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Looking to sell, get financing, or refinance your mobile home? You’ll need an accurate estimate of your mobile home’s value in its current condition to get the most out of it. If you are unsure what the value of your home is, it’s high time to find out. Several factors play a significant role when estimating an accurate value of a mobile home, including size, age, location, and upgrades. Let’s break down the most critical factors and how to get the accurate value of your home. So, how much is your mobile home worth?
Factors that Influence a Mobile Home’s Value
Land
The most significant factor determining your home’s value is the lot size. As they age, houses require updates and repairs, causing them to depreciate over time. On the other hand, land does the opposite and gains value over time since it is a highly limited commodity. The increased worth of land and lot sizes applies to all home types, not just mobile homes; eventually, the lot surpasses the home’s value.
Condition, Size, and Layout
The condition, size, and layout of your mobile home are also important factors to determine when considering your home’s worth. A well-maintained and aesthetically appealing home and its size can demand a higher price.
Condition of the Mobile Home
The overall condition is of utmost importance regardless of the home’s size, features, or location. Buyers want to see the house has been maintained and has not diminished over the years.
The home’s primary systems are the biggest concern, including the roof, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, windows, and chassis. If your home has minor repair issues, go ahead and fix those before calculating your home’s worth. For example, slapping on a coat of fresh paint, changing out floor registers and light switches, or repairing sealants can dramatically improve the home’s appearance.
Has the Mobile Home Been Moved?
It may seem a little baffling, after all, it is a mobile home. But moving your house even once can be an inherently risky and stressful process for the home’s structure. A million things can go wrong only to rear their ugly heads later. For example, bending and damaging the chassis or structure can cause significant harm. For that reason alone, most mortgage lenders will refuse to finance a mobile home that was relocated.
Size
The bigger, the better. Size is no exception to mobile homes. Buyers typically prefer larger manufactured homes for the extra bedroom, storage, or a larger kitchen. Unlike a traditional home, mobile homes are designed with only three main classifications, single-wide, double-wide, and triple-wide:
- Single-Wide: 600-1300 square ft. 10-16 ft. in width by 42-90 ft. in length.
- Double- Wide: 2000 square ft. 0-42 ft. in width by 42-90 ft. in length range.
- Triple- Wide: 4,500 square ft or smaller. 50 ft. in length with the width varying.
Additions to the Mobile Home
Does your mobile home have a porch or garage? Perhaps you created a wrap-around deck or had a dormer included? Since mobile homes are manufactured modularly in a factory setting, adding new features to models is effortless, creating alternative layouts. Any of the following post-factory additions can increase the value of your mobile home:
- Patios or decks
- Storm or weatherproofing
- An open floor plan
- Updated kitchen and bathrooms
- Energy Efficient, including solar-powered panels or insulation
- Luxuries including jacuzzis or pools
All of your additions to your mobile home must comply with HUD regulations for manufactured homes. If not, the additions will have an opposite effect on the value and the ability to get financing. For instance, you are not allowed to have a structure that leans on or is supported by your home. All additions should support their weight alone.
For additional information on HUD regulations, we suggest visiting the HUD website.
Location
Location significantly impacts a home’s value depending on the home’s area and the community. For example, they can substantially increase the home’s value depending on the state and proximity to nearby high commercial areas. Additionally, the appearance of your neighbor’s homes and the surrounding community may influence homebuyers’ value of the home overall.
Area and Proximity
Depending on the location of your mobile home, the price can be vastly different. For example, a manufactured home will differ in cost depending on if it is in West Virginia or California. Likewise, the cost of living or areas where housing costs are a premium will affect the price of your home. Additionally, a home’s proximity to hospitals, schools, and commercial regions is important to homebuyers. Homes located in or around areas of convenience will be higher in value than a home that isn’t. Therefore, looking at homes in your surrounding area is essential to avoid under or to oversell your home.
Neighbors
Neighbors play an essential factor in your home’s total worth. Neighborhoods with low crime rates and calculated earnings will influence the home’s valuation. You will need to consider your community itself. Are the surrounding homes in good condition, and is the area not overly developed or crowded?
If your neighbors take good care of their homes and have curbside appeal, it can positively impact your home’s value. However, on the other hand, if your neighbor’s homes and ground look dilapidated and uncared for, this could pose an issue. Although this might seem petty, your neighbors home’s will indirectly affect your home’s worth.
Mobile Home Parks
The mobile home park’s decency significantly impacts the appeal of your home and its value. Potential home buyers need to be sold on the house and the conditions and terms of the mobile home park. It is essential to consider the benefits and disadvantages of the park. Do they require a levy? How much is the rent for the lot? Does the mobile home park have additional facilities such as a public pool or clubhouse? Is the management structure under HOA, PUD, or Co-op?
These are small individual factors. However, they will have a massive impact on the home buyer when considering their options.
How to Find your Mobile Home’s Value
Research the Property Value
If you are not one to shy away from a research project, you can determine your home’s worth yourself. With the proper information and online tools, you should get a reasonably accurate estimate of your property’s value. You will need to consider the appraised value of your property, the neighborhood, and comparative market analysis.
First, look at your property tax statements to see what the local tax appraiser valued your property. Then research the neighborhood’s current and past listings, especially those similar to yours. The local county recorder’s office can be an excellent resource for finding how much a specific property was sold for. Lastly, order a comparative market analysis from a local realtor to compare your home to others in your local market. With these figures, you should be able to grasp your property’s value well.
Appraisal vs. Book Value
There are two different methods for discovering the value of your mobile home, appraisal or book value.
Appraisal
A professional manufactured home appraiser can help you determine a fair value for your home. An appraisal will consider the land and the home’s value using multiple sources to assess its overall worth. However, hiring an appraiser knowledgeable about manufactured homes through an appraisal course or certification is essential to ensure you receive an accurate estimate. In addition, most appraisers will have information explaining their background, experience, and areas of expertise.
Find a reputable appraiser near you by searching online or reaching out to a local Realtor for recommendations.
Book Value
The book value is the second way to determine the value of your mobile home. Similar to calculating the value of your car online, the book value uses an algorithm. It uses the make, model, size, upgrades, and year to estimate the home’s value without the land. NADA Manufactured Home Appraisal Systems is one of the more reputable online book values for manufactured homes. They can provide you a home estimate report varying from $26 to $50 by filling out the form online, by fax, or by mail.
While a book value is a great starting point, your home, community, and market will be unique in some way. Therefore, a book value may not provide you with the most accurate pricing information.
Wrapping Up
As you can see there, there is no real way to get an exact value for your mobile home simply due to the multitude of dependent factors. However, there are several methods and tools for assessing the estimated value of your home.
The most dependable method of obtaining an accurate mobile home appraisal is from a licensed appraiser specializing in manufactured homes. They have the experience, knowledge, and professional tools to determine a precise value. However, suppose you are not concerned about accuracy and are only interested in a ballpark estimate. In that case, the other previously mentioned methods are a great starting point.
Are you in the process of increasing your home value or about to sell? Let us know if you need any help finding the parts to complete your essential mobile home upgrades and projects.
