Are you selling a Mobile Home?
Congratulations, you are ready to sell your home! Before you get too far along in the process, you may want to make sure you have the title to your mobile home. Why would your home have a title to it? Is there a steel chassis under the home? Do you see a panel in a closet or other location with a Make, Model and Serial Number? If so, there was a title to the mobile home when it was built just like a vehicle has a title.
If you do not have the physical title, then what happened to it?
- It could have been retired and permanently affixed to the Warranty Deed when you purchased the home attached to land.
- You may never have received a title when you purchased it from the previous owner.
- It has been lost and assignment of the title by the previous owner is not possible
When you go to sell this home, you will need to affix the title to the warranty deed if it hasn't been already. If you have the original title in your possession, you will take it to the title company at closing and they will give you the proper paperwork and instructions to retire the title.
If you did not receive the title when you purchased the home, you will need to contact the previous owner and see if they have it. If they do, you will need to have them sign it over to you and you will have to take it to the Secretary of State's office to assign the title to you (see process below). If the previous owner does not have the title but it is in their name, they will have to obtain a duplicate title.
If the title has been misplaced and assignment of the title by the previous owner is not possible, you will need a court order to have the mobile home awarded to you. This is a costly and long process. Having proper paperwork and a surety bond is helpful to speed the process along. Once you have the title in your name, you will follow the Title Application Process below.
Title Application Process
- Submit the assigned title or court order to a Secretary of State branch office to apply for a mobile home title in your name.
- You will need to provide a termination (discharge) of lien if the assigned title or the Department of State's title record shows there is a first secured party (bank loan).
- Currently the title fee is $90. A 6% use tax is due on the value of the mobile home. You will need to declare the mobile home's value when applying for the title.
- Once the new mobile home title is issued in your name, you are the legal owner. You can use the title to sell it or, if you wish to scrap the mobile home, take it to a recycler for shredding. You will need to assign the title to the recycling center.
Having an experienced Realtor helping you through this process is important.