Tip 1: Declutter your home!
This is probably the most important tip as I’ve been to tons of mobile homes that are so full of junk and it could be a huge turn off. Now for someone like me, a mobile home buyer by trade, I don’t care about junk in the home. But more than likely you will be selling your home to someone who will be living in the home. This is important to remember because your potential buyer will be trying to picture their stuff in your home. It will be very hard for them to do this if your home is too full of your stuff. Does that make sense?
Now if you want a fast and free way to get rid of your clutter, advertise whatever you have on the “Free” section in Craigslist. You’d be amazed at what people will take if it’s free.
You can also have a yard sale. This can be an effective way to let people know that you’re selling your mobile home. You never know, this might be where you find your mobile home buyer!
Even if none of this appeals to you, remember this: getting rid of your clutter makes your move much easier. You’ll have to deal with it sooner or later. And it will be a lot nicer to have the clutter issue out of the way before you have to move!
Tip 2: Talk to your Park Manager
This serves several purposes. Number one, your park manager deals with potential buyers of your mobile home all day long. It’s actually a big part of their job. People come in the office, call, and email them asking if any homes are for sale. I’ve met many people that want to sell their mobile home who haven’t even told their park manager they want to sell. This is a huge mistake! Park managers have access to many more buyers than you will.
Another issue is that in order to sell your mobile home, your buyer will need to qualify to live in the park. So your park manager will have to be involved in the sale of your home no matter what. Be proactive with this and you will make both of your lives much easier.
A final issue on this to consider is that most parks require a 30 day notice to vacate the lot. By talking to your park manager early, not only will you make it easier to sell your home, you will also help protect yourself from any fees that might occur.
Tip 3: Advertise that your mobile home is for sale
This might seem obvious but many times I will go to visit a home seller and there is no “For Sale” sign on the house. Not only that, there are no online ads either. I understand the need for privacy but not when it comes to selling your mobile home. You need to let anyone and everyone know that your home is for sale. At the very minimum, do the following.
Put up a legible For Sale By Owner sign. Make your numbers BIG and BOLD. I’ve seen many FSBO signs that had tiny illegible numbers. I’ve seen a few that had no numbers at all on them! If you are going to put the sign up, then give people a quick and easy way to contact you.
Make flyers for your home. These don’t have to be fancy and in color. Just type some basic info and a phone number and make copies of them. Give a bunch to your park manager and also hand them out to everyone in the mobile home park. Many times you will end up selling to a friend or a relative of someone who already lives in the park. The more people who live there and know your home is available, the better.
Advertise on Craigslist and Postlets. Both these sites are free and allow you to put pictures on them. Craigslist has many people looking at their site. Postlets will put your ad on Zillow, Yahoo, and many other sites. Be honest and accurate about how you describe your home.
Also make sure to be realistic with the price. If you price it to sell, it will. If you price it based on how much money you put in it or what you think it should be worth, you are in for a long wait and may end up spending more money holding onto the home than if you had just offered it at a realistic price.
