Q: I'm interested in information about a mobile home. What are the positives and the negatives? Where are they generally available?
Lorraine Panowitz, Bel Air
A: Mobile homes, or "manufactured housing" as the real estate industry calls them, are usually much less expensive than
site-built or "stick-built" houses.
The difference in price between a starter site-built home and a manufactured or mobile home is usually at least $50,000 to $70,000 for the same square-footage -- a substantial price difference.
Costs are usually anywhere from 25 percent to 50 percent less per square foot for manufactured homes than for traditional site-built homes, according to industry experts. Mobile home sales and shipments are on the increase, both regionally and nationally, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
There are several important negatives, however, to consider when thinking about buying a mobile home.
Typically, most mobile home parks or sites are located further from population centers than site-built housing. Land costs are higher in suburban areas, so mobile home parks are typically located in rural areas where the commuting times are longer.
Also, a mobile-home owner usually has to rent a site from a private-property owner who often charges hookup fees for water and electricity as well as a rental fee. Because most manufactured housing is permanently anchored on private property rather than being truly mobile, the resale of a mobile home is difficult.
In fact, instead of appreciating in value, most mobile homes depreciate in value as time passes.
This loss of resale value is probably the biggest difference between a stick-built-on-site home, and a manufactured or mobile home, and this is undoubtedly the best argument in favor of choosing the stick-built home.
Despite the apparent cost savings, I'd be very reluctant to advise someone to purchase a mobile home rather than a stick- built home.
If you truly want to try mobile home living, I'd suggest that you look into renting instead of purchasing.