MH PURCHASING TIP: Shopping For New Manufactured Home and Where Your Home Will Be Located Goes Hand-In-Hand
“Putting the cart before the horse” is sometimes applicable to purchasers of new manufactured homes, often entering into a purchase agreement before knowing where the home is to be located and the costs of placement.
The truth of the matter is: Shopping for a location goes hand-in-hand with shopping for your new manufactured home. In some cases, this can be a simple task, in others it may bring up questions that will strongly influence your choice of the home you buy, and vice versa.
Typically new manufactured home buyers locate their new home within a manufactured home community or placement on private property. The following information should be helpful in coordinating home and placement sites.
MANUFACTURED HOME COMMUNITIES
When choosing a location, find out about rules and regulations of the community. Become familiar with the community’s rent policies. Ask, for example, if children are allowed, whether you can have pets, what site improvements are required, and the time frame required for completion.
Look beyond such obvious factors as appearance, size of lots, and landscaping. Find out in advance who is responsible for yard maintenance, garbage removable, and whether these are covered in your rent.
Don’t be in a hurry to select a community. Visit possible communities on multiple occasions, at different times of the day and during both good and bad weather.
Lastly, talk to residents for their opinions about the community. Talk to the community manager. Ask yourself if you are prepared to live up to the rules, and also find out if the rules are lived up to by other tenants. Find out exactly what is or isn’t included in your rent.
LOCATING ON PRIVATE PROPERTY
Perhaps you intend to place your new manufactured home on your own property or property you intend to purchase.This depends entirely on the regulations and restrictions of the town/county where your property is located.
As a first step, go to your county courthouse, or city hall, and obtain a copy of the zoning ordinances that apply to the area in which you are interested. In any event, do not buy property until you can satisfy the local restrictions.
After you find a site that suits you and know you can obtain any necessary approval there are other things to consider.
Does the property have restrictive covenants or other deed restrictions that may limit your use of the property?
How far away are utilities? How much will you have to pay in property taxes?
You will have to arrange for certain site preparations, they include;properly prepared concrete strips or a slab to support the necessary piers on which the home will be set, or an approved foundation system depending on local conditions, adequate anchorage provisions, and connections to utilities.
In some areas the utility companies require that connections are done by a qualified professional. If water and/or hook-ups are not available, then you may have to dig a well and install your own septic system.
NOTE: Suggest you purchase your new manufactured home from a knowledgeable professional retailer in your geographic area willing to coordinate placement functions and include the costs of site preparation and installations in your home contract purchasing agreement.
