Do you have to probate a mobile home? Hey guys, it’s Brad from probateresource.com. Thanks for checking out this video. We’re a real estate solutions company. We’re based out of Metro Atlanta, but we buy houses all over Georgia and really even in other states as well. And we specialize in the world of probate and inheritance properties. So today we’re going to talk about probate as it pertains to mobile homes. I do a lot of mobile home deals actually, really call them manufactured homes because kind of the stigma of mobile homes was created back in the 60s, 70s. But really most of the newer manufactured homes built in, I would say in the last 25 to 30 years are actually pretty decent properties. Actually just bought one last week in Albany, Georgia, and I’m under contract, and we’re actually closing this week to buy another one in Hiram, Georgia.
And actually at the end of this week, I’m selling one in Hiram, Georgia ironically, on the same street as the one I’m buying this week. It just happenstance, we happen to buy it. This particular street is actually all manufactured or mobile homes, that they’re all on permanent foundations, all individually owned their lots, but I’ve done lots of these deals over the years. So this isn’t my first rodeo. So in fact, the one I’m selling this week was actually a probate deal that we did, and I’ve purchased quite a number of them from families who’ve inherited them. So if you are needing to do probate on a mobile home, more than likely you are going to have to file probate because a mobile home, depending on whether the titles have been retired or whether or not, let’s say if the mobile home is in a mobile home park, well then the mobile home is considered personal property.
It’s like a car. You have to treat it the same as a car. You have to get a title for it and a tag for it every single year. It’s registered with the state. You pay the ad valorem taxes on it. In order to get that title transferred to your name or if you’re selling it to someone else, you’re going to have to probate the estate so that you as the personal representative of the estate, whether you’re an executor or you’re the administrator of the estate, you’re going to sign on behalf of the estate and sign that title just like you’d have to do with a car. For instance, if someone died and they had a car, you’re going to have to go to the tag office and you’re going to have to transfer that title and you’re going to have to do that as a representative of the estate.
So you’re going to need a death certificate, you’re going to need your probate letters, that sort of thing. Otherwise, they’re not going to allow you to transfer that title over or that tag over to someone else. Now, if you’re just transferring it in your own name, the same rules apply. You’re going to have to on behalf of the estate, you’re going to have to probate the estate and you’re going to have to transfer that title on behalf of the estate, you as a representative over to whoever is taking title to it, whether that’s you or someone else. So the answer is yes, you’re going to have to probate a mobile home because it’s treated just like a car. Now, if the mobile home is permanently affixed to real estate, depending on whether or not the titles have been retired, and that’s a whole different conversation for a different day. Briefly, I’ll talk about title retirement. When someone permanently affixes a manufactured home to a piece of property, let’s say you buy a few acres and you set it on a permanent foundation.
I’m going to speak in terms of Georgia here, but in 2004, the Georgia House through House Bill 506 created a formalized process and there’s a form called the T-234 form in which you’re going to basically tell the state that say, Hey, this mobile home is permanently affixed to this property and we’re going to retire the title. So basically you’re surrendering the titles to the state of Georgia and you’re saying, Hey, this is a house now and it’s not moving. It’s going to stay on site. So in that case, what you’re going to have to do, just like the other case, just like selling a normal piece of real estate, is that it’s treated like real estate. So you’re going to have to probate the estate in order to transfer the titles. You’re going to have to do that on behalf of the estate.
Now, if the titles have not been retired, then you’re actually going to have two different transactions. You’re going to have to transfer the title of the mobile home, and you’re going to have to transfer the title of the land to the new owner. And I would highly advise you in most cases that if this house isn’t ever moving again, you should just retire the titles to it because it’s going to create you more headache in the future if you don’t do it. It’s a form that you fill out at the local county tag office. It’s called a T-234. It’s really not expensive. It costs 18 bucks to retire the titles. They’ll have to send a sheriff out just to verify that, yeah, the wheels have been removed, it’s not removable, blah, blah, blah. It’s permanently affixed to the property.
Once they’ve confirmed that, then basically the titles just get surrendered to the state and they go away, and it becomes an improvement on the real estate. If you do that too, that actually also helps you in the future if you ever want to sell that property. Most lenders will not finance a manufactured home if the titles are not retired. So you’re going to have to make sure that you do that. If you want that to be financeable. Why do you care whether it’s financeable? Well, if the mobile home or the manufactured home on the land is financeable, it’s typically in most cases, going to be worth more money on the open market to a buyer than it would be if it wasn’t financeable, because you’re going to have to have a cash buyer if it wasn’t financeable. Now, you could own or finance it. That’s a different conversation for a different day.
So I hope this helps you out a little bit about probating a mobile home. Again, I’m Brad with probateresource.com. We specialize in the world of probate and inheritance properties. We’re a real estate solutions company, and I hope this answer your question. So thanks again. If you are interested in selling a mobile home, if you have a mobile home to sell, or if you have any home to sell, you’re going through probate and you want to just sell this property outright, we’d be happy to buy it from you. That’s what we do. So you can click on the link below in the description, or you can pick up the phone and just call us. The number is here on the screen. So thanks again. Have a nice day. Bye-bye.
Probate A Mobile Home
Hey everyone, this is Brad from probateresource.com. Our company specializes in real estate solutions and buys houses all over Georgia and even in other states. We are particularly experienced in dealing with probate and inheritance properties.
We’re going to discuss probate in relation to mobile homes. Although mobile homes have had a negative reputation since the 60s and 70s, most of the newer manufactured homes built in the last 25 to 30 years are decent properties. We frequently deal with manufactured homes and have recently purchased one in Albany, Georgia, and are under contract to buy another one in Hiram, Georgia, which we will be closing on this week.
I will be selling a mobile home in Hiram, Georgia at the end of this week. Interestingly, it is located on the same street as the one I am buying this week. This street has only manufactured or mobile homes, all of which are on permanent foundations and individually owned. I have done similar deals many times before, so I am experienced in this field.
The one I am selling this week was a probate deal that we closed, and I have purchased quite a few mobile homes from families who have inherited them. If you need to do probate on a mobile home, you will likely have to file probate because, depending on whether the titles have been retired or not, mobile homes can be considered personal property, especially if they are in a mobile home park.
A mobile home is like a car. This means that you need to obtain a title and tag every year. The property should also be registered with the state, and you are required to pay taxes on it. If you are selling or transferring ownership of the property, (in most cases) you need to probate the estate. As the personal representative of the estate, whether you are an executor or administrator, you will sign on behalf of the estate and transfer the title just like you would with a car. If the owner of the property has passed away, you will need to transfer the title to the tag office as a representative of the estate.
What you need to transfer title on a mobile home
To transfer the ownership of a mobile home, you will need to have a death certificate and probate letters. These documents are required to transfer the title or tag to another person. If you are transferring the ownership to yourself, you will still need to follow the same rules. You will have to probate the estate and transfer the title on behalf of the estate to yourself or the new owner. A mobile home is treated like a car, so probate is likely necessary. However, if the mobile home is permanently affixed to real estate, and the titles have been retired, the process is different. When someone permanently affixes a manufactured home to a piece of property, they may retire the title.
Georgia Mobile Home Bill
In 2004, the Georgia House introduced House Bill 506 to formalize the process of permanently affixing a mobile home to a property. To accomplish this, you need to fill out a T-234 form and submit it to the state of Georgia. By doing so, you are surrendering the titles to the state and acknowledging that the mobile home is now a permanent fixture on the property.
If you plan to sell the property, you will need to treat it like any other piece of real estate. This means you will have to probate the estate to transfer the titles to the new owner. It’s important to note that this must be done on behalf of the estate.
If the titles of the mobile home have not been retired, then you will need to perform two separate transactions to transfer them to the new owner. It is advisable to retire the titles of the property if the mobile home is not going to be moved again, as it can cause complications in the future.
To retire the titles, you need to fill out a form called T-234, which can be obtained from the local county tag office. It is not expensive and costs around $18 per side (for doublewides). The authorities will send a sheriff to verify that the mobile home is permanently affixed to the property and is not removable.
Once you confirm that the titles for your manufactured home have been retired and surrendered to the state, the property becomes an improvement on the real estate. This step is crucial if you ever plan to sell the property, as most lenders will not finance a manufactured home if the titles are not retired. Making sure that the property is financeable can increase its value on the open market since it will be more attractive to buyers who require financing. If the property is not financeable, you may need to find a cash buyer, which could limit your pool of potential buyers. Owner financing the property is a separate matter and requires a different conversation.
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I hope this information was helpful in understanding how to probate a mobile home. If you have a mobile home or any other property to sell, and you’re going through probate, we can buy it from you. Fill out the form below and we’ll be in touch with you ASAP!