living in the home!

Make sense?

The house you live in is yours to make it a home. So if the items you feel you want to add or have added to the home, do not make it into this series, but you feel you have gotten several years of enjoyment out of them, then great!

The first upgrade we’ll discuss in the series is the idea of selling your home fully furnished.

Fully furnished can mean several different things to several different people, but for this video, we will assume that fully furnished is everything in the home is included, from the furniture to the beds, right down to the forks and knives. Since we see homes sold this way all the time, what we can tell you is that many times homes that are fully furnished will sell faster. This is in large part because we feel that when Buyers see homes with all the furnishings included, they can easily see themselves moving in and enjoying the home without the added hassle of lugging down furniture from their current house or going to the furniture store the first day they own the home.

Mobile home in Sarasota Florida for sale

Selling your home faster will mean you as a seller will not be paying as much in lot rent, which will lead to having more money in your pocket.

Fully furnished mobile homes usually don’t sell for much, if any, more money than non-furnished homes.

So is selling your mobile home fully furnished a way to make more money on the sale? Well, yes and no. Yes, in that you will keep more money in your pocket from not having to pay lot rent, but no, in the fact that fully furnished mobile homes usually do not sell for more money at the closing table.

Let me explain.

Preowned furniture that comes with the mobile home will not have any real value to it whatsoever. However, the speed at which a home is sold when it is fully furnished is much quicker than that of a totally empty home. One reason for this is that many mobile homes throughout Sarasota are bought as second homes or vacation homes for new owners. Here, these Buyers are looking for an affordable way to live their Florida dream without having to buy a new mobile home and look to spend several thousand dollars on top of that to furnish the property.

Why buying furniture and furnishing your mobile home can save you a lot of money?

Sounds weird right? No! Let me explain.

A fully-furnished mobile home can be sold in a few weeks while an empty mobile home can be sold in six months or even more. Yes, you heard it right so how can you save money?

Assuming you spent $3,000 on furniture and sold your mobile home in just 3 weeks, you avoid losing thousands. Why? If your mobile home is not sold within 6 months, this means that you continue to pay lot rent for every month that your mobile home is sitting there waiting to be bought.

Assuming the lot rent is $700 per month, for six months you will be paying a total of $4,200 without any assurance that your mobile home will attract any buyer. But what if your home sits longer? Every month you are going to lose $700 more.

Can a fully furnished mobile home really sell fast? Based on our years of experience selling mobile homes, YES!

Remember that the majority of mobile home buyers in the Sarasota, Florida, area are from other states, and buying furniture, or bringing one, is not really part of their plan. Of course, a fully-furnished home will sell faster than an unfurnished one if both are at almost the same price.

Consider our suggestion if you want to sell your mobile home fast and avoid paying monthly lot rent. If, however, you want to pay monthly lot rent and wait for a miracle to happen, then do not buy any furniture.

Check back next week for another installment of what is my Sarasota mobile home worth.

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, which helps mobile home Buyers and Sellers achieve better lives!

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April 12, 2024
What Are Sarasota Mobile Home Buyers Looking For?
What Are Sarasota Mobile Home Buyers Looking For? There are many reasons why someone might choose to live in a Sarasota resident-owned mobile home park. For one, the cost of living is often much lower in these communities than in traditional neighborhoods or developments. Additionally, residents often have a greater sense of control over their living environment and the rules that govern it when they live in a resident-owned mobile home park. Finally, these communities typically offer a tight-knit sense of community and support system that can be difficult to find elsewhere.

When it comes to buying a mobile home in the Sarasota area, buyers are looking for a few key things. First and foremost, they want a home that is in good condition and won’t require a lot of work or money to get it up to par. Secondly, buyers want an affordable home that won’t break the bank. And lastly, they want a home located in a desirable area – preferably near the beach or other attractions. With so many beautiful mobile homes on the market in Sarasota, finding one that meets all of these criteria can be a challenge. But when you do find that perfect home, it will be well worth the effort!

We have a question from one of our Facebook followers today. His name is Alan Davies, and he lives in Parrish, Florida.

Here’s what he wrote. “Hey, Mark. I appreciate all of the information you give us regularly. Could you do a video on what buyers think when they look at a mobile home? I am considering having your team sell our home for us in the future, but want to get a good idea of what we should be expecting from the Buyers when we put the home on the market.”

Thanks, Alan, for your question. I bet I will be happy to help answer that for you!

I hope what I give you here helps bring clarity to those questions.

In our experience, Buyers of mobile homes on leased land throughout the Gulf Coast are looking for three things.

The mobile home is clean, safe, and affordable as a place to live.

By clean, I am referring to the fact that most Buyers do not want to have to go in and clean out a home. If your property is being sold fully furnished, then that is fine, but they want to ensure that it does not feel dirty when they walk in. That said, we always suggest that all Sellers do their best to clean up the home. Do not feel like you have to get rid of everything, but at least make sure it is broom-swept clean, and presentable when you are putting the home on the market for sale.

The second point is that the home is safe, which is kind of self-explanatory.

Buyers want to make sure that everything in the home works as it is supposed to, or as you say it is. Make sure that all the appliances are in good working order. Make sure the air conditioner turns on and cools the home accordingly. Ensure the toilet flushes, lights, and outlets turn on as they should. If there are burnt-out light bulbs or bad outlets, do not worry about it. It is not that big of a deal. But make sure you tell the buyer which ones they are. Also, Alan, make sure if you are not willing to replace an appliance or anything in the home that is broken, to let the Buyer know that on the front end so that they can make an offer accordingly. It is never good to surprise a Buyer at closing with this.

The last topic is the one that gets all of the interest, and that is buyers looking for a home that is affordable.

As we can all agree, the term affordable is relative. What may be affordable to you may not be to the next person and so on. With that understanding, we want to make sure that your home is priced where it is to be sold, not where it’s for sale. Most Sellers look at other homes in the area, see what they’re selling, and base their price on that. That’s just not the right way to do things. You see, what a home is selling for and what a home actually is sold for are two totally different numbers.

The reason is that nearly all homes that we have ever seen do not sell for the prices they are for sale at. More times than not, there’s a discount involved for which it can be a considerable price cut in order actually to get the home sold. Now, Alan, as mentioned in a previous video, it is not just the price the home sells at, but also the number of total carrying costs the Seller is paying when the home is for sale, along with their frustration and time.

Once all of these items are considered, an actual sales price should be determined.

So, Alan, thanks again for the question and I hope that helped you out. If you need any further clarification, feel free to reach out to us or me directly and we will be happy to help answer your question in further detail.

Another reason why some mobile homes take months to sell is that the seller includes all the costs like upgrades and furniture making the mobile home price balloon.

Remember that upgrades don’t add value to the cost of the mobile home because it’s the seller’s personal preference and not the buyer’s. A fully furnished home can also sell fast compared to an empty one if both homes have a similar price, but if the seller adds the costs of pre-owned furniture to the cost of the house, then this could be a dealbreaker.

Considering that many mobile home parks in the Sarasota Florida area have older residents, providing their basic needs in safety, cleanliness, and affordability is more than enough. A set of pre-owned furniture without increasing the price is a big cost and time-saving for the 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 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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April 12, 2024
Considering Selling Your Mobile Home? Read THIS!
You may have been living comfortably in a mobile home for years. But, now that you need to sell your mobile home for personal reasons, reading this article will teach you what to do before selling your mobile home in the Sarasota, Florida, area.

When looking to sell your Sarasota Florida mobile home, many Sellers will look to improve their home prior to putting it on the market in an attempt to try and sell their home at the highest price possible.

While we, here at The Mobile Home Dealer, can certainly respect the thought of doing this we want to issue a warning to everyone who is looking to update their property.

Sarasota mobile home

Too much improvement of your mobile home in and around the greater Sarasota Florida area can lead to a property not selling.

Let us explain!

Mobile home Buyers who are looking to purchase a mobile home on leased land throughout the greater Sarasota Florida area are mainly looking for the same three attributes within their new home.

These Buyers want the home to be safe, clean, and affordable.

In referring to the home being safe, most Buyers have a reasonable expectation that the home will have all of its major structural components in good working order, free of major issues. These components will be the roof, AC, electrical, and plumbing systems. If any major attention is needing to be taken to these areas of the home the Buyers will expect the price to heavily reflect the work needing to be done.

Buyers want a clean home, one free from smoke, pet, or mold odors, and that welcomes them into the property. If one of these types of odors exists then it should be clearly stated and, again, the price should reflect the work that needs to be done.

Affordability is a relative term, what is affordable to one mobile home Buyer may not be affordable to the next Buyer.

This not only goes with mobile home sales but anything in life.

Many Sellers excel in making their homes safe and clean but, many times they strike out with making the home affordable.

This is in large part to cosmetic upgrades that have been done to the home that they were interested in that do not have anything to do with the structural components of the home but rather the paint, carpet, appliances, fixtures, or kitchen upgrades.

These upgrades often increase the price fast because they can be expensive items.

The issue with over-improving a mobile home is that many times these cosmetic upgrades will not provide any real value when the home is ready to be sold. The Sellers do not realize this and expect to see a dollar-for-dollar return on their financial investments with the upgrades and price the home accordingly.

When this is done the home sits on the market and does not sell quickly which leads to the Seller paying more money in lot rent and utilities.

Mobile home park

If you are looking at improving your mobile home, great, but make sure you look at using your upgrade budget on more structural upgrades making the home safe and clean, and less on cosmetic upgrades so that your mobile home is in a good position to sell fast!

Instead of making improvements that could cost thousands of dollars, declutter and fix minor maintenance issues.

When a mobile home’s base settles, the doors and windows also get out of balance and won’t shut or lock properly. These are the pieces of your mobile home that potential buyers can easily see. It’s essential to get these repairs completed so that you can sell quickly.

Some people buy a mobile home as an investment. Thus, it’s crucial to fix any issue and make your mobile home an excellent deal for investors for you to sell it fast. Repaint, refinish those cracks, and fix any other holes. Remind yourself of how much you love it and why it makes you happy by showing it off to anyone who will take it. You’ll impress people and will likely get a better price.

You should also declutter your mobile home. The ultimate goal is to make your mobile home look like a move-in-ready home, even if you have to live in it for another few weeks until you can set up a new, better one.

After fixing maintenance issues and decluttering your belongings in your mobile home, you’re now ready to find the right place where you can sell it fast.

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.

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 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 26, 2023
What Is Expected To Happen To Sarasota Florida Mobile Home Lot Rents In 2022?
With the Holiday decorations packed away until the end of the year and the rush of snowbirds in full effect, one needs to ask, what will happen to the lot rent you are paying on your mobile home in Sarasota, Florida, for the year 2022?

Mobile Home in Florida

If you are looking at finally taking the plunge and buying your piece of paradise here in the Sunshine State, you need to be conscious of the fact that lot rent will increase sometime throughout the first quarter of the year. Knowing when this increase will happen and how much it will help you, the mobile home Buyer, get a better idea of how to budget your dollars when purchasing your new mobile home.

Mobile homes in Florida located within land-leased communities are viewed and taxed as personal property, not real estate.

This means that purchasing a home is very similar to purchasing a vehicle. In this transaction, you do not own the land, so property taxes do not apply, but monthly lot rent is a bill that every Buyer needs to budget for.

Lot rent is a fee that is paid to the mobile home park for the usage of the land that your home sits on.

Certain parks may include additional bills within the lot rent, such as the homeowner’s water, sewer, trash, lawn care, and usage of park amenities such as the pool and clubhouse.

Lot rent will never be paid off, and rather, this is a bill that will be paid monthly for the foreseeable future.

In order to pay the lot rent, the home’s resident will need to sign a land lease with the mobile home park. The lease names the resident as the responsible person who is required to pay the lot rent each month to the park.

Failure to pay the lot rent may result in the tenant and their home being put through the eviction process so, needless to say, this is a bill that needs to be taken seriously and paid on time every month.

It is reasonable to expect that lot rent will increase by 1-3% annually regardless of its current level.

The increase is because the cost of many of the bills included above increases each year, and the mobile home park needs to account for the additional fees that their service providers charge. These additional costs will then be passed on to the residents themselves.

Most mobile home parks increase the lot rent amount each year based on the national inflation percentage as the price for all goods and services rises each year.

With the higher-than-normal inflation, we are seeing throughout the United States we, here at The Mobile Home Dealer, are seeing higher-than-average mobile home lot rent increases across the board.

Mobile Home in Florida

What we continue to see at the time of this writing is instead of lot rents increasing 1-3% we are seeing 3-5% and in some cases as high as 10% for each lot within the mobile home park.

As you can imagine this is a sizeable increase, much more than the previous years.

With the higher-than-average increase for 2022, we hope to see a smaller if any at all increase in lot rents for 2023 as the rest of the world economy begins to get back to normal post-pandemic.

When looking at purchasing a mobile home within the greater Sarasota Florida area that resides in a land-leased park make sure you fully understand what the lot rent is and what it includes. Another important question to ask the park manager is a list of all past lot rent increases over the past several years to see how the park has increased its fees and compare these to other parks you are interested in purchasing within.

Different mobile home parks in the Sarasota, Florida, area require different amounts of lot rent. Your options will be based on your financial capacity, preferred location, and mobile home size.

Thorough research is essential if you are looking to buy a mobile home in the greater Sarasota area.

Don’t get fixated on a beautiful mobile home you just found online. That mobile home might be sitting on a mobile home park that requires a land lease that costs more than your targeted budget. If you have limited time and resources to search for the most appropriate mobile home for yourself and your family, hiring a professional brokerage firm like The Mobile Dealer will ease your burden.

Being a well-educated mobile home Buyer will help get you a better idea of what exactly to expect when purchasing your mobile home within Sarasota Florida.

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 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
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!

See Also:
September 25, 2023