Welcome to our new series, where our team provides the latest resources, data, and information for consumers looking to buy a mobile home in particular areas around the country. This series will include in-depth, state-specific buying guides that will help manufactured home buyers understand how to buy a manufactured home and how the manufactured home market works in each individual state.
We’ll kick things off with a guide to buying a mobile home in Florida, one of America’s greatest states for manufactured home buyers. The Sunshine State is a great place to buy and own a manufactured home, with a ton of communities and dealers to suit every need.
By the Numbers: Mobile Homes in Florida
Let’s take a look at the numbers that will tell us what’s going on in the Florida manufactured home market. There’s a large and active market of mobile homes for sale in Florida, as you can see from these statistics:
- Average Price of Pre-Owned Manufactured Home: $52,209
- Average Model Year of Pre-Owned Manufactured Home: 1993
- Average Square Footage of Pre-Owned Manufactured Home: 1,123
- Average Year a Manufactured Home Community was Developed: 1995
- Age-Restricted Manufactured Home Communities: 1,013
- All-Ages Manufactured Home Communities: 688
The numbers don’t lie – Florida is consistently the hottest manufactured home state in America. The sheer volume of homes and communities present buyers with a ton of options.
Florida’s Top Markets for Home Buyers
As the nationwide leading region, Florida has over a dozen cities ranking among the 100 most popular markets. According to our latest data from October 2021, here are the 5 markets with the most buyer demand:
Did You Know?
Tavares, Port Richey, and Daytona Beach all landed in our nationwide top 10 list of affordable places to buy a mobile home.
Title, Registration and Taxes for Mobile Homes in Florida
Florida has a reputation as a low-tax state thanks to its lack of an income tax, but mobile home owners will want to ensure they’re paying all applicable mobile home taxes. First, you’ll need to know if your manufactured home will be assessed as personal property (if it’s not on a permanent foundation) or as real estate (if it is).
If your Florida manufactured home is assessed as personal property, you’ll owe a six percent state sales tax, plus any applicable local taxes. When buying from a Florida manufactured home dealer, this will be figured into the sales price. If you buy from a private seller, you’ll need to remit sales tax to the state on your own.
If you don’t own the land under your manufactured home, you must also register your home with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. You’ll pay a registration tax determined by whether your home is a single-, double- or triple-wide model, although your landlord will figure your property taxes into your lot rent. If your Florida manufactured home is titled and assessed as real estate, you won’t owe sales tax or vehicle registration tax on it, but you’ll pay Florida property taxes much as a site-built homeowner does.
What if you want to convert your personal property manufactured home into real estate by attaching it to a permanent foundation on land you own? You’ll need to fill out an application for retirement of your mobile home title with the DMV. Make sure to have documentation ready to prove that your mobile home is now attached to a permanent foundation and that you own the land it’s on (or have at least a 30-year leasehold on it).
Resources for Mobile Home Buyers in Florida
If you’re on the hunt for a great manufactured home in Florida, there are resources that you can use to help you find the home of your dreams. Be sure to check out all of the following:
- An easy-to-use marketplace for mobile homes for sale or rent in Florida
- A list of mobile home communities in Florida, including both retirement and all-ages communities
- A list of reputable mobile home dealers in Florida
- A list of Florida mobile home movers and transporters
- The Florida Manufactured Housing Association, a great resource for anything to do with mobile homes in Florida
- A comprehensive Mobile Home Buyer’s Guide that explains in detail what to look for in a mobile home and how to spot a good deal
Florida manufactured home buyers have a treasure trove of resources at their fingertips with MHVillage. We make it easy to find the manufactured home of your dreams in the Sunshine State—so go ahead and take a look to start finding your new manufactured home in Florida. And don’t forget to check back on our Featured Markets section for regular state-by-state updates on America’s best markets for manufactured homes!
