Buying a used home is a natural course of action if you’re looking to cut costs and construction time or if you’ve met your match in the form of another person’s preloved abode. But while the traditional housing market has been delved into by many, choosing among an array of used mobile homes for sale is an entirely different dilemma. While they cost less, there are many considerations you need to take to ensure that your money is going toward the right mobile home that can house you for years to come.

Extra Fees

As a mobile homeowner, you need to decide whether your house will park on private land or in a mobile park. The former is considerably more expensive and will require you to shell out funds to purchase land and the appropriate permits to legally live in the space. Australia considers a mobile home as a manufactured home if it acts as your primary dwelling, so parking it on a foundation may incur other homeownership fees unless it’s land with an already-existing house. In that case, then the house can register as your permanent dwelling, and the mobile home a caravan for travel. 

On another note, if you intend to permanently live in a mobile home but will not be purchasing land, then you’ll need to find a mobile park and pay a monthly parking fee, usually at $30 per day or less. That’s much smaller in comparison to the $500 average weekly cost of full-size rentals—a value that’s rising amid the housing crisis. On another note, the government has also recently passed a law protecting long-term mobile park tenants, giving you better stability despite not owning private land. 

Condition

As with any living space, you need to ensure that you’re filtering options that are too worn-out or will require a good number of expensive repairs. This is especially important when shopping around for a preloved mobile home that you intend to travel with, as malfunctions or damages in the middle of the road is the last thing you want to deal with! Less-than-favourable houses tend to run cheaper, but remember that buying too cheap will backfire with serious repair costs. It’s best to find a middle ground—one with a trailer that hasn’t rusted to dangerous levels, with a roof that’s still intact, and with little to no renovations required before moving in. 

On that note, it’s important to consult with an expert to do a proper inspection before closing a deal. Problems like mould and potentially dangerous micro-cracks often live beyond the untrained eye’s line of sight. You don’t want these issues suddenly popping up after dropping thousands on a forever home, so while it’s an extra cost, enlisting an expert is more than worth the money and trouble. 

Basic Amenities 

It’s not rare for older units to experience an array of issues with basic utilities, such as outdated plumbing or energy resources that aren’t sustainable enough for your needs. For instance, if the house was initially parked on private land and rarely used for travel, then it’s possible that solar panels and a water filtration system haven’t been installed. If you intend to travel frequently or full-time, then it’s essential to address these issues by being aware of what you potentially need to upgrade after making the purchase. Likewise, it might also be more economical to choose a used mobile home that already fits all your basic needs. There are plenty on the market!

Delivery Terms

While mobile homes can be transported anywhere within the country, it’s important to agree on the delivery terms with the seller to protect yourself against damages or accidents that may occur on the road. First, establish who will be coordinating the delivery, a timeline for when it should happen, and the logistics service that will be employed to do the job. Second, decide whether the used mobile home will be delivered as-is or if the seller is responsible for handling some of the maintenance work before shipping. 

Third, settle on which party will shoulder the cost of logistics. Moving a transportable house can cost a few thousand dollars—it’s important to be aware of whether that fee has already been factored into the price of the dwelling. Fourth, decide who will be responsible for any damages incurred during transportation. It’s not rare for there to be some accidents during a bumpy ride—a few chips at best and full-scale damage at worst. You need to agree on who will pay for these damages or if you’ll opt for insurance (and who will pay for it). 

Finally, and most importantly, all of these terms must be written, notarised, and signed so that you can legally protect yourself on the occasion that the seller doesn’t abide by their part of the deal. 

Financing

Financing options for non-full-size homes are few and far in between. However, we offer flexible financing options to help you afford the perfect abode to live your dream, whether new or used. Alternatively, other local financing options are available but note that the home you decide to buy must fall under specific categories. 

Regardless, choosing to finance your home instead of paying upfront can be beneficial if you’re on a tight budget and prefer to work with spread-out payments. 

Where to Find Used Mobile Homes? 

There are plenty of used mobile homes all over the internet—a quick Google search for “used mobile homes for sale near me” should net you thousands of options. We also offer an array of preloved abodes. Here at Stunning Tiny Homes and Modulars, our houses are cherry-picked and inspected before listing, so you don’t have to go through the trouble of scrutinising every option from the ground up. 

Opting to purchase directly from builders also offers you the ease of customisation—the house can be edited in any way, shape, or form before delivery. Once it arrives, very little touching-up is necessary before moving in—and that can be resolved quickly if you request for an escort to travel with the home and complete all last-minute touches upon hand-off. 

There are plenty of benefits to purchasing a preloved abode. Apart from being a budget-friendly course of action, opting to give an old home a new life is also significantly more sustainable than choosing to build a house from scratch. If you’re ready to start shopping for a used mobile home, get in touch with us—and we’ll help you find the perfect home that can house you for generations to come.