Selling an Older Mobile Home in Virginia (Pre-1976 and Beyond)
June 15, 1976 is the most important date in the manufactured housing world. Homes built before it are not built to the federal HUD code, and that fact follows them for the rest of their lives.
Why 1976 matters
The federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards (the HUD code) took effect on June 15, 1976. Homes built to it carry a red HUD certification label on the exterior and a data plate inside.
Homes built before that date are legally 'mobile homes' rather than 'manufactured homes'. They cannot be financed by mainstream lenders, most communities will not accept them, and many localities restrict placing or relocating them.
That is not a judgment about how the home was built. Plenty of pre-1976 homes in Virginia are still standing and lived in. It is a statement about the buyer pool.
What an older home is actually worth
For a pre-1976 home on a rented lot, the honest answer is often very little, and in some cases the cost of removal exceeds the value of the home.
For an older home on land you own (which describes a great many homes in Pittsylvania, Halifax and Carroll Counties) the land usually carries the value and the home is a factor in what it costs to prepare the site.
This is the situation where sellers are most often told a comfortable story by someone who has no intention of closing. We would rather be blunt.
Finding the HUD label and data plate
The HUD certification label is a small red metal plate on the outside of each section, usually near a rear corner.
The data plate is a paper label inside, often in a kitchen cabinet, a bedroom closet or near the electrical panel. It lists the manufacturer, serial number, and the wind and thermal zones the home was built for.
If you can photograph either one, it answers several questions at once.
Common questions
- Can a pre-1976 mobile home be sold in Virginia?
- Yes, it can be sold. What is limited is financing and where it can be placed, which narrows the buyer pool substantially.
- Can I move an old mobile home to another lot?
- Often not. Many localities and nearly all communities restrict the placement of pre-HUD-code homes, and older units frequently cannot survive the move structurally.
- Is my old home worth anything at all?
- On owned land, usually yes, through the land. On a rented lot, sometimes the realistic answer is no, and we will say so.