Moving soon? Like any place of residence, selling a manufactured home takes planning. Here are some steps and tips for selling a manufactured home to ensure you get the best price.
Deep Cleaning
Before listing your home or signing up for showings, make sure it’s thoroughly cleaned. Remove or place in storage anything that might make your home harder to sell like clutter and old, dirty furniture. Clean homes will sell faster and for a higher price than those that appear worn down and dirty. Put yourself in a potential buyer’s shoes. What would you want to see? Everything from the kitchen and bathroom to the windows should be virtually spotless to sell your home for the highest price. The outside of your home is just as important as the inside. Clean up the yard and make repairs to any damage on the outside of your home. Present your manufactured home as the best version of itself.
Home Improvements
If you’re selling a manufactured home, make any necessary repairs or renovations in advance. If there are simple upgrades and fixes to be made, take care of them yourself. However, if there are more complicated or dangerous repairs to be made, enlist the services of a professional. Common manufactured home issues to be aware of include leveling problems, water damage and plumbing issues. These problems factor in to a potential buyer’s final decision or how much they’re willing to pay. Putting money into a home you’re no longer going to be living in is part of the selling process. Investing in improving your home will help you make more money off of it later.
Staging the Home
Staging a home is different than decorating. When staging a home, set it up in a way that creates an attractive environment that people would want to live in. Keep in mind that your home should be staged in a way that appeals to a wide variety of buyers. Some features that do well in home staging include:
- Keeping the furniture and decorations to a minimum
- Investing in good lighting-this makes the rooms appear larger and more open
- Painting walls a neutral color-This helps potential buyers envision what they would want the room to look like themselves
Determining Value
Selling a home requires finding the right price. You want to avoid being on the market for a long time and you want to make a profit. Before you sell your home, get an estimate of how much it’s worth. Take a look at the market to find out how much other manufactured homes in your area are selling for. This will help you determine your asking price before it’s listed. Factors to consider are how much you still owe on the loan or the property if applicable. For a rough idea of your property value, speak to a real estate agent. For a more accurate quote, hire an appraiser. Many potential buyers take their own precautions and get homes inspected so it’s important you know anything that might decrease the value of your home.
Notify Management
If you live in a manufactured home community, let management know you’re selling your home. Manufactured home communities have rules in place for selling with some wanting to be involved in the process. For example, “For Sale” signs are usually only allowed to be placed inside of windows because yard signs are prohibited. Additionally. many manufactured home communities require buyers to submit a written application to be approved to keep a home in the park. Make sure to communicate that detail to any potential buyers.
Listing the Property
After you take care of the first steps that go into selling a manufactured home your home will be ready to be listed. Now there are additional steps to take:
- Take pictures: The first impression is the most important. Take many high-quality pictures from different angles and perspectives that portray your home in an attractive desirable light.
- Advertise your home online: The best way to attract attention to your home is to list it online where potential buyers can find it. There are sites that allow listings for free and others that require payment based on how many pictures you want to post with your listing. The more places you list it, the more people who will see it and the faster it will sell.
- Prepare for inspections and showings: If you’ve walked through the steps and your home is ready to sell, you’ll be busy scheduling walk throughs and answering questions from potential buyers. Try to set aside specific days and times throughout the week to show your home. You can also host open houses where anyone can show up to look at the home.
Completing the Sale
Once you’ve received offers, you must decide who to sell to. Be firm but flexible and consider negotiating the price if necessary. Come to an agreement about an acceptable move-in date and make sure you have the information needed to turn ownership over to the buyers. Ending a sale with the best offer is better than dragging out the selling process.
If you’re having issues selling a manufactured home, consider hiring a real estate agent who specializes in selling manufactured homes. Selling a home takes a lot of time and work. If you’re busy with kids, a job and other responsibilities it might be easier to turn the work over to a professional who can get it done quickly and efficiently.