For this post, lets assume you live in a Class A or B neighborhood with a vacant lot across the street from your house. Someone buys that vacant lot and wants to put a brand new double wide mobile home on it. Is this going to bother you in any way?

My real question is: do mobile homes devalue (depreciate) any neighborhood where traditional foundation built houses already exist?

Yes, it would bother me to have a mobile home across from me in a neighborhood as you described.

Yes it devalues the stick built properties around it. That is why in many locations A-C properties are usually protected by zoning ordinances that preclude mobile homes being brought in. Some neighborhoods are mixed zoning which allows both stick built and mobile homes. In my neck of the woods those neighborhoods are all D or F.

It would really depend on what the investment objective on the initial purchase. Typically in a class B property, there is some appreciation even in cash flow locations.

The Double Wide in itself isn't going to be used as a comp for a stick built house. But a double wide next to a nice place isn't helping out your neighborhood values. I would tend to think this location isn't a class B location. If it is, it is trending in the wrong direction

Class B locations tend to some of the most desirable locations an area offers. If that statement is true, I would ask myself why is there even an empty lot to build upon if it is indeed so desirable.

No, it would not be annoyed one bit.

If I own a house in a neighborhood where zoning doesn't prohibit trailers/mobiles, then the only reason there's trailer across the street is that I chose to buy that home in that location and by default that means I also agreed to all the stipulations that came with it. I have no one to blame or thank for that other than myself. If I failed to due my due diligence on zoning...then although I might be surprised it's still the same story.

Caveat emptor!

If I don't want something going on the lot across the street, then I would buy the lot. Now it's mine and I have the first, last and only say of what goes there. Done. Otherwise, come what may I have no say.

The characters that tend to live in them

bother me more.

Ask any Police Officer, behaviors have patterns.

Mobile, Modular or Manufactured?

We had a Manufacturered home in a now-million dollar neighborhood. Ski Chalet A-frame look, with additions. Home Inspection said it was over-built compared to most housing he examines. NO WAY to know it was factory-built and assembled on-site. We were the Buyers.

Mobile: single wide, even on a foundation there is no hiding it is a mobile. Low roof, pitch, etc. However, I have seen people REALLY glam them up and turn them into permanent housing.

Modular (double-wide:) same thing with roof and siding and foundation. But again, can be really glammed up after-market.

Mobile, Modular or Manufactured?

We had a Manufacturered home in a now-million dollar neighborhood. Ski Chalet A-frame look, with additions. Home Inspection said it was over-built compared to most housing he examines. NO WAY to know it was factory-built and assembled on-site. We were the Buyers.

Mobile: single wide, even on a foundation there is no hiding it is a mobile. Low roof, pitch, etc. However, I have seen people REALLY glam them up and turn them into permanent housing.

Modular (double-wide:) same thing with roof and siding and foundation. But again, can be really glammed up after-market.

Yes. That is a reason for zoning. In a rural area on acreage mixed construction is one thing. A manufactured home on a ranch, with a drive and a few outbuildings / metal barn is one thing, and fits in with your basic 3/2 stick built or log lodge style. But a singlewide on blocks down Tobacky Road without skirting and several dead cars as "yard art" is another.

As you know we've been installing manufactured homes on infill lots. The whole area is zoned for mobiles or site built. The area has appreciated greatly. But values are all over the place. The city has been pushing for site built infil, but the numbers don't work. There's been a few stick homes going up even a few two story - right next to junk trailers from 1972.

But those homes have not appreciated like ours in an HOA. Our home has tripled in 6 years. Whereas the folks buying infil properties will probably only appreciate due to land value.

My customers are retirees cashing out of lower income parts of CA. Maybe they have 500k equity and to have anything left to supplement their Soc Sec would be forced into an older stick home, with all this issues. Our pitch has been why buy someone elses problems when you can buy a brand new turn key energy efficient home for the same price or a little more and not worry about anything for the rest of your life.

As WMH said, a tastefully done manufactured home on land can appreciate and not affect surrounding homes, but a cheap install will look exactly that.

One single mobile home is not a trailer court. A brand new double wide mobile home is going to be brand new, it will look nice. Are they going to own this themselves, or rent it out?

If they're going to own it themselves, then frankly I don't think it will make any difference to property value.

What you are apparently looking at are maybe senior nesters who decided to go the mobile home route, as building a house would cost a fortune. If so they'll make it look like a house. Perhaps they also think, hey, if we decide to move one day, we can take the house.

You're set to go. They will dolly that thing up and make it beautiful.

Would I buy a house with a whole trailer court across the street?

No.

You can certainly buy the lot to keep someone from building on it, if you can afford it that's nice. However bearing in mind you have to mow it, and pay the property taxes every year.

Personally I'd rather look at a pretty new mobile home across the street and pocket thousands in property taxes anyday, but I'm not loaded.

"Would I buy a house with a whole trailer court across the street?

No."

Why? Because I've seen people come and apply for apartments who used to live in trailer courts. IDK I just picture red nks with Jebediah beards stumbling around and throwing beer bottles..... mama screaming, babies wailing and 12 dogs barking, gunshots..... Grannies sitting on rockers staring at you from across the street, clouds of pot wafting over. LOL. Ewwwkay.

Just a little landlord humour, only kidding.

But one brand new trailer is a world of difference. Thats a different kind of person entirely.

Duplexer,

Two years ago I owned a house out in the country and after rehabbing it, I had the best looking house on the block. Next door was a brand new double wide and from the street you could not tell it was a mobile home. It looked really nice especially since the crawlspace skirting had been professionally done and it also had a new concrete driveway which most MH do not have. 6 blocks up on the same street, there was a Class F mobile home park which made me nauseous to drive up there. This was a neighborhood where you could see Class B, C, D and F houses all located all on the same street!

The Buena Vista Mobile Home Park in the uber A+ City of Palo Alto, CA has not lowered property values. Its first yelp review is rather telling, however.