March 11, 2021
Mobile homes or manufactured homes can be a great investment and people might be surprised to find out just how nice you can make one. While they are often good options for those looking to live in an affordable residence, they also come with their unique situations and certifications, depending on whether or not they are permanently affixed for free-moving. So if you’re planning on selling a mobile home in Utah, you have to be strategic in how you go about it, especially if you’re looking to sell your house fast.
Selling a mobile home in Utah is not the same as selling a single-family home or a townhouse. There are specific documents that you need to be aware of when it comes to a manufactured or mobile home that is being sold in Utah.
The most important documentation to be aware of is the title. If your mobile home is chattel and not affixed to a permanent foundation, then it acts much like a car and has a title of ownership. Just like you would with a car or truck, you’d get this from the Utah DMV and it needs to be updated anytime the mobile home is sold or changes ownership. Once the sale is final, you and the buyer will sign the title and then the buyer will register it with the Utah motor vehicle department and become the new official owner.
Another document that will need to be signed when you sell a mobile home in Utah is the bill of sale. This is the document that proves a sale has taken place. If your mobile home is considered chattel, you may need to provide the seller with a bill of sale that has been notarized. Once it’s ready, you and the buyer will need to sign the bill of sale. If you are selling on the market and the buyer is using a lender to purchase the mobile home, that lender or bank will probably require a notarized bill of sale, so be prepared to pay for that.
Documentation that the mobile home is currently on state or municipal taxes is something else that you’ll want to have handy. Make sure you are aware of what the requirements are in your municipality, city, and in Utah, and then be sure to provide the buyer with all of that. It’s a good idea to get this together beforehand so you’re not scrambling. Anything to delay a sale gives the market buyer a reason to back out.
Utah provides a certificate of occupancy to anyone who buys a mobile home and registers it with the state. You’ll want to provide that to the buyer, so long as one is required in order to complete the sale. You might also be required to provide proof that the house has passed fire safety inspections. Check with your local municipality to be sure you’re meeting all of their requirements. A lender may also require these things even if the city or county does not.
It is possible to sell a mobile home in Utah without a title. A form called the Application for Duplicate Utah Title can be signed by the seller and buyer to replace a paper title if the original title is lost or does not exist. That form should then be taken to the DMV and registered by the new owner.
One thing you can consider in order to make the mobile home more attractive to market buyers is to “de-title” the property. This is when you attach a mobile home to a specific piece of land and will replace the vehicle title with a warranty deed that the owner will receive. Then you own the house and the land. This won’t work if your mobile home is part of a mobile park that is owned by someone else, so be sure you’re allowed to do this before you consider it.
You should consider bringing in an inspector to give the mobile home a good look and identify any problems or repair needs. Better to be aware of these issues up front than be surprised when the buyer finds them on their own inspection. This also gives you the option to pay for needed repairs or consider dropping your listing price to account for the issues.