Which Kind of Sale Is Mine?
It depends on the land underneath, not the home itself. Where you own the land and the home has been permanently attached to it, the home can be treated as real property, affixed to the land, and the whole thing conveys by deed through a title company and escrow. Where you rent the lot from a community, the home remains personal property with its own title, much like a vehicle, and the sale transfers that title rather than a deed.
If you are not sure which you have, that is normal. Check whether you receive a property tax bill for the land, whether you pay lot rent, and whether there is an MVD title certificate somewhere in your paperwork. We work it out with you, and the county assessor and MVD records settle it.
How Does a Sale on Leased Land Work?
Through the Motor Vehicle Division, plus the community’s approval. Manufactured home titles are handled by the Arizona Department of Transportation MVD, and transferring ownership means signing the title over and completing the MVD paperwork. Separately, the community will have its own process: an application from the buyer, a background or income check, and approval before the buyer can take occupancy under a new lot lease.
Two things catch sellers out here. First, unpaid lot rent and any community fees usually have to be settled before the park will approve a transfer. Second, the park’s approval is about the buyer, not the home, so a sale can be agreed and then stall on an application. We have been through this process repeatedly and we deal with park management directly.
How Does a Sale on Land You Own Work?
Much like any Arizona house. If the home was permanently affixed and the title was surrendered, the property conveys by deed with a title company handling escrow, the payoff of any loan, and recording. If the home sits on your land but the title was never surrendered, you may have a hybrid position: land conveying by deed and the home transferring by MVD title. That is workable, and it is worth identifying early rather than at closing.
Do You Buy Older Mobile Homes?
Yes, including pre-1976 homes that most buyers will not touch. Manufactured homes built before June 1976 predate the federal HUD construction standard, and that matters a great deal for financing: most lenders will not finance them at all, and many communities restrict them. That shrinks the buyer pool to cash. We buy them, and we price them on what they are rather than refusing on principle.
What Condition Problems Are Normal?
The ones the Arizona climate produces. Roof coatings that have failed and let water in, evaporative coolers and heat pumps at the end of their lives, soft or rotted flooring around wet areas, skirting damage, settling and releveling issues, aging polybutylene or galvanized plumbing, and sun damage to siding and windows. Add the usual deferred maintenance on carports, awnings, and Arizona rooms. None of it needs fixing before you sell to us.
Can I Sell If I Still Owe on the Home?
Yes. A loan against a manufactured home titled as personal property is a lien recorded against that title, and it gets paid off as part of the transfer. On an affixed home on owned land, the mortgage is paid through escrow like any house. Where the payoff exceeds what the home is worth, which happens with older homes carrying newer loans, that needs working through before anything else, and we will be straight with you about it.
What About Inherited Mobile Homes?
Very common, and usually manageable. Someone has to have authority to sign: through a recorded beneficiary deed, a trust, survivorship, a small estate affidavit, or probate. For a titled home on a leased lot, MVD has its own process for transferring title after a death, and the community will want to know who the new owner is. Lot rent generally keeps accruing throughout, which is why acting early matters. See our guide to inherited property.
Can I Sell If There Is Back Lot Rent Owed?
Yes, and it is one of the most common reasons people call us. Lot rent accumulates whether or not anyone is living there, which is what turns an inherited or vacant mobile home into an urgent problem. Unpaid lot rent typically has to be cleared for the community to approve a transfer, and that gets handled as part of the transaction rather than something you have to fund first.
Do You Buy Mobile Home Parks?
No. We buy individual manufactured and mobile homes, on owned land or in communities. We do not buy or operate parks.
Common Questions
Is a mobile home and a manufactured home the same thing?
In everyday use, yes. Technically, homes built after the federal standard took effect in June 1976 are manufactured homes; earlier ones are mobile homes. The distinction matters mainly for financing and community rules.
Do I need a title company?
For an affixed home on land you own, yes, escrow and a title company handle it. For a titled home on a leased lot, the transfer runs through MVD and the community instead.
Will the park let you buy it?
Parks approve occupants, and the process varies by community. We work through their application requirements as part of the purchase.
Can you buy a home that needs to be moved?
Sometimes, though moving a manufactured home is expensive and older homes often do not survive it well. Tell us the situation and we will give you a realistic answer.
Where We Buy Manufactured Homes
Across Arizona, including Mesa, Phoenix, Glendale, Peoria, Surprise, Maricopa, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, Prescott Valley, Prescott, and Tucson.
Situations we handle: Foreclosure | Inherited property | Divorce | Rental with tenants | Fire or water damage | Tax liens and violations
Tell Us About Your Home
Describe the home and whether it is on your land or a leased lot, or call or text (602) 428-9339. Know your selling options. Be the Smartest Seller.
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