Question 1

I cannot find the title to my mobile home. Can I still sell it?

Accepted Answer

Usually yes, but the title has to be replaced before ownership can transfer. All five states we cover, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and South Carolina, issue a duplicate title only to the owner of record, so the first question is whose name is actually on the state's record. In Alabama the request goes to the Department of Revenue; in Georgia it goes through your county tag office; in Florida through the county tax collector; in South Carolina through SCDMV; in Louisiana through the OMV. Steps: find the VIN or serial number on the HUD data plate or the metal label on the end wall, confirm the name on record, request the duplicate, and clear any lien still showing. Send us the year, size, VIN and whatever paperwork you do have and we will tell you which of these paths you are on. Limits: if the person on record has died or the home changed hands with only handshake bills of sale, the ownership chain has to be rebuilt first, and that is measured in weeks or months.

Question 2

Is my home personal property or real property, and why does it matter?

Accepted Answer

It decides whether you sign a title or a deed. A home on a rented lot is titled personal property everywhere in this region. A home on land you own may have been converted: Georgia calls it a certificate of permanent location, Florida issues an RP decal after a declaration with the property appraiser, South Carolina records an affidavit of affixation with the register of deeds, Louisiana records an act of immobilization in the parish, and Alabama assesses the home with the land. Steps: look at your decal or check the county or parish land records. What we need: whether the land conveys with the home, and a copy of the deed if it does. Limits: a converted home generally cannot be sold separately or moved until the conversion is reversed, which is its own recorded filing.

Question 3

There is still a lien or an old loan on the home. Now what?

Accepted Answer

The lien has to be released before a title transfer will process in any of these states. That is true even when the loan was paid off years ago, an unreleased lien sits on the record until the lender clears it. Steps: get a written payoff or a lien release letter from the lender, and if the lender is out of business, ask the titling agency what documentation they accept in its place. What we need: the lender name, an approximate balance and a copy of the title face. Limits: if the payoff is larger than what the home is worth, a sale may still be possible, but it usually requires the lender's cooperation and it is a slower conversation.

Question 4

My home is in a park on a rented lot. Can I sell it?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but the community has two separate votes: whether it will approve your buyer as a resident, and whether it will let that particular home stay on the lot. Florida is the strongest state here, Chapter 723 of the Florida Statutes governs communities with ten or more lots and requires written, uniformly applied approval criteria along with notice rights on lot rent and change of use. Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Louisiana rely mainly on your written lot lease and the community's posted rules. Steps: ask the manager both questions in writing and request a current lot rent ledger. What we need: the community name, the monthly lot rent, any balance owed and the manager's contact. Limits: if the community will not let the home remain, the sale becomes a relocation, with permits and cost attached.

Question 5

I am behind on lot rent or property taxes. Does that stop a sale?

Accepted Answer

It does not stop it, but it has to be settled, and in several states it blocks the paperwork outright. Georgia will not issue a manufactured home location decal or a moving permit until the county's ad valorem tax is paid. South Carolina counties will not release a moving permit with taxes outstanding. Alabama requires the annual decal and back amounts to be current. Steps: call the county tax commissioner, treasurer, sheriff or tax collector and get a written payoff including penalties, and get the park's ledger. What we need: those two figures. Limits: in a sale the arrears usually come out of the proceeds, so a large balance can consume the value of the home.

Question 6

The park says my home is too old to stay. Is that legal?

Accepted Answer

Generally yes. Communities routinely set age and condition standards for homes that remain on a lot after a sale, and homes built before the HUD standards update in 1994 are the ones most often refused, especially in Florida's higher wind zones. Steps: get the community's age policy in writing before you market the home, because it changes the pool of buyers completely. What we need: the model year from the HUD data plate and the community's answer. Limits: if the home must leave, you are looking at move cost, a legal destination and, in Florida and coastal Alabama, South Carolina and Louisiana, wind zone rules that can prevent an older home from being installed at all.

Question 7

I inherited a mobile home. Can I sell it?

Accepted Answer

Not until someone has legal authority to sign the title. Alabama, Georgia, Florida and South Carolina appoint a personal representative or executor through the probate court in the county where the owner lived; Louisiana handles it as a succession through the district court, with forced heirship rules that can override a will. Several of these states offer a shortened small-estate route that is often enough for a single manufactured home. Steps: gather the death certificate, any will and the last title or tax receipt, then ask the court clerk which petition fits. What we need: who the heirs are and whether an estate has been opened. Limits: where multiple heirs hold interests, all of them normally have to join in the sale, and lot rent and taxes keep running while the estate is open.

Question 8

What does submitting the form actually commit me to?

Accepted Answer

Nothing. Sending your information starts a conversation and does not obligate you to sell, does not obligate us to buy, and does not guarantee an offer. We use what you send to figure out whether a purchase is realistic. What we need: the location, the year and size, whether it is in a park or on land you own, the title situation, and anything you already know about liens, back taxes or lot rent. What happens next: we ask a few follow-up questions and tell you honestly whether we can help, whether a different route makes more sense, or what would have to be fixed first. Any offer we make is non-binding until both parties sign a written purchase agreement.

Question 9

The home has storm, flood or moisture damage. Is it still worth anything?

Accepted Answer

Often, yes, this is normal in these five states, not disqualifying. Coastal Florida and Louisiana sit in HUD Wind Zone III, coastal Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina are Wind Zone II. Inland counties see flooding along creeks and rivers more often than wind damage. Steps: look the address up on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center, note any prior insurance claim, and be candid about what was repaired and what was not. What we need: photos, what happened, when, and whether a claim was paid. Limits: unrepaired substantial damage in a mapped flood hazard area can trigger local rules requiring a replacement home to be elevated, which affects the value of the site as much as the home.

Question 10

The home has to be moved. What is involved?

Accepted Answer

More than most sellers expect, and the permit is usually the constraint rather than the truck. Georgia requires a county tax commissioner moving permit with current taxes paid. South Carolina counties issue a permit only with taxes verified and a licensed mover and installer named. Alabama requires a current decal and taxes satisfied. Louisiana and Florida require state oversize-load permitting plus a licensed mover. Steps: confirm the destination is a legal, permitted site, then have a mover physically look at the access before you plan anything. What we need: the deadline you are working against and the address. Limits: narrow rural roads, grade and bridge weight limits mean some homes cannot be removed at all; and a home built to a lower wind zone cannot be installed in a higher one, which blocks many inland-to-coastal moves.

Question 11

My home has additions, a porch, a deck or a carport. Does that hurt?

Accepted Answer

It complicates a move and can complicate a sale, but it rarely kills either. Site-built additions are usually not part of the HUD-labeled structure, often were built without a permit, and cannot travel with the home. Steps: tell us what is attached and whether it was permitted, and check with the county building or zoning office if you are unsure. What we need: photos of where the addition meets the home. Limits: if the home leaves the lot, someone has to demolish and remove the addition and restore the site, and that cost belongs in the conversation from the start rather than at closing.

Question 12

The home needs major repairs or a full cleanout. Should I fix it first?

Accepted Answer

Usually not for a sale to us. Roof leaks, soft floors, plumbing failures, failed underbelly insulation, settled piers and homes left full of belongings are all routine in this region and we account for them in what we can pay. Steps: do not spend money on repairs before you know whether the sale will happen, safety and securing the home are worth doing, cosmetic work generally is not. What we need: honest photos, including the bad parts. Limits: if the home is in a community, the park may require certain repairs regardless of who buys, and severe structural or fire damage can push a home past the point where relocation is possible.

Mobile Home Seller FAQ

Titles and ownership