Tag: selling a mobile home in a trailer park

How To Close On A Sarasota Mobile Home Virtually
How To Close On A Mobile Home Virtually

With all the advances in technology that we have become so accustomed to using daily, does that mean that you can close on your new mobile home virtually as well?

By virtually, I am referring to the question of, if you, as the new mobile home Buyer, physically need to be in person on the day of closing to ensure that your mobile home is purchased correctly.

SPOILER ALERT!

The direct answer to this question is, no, you don’t have to be present.

The majority of the homes that we at The Mobile Home Dealer sell are to out-of-state Buyers who are buying their new mobile homes virtually.

Many of these sales are done with Buyers who have never been physically at the property before purchasing their mobile home in the first.

Most of the time, these Buyers have already seen the detailed virtual tour we offer on all of our homes before they connect with us to discuss their interest regarding their new mobile home purchase. After we speak to a Buyer to better understand their needs we always offer to set up a video chat with them with a one-on-one viewing so they can have a private tour of the home to see exactly what they want that the virtual tour may or may not show. A lot of times, these things can be the opening and shutting of doors, looking at the closets, turning on lights or running the water, running the dishwasher, you name it we have been asked to do it!

It is not uncommon for all of our agents to do this at least once if not more than that with each Buyer who is out of state and interested in a mobile home.

If you see a home for sale by one of our agents and are interested in learning more but do not feel like you have the time to come down to Florida just to take a look at the mobile home before it sells do not let this be a deterrent to your purchase at all. We at The Mobile Home Dealer will always be happy to set up a time to give you a private video tour of the home to help you get a better idea of exactly what the home is and what the home is not so that you feel as comfortable as possible before moving forward with your new mobile home purchase.

Now, how is that may you ask? Well, one of the reasons why is because, especially throughout the COVID pandemic, many Buyers were unwilling to take a separate trip to the Sarasota Florida area to simply view a mobile home they might be interested in purchasing.

In our experience, the Buyer would see the home online, take a look at the detailed walkthrough videos that we put together on every property we list, and then contact us directly to ask more specific questions about the mobile home they were looking at. Many times, these questions would lead to a private virtual showing for the Buyers through a FaceTime call between a team member at The Mobile Home Dealer and the Buyer.

For those who are unaware of what FaceTime is, this is the ability to have a video call between yourself and anyone you want to speak with. Almost every cell phone at this point has this feature and we use it daily at The Mobile Home Dealer speaking with Buyers and Sellers.

Braswell Heritage mobile home

During this FaceTime call the Buyer many times would ask our team members to check on specific things that the video may not have touched on. These requests could be turning on the air conditioning, opening up and closing windows, showing the electrical panel, and taking a look at the water heater just to name a few common requests made by the Buyer.

Each time we have had one of these calls, we are more than happy to get them scheduled and complete whatever detailed walkthrough task the Buyer asks of us to do!

Regarding the paperwork to close on a mobile home on leased land, there is very little that needs to be done by the Buyer. We, at The Mobile Home Dealer, use a power of attorney form as well as a purchase contract. The Seller and Buyer can complete their signatures at their leisure by having us send them these documents with a prepaid return envelope.

The only items that the Buyer will need to provide us, other than basic signatures on the documents mentioned above, is a copy of their driver’s license or state identification card, as well as separate checks for the purchase both to the Seller and to The Mobile Home Dealer.
Closing on a Sarasota mobile home virtually is a relatively simple process. First, contact your real estate agent or lawyer to discuss the details of the closing. You will need to provide them with the necessary paperwork and documents for the transaction. Once you have agreed to the terms of the deal, make sure all paperwork is signed electronically. The seller will also need to sign documents to complete the sale.

Next, locate a reputable title company to handle the title transfer. Make sure they have experience with mobile homes and can provide a detailed title search. They should also be licensed in the state of Florida. Once the title transfer is complete, your real estate agent or lawyer can arrange for the closing to occur through a videoconferencing platform such as Zoom or Skype.

At the closing, you and the seller will need to review and sign any necessary documents. Your lawyer or real estate agent will provide instructions to do this securely and will send the documents electronically if needed. Be sure to ask questions if you don’t understand any of the paperwork.

Finally, once all the paperwork is signed and all fees are paid, your lawyer or real estate agent will provide the paperwork for the title transfer and coordinate with the title company to complete it. Once the transfer is finished, you will be the proud owner of your new Sarasota mobile home!

Guys, that’s it. when purchasing your mobile home from a licensed mobile home Broker, like The Mobile Home Dealer, trust in our process and that you do not physically have to be present to close on a new mobile home, as we will be happy to take care of everything for you!

The Mobile Home Dealers 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 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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January 22, 2024
Are Sarasota Mobile Homes Selling As Fast As Real Estate?
Anytime one turns on the news, they’re bombarded with constant housing updates from the newscaster telling them how fast homes are selling across the entire country.

Homes that are usually taking months to sell are taking mere days if even going on the market at all before getting a great, if not a full-priced asking offer!

Just this week, I read a report that stated that due to COVID-19 restrictions and how they’re affecting other states, mixed with the historic low interest rates, over a thousand people per day are moving to the state of Florida!

It’s crazy, but then again, I can not blame those who want to move to such a beautiful area!

It is hard to tell at this exact moment if the additional traffic we are seeing around Sarasota County is due to this, or a result of the snowbirds coming in early for the season.

So, with all of this talk about homes selling so fast right now throughout the country, and especially in the State of Florida, does this mean that mobile homes are selling just as fast?

We have seen a surge of snowbirds who already own homes living down here much earlier than normal.

We began seeing this surge of people in the late summer of this year, mostly in the more expensive mobile home communities throughout the Sarasota County area.

With this additional group of people, we have not seen much of an increase in home sales, but we have seen a large increase in homes that have been going on the market for sale. Most of the homes going on the market over the past few months are in the over $50,000 price point. Although they have sold quicker than what we have seen in the past, we have not seen the rapid speed of that, of the single-family market.

Aloha Mobile Home Park

What we continue to see is that homes that are priced right and marketed aggressively will sell quickly, no matter what time of year, or what the real estate market is currently doing.

We see homes stay on the market longer when the homes are not priced accurately for the community in which they are residing. This can happen often if the Seller is focused on receiving one amount for their home whether it is justified or not.

While some single-family neighborhoods can get away with huge price jumps to force area comps in the area we do not see that in the mobile home communities that we at, The Mobile Home Dealer, work in. One reason for this is that the homes that are in land-leased communities are taxed as personal property and not as traditional real estate, which makes pulling sales comps extremely difficult.

Mobile homes are a great, affordable housing option and one that will provide a faster than normal sale but has not seen the dramatic increase in price valuation as a single-family market has seen, throughout this real estate housing bubble that we’re currently in.

The good news is that although the housing bubble has not hit the mobile home market when this bubble eventually pops, as they all do, it should not affect the mobile home industry either!

Having said that, several market reports are forecasting an increase in mobile home sales in 2022 and 2023. In 2020, there is a big jump in the average price of mobile homes in Florida according to US census data.

Since 2014, prices of new mobile homes have spiked. That said, the average price of a mobile home is still much more affordable than the average price of a single-family traditional home. According to the U.S. Census data, the average price of a new manufactured home is $108,100 with a 19.5% increase from 2020. The average price of a single-family conventional home is $454,000. This makes mobile homes a much more economically viable option for many individuals and families.

Additionally, mobile homes are often situated in special, often gated, parks, making them a desirable and secure housing option. Furthermore, there are many amenities often found in these parks, such as pools and other recreational activities. All of these factors combine to make mobile homes a great option for those looking to invest in a new home. The low cost and secure environment of mobile homes make them an attractive option for those looking to buy a home on a budget

Although the price of new mobile homes is rapidly increasing, Buyers who have limited budgets still have many choices There are mobile homes that cost as low as $10,000 and can be good enough for a single homeowner. For a single family of two, the options are bigger.

Having said that, even though many buyers are shopping around, a mobile home can be hardly sold if the price is unreal. Some sellers are pricing their mobile homes way above the market value, which makes homes hard to sell.

If you are selling your mobile home, make sure to know the current mobile home pricing condition. Having your mobile home sit for a longer period unoccupied attracts a myriad of problems and financial losses.

We at the Mobile Home Dealer cater to both mobile home buyers and sellers. Whether you are selling your mobile home or looking to buy one, give us a call for smooth transactions.

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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January 22, 2024
How Well Do Pictures Help Sell Your Sarasota Mobile Home?
Are you considering selling your Sarasota mobile home but are not sure how to market the home for a fast sale that will get you top dollar?

This is a question that gets asked to us several times per day by eager mobile home sellers and we are happy to help give all of you an insight into what has been the best tool to utilize when selling a mobile home on leased land throughout the Sarasota Florida area.

A popular proverb says, “A picture is worth a thousand words”, and why is this true? The first impression is an essential factor for human beings when forming an opinion, and we only have one opportunity to give a good first impression. It seems obvious, but this is applicable to any time in life we face. In the case of the sale of a mobile home, photography is the one that allows us to give the possible buyer, that first impression that can be decisive in the process.

As owners, when we put our mobile home for sale we usually seek to boost two things: that it sells as quickly as possible and is at the highest possible price. Although this is what we want, we do not have control of any of either factor but, by taking a few additional steps we will begin to see positive results.

Before seeing the subject more in-depth, consider the following points to give more context to your decisions:
- In their online search, a buyer usually invests 60% of their time in seeing photographs of the property of their interest, while only using only 20% to read the description of the house.
- Using high-quality photographs increases the perceived value of the house even before the visit.
- Good photographs can help sell the house up to 32% faster.
- Good shots of the property increase the number of interested parties to 118% from the digital point of view.
This is why we must pay attention to the way we capture and show the house through photos and video, before other agents and possible clients. A good impression can be translated into the next step to get closer to the sale of property or not.

When selling a mobile home on leased land it is important to note that when lot rent is involved in the monthly payment this then triggers the home to be viewed as and taxed as personal property in the state of Florida and not as real property which is better known as real estate.

The reason why this is to be stressed at this point is when a home is deemed personal property by the Seller then it carries with it a title and not a deed for the sale of the home. In these types of transactions, the vast majority of them are done with a cash purchase and not a traditional mortgage. Having a cash-based transaction will allow the Seller and Buyer of the mobile home to be able to close as soon as a sale price has been agreed upon.

When looking to get ready to sell your mobile home, what we have found is that the traditional photos and descriptions don’t sell a home quickly, nor do they sell the home for top dollar.

The reason for this is that many times the Buyer of these homes is buying the home virtually and needs to feel like they are buying the home that they can see themselves living in for years to come.

Traditional still photos just do not provide the ability to let the Buyer “feel” like they are living in the home that they are looking at.

To make the Buyer feel as if they are living in the home, we at The Mobile Home Dealer, feel that the usage of video is the best way to provide this feeling for the potential Buyer.

Each and every listing that we have within our firm provides the Buyer with a full-length video that shows both the interior and exterior of the home in great detail as well as the park where the home is located.

Providing this detailed information to the Buyer before they ever set foot physically into the home makes them feel like they are already “living” in the home prior to buying the home.

We feel giving the potential Buyer as much information as possible as early as possible is the best way to gain fast interest from a would-be Buyer. Providing answers to commonly asked questions to the Buyer before they are even asked speeds up the sales process and allows for a more streamlined sales process which, many times, will help provide a more lucrative sale to the Seller.

While traditional still photos are certainly suggested for each mobile home listing utilizing new technology such as virtual tours is a way to set your listing apart from all of the others in the area quickly!

Pictures can be an invaluable tool when it comes to selling a Sarasota mobile home. Visual content provides potential buyers with a sense of what the home looks like and can help to highlight key features that may be especially attractive or unique. Additionally, pictures can help to draw attention to a listing, as they are often more eye-catching than text-based ads. To ensure that your pictures help to maximize the appeal of your mobile home, make sure that they are clear and well-lit, and highlight key features such as the kitchen and bathrooms. Additionally, it can be beneficial to include lifestyle shots that offer potential buyers an idea of how the home may look when lived in.

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
Should You Sell Your Sarasota Mobile Home Now Or Wait?
With the continuing rise in real estate prices throughout the Sarasota County Florida area the big question seems to be, should you go ahead and sell your house now or wait to see how much it will go up in value?

It is time to sell your mobile home in the greater Sarasota Florida area.

While this may be met with some sadness it can also be met with some excitement for the next chapter of your life and where it will bring you!

The immediate follow-up question is then if you sell your house now and reap the financial benefits of selling at a higher price will you really gain anything financially if you go to buy another home in the same area right afterward as the profit that you made from your current home sale will be eaten up by the high prices in the same market.

If you decide to not buy another home in the Sarasota area but go and rent for a few years until the market cools down and prices level out you may run into a shortage of rental properties available that has not been seen in the area for years, if ever.

Just last week we had someone come to us and tell us that they were considering selling their home but when they looked at apartments in the area most of them had over a year-long waiting list to get in!

With all of this real estate madness going on all around us, what does it all mean if you own a mobile home on leased land within the Sarasota Florida area?

Are Sellers seeing the same rise in prices as traditional real estate?

Mobile homes that are located on leased land within the state of Florida are viewed as and taxed as personal property, not real estate. What this means is that these mobile homes are sold with a title and not a deed to them which makes the transaction the exact same as purchasing a vehicle.

With this understood, there is no reliable way to pull sales comps when you are looking to sell your mobile home if it is located on leased land.

What we have seen throughout this crazy real estate market at The Mobile Home Dealer is that homes in good condition that are priced fairly are selling faster than ever, but not for more money in the traditional sense. What we mean by that is that due to the speed at which homes are being sold then the Sellers are paying less in lot rent which means that these Sellers are keeping more money in their pocket as opposed to “making” more money at the closing table.

Overpricing Your Mobile Home

Price is a deciding factor for most Buyers in the mobile home space, not necessarily features of the home or even location.

Pricing your home high will usually result in your home sitting on the market longer, while the Seller continues to pay lot rent, utilities, taxes, and all other carrying costs associated with owning that property. These continued monthly payments will eat into your profit even if you sell the home for a higher price.

We at The Mobile Home Dealer feel it is always best to price your home aggressively from the start and be willing to negotiate with the Buyer when they want to make an offer.

Making it easy to have the Buyer buy your home is the first step in getting your home sold fast.

Pricing your mobile home aggressively

When looking to sell your Sarasota Florida mobile home we always suggest pricing your home aggressively in order to bring the best cash offers to you as quickly as a time frame as possible. Getting caught up in the inflated pricing of a mobile home could lead to the Seller holding on to the home for several months with the added stress of continuing to pay for a mobile home they do not want.

Increasing the price of your mobile home will usually result in your home sitting on the market longer, while the Seller continues to pay lot rent, utilities, taxes, and all other carrying costs associated with owning that property. These continued monthly payments will eat into your profit even if you sell the home for a higher price.

We at The Mobile Home Dealer feel it is always best to price your home aggressively from the start and be willing to negotiate with the Buyer when they want to make an offer.

If you are looking to sell your mobile home around the Sarasota area we feel now is just as good of a time as any but we stress for each Seller to go into the marketplace with reasonable expectations. These expectations should be rooted in the speed at which the home sells and not for what the home sells at. If a Seller enters the marketplace with these expectations understood then we feel they will be pleasantly surprised at the speed at which their home may sell while keeping more money in their pocket by not paying additional lot rent.

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 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 a better place in life.

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September 25, 2023
Just Get Denied For Residency At A Sarasota Mobile Home Park?
When looking to purchase a mobile home that is located on leased land in the Sarasota Florida area one will have to go through the park approval process to make sure they are approved to become a resident in the park they are looking to live in.

While deciding on the perfect Sarasota Florida mobile home to purchase is the fun and exciting part, one needs to make sure all of their ducks are set in a row before putting money down on the property and calling the moving trucks.

Most of the time, many Buyers will focus on the funding of the purchase, will they have enough money to purchase their mobile home in cash or will they need to seek some type of outside financing for the purchase?

While we, here at The Mobile Home Dealer, can certainly appreciate the focus on funding, we take a different route in focusing on the Buyer becoming park-approved before putting a focus on funding the purchase.

But, why would we focus on park approval and not on funding?

If you are planning to buy a mobile home in the Sarasota Florida area, it is important to understand everything about mobile home parks.

Most mobile home parks in the Sarasota area will have a straightforward way of going through their approval process for each new resident who wants to move into the park. Most parks will require a written application to be completed along with copies of the applicant(s) photo identification, social security number, and a small fee for each applicant on the park application.

The park will usually check three things on each applicant:
- Credit Check
- Criminal History Check
- Eviction History Check
Each park is specific in how heavy they weigh each item listed above but, generally speaking, the park takes all of them into consideration to decide as to whether the applicant will be accepted in the park for residency.

So, what happens if you fill out the application and provide the fee needed to run your background, only for you to be told that you are denied moving forward with your residency with the park?

Now what?

The applicant has the right to discuss their denial with the park owner or manager to see what the problem is and to see if an exception will be made. Most mobile home parks have a standard number system they go by for credit. If this is a concern for you then you may want to provide documentation to the office when you drop off the application that will help further explain why your credit score may be a little lower than what you want.

If your criminal background is a concern then, again, it would be a good idea to bring this up to the manager or owner before they run your background so they are not surprised should you have something in your past that will put you in a less than favorable light.

Most mobile home park managers and owners are understanding of an applicant’s past so long as they are upfront with what has happened and are willing to explain or provide documentation that shows why certain things have come up the way they have.

What we at The Mobile Home Dealer have seen in the past is that most parks consider all items to decide whether to approve or deny the applicant from the park for residency.

If you are denied and seek to find out exactly why then perhaps you will be able to work on the reason for denial right away so that you can reapply to the park and be accepted the second time around.

Before making any purchase offers to a mobile home seller, make sure to speak with the park manager and understand the park’s application process and approval criteria. Is the park easy or strict?

It is certainly not uncommon for mobile home park managers to deny certain applicants who do not pass the park’s criminal, eviction, employment, income, pet, and/or credit background.

If your application is turned down or denied it is important to try to figure out why and how you could improve this process moving forward. Learn exactly what the park manager is looking for in a future resident.

Some managers will be helpful and suggest that the potential buyer obtain a cosigner or pay a higher-than-normal security deposit to get approved.

If you have been denied residency at a Sarasota mobile home park, there are a few things you can do. First, you should review the application to check for any errors or omissions that could have led to the denial. If you find any, you should contact the park management to address these issues and determine if the denial can be reversed.

If that does not work, you should look into other parks in the area that may be willing to accept your application. You may also want to consider looking into other forms of housing, such as apartments and townhomes, since they may offer more flexibility in terms of residency requirements. You can also look into other low-cost housing options in Sarasota and see if any of them would meet your needs.

Additionally, you can contact local government offices and advocacy organizations that may be able to provide assistance or resources for those in need of housing. These organizations can provide information about available housing options and guide how to navigate the application process.

Finally, if all else fails, it is important to remember that there are often legal protections in place that can help prevent unjustified denials of residency applications. If you believe that your application was unfairly denied, you should consult a lawyer who specializes in housing law to discuss your options.

When looking to purchase a mobile home in a mobile home park within the Sarasota area always make sure you look to get park approved before closing on the home. The reason for this is that if you buy the home and then go through the park approval process and for some reason you are denied then now you own a home that you can not legally live in!

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