Do I need a title or a deed to sell a mobile home?

It depends on how the home is classified. If it sits on a rented lot or was never permanently affixed to land you own, it is almost certainly personal property with a certificate of title, and you transfer it much like a vehicle. If it was permanently affixed to owned land and the title was retired through an affixation affidavit, it is real estate now and transfers by deed through a normal closing.

How do I find out which one applies to me?

Check whether a certificate of title still exists in your name with your state agency (often the DMV, a housing or manufactured-housing division, or the tax assessor). If a live title exists, it is personal property. If the title was surrendered and the home appears on the county property tax roll as real estate, it has been converted. When records conflict, the tax assessor and the titling agency together usually settle it.

Does the mobile home park have to approve my buyer?

If the home stays on a rented lot, almost always yes. The community screens your buyer as an incoming tenant, and if they are rejected the buyer must move the home, which is expensive and sometimes impossible for older units. Get the park's application process in writing early and make your sale contingent on approval so a rejection does not leave you in breach.

What stops a mobile home title transfer?

Three things, most often: unpaid property taxes or lot rent (many states require a tax clearance before transfer), an unreleased lienholder on the title, and a missing or never-issued title on an older home. Each has a fix, but each takes time, so check all three before you accept a deposit rather than after.

Do I need a bill of sale if I have the title?

Yes, and it does more work here than in a car sale. The bill of sale records the price (which the state may use for transfer tax), the exact date ownership changed, what is included (appliances, sheds, decks, and awnings are frequently disputed), and an as-is statement. For a home with no title, it becomes the central evidence in whatever replacement-title process your state uses.

How to Sell a Mobile Home

Selling a manufactured home looks like selling a house and is often legally closer to selling a car. Which one it actually is depends on a single classification question, and everything downstream (the document you sign, who has to approve the buyer, what taxes apply) follows from the answer. Get that question settled first and the rest is orderly.

Start here: personal property or real estate

Every manufactured home is one of two things in the eyes of the law:

Personal property. The home has a certificate of title, much like a vehicle. This is the norm when it sits on a rented lot in a community, or on land the owner does not own. You transfer it with a signed title and a bill of sale.
Real estate. The home was permanently affixed to land the owner also owns, and the title was retired through an affixation or conversion affidavit. It is now part of the real property and transfers by deed at a closing, usually with title insurance and a settlement agent.

If you are unsure, check whether a live certificate of title still exists in your name and whether the county taxes the home as real property. Our guide on personal property vs real property walks through the distinction in detail.

Clear the three blockers before you list

Taxes and lot rent. Many states require a tax clearance or certification before a title can transfer, and communities will not approve a sale with lot rent in arrears. Settle balances early; this is the most common cause of a stalled closing.
Liens. If a lender is listed on the title, the loan must be paid and the lien released before a clean title passes. The mechanics are the same as a financed vehicle; see selling with a loan on it.
A missing title. Common on older homes. States offer replacement or bonded-title style processes, and a signed bill of sale from the prior owner is usually key evidence. See what to do when there is no title.

Park approval is the deal-killer nobody plans for

If the home stays on a rented lot, the community almost always has to approve your buyer as a new tenant, and that approval is genuinely discretionary. A rejected buyer must move the home, which can cost more than an older unit is worth and may be impossible if the home cannot meet another park's age or condition standards. Two protections: get the park's application requirements in writing before you market the home, and make the sale contingent on park approval so a rejection does not put you in breach of your own contract.

Create a Mobile Home Bill of Sale ($5) Check Notary Requirements

Selling the home and the land

When you own both, you have a choice. Selling them together as real estate is simpler for the buyer and usually opens up conventional mortgage financing. Selling the home separately from the land means two transactions and a buyer who needs somewhere to put it. Be explicit in your listing and your paperwork about which one you are offering, because "mobile home for sale" reads to some buyers as including the lot.

The paperwork for a title transfer

The certificate of title, signed over exactly as the form directs, with no cross-outs
A bill of sale recording price, date, the home's make, model, year, serial or HUD label number, and an as-is statement
A tax clearance or certification, where your state requires one
A lien release, if a lender was listed
Any state affidavit for affixation or de-affixation, if the classification is changing
Notarized signatures where required, which is more common for manufactured homes than for cars

Spell out what conveys with the home. Sheds, decks, awnings, skirting, and appliances are the items buyers and sellers argue about after the fact, and one line in the bill of sale prevents the whole argument.

What the buyer needs to know

An informed buyer closes faster. Tell them the lot rent and what it includes, the park rules and approval process, the age of the home and whether it predates the 1976 HUD construction standards (which affects financing and where it can be relocated), and whether financing will be a chattel loan rather than a mortgage. For the mirror side of this transaction, see buying a mobile home without the land.

Create Your Mobile Home Bill of Sale ($5) →