Purpose of this page
This page discusses transferring a mobile home’s ownership from a seller to a buyer in the great state of North Carolina. This is not intended in situations where the land the mobile home sits on is included in the sale. If the land is included in the sale please reach out to a local real estate attorney to help facilitate your closing. However if you are dealing with an individual mobile home located in a pre-existing mobile home park, on somebody’s rented land, in a lot, or somewhere else than please see the information below.
In the state of North Carolina the process to transfer a mobile home title from one owner to the next is fairly simple and straightforward. Please see the steps and tips below when considering purchasing or reselling a mobile home in the state of North Carolina.
Disclaimer: This page is not intended for mobile home investors. The reason this is mentioned is because you may require extra documents and agreements if you are a mobile home investor. These extra documents would include an after closing agreement if the seller was remaining in the home for a bit after closing, personal property trust agreements, a promissory note or lien paperwork, power of attorney, and more. Below is the minimum paperwork required to successfully transfer ownership from one party to another.
Prior to your North Carolina mobile home closing
Verify seller has the title(s) and he/she is listed as owner: Ask to see the title(s) during your initial walk through of the mobile home. The seller may be willing to text message a picture of the title(s) to you to verify information.
Check for back taxes: Contact the local DMV office in the county the home is located. Call with the mobile home’s serial number or VIN to verify taxes are current. Taxes must be current prior to title transfer. If purchasing the home and the taxes are past due then you may want to deduct this amount from the purchase-price you will give to the seller. This way you can pay the back taxes at the time you transfer title in the near future.
Check for hidden liens: Contact the DMV office in the county the home is located. Call with the mobile home’s serial number or VIN to verify there are no unexpected liens you don’t know about. These liens may or may not be listed on the mobile home’s title(s) in the “Lien’s Holder’s” section of the title(s).
If inside a mobile home park aim to speak with the community manager to 1.) become park approved, 2.) verify the seller is current on all payments, 3.) ask for a copy of the park rules, 4.) ask if lot rent is increasing in the near future, and 5.) if the park manager see any needed improvements to the mobile home if/when you purchase the home?
No title or missing title or wrong name on title? Contact the local DMV office in your area to ask for further instructions moving forward. Ask about your state’s bonded title procedure and who qualifies. Have the mobile home’s VIN or serial numbers available (if available) when you make this phone call.
At Closing
Paperwork needed: Title(s), Bill of sale (You may create this by hand or this generic Bill of Sale here.) Notary IS needed on Title and Title Application (see below). One title per section of mobile home; a double wide will have 2 titles.
Pro Tip: If purchasing the mobile home perform one last walk through before closing and handing over any money. The seller wants your money just as bad as you want the property. If there are any surprise repairs needed or trash/furniture you may have to remove then adjust the price accordingly
After closing – Transferring North Carolina title ownership
Additional form needed, only signed by purchaser: Title Application (MVR-1): This form should be printed, filled in, and signed by the purchasers of the mobile home. Notary IS needed on this form too. This form will be given to the clerk at the local DMV in the county the mobile home is located.
Bring forms to your local DMV in the county to pay transfer tax (see bullet point below), fees, and transfer ownership. Only buyer(s) must be present at DMV to transfer title, however ideally buyer and seller go to DMV to transfer title to help expedite any last-minute issues that arise at the DMV. All forms should already be signed. No notary is needed.
Must be a NC resident with valid state ID to place mobile home title into your personal name. If going into a North Carolina business then a North Carolina driver’s license is not needed. However, the business’s Articles of Incorporation showing the person transferring the title does need to be provided to the DMV clerk.
Same-day-Title: For an extra fee you may be able to expedite the title and walk out of the DMV with a new title in your hand. This same day title is available only at the following two DMV locations: 1100 New Bern Ave. Raleigh, NC 27697 & 6016 Brookshire Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28216.
If transferring ownership to husband, wife, parent, child, stepparent, or stepchild then the buyer is exempt from paying specific taxes on the sale. Submit this HUT exemption certificate to the DMV as well.
If for any reason a lien needs to be placed on the title, this will be done at the DMV while talking with the clerk that is helping you. The clerk will want to know the name of the lienholder and their address. The new title will be sent to the lienholder’s address. The lienholders will then transfer the title to you once they are paid in full.
Taxes moving forward for new owner: The owner will receive a tax bill in the mail yearly.
If you are the seller: It can be wise to go with the buyer to the DMV to make sure the ownership is transferred correctly so that taxes and liability is not in your name moving forward. Some buyers wait years to transfer title/ownership.
If you are the buyer: Aim to transfer ownership through the DMV soon after you purchase the mobile home to avoid a penalty or complications when you eventually do transfer ownership/title.
Here is a list of the 3 most common ways to obtain a mobile home title in your company name without having the title or current ownership in North Carolina. These 3 strategies below are only effective on mobile homes where the serial number or VIN is currently available. These are listed below in order of most likely to least likely of working out.
1. Use the bonded title method. This method starts at one of the handful of North Carolina “license and theft departments” located within the same county the mobile home is located. This department will do research on the mobile home in question and come out to inspect the mobile home and verify the vin or serial number is visible. This department will also make sure there are no unpaid liens on the title. If there are unpaid liens this will definitely halt the process unless the liens are considered “aged out”. Aged out is a term for any mobile home lien that is over 30 years old, in these situations the DMV typically removes these old liens automatically. Once the license and theft department gives you the green light then a bond may be acquired for one and ½ times the value of the mobile home. The value is determined A.) by the last known value on record assuming the mobile home is in the North Carolina system already or B.) Two appraisals must be obtained and submitted to this department and they will let you know the value which the bond must be obtained for. A bond may be purchased from any surety bond company. The paperwork provided by the license and theft department as well as the bond information will then be brought to the DMV and held for around three months before a new title is mailed to you. For each mobile home this process will need to be repeated.
2. Hire an attorney to file a suit and appear in court in front of a judge. The judge needs to issue a “judgment of directive transfer” which will then be provided to the DMV for each mobile home in question. A new title will be provided for each mobile home.
3. Locate the current “missing” owner and convince them to sign over their notarized title(s) to your company. If they do not have a current title then they can obtain a duplicate title, have their signature notarized and hand it over to you. The current owner may need to be bribed with a few dollars to sing the title and hand it over to you. Bill of sale is required from seller as well. Transfer notarized title from here as usual. This process starts by filling out form MVR-605A in order to obtain the mobile homes title history. This will tell you the name and last known address of the current owner on record. This form should be filled-out and brought to the NC DMV office on New Bern Ave in Raleigh or the office in Huntersville.
Tip: On all mobile homes or manufactured homes, personal property taxes should be paid to the current county prior to title transferring. However, it is not required as the DMV will not check to make sure personal property taxes to the county have been paid prior to transfer of title.
Remember, with all of these strategies a North Carolina driver’s license is not needed only if the titles will be going into a North Carolina business. However, the business’s Articles of Incorporation showing the person transferring the title does need to be provided to the DMV clerk. If the mobile home title will be going into a personal name, then that person does need to have a North Carolina driver’s license.
Tip: If many mobile home titles are planned to be processed at the same time, go to a smaller county that is less populated. Titles may be transferred at any DMV and not necessarily the same county the mobile homes are located within.
We hope that the information above has been helpful. If you notice any errors or improvements, please contact us immediately at support@mobilehomeinvesting.net. As always, if you have any follow-up questions or concerns never hesitate to reach out or comment below any time. All the best.
Love what you do daily,
John Fedro
