Most of our repos/foreclosures that are manufactured homes did not come with titles. Had one HUD rep attorney advise me not to buy it (in 2004) because it did not have a title, but I did. It was a 2001 singlewide on one acre with block underpinning. Paid about 21k and have rented it right up to now.

Most of the times, they seem to be surrendered and taxed as real property. Last year we sold one and had to APPLY for a title and turn around and SURRENDER the title to prove there was no title!! A requirement for that type of loan. We paid closing costs as well.

My question: Do most of you that rent out "doublewides", have titles for them? Or did you acquire them as real estate like we did?

I intend to ask our CPA this week if she thinks it is better/cheaper tax paying-wise to apply/obtain titles on them and just pay real estate tax on the land and pay personal property tax on the house.

The taxes we pay on the singlewides we have titles on, are much lower than the ones as real property.

Ours have always been purchased as Real Estate on their own land - former owners gave up MH title and deeded them as RE.

Down here, MHs are taxed as vehicles unless they are on "permanent" foundations and detitled. Then they become RE and are taxed as property improvements at a higher rate.

We have some of both.

If the price was right, I'd definitely buy MHs with no titles. Your money is made monthly with MHs, not in appreciation. If you get them cheap enough and rent them forever, who cares if it has a title?

We bought property with a MH on it and there was no title to the MH.

Last year I inquired about listing the property for sale and I was told by the Realtor that she could not list the property without a Title. Also, the MH sits on a foundation with concrete blocks holding it and there is steel skirting around it. There are no fasteners holding the MH in place and I was told there needed to be a permanent concrete wall built under the MH and there needed to be fasteners.

The cost to do so was not acceptable so it is being rented out. The MH was placed in its location about 1970 and it has been well taken care of. We have rented it for over 20 years now and it has paid for itself along with the property and we realize total profit from it now.

We will continue to rent it as is until we no longer can at which time it will be destroyed as it will not be worth the expense. We will build a smaller home/cottage and more than likely sell it.

Check with your county assessor and see if the title was retired and merged with the land. If it was, it's now all in one, taxed as one and I think can be sold as one. (Possibly the fha may not finance it but try conventional financing or sell it as owner financing and then either receive payments or sell the note. If title to the mobile was not retired, the DMV may be able to help with getting a duplicate title.

Several years ago, I heard, the state had a fire at the place that recorded/held the titles to many mobiles and they were destroyed. Thousands of them. I was told many older mobiles no longer have title info. If that is correct, I've heard some people just sell the mobile with a bill of sale. I also heard that if the mobile is older than 1976 it cannot be transported on state roads. DMV might be able to verify this or not. Still though, I have also heard that older mobiles are moved despite that.

You hear lots of things- some true, some not.

To be real property here, the tongue has to be cut away, tires and axles have to be removed and brick or block underpinning/skirting has to be under/around the outside edge. This is to get FHA financing. Also a title has to be surrendered to DMV, like I said, we didn't have one but had to apply & surrender it to comply.

I had a 1989 DW with a retired title sold during the summer. I was not able to get USDA financing because of its age.

I also had to get the foundation and bracing inspected by an engineer to make sure they were in compliance with the changes that HUD made on mobile home in 2008. My was not initially, but it ran about $2,800 to get newer braces installed.