Have you been looking to purchase a mobile home in the greater Sarasota Florida area but are confused or unsure of what exactly you need to know regarding the title of the mobile home you are buying?
Do you know what the title of a mobile home is and how it relates to the property you are looking to buy in Sarasota Florida?
If so, please read on as we explain the basics of what a mobile home title is and the role that it plays when looking to buy a mobile home in the greater Sarasota Florida area.
Buying or selling a mobile home in the greater Sarasota Florida area and not sure what documentation you need?
Don’t worry, we are here to help!
When looking at buying or selling a mobile home within the greater Sarasota Florida area one first needs to know, for certain, where the mobile home is located and what type of park the home is within.
As silly as this may sound, it makes all the difference in the world in how the sales transaction will be handled.
In the state of Florida, if a mobile home is within a mobile home park and the park is selling the home with the land included then this will equate to a real estate transaction, the same way a single-family home will be sold.
Here, a deed for the land will be issued for the sale of the home.
If, however, the mobile home is being sold and the Seller is paying lot rent and does not own the land the home resides on then this transaction will be viewed as and taxed as personal property.
Here, a title will be issued for the sale of the home.
Mobile home titles are blue sheets of paper that look the exact same as a vehicle title does.
One key difference is that, with mobile home titles, there is a title for each side of the home.
For example, if the home being sold is a double-wide mobile home then there will be a title for side a and a title for side b.
With this understanding, it is of utmost importance that anytime a mobile home sale is being transacted that the Buyer and Seller have all titles necessary for the ownership of the home.
Mobile homes located in the state of Florida that are within a mobile home park where the owner of the mobile pays lot rent are viewed as and taxed as personal property and not real property.
This is the same way a vehicle is taxed here in the state of Florida.
The title of the mobile home details exactly who owns the mobile home, what, if any, leans are on the property as well as the VIN number, Florida ID number, and additional information about the property itself.
In Florida, the title of the mobile home is the ownership document which, essentially, says who owns the home.
If a title does not exist or if the Buyer or Seller of the mobile home in Florida can not locate the title then that is not a big problem as the Department of Motor Vehicles can create what is referred to as a duplicate title.
A duplicate title comes with it some additional paperwork and a small fee but it can be printed off in order for the owner of the mobile home to have the proper documentation.
If a duplicate title is not applied for or a title is not obtained during the purchase or sale of the mobile home then, again, a duplicate can be printed off by the DMV. In order for this to happen then the new owner of the mobile home will need to provide their photo identification along with a purchase agreement or bill of sale for the mobile home in question. Here the DMV will be able to get the information needed for the duplicate title without an issue.
Where we see issues is where the Buyer of the mobile home buys the property but does not or refuses to obtain any information identifying the mobile home that was purchased such as the VIN number or property ID. These are identifiers that the state of Florida needs to have in order for them to identify what the property is so that a duplicate title can be created.
The Department of Motor Vehicles has a process where the current owner of the home can move forward and apply for a duplicate title. This can be done so long as the owner of the home has had the previous title to the property and can present proper identification reflecting their ownership of the home. Here, the Department of Motor Vehicles will simply require the owner to pay a small fee and issue a duplicate title for the mobile home. In the upper right-hand corner of the title, it will state that the title is a duplicate and not an original which will not change the legality of the document.
When looking at selling your Sarasota Florida mobile home it is important to always have your paperwork set up and ready to go before the closing date. If, during this collection of documents, you are unable to locate the title do not worry, following the simple process of acquiring a duplicate title for your mobile home can be done easily so that there is no problem transferring the ownership of the mobile home from you as the Seller to the new Buyer.
This is Mark Kaiser and we help mobile home Buyers and Sellers get to a better place in life.
See Also:
- Why Are Prices Increasing For Sarasota Florida Mobile Homes?
- Should You Get A Home Inspection?
- Are Vapor Barriers Needed On A Mobile Home?
- Why Do Mobile Home Parks Check Residents Income?
- Your Sarasota Florida Mobile Home Flooring System Explained!