Downsizing to a Mobile Home: Pros and Cons
Owning a home is a dream come true, but that doesn’t mean it’s all sunshine and roses. Many people invest in stick-built homes only to realize that the mortgage impacts their bottom line too much. As such, it’s common for people to debate downsizing to a mobile home.
Whether you’re a recent empty nester or retiree or have simply realized a mobile home is a better fit for your lifestyle, there are plenty of benefits to downsizing. Below, we explore what you must know about downsizing, and the pros and cons of a mobile home.
The Benefits of Downsizing to a Mobile Home
Downsizing offers plenty of advantages, as well as some disadvantages. Here’s a look at the pros of downsizing to a manufactured home.
Downsizing to a Manufactured Home Saves You Money
As a homeowner, you understand that buying a house is a huge investment. For many people with traditional homes, the mortgage on top of property taxes on top of maintenances costs is just too much. When you invest in a mobile home, you are investing in affordable housing. With a lower monthly mortgage payment, you can put some of the money you were spending into savings, or potentially paying down your mortgage faster. Not only that, the money you free up could potentially be used to improve your mobile home to your liking.
Downsizing to a Mobile Home Frees You From Excessive Debt
The math is simple: a bigger home translates to a bigger mortgage. When you invest in a mobile home, you likely don’t need to take out as big of a loan. Therefore, you are carrying around less debt. Even if you lost your job or experienced some financial hardship, you could still afford to pay your monthly mortgage.
Mobile Homes Simplify Your Life
Many people nearing retirement are looking at a lifetime worth of “stuff” filling every corner of their home. As we get older, things become less important, and we would rather just carry the memories with us without all the junk. Mobile homes allow you to simplify your life by downsizing. You can’t hoard everything in your mobile home, and neither will you want to.
Freedom to Relocate Your Mobile Home
Another aspect of retirement is that you suddenly are free to move your life wherever you want. This isn’t an option when you own a stick-built home. However, if you have a factory-built home, you can move it to any plot of land you own, whether that’s here in San Antonio or across the country.
Mobile Home are Less Time Consuming
All homeowners will need to perform regular home maintenance. However, this process is more time-consuming when you are dealing with a stick-built home. Remember that the free time that you have is inversely proportional to the size of your home. This means that you’ll have more free time with a decrease per square foot. It would, therefore, be more liberating if you settle in a mobile home.
Mobile Homes are Customizable
It can be difficult to make your stick-built home meet your specifics desires without paying an arm and a leg. Mobile homes are easily customizable and making those adjustments is significantly more affordable. For example, if you want hardwood flooring and mable countertops, they will cost less in a mobile home than a stick-built home.
Cons of Downsizing to a Manufactured Home
Even though downsizing to a mobile home is generally advantageous, you may want to consider the other side of the coin. Let’s look at some of these disadvantages:
Finite Architectural Designs
Whether you’re looking for a single-wide or double-wide mobile home, you won’t find as much variety in architectural design as you would with a stick-built home. They are designed in rectangular, consistent shapes that are determined by transport limitations. Not everyone appreciates the limited aesthetic of manufactured homes.
Smaller Sizes
Manufactured homes are designed with a limited size, again being determined by transport limitations. However, this won’t be a challenge if you’re entering a mobile home as part of a downsizing strategy.
Mobile Homes Fit Your Lifestyle
Whether or not you decide to downsize to a mobile home, we would love to help you make an informed decision. Reach out to one of our Housing Consultants for assistance today!
