Shopping for a Manufactured Home Goes Hand-in-Hand With Selecting a Home Site Placement
Did you know there are retailers that will coordinate your total site placement and preparation in order to facilitate the sale?
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 18 million Americans living in manufactured homes…that’s 15 percent of the housing stock in rural America.
It’s estimated that 65 to 70 percent of those manufactured homes are sited on rural private property, with the remaining 30 t0 35 percent placed in manufactured home communities, usually in or near urban areas.
When you begin thinking about purchasing a new manufactured home, you should consider where that new home will be located. The truth is: shopping for a location goes hand-in-hand with shopping for your manufactured home. In some cases, this will be a simple task. In others, there will be variables that can strongly influence the make and model of the manufactured home you ultimately purchase.
Based upon the aforementioned statistics it is most likely your placement site will either be on private property or within a manufactured home community. Following are some basic tips for those two home placement options.
Site Placement in Manufactured Home Communities
- Find out about rules and regulations of the community and rent or lease policies. Ask, for example, if children are allowed, whether you can have pets, what are home size limitations and what type of exterior accessories must you install after initial installation, (skirting, awnings, carport/garage, etc.)
- Find out who is responsible for yard maintenance, garbage removal, and whether these are covered in your rent.
- Speak with residents, asking 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.
Private Property Site Placement
Placing your new manufactured home on your private property is dependent on where the property is located and the regulations and restrictions of the town/county where the property is located.
- First step. Go to your county courthouse, or city hall, and obtain a copy of any zoning ordinances that apply to the area where your property is located. Do not purchase property until you know you can satisfy the local restrictions.
- Before you buy property you need to know if the property has restrictive covenants or other deed restrictions that may limit your use of the property, and how much are the property taxes.
- Secure a bid from a site contractor that specializes in manufactured home site preparations. Ask for a detailed site prep bid that includes installation of the home on piers and pads or a permanent foundation, well and septic system(if required), all permit and inspection fees, utilities brought to site and connected to home, final inspection and certificate of occupancy issuance fees.
The retailer from whom you’ve decided to purchase your new manufactured home or modular home should be able to give you valuable guidance regarding site placement on private property in your county — if not doing it themselves.
