Questions buyers ask us.

It comes down to the date it was built. Homes built in a factory before June 15, 1976 are usually called mobile homes. Homes built after that date must meet the federal HUD Code and are called manufactured homes. Post-1976 manufactured homes should have a red HUD certification label on each section and a data plate inside. The age matters for insurance, financing and some park rules, so confirm the year from the title and data plate, not just the listing.

HUD says the interior data plate is commonly found near the electrical panel, inside a kitchen cabinet or in a bedroom closet. It lists the home’s Wind Zone, roof load and other design information. Post-1976 manufactured homes should also have a HUD certification label on each transportable section.

Both can work, and they cost money in different ways. When you buy the land, you build equity in it, the home can usually be declared real property and you pay property tax. On a leased lot, the purchase price is lower, but you pay lot rent every month, the rent can go up, and the park’s rules and approval affect you and any future buyer. Use the home cost calculator to compare the monthly numbers side by side.

Apply to the park and get approval in writing before closing. Get the current lot rental agreement, the park rules and the prospectus, and read them yourself. Ask what the lot rent includes, every additional fee, how and when rent can increase, who maintains drainage, trees and utilities, and whether a future buyer of your home would have to qualify with the park. Our leased lot checklist has the full list.

Yes. Florida’s Mobile Home Act (Chapter 723 of the Florida Statutes) covers most parks with 10 or more rented lots and sets rules for how increases happen, including advance written notice to residents. Before you buy, ask for the rent history for the last several years and read what the prospectus and lease say about future increases. A low rent today doesn’t mean a low rent in five years.

Manufactured and mobile homes in Florida are titled through the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, a lot like a vehicle. If the home sits on land you own, it can be declared real property and taxed with the land. Before closing, check that the seller’s name is on the title, that the serial or VIN numbers match each section of the home, and whether there are any liens.

Everyone you’re trusting: the seller, the dealer or broker, the park, and anyone who did repairs. Look up licenses on the Florida DBPR site, search county court records and read reviews, while remembering that a complaint or review is not proof of wrongdoing. See the buyer’s checklist for what to look for.

No. A four-point inspection is mainly an insurance underwriting inspection of four systems: roof, electrical, plumbing and heating/air conditioning. A full home inspection is a broader visual examination of the home’s readily accessible systems and components. Citizens Property Insurance requires a four-point inspection on certain applications for homes more than 20 years old, but it is not a substitute for an inspection done for you as the buyer.

It depends on the home, but most buyers should consider a full home inspection, the four-point and wind mitigation inspections your insurer asks for, a tie-down and anchoring check, a wood-destroying organism (WDO) inspection, and a septic inspection if the home isn’t on public sewer. Add a mold assessment if there are signs of moisture. Our inspections guide explains what each one covers and what it skips.

Yes, whenever you can. An inspector you choose and pay works for you. Ask any inspector what exactly they will and won’t inspect, whether they go under the home, and whether they have any relationship with the seller, dealer or agent. Read the full report, not just the summary.

Tie-downs and anchors are the straps and anchors that hold a manufactured home to the ground in high winds. In Florida that matters a lot. Ask when they were last checked, look for rusted, loose or missing straps, and consider a separate tie-down inspection, since a general home inspection may not evaluate them closely.

A regular home inspection usually doesn’t include mold testing. If you see stains, soft floors, a musty smell, recent flooring replacement or signs of past leaks, consider hiring your own licensed mold assessor, not one connected to the seller. Ask about every known leak and what was repaired inside afterward.

Use the free flood check on our home page, or type the address into the home cost calculator. Both use FEMA’s National Flood Hazard Layer. For the official record, use FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center at msc.fema.gov.

Yes. FEMA flood maps show mapped flood hazards used for the National Flood Insurance Program. Being outside a high-risk zone does not mean a property cannot flood. Ask about prior flooding, drainage, standing water after heavy rain and storm surge, and get a flood-insurance quote before closing if risk is a concern.

If the home is in a high-risk flood zone (zones starting with A or V) and you have a federally backed loan, your lender will generally require it. Outside those zones it’s usually optional, but regular homeowners insurance doesn’t cover flood damage, so it’s worth getting a quote either way.

Before you buy. Give the insurer the exact address, year and correct details about the home, and ask whether a four-point, wind mitigation or tie-down inspection is required, how the roof and any additions affect eligibility, and whether flood coverage is separate. Confirm that this specific home is insurable, in writing when possible.

Ask the seller in writing about past flood and insurance claims, including NFIP flood claims during their ownership. Ask your insurance agent whether they can see a claims history report for the property. The last page of our free guide explains what to ask.

More than the loan payment. Add property tax, homeowners and flood insurance, mortgage insurance if you put down less than 20%, HOA or park fees, and lot rent if the land is leased. Our free home cost calculator adds it all up for Florida, including your county’s average tax rate.

A chattel loan is a loan for the home itself as personal property, without the land. It’s common for manufactured homes on leased lots. Chattel loans usually have higher interest rates and shorter terms than a mortgage, so compare at least two lenders and ask for the full cost of the loan in writing.

Often not. Florida limits how fast a homesteaded home’s assessed value can rise while the same owner lives there, so a long-time owner may pay much less. After a sale, the home is usually reassessed closer to its market value, and your bill can be higher. Ask the county property appraiser for an estimate based on your purchase price.

If you own the home and it’s your permanent residence, the homestead exemption can take up to $50,000 off its taxable value and limits how much the assessment can rise each year. You apply with your county property appraiser, generally by March 1 for that year. Rules apply, so check with your county.

Usually not the regular property tax. In Florida, a manufactured home on land you don’t own generally needs a yearly mobile home license decal from the county tax collector instead. The park pays property tax on the land, which is often built into your lot rent. Ask the tax collector what applies to your home.

No. Know Before You Own is an educational consumer resource created by a Florida homeowner. It provides questions and general information to help buyers slow down and verify what they can. For a specific home or transaction, use appropriately licensed professionals.

A Florida manufactured-home owner who bought her home before she knew what to ask, and learned the hard way. She built this so the next buyer walks in with better questions. Read her story.

The website, the online checklist, the flood check, the home cost calculator and the buyer’s guide PDF are free. The 47-page Manufactured Home Buyer Workbook is $16.95. The Know Before You Own app is free while it’s in beta testing.

It started with manufactured and mobile homes, because that’s where the founder’s story began, and most of the guides focus on them. Many of the questions, the flood check and the cost calculator help with any Florida home, and the app is being built for all kinds of homes.

Fill in your first name and email on the free guide page. The download starts right away, and we email you the link too. The box to get tips by email is optional; the guide is free either way.

Download links work for 7 days. Request a fresh one any time on the free guide page.

The free guide tells you what to ask. The workbook gives you 47 fillable, printable pages to keep track of the answers: property details, park questions, walkthrough notes, insurance, repairs, documents and closing, so what you were told sits next to what you verified.

It’s an estimate for planning, not a loan offer. Property tax uses each county’s 2025 average rate from the Florida Department of Revenue, and your actual bill depends on your city and taxing districts. Replace the example interest rate and insurance numbers with real quotes for the most accurate result.

The app brings public records, flood data, a guided photo walkthrough, your documents and a report you can share with your agent into one place for a specific home. It’s in beta testing, and beta testers use it free and help shape it. Join the beta.

No. We don’t sell or share your email or anything you send us. Stories and documents stay private unless you give permission. See our privacy page for details.

Yes. Share your story privately, in your own words. Nothing is published without your permission, and your experience may help the next buyer know what to ask.

Please link to the page, and you may quote a sentence or two with credit. To reprint or hand out larger parts, email knowbeforeyouownfl@gmail.com first. We’re often happy to say yes. See our terms of use.

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