Lost Mobile Home Titles & Other Common Title Issues

Hi Maria,

Thank you so much for reaching out in your kind words. I regret to hear you miss the opportunity to purchase that mobile home that you like here. With that said I hope that you found something you love even better for you and your family. Moving forward if you have any questions about selling your home are purchasing any other mobile home don’t hesitate to reach out to me now or in the future. With regards to let you past on, you could have taken control of the mobile home however you would not have technically opened. With that said you could likely have purchased that mobile home for a reduced amount compared to what the seller was asking. The reason for this is because the fact that the seller does not have the title means that some percentage of qualified buyers are going to be scared away because there is no title. This of course is a very valid and true statement – you would not be the technical owner of the mobile home. However if your goal was to get into a mobile home that you liked for an inexpensive price than this may have solved the problem. Additionally, you could work out an agreement with the park itself to file for “abandonment” on the mobile home so that they can obtain clear title and then they could pass it on to you for a small fee. I hope this answer helps and makes sense. There certainly are a lot of variables when were talking about a mobile home that does not have a title or the actual seller present. In this answer I have been assuming that the actual owner could not be found. If the actual owner on title is present then they can easily get a duplicate title from the state and transfer this over to you at that point. Again, I do not think this is the case and it sounds like the actual owner and actual title are not available. If you have any questions or comments moving forward never ever hesitate to reach out. Additionally, if anything I have said and this answer confuses you please don’t hesitate to reach out for further clarity as well.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Kathy,

Thank you for reaching out and commenting concerning this issue. I regret to hear about your situation and the rudeness of the lien holder. You likely have a few choices moving forward. In your comment you say that the “owner” has refused to get a lien release letter for you. Are you for sure that there is a lien on this mobile home? Is this mobile home located inside of a mobile home community or on private land? I’m going to guess it is in a park due to the fact you are paying personal property taxes.

With all this said, how the original sale should of taken place is that you become the owner on title day #1 and the seller/previous owner becomes the “lienholder”. It sounds to me that the seller is still the owner, and therefore they would not need to put a lien on their own home. Do you have a copy of the title? Do you know how the title reads and who the owner is? Have you received the bill of sale or any paperwork at closing when you agreed to buy this home from the seller?

Please provide some answers to the questions above and I’d be happy to help you further. Please feel free comment back here or email me personally at support@mobilehomeinvesting.net.

Talk soon,
John

Hello Tina,

Thanks for commenting and reaching out concerning your questions. Congratulations on finding the seller and working the deal thus far. Concerning your question it is of the utmost importance that you remove the lien from Citigroup prior to purchasing this home. In fact, the state will likely not transfer ownership until this lien is satisfied.

I encourage you to follow up with the state and double check as to what is needed to be sent to them or provided to prove that the lien from Citigroup was satisfied nearly 30 years ago. This seller has been in the home for over 30 years?… That is impressive. Additionally, you may be able to get in touch with Citigroup if verification is needed with regards to the lien. In short, there is definitely a solution moving forward for you to purchase this home without the Citigroup lien. The exact answer them paperwork needed will be found by contacting a manager or director of the manufactured housing division in Austin.

I hope this helps and points you in the right direction. If you have any follow-up questions or concerns moving forward never ever hesitate to reach out anytime. Always here to help. Keep in touch.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Rita,

Thanks for reaching out concerning your questions. I very much regret to hear that your buyer likely did not transfer the ownership out of your names and into his or her own name. This is not uncommon and you are not the first people this is happening to. I say this to help you understand that you are not at fault or to blame. You will need to provide what documents you have so the state can go after the right person. If the state still persues the legal avenue to sue you for taxes that are not yours, then I would suggest contacting a local attorney for sure. In fact you may wish to reach out to a local real estate attorney now for advice on how to proceed based on your specific situation and state. Again, the taxes are not yours and I am fairly confident the state will see this. At least this is how it has transpired in the past with other folks in the same spot. I appologize that I could not give you a quick answer to fix the issue right away, however keep in touch with the state and contact a local RE attorney for consultation. As always, please keep us posted and let me know if you any other follow up questions or concerns.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Ellene,

Thanks you for reaching out with regards to your questions and detailed comment. I regret to hear about this situation and hardship you are going through for sure. This is certainly not the first time this has happened and it will not be the last. It always pains me to hear about situations like this from honest people like yourself. My advice was to first contact the state and then the banks in quesion. Since you have done this with little help provided, I would highly recommend contacting a local real estate attorney that is familiar with mobile homes within your state. There will not be many attornies like this but there will be a least one within your state, this attorney likely works with local parks in the area. You may with contact the park to see who they can recommend. You may have to start a legal case to obtain clear title but if the home was paid off and you can prove this, there is a way to obtain clear title through legal avenues. In short, this is going to get a little more difficult before it get solved, however it will get solved. Likely through a court case and being in front of a judge. I hope this all helps and points you in the right direction. If you have any follow up questions or concerns please never hesitate to reach out to me anytime. Keep in touch and if you learn anything else please comment back to tell us and educate us all here. Keep in touch.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Michael,

Thank you for reaching out with regards to your situation and questions. I very much regret to hear about your mother passing a few years ago. Since the passing have the taxes and lot rent been kept Current on this property? You asked in your comment about any advice… Could you elaborate a bit more on the specific questions or concerns you are having? Did you want advice about putting this into your own name at this point? I would be happy to answer any questions you have however just let me know what those exact questions are. Keep me posted.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Ila,

Thank you for reaching out and connecting. I very much regret to hear about your current situation. I’m assuming that you purchased a mobile home on someone’s private land and did not move it off quick enough or within the required amount of time. Apparently no one kept in touch with anyone else and there was a misunderstanding that you may have abandoned the home, it sounds like they have gone through the effort to take control of the home back or perhaps it never left their control in the first place.

My first thought/question is if the mobile home is actually titled in your name or the sellers name? It sounds like the title and bill of sales were not filled out 100% correctly so the ownership was never transferred into your name. Have you already paid for this property?

I see that you may be located in California. If this is the case that I encourage you to call the state directly (909-987-2599/916-323-9803/916-445-4782) and provide the serial or VIN number of the mobile home. Mentioned that you are a private buyer purchasing from a private seller and wish to make sure taxes are current and to find out who the owner is? Additionally, make sure to explain your situation and ask them for their advice moving forward.

You may likely still have all the correct paperwork needed to transfer the home into your control. With that said you will still need to move the home from the property and that is where you will need the sellers to allow your mobile home transporter on their land to remove the home. What I’m saying here is that you may or may not be able to easily take title to the home, however if the sellers are vindictive or angry this is not a good recipe for anyone. There is likely a rational fix and solution if both parties are willing to negotiate and compromise. Are the sellers being rational or do they now want to keep the home or resell it to someone else?

If you have paid for this home that I would encourage you to contact a local real estate attorney for help. The attorney may only need to call or provide a letter to the sellers on the attorneys letterhead to help encourage the sellers to honor their agreement and sell to you. If the sellers have gone through and paid some holding cost because the home is on their land for extra long, you may have to pay this back fee. With all this said I am certainly no attorney however it does sound unfair that you will not get this home because it sat vacant for a little too long. Again, consult a real estate attorney that offers one hour free consultation. Have your questions lined up and get them all answered during this free hour.

I hope this all helps a bit and starts to point you in the right direction. I’m not sure who is in the right and who is in the wrong however do not give up and turn the other cheek in this situation. Fight for your home and please keep in touch if you have any follow-up questions or concerns. Keep us posted.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Pamela,

Thank you so much for reaching out and connecting. Additionally, congratulations on having the opportunity to purchase a property that you like. Some mobile home movers do require the title be in your name and others do not. In many situations the VIN or serial numbers will at least need to be known to pull permits if required. This is something you should have no problem asking a mover. They likely hear this quite often. In my own personal life, as long as I double checked that I could indeed obtain clear title in my control I would move forward with a good deal for sure. I hope this helps and make sense. Additionally, if you ever have any questions or follow-up concerns never hesitate to reach out any time. Keep in touch.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Timothy,

Thank you for reaching out and connecting with regards to your questions. Good job being available to purchase this home and help the sellers and Park move forward. You are correct about having to pay lot rent owed in taxes due moving forward. Hopefully you are getting a very good deal on the home itself. If you are absolutely unable to get a hold of the “owners of record” that are listed on the title, I would encourage you to work with the park to file for an abandoned mobile home title. Depending on your state you may want to head down to the manufactured housing division or local DMV to understand the steps the park will have to take to obtain a title. The title will come in their name and they will have to sign it over to you. This is certainly one way to move forward if no title is currently available. If the park does not want to help you then they will eventually need to step up themselves to place a lien on the home and file for a title or file for an abandoned title for themselves. Perhaps you can pay the park some money and help facilitate the transaction to make it easy for them. If the title is available then I do know of other investors that would consider forging the signature of the sellers. I mention this to you only because it is an option that may be effective, although illegal, to get this deal closed. This is not something I recommend however I do mention it in passing. I hope these suggestions help and point you in the right direction moving forward. As always, if you ever have any follow-up questions or concerns never hesitate to reach out any time.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Linda,

Thank you for reaching out and connecting. I’m curious if the mobile home came with land or if it was simply a mobile home in a pre-existing mobile home community. If the mobile home is personal property than it should have a title to prove that there are no liens and that the foreclosure has taken place to wipe off this debt. The title should be provided by this realty company or they simply did not sell you anything at all. If the mobile home has land included then there may not be a need for a title. The title may have been relinquished to the state when the land and home were “married” together for legal and tax purposes. I’m sure I am not telling you anything that you do not already know so I do encourage you to call your states manufactured housing division or local DMV to find out more information on your specific home. You absolutely need to find the VIN, HUD number, or serial number on each section of your double wide home. These numbers will be located somewhere and if our unable to be found inside the home they can be found coldpressed into the steel chassis of the mobile home underneath the skirting. Call the state to find out who the current owner of this home is and if there are any current liens on the property. From this point you should have a better understanding of the ownership of the home. I hope this all helps and begins pointing you in the right direction. If you have any follow-up questions or concerns or I did not fully answer your question please never hesitate to write back any time. Keep in touch.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Karen,

Thanks so much for reaching out and connecting with regards to your questions. In most states there is no time limit for when the title must be recorded after it is signed by both buyer and seller. With that said many states do have a penalty if you do not do this within 10-30 days. The number of days should be listed somewhere on the title itself. With that said, you should be fine simply paying this fee and getting the title transferred into your ownership. Keep in mind that if no one has been paying taxes for all this time then there may be taxes due. I hope this all helps and point you in the right direction. If you have any follow-up questions or concerns never hesitate to reach out any time. Always here to help. Keep in touch.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Glen,

Thank you for reaching out and connecting with regards to your questions. I regret the year that you are going through this issue. Good job finding out now rather than later. Since the seller is now selling she will most likely take the bill of sale and transfer forms you already signed and provide them to the new buyer. With that said there may or may not be anything encouraging this new buyer to transfer the home into their names if they are feeling lazy.

You could take her to small claims court however you are still the owner and a simpler route to take may be to start an eviction process on her and serve a “three-day notice” for her to vacate the property. This should hopefully encourage her and motivate her to put the home in her name before you can evict. This answer is only based out of experience and I certainly am not an attorney or legal professional in any way. In all reality this wooden go to court and you would not start the eviction process, however hopefully it will get a return phone call from her. I hope this helps and at least point you in the right direction. As always, if you ever have any follow-up questions or the situation changes never hesitate to reach out any time. Keep in touch.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Nicole,

Thank you for reaching out with regards to your questions. I very much regret to hear that the title was stolen right after closing. I’m assuming that in the last three years no one has knocked on your door demanding possession of their home or trying to evict you. Assuming that this is true then the title may still be in the seller’s (a.k.a. still the current owner’s) name. Moving forward a bill of sale will not be enough for you to place your name on the title and receive a clean/new title. There are three ways I see to move forward. 1.) You may choose to do nothing and try to “sell” possession of the mobile home to a new buyer. There are definitely people out there that will move in and take the keys to a mobile home without an official title. They will not be the owners of record however if the park manager vouches that you are the owner and have lived in the home there are definitely some buyers out there for the right price. Additionally, when you have a new buyer move in this park manager may want proof that the title has transferred in this new resident is the official owner… This clearly was not enforced when you moved in so perhaps new management took over since then or perhaps the park still will not check to see if a title and ownership has been transferred. I hope this cart makes sense. If you have any specific questions let me know. 2.) You can work with the local mobile home park for them to place a lien on the property or file for an abandoned title. The park will legally have to take possession of the mobile home and will see the title in their name. If you can work with the park and perhaps pay this transfer fee you will be able to have the park transfer the title from their name over to your name.3.) If possible you need to track down the seller and possible still owner of the mobile home. The owner will need to go down to the DMV to obtain a duplicate title and pay a small fee. If the taxes have not been paid for the past few years these will also have to be paid. Once there is a new title in hand the owner can then choose to sign the title to then take back to the DMV and transfer it to your name. I hope so helps them make sense. If you have any follow-up questions or concerns please never hesitate to reach out any. Always here to help.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Belinda,

Thank you for reaching out and connecting. I hope I am able to point you in the right direction moving forward. From my experience it will be difficult for you to receive clear title with only a bill of sale. With that said I certainly have been wrong in the past and hope I am in this situation as well. I would like you to explain your situation directly to the state and have them tell you the procedure moving forward to get the home into your control. Please contact your local DMV or call 334-242-9006 or 251-574-1923. Explain your situation to the clerk over the phone and you may have to provide the physical address or serial number of your mobile home if you have it. You may be able to find the serial number of the mobile home on the “data plate” located somewhere inside your mobile home. You may be able to find this “data plate”, which is a piece of paper or metal sheet with all the pertinent information of your mobile home. This can often be found in the master bedroom closet, kitchen pantry, or near the hot water heater or electrical panel. If you are able to locate this than you may find the information pertaining to your mobile home so that the state can identify which property is yours. From this point they can tell who is the owner and what steps are needed to move forward. I hope this helps and makes a bit of sense. If you have any follow-up questions or concerns or confusions never hesitate to write back. Always here to help.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Lisa,

Thank you for reaching out. Additionally, thank you for your detailed message and specific questions. I regret to hear that these title issues are virtually stopping the title insurance process for the property. I have dealt with this three times with regards to mobile homes attached to private land while selling to buyers arranging conventional financing. Two of the times there was no way forward that was figured out. The mobile home titles were definitely relinquished when the home and land were joined/married together. The mobile homes VIN and serial information was now listed on the legal description of the properties. This still did not affect the banks as they did not care and would not land on this home. For these two properties I ended up selling via seller held financing. I’m still happily collecting payments on these homes. The third time I was able to have a new title created. Depending on your state there may be a way to legally reissue a new title for a mobile home that is considered personal property. With that said it sounds like you have talked to your local DMV and property appraiser. As a last resort you may want to contact a mobile home specific attorney in your state. You may want to reach out to a large/corporately owned mobile home community that made turn you on to the attorney they use on a regular basis. I have never sought out an attorney this way however mobile home specific attorneys do exist and could be your last line in order to acquire a title for this property. I hope this helps and starts to point you in a direction that may lead to success. As always, if you have any follow-up questions or concerns please never hesitate to reach out any time. Additionally, please keep in touch moving forward with regards to your results. All the best.

Talk soon,
John

Evening B,

Thank you for reaching out and connecting. I regret to hear about you and your mother’s situation. Click the link to the website below and fill in the title number, serial number, or VIN into the website and click “submit”. You definitely need to find out what is going on and take care of this sooner rather than later. If he has not given your mother a bill of sale or had her fill out an SOL application and the ownership is likely still in someone else’s name. It sounds like the bail bondsman may have only notarized some type of agreement. If you are making payments to this person then perhaps they are waiting till they are paid in full in order to provide you with the ownership. This is technically not how things should be done… Your mother should have received ownership and this gentleman could be an “lienholder” on the SOL. Keep in mind Texas typically does not use titles any longer, they use SOL’s which stand for statements of ownership and location. It is basically the same thing as a title however it is electronically kept online so it does not matter if it is lost or misplaced, as another one can be printed and mailed to you easily. Try to get an honest answer from the person that sold it to you if possible. You can absolutely call the state at the number located on the website through the link below. They have always been very helpful whenever I’ve called them to ask questions. I hope this helps and starts to point you in the right direction. If you have any follow-up questions or concerns please never hesitate to reach out any time. All the best.

http://mhweb.tdhca.state.tx.us/mhweb/title_view.jsp

Talk soon,
John

Hi Lucy,

Thank you for reaching out and connecting. Additionally, thank you for the detailed message outlining your questions. This is absolutely a question that comes up from time to time. It upsets me that many of these lending institutions go out of business and leave people on the hook in exactly your situation years down the road. It sounds as if you have exhausted talking to all of the management at the local DMV. I would encourage you to call the state Department of Motor Vehicles to talk with the main person in charge and provide them the paperwork you can to see if there is any way to move forward without going to court. I also encourage you to contact a local real estate attorney that has manufactured home experience. Bring all your questions and try to get them answered as quickly as possible with regards to talking with they a real estate attorney to obtain a new free and clear title. In all the times I have received this email I have come to find out that working directly with the Department of Motor Vehicles in your state and talking with somebody in charge will typically get to the resolution and outcome that you want. Most of the people at the DMV only follow protocol as they know it. However when you talk to the person in charge they can make custom decisions based on their experience and logical sense of the company being out of business. I hope this all helps and points you in the right direction. You will absolutely have a bit more hardship prior to figuring all this out however you are not the first person this is happened to and you will definitely not be the last. Take action now as it may take another few weeks to get this all resolved, especially if you have to go to court. Lastly, perhaps you can provide a three month notice now while you work on the title issue so that you do not have to pay these three months later. This is just a thought. Moving forward if you have any follow-up questions or concerns please never hesitate to reach out any time. Additionally, please keep us all posted here with regards to what happens and your outcome. All the best.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Mary,

They you very much for connecting and reaching out with regards to your questions. Additionally, thank you for your detailed comment as this will make it easier for me to answer your question. I very much regret to hear about the situation you are going through. From what I can tell you are trying to put the title into your own names and are having trouble because although the sellers information and signature is present the title is not signed by the company that helps sell the home. This is absolutely not the first time this is happened and sadly it will definitely not be the last. I see a few ways you have to move forward. 1.) Contact your states manufactured home division and asked them for specific instructions with this exact situation. Mentioned that you are a private buyer purchasing from a private seller, and provide the serial number or VIN information to the clerk over the phone. Explain your situation and ask for help. The state will provide the quickest legal way forward with the path of least resistance. 2.) Have the sellers forged the signature of the company. This is obviously illegal however if the company is out of business it may get the deal closed. I do not encourage that you use this method however I did list it because it is an option that you have. 3.) Contact a local real estate attorney for help in this matter. Look for an attorney with one hour free consultation and have your questions ready when you call or show up for your free hour. 4.) Demand that because there is not clear title you receive your money back from the seller. I hope this all helps a bit and make sense. If I am missing something please don’t ever hesitate to comment back or let me know. Additionally, if you ever have any follow-up questions or concerns please never hesitate to reach out any time. There is a way out of this situation however you may have to do some digging prior to finding out the answer. I hope this all helps and make sense. Keep in touch. Have a great rest of the week.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Angela,

Thank you for reaching out and connecting with regards to your questions. I regret to hear about your parents passing. In some mobile home parks you will be able to talk directly with the owner and they will have empathy for your situation and not wish to charge you lot rent while your brother is in the home and you are attempting to resell the property. With that said this is almost never the case, and the mobile home park you are in will most likely want the backspace rent owed. While the mobile home park may not be able to evict your brother, as they do not have any documentation on him. They can certainly restrict you from selling the home or moving the home until the back lot rent is brought current. You may be able to negotiate this down if the amount is substantial however the park has most of the leverage with regards to making sure you pay or they will make it tough for you to resell the property. I hope this helps and makes sense. If you have any additional questions or concerns or thoughts never hesitate to reach out any time.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Jackie,

Thank you for reaching out and connecting. Additionally, thank you for your detailed comment as this helps me answer your questions. Please see my thoughts below in bold.

I hope you can answer this for us..we are pulling our hair out. My mother in law passed last day of Feb 2016.. I very much regret to hear this. She left her mobile home in Englewood FL to my husband and his two sisters by quit claim but it appears the State of FL Charlotte Cty never filed it although we have a copy of it. If you can find the signed and notarized original this can still be recorded even though she has passed. I am assuming that because there is a quitclaim deed this is a manufactured home attached to a small piece of land (as mobile homes and parks would not use a quitclaim deed). Her husband (their stepdad) had the mobile home in his name and paid cash..he passed in 2002 and left everything to her including this mobile home which they shared for 20 plus years…we have his and her death certificates, we have his and her will stating the above, we have the quit claim he did to give her ownership of the mobile home and we have her quit claim she did in Charlotte Cty to gives ownership to her three kids..we have the title to the mobile home but the title is not “clear” we are told because there is no record with Charlotte Cty. Understood. Have you contacted a real estate attorney yet? If not I encourage you to contact a local real estate attorney that offers one free hour consultation to get your questions answered during this free hour. We have the mobile home for sale and had one great offer but lost it because no bank will give a loan w/o a clear title.. Understood. We now have another offer this morning but it is about 4,000 less because of the nonclear title..they are offering cash. We’d like to get this cleared up and we have a definite paper trail but are not sure where to start. I’m assuming that the taxes have been paid in our current up to this point. If they are not this will absolutely have to be addressed. Is the lien on the mobile home valid? Is this from a company still in existence? If this was paid off and not removed from the title this can be cleared up with a few phone calls to the company. Let me know the answers to these questions as they are certainly important with regards to getting the lien removed from the title. We are in CT so we don’t know who to call in Fl?? In Florida you will want to call your counties property appraiser and tax assessor to find out more information with regards to taxes and homeownership. You can absolutely explain your situation and the folks on the other end of the phone should point you in the right direction moving forward. .can you help us?? Let me know the answers and thoughts to the questions above and we can certainly go from there. It is good that you are in an area where you the home is in demand and it sounds like there are eager buyers willing to purchase it as soon as the title issues get cleared up.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Belinda,

Thank you for commenting and reaching out with regards to your questions. I very much regret to hear about your situation. You may be able to call your local states manufactured housing titling division (DMV, DOT, manufacturing titling agency, they vary per state) to possibly find out more information on the home based on its current address. If this is not possible then you will need to find the serial number or VIN of the mobile home so that the state can tell you who the owners name is and where you can find this owner or what to do to get the home registered into your name. The VIN or serial number may be found on the “data plate” somewhere in the mobile home. This is a piece of paper or small piece of metal that is typically screwed to the wall in the master bedroom closets, near the hot water heater, near the washer and dryer, near the electrical box. If you are unable to find this or perhaps it was painted over or removed, there may be information on the very front of the mobile home near the mobile homes tongue. You may have to take off the front piece of skirting to find the small metal plate, however you may have luck there. Once this is found you can call the state to ask them what is the easiest way to move forward and get this ownership into your name. Additionally, if the taxes have not been paid in a number of years there will likely be an amount owed before the title can be transferred into your possession. If you are unable to find this serial number or VIN then you may not be able to get more information on the mobile home until you find this information. A local real estate attorney may be able to help you however without identification of the mobile home it will certainly be difficult, unless the state can create a new serial number and VIN for you. Like I mentioned in the video above, you could sell the home with only a bill of sale. This really would not be selling the home however it would allow someone to move in and take possession. If you do sell the home without a title You should absolutely be transparent and let whoever you know purchases the home that a title will be nearly impossible to a get in the future. I hope this makes sense and starts to point you in the right direction. If you have any follow-up questions or concerns never hesitate to reach out any time.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Patricia,

Thank you for reaching out and connecting. I very much regret to hear about the situation you are currently going through. That is awful that the previous sellers simply took your family’s money and did not provide you with a clear title. Depending on your state I’m curious if there is any legal course of action you can take with the help of a real estate attorney. I would encourage you to talk to a real estate attorney that may know about manufactured homes and offers one free hour of consultation. Try to get all your questions answered during this one free hour. I mention this because in some states there is a legal proceeding to sue and obtain a new title. If this home is located in a pre-existing mobile home park you may also have the park put a lien on the property to then repossess and take into their own names. They can then sell the home from themselves over to you. You would certainly pay the park the required cost for this however it certainly can be done if the park is willing to play ball. Besides that you can try to “sell” your interest in the mobile home with the help of a “bill of sale”. Like I mentioned in the video above this will not technically transfer any ownership however the new buyers will be able to live in the property without anyone disturbing them moving forward. What state are you located in? This may help me a little bit depending on the state. Moving forward if you have any follow-up questions or concerns never hesitate to reach out any time.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Lee,

Thank you so much for reaching out and connecting with regards to your questions. My deepest respect goes out to you for proactively looking at ways to solve this problem. I agree that the issue is rampant and will likely only continue as people continue to “sell” mobile homes without titles and simply pass the problem to the next buyer who does not understand a mobile home title is required for ownership.

From my understanding if you are able to find a Vin number or serial number or title number of some kind to identify the property, you will then be able to start the detective work to find out who has ownership in the title and what fees are likely past-due from back taxes?

If I am correct in assuming that all is we need to do is find the VIN number or some identification information than my first thought would be to look up the mobile home by physical address if possible. This seems like an easy answer and I’m sure you have tried this already so the next possibility is to either talk with the mobile home community itself, in hopes that they have kept records or have a photocopy of a previous title. The last solution I can offer is to remove the front pieces of the mobile home skirting where the mobile home tongue should be. There is sometimes a metal data plate welded to the flat area at the front of the mobile home (the flat area is the area where the tongue should be but not directly on the tongue of the mobile home). My mind also goes to thinking that the park could put a lien on the property and then file for a title that way, however if they do not know the Vin number or any information then by all means they will not likely be able to put a lien on the home.

I hope this helps and makes some sense. Besides these few suggestions above I have had to pass on a number of homes because of the same titling issue. If you are able to find another solution or workaround please try to comment back or email me personally to let me know. As you mentioned a blanket solution for this problem would absolutely help a lot of people. All the best.

Talk soon,
John

P.S. I had one final thought that if the homes tax decal (Florida only) is present we may be able to work backwards to find the homes information that way.

Hi Kelly,

Thank you so much for reaching out and connecting with regards to your question. Additionally, thank you so much for the detailed description is the certainly does help me understand your situation and answer the question better. I agree that title insurance may not have been purchased, however this is deftly something to follow-up on and confirm. If you do purchase this property it sounds as if you will own the land, however will not own the home on top of the land. With that said it does not sound like anyone will be coming after you for this property because “they” are the owner. Have personal property taxes been paid on this mobile home in the past few years? At the very minimum I would use this “surprise” to get the purchase price reduced significantly if at all possible. Moving forward you will be doing some due diligence to track down the true owner and obtain a satisfaction of lien from the current lien holder if at all possible. With that said the lienholder may have gone out of business and this may prove to be almost impossible. There are other ways you may obtain title such as possibly placing a lien on the title, as the home will be sitting on your land without paying you. You would then normally be able to take possession/ownership of the home by repossession at this point, since you are the lienholder. However the first lien in place makes this a bit difficult as they will have to be satisfied as well, which again they most likely have already been paid in full.

In short, you will have an uphill battle obtaining the title for the home, however this should not be impossible. With that said if it does prove impossible you still do have a place to live. I would absolutely try to renegotiate the price if you do decide to move forward as clear title will not be transferred and you technically will not be buying the mobile home. Also, when you go to resell the property it will prove a bit challenging as well if you are not able to obtain clear title by this time. I hope this helps and starts to make sense. I wish I had an easy solution for you to obtain clear title in Georgia however I do not. This is certainly a situation I have heard many times before and will likely continue to hear in the future. If you do move forward make sure you are getting a great deal and that the price is reduced due to the fact you will have to overcome these objections. Lastly, great job being proactive in calling the state to find out more. Moving forward if you come to any new realizations or discoveries please comment back and let us know what happened. Additionally, any future questions or concerns never hesitate to reach out any time. All the best.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Kaylin,

Thank you for reaching out and connecting. I very much regret to hear about the situation you are going through. It sounds very much like this previous seller omitted very important fax to you prior to you purchasing their home. In my opinion this is definitely fraudulent and possibly worthy of pursuing legal matters if there was any chance of getting your money back. With that said it looks as if you are writing from Washington state. If this is the case then please see the thoughts below of a Washington state mobile home investor after looking at your comment. The following advice comes from this local investor…

Sounds like the previous owner is being cool about it/a good person. Could be a disaster otherwise.

If she just wants insurance and doesn’t care about the title I would say try Foremost, otherwise the department of licensing can help her through the process but it may be cumbersome. Possibly not but Washington state is pretty by the book and bureacratic.

END—-

I hope the above thoughts and advice help and make sense. As always, moving forward if you have any additional questions or concerns please never hesitate to reach out any time. If you are not located in Washington state or have any other questions never hesitate to reach out and will be happy to answer as best we can. If you’re able to figure things out in an easier way please never hesitate to comment back and let us know what works. All the best.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Kathi,

Thank you for reaching out and connecting. First things first, I very much regret to hear about your husband’s passing. I wish you and your family the best during this time. With that said I’m happy to say that this does happen fairly regularly in the state of Florida and there absolutely is a procedure moving forward. In my experience you will need to physically go down to the Department of Motor Vehicles and provide them with the death certificate in person and your ID, however there absolutely is a procedure for this. I encourage you to call the DMV directly at 850-617-2000 and let them know your specific situation. If there is a way for you to do this over the phone or fax machine they will also let you know of this. I hope this helps and starts to point you in the right direction. As always, if you ever have any follow-up questions or concerns please never hesitate to reach out any time. All the best.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Jason,

Thanks for reaching out and connecting. Great job thinking ahead of the curve and realizing that purchasing this land and home package through a foreclosure, will normally have the bank not providing you with the actual titles to the mobile home. These may have been lost or misplaced over time, however many buyers would never even think to ask for the titles simply assuming that they may not exist because the home may or may not be considered “real property” because it is attached to the land. With that said you will want to find some identifying marks on the mobile home itself or via the home’s legal description if attached to real property. Find the serial number, HUD number, or VIN associated with the mobile home. This may be two sets of numbers if the home is a double wide. Once you have this information contact the local Department of Motor Vehicles in Alabama in your area to find out who is the owner and where the current location of the home is supposed to be. Also find out if there are any current liens on the title and if all current taxes have been paid. If this home is still listed as private property and find out how to obtain a title through the DMV if possible. The DMV will tell you that the owner must sign off to transfer the title from their control to yours. You also want to asked the DMV about placing a lien on the home if you are the landowner where the home is sitting. This may be a way to obtain an abandoned title in the future if the current owner is unavailable. Either way your search will start at the local DMV and figuring out who owns this home and if all taxes are current. I hope this helps and makes sense. If I missed something with regards to your question or did not fully answer your question never hesitate to reach out any time. Always here and happy to help if I can. Keep in touch.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Jennifer,

Thank you for reaching out and connecting. I regret to hear you are not able to get in touch with the MVC however there is absolutely an easy procedure for you to obtain a duplicate title. In New Jersey you will want to get in touch with the Department of Motor Vehicles in person if possible. Make sure to bring your ID with you. The clerk behind the desk will provide you with a form to fill out and a small fee to pay. They may be able to print you out a title while you are there for an extra small fee. Again, it doesn’t surprise me that these people did not call you back. When dealing with the state this sometimes does happen. Get up and go to the DMV yourself and the issue should be taken care of within a matter of minutes. This is of course assuming you are truly the owner and all current taxes and back taxes have been paid. If this is not the case then taxes will need to be brought current before a duplicate title can be reissued. This is not always the case from state to state, however it typically is the norm. I hope this helps and make sense moving forward. If you have any follow-up questions or concerns please never hesitate to reach out any time.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Christina,

Thank you for reaching out and connecting. It looks as if you are writing from Ohio. If this is the case then before you become too concerned call up your local title office and provide them the VIN or serial number or title number to the mobile home if you have it. It is important to find out whose name is on this title, if there are any liens, and if the taxes are current. If the title is in the park or owner’s name they can easily get a duplicate title and provide this to you.

With everything set above, the certainly is concerning a bit. Based on some experience it sounds as if this owner is very absent-minded, neglectful, or downright lying to you about ever having the title. It is my belief that he may or may not have the title however is not wanting to provide it to you in case you ever move the home out of the park or simply because he is unable to get the title for some reason. Depending on how much you paid as a down payment you may wish to back out of the deal if a title cannot be found or resolution cannot be agreed to after contacting the state. They may say that a bill of sale will suffice however in my experience a title is needed. Do you know if he has done this to anyone else in the community?

Talk soon,
John

Hi Michael,

Thank you for reaching out and connecting. Additionally, thank you for your detailed comment as the certainly does help me understand your situation a bit better. I very much regret to hear about the family issues you are having with regards to your parents estate. Some states make this information a bit easier to track than others. Looks like you may be writing from Louisiana, if this is the case then the DMV will have much of the information with regards to past sales of the mobile home, however there pretty tightlipped about not sharing them with the general public. In short, in most states there is no real way to find out what the home has previously been purchased or resold for. I believe that that is the information that you are looking for. If you are looking for different information about the property besides what it previously bought and sold for them please feel free to write back and let me know. If you have any additional follow-up questions or concerns never hesitate to reach out any time as well. All the best.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Wendy,

Thank you for reaching out and connecting. I apologize about the delay in this comment reply. I’m not sure what has changed however I will answer these questions assuming not much has changed. Besides the fact that many foreclosures and evictions are suspended around the country due to the coronavirus. If your daughter is still the owner that she may obtain a duplicate title to then resell to someone else. Once she has this duplicate title the person living in the home might be a bit more interested in cooperating. With that said depending on how much is owed the person in the home may have lost their job to to the coronavirus or something else. However not calling you is no excuse and should not be tolerated. Instead of a three day notice. I would give a 30 day notice for nonrenewal of lease. This would be the correct paperwork for this situation. Even though there is no written lease, or verbal lease for that matter, you are not demanding any rent and there is no payment the resident can make. If they are not out in 30 days then you may evict them. It is a little bit more time however it is the correct thing to do. The court want to see that you gave this 30 day notice in most areas. Additionally, most courts are closed for 30 days or longer. Feel free to keep in touch moving forward. Hope this helps.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Mary,

Thank you for reaching out and connecting. Additionally, thank you for the detailed comment as the certainly does help me understand your situation a bit better. I very much got to hear about the situation you are going through. Your boyfriend definitely sounds like he took advantage of the situation and probably knew what he was going to do from the beginning. With that being said I would definitely encourage you to contact the state directly. Every state has a mobile home complaint department where you can report fraudulent activity like this. You will not want to let this go. If this can be proven to the state and a new title can likely be printed and sent directly to you. Once this happens you can evict whoever is inside. I hope this helps and points you in the right direction. Keep in touch moving forward. If you have any follow-up questions never hesitate to reach out any time.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Liza,

Thank you so much for reaching out and connecting. Additionally, thank you for your detailed comment as the certainly does help me understand your situation a bit better. My apologies for the delay in this comment reply. By this time I assume that you’ve already worked out the situation, however I would still like to answer this to help you and others reading this. I would very much encourage you to call the TDHCA located in Texas. I’m glad to say that Texas has a pretty simple and straightforward process to solve your situation, and others in this exact situation as well. You are not the first person that this has happened to, and you will sadly not be the last. However again Texas does make this pretty simple as long as you can show somewhat valid proof that you have been living in the home for a significant length of time. I would definitely encourage you to call the Texas manufactured home titling department at (512) 475-2200 explain your situation to the clerk over the phone. You will need your mobile home serial number or VIN to give to the clerk over the phone so they may help you out a bit more. These folks will usually point you in the right direction moving forward. I hope this helps and all makes sense. Moving forward if you have any follow-up questions never hesitate to reach out any time. All the best.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Judith,

Thank you for reaching out and connecting. I very much regret to hear about the losses in your family. Thank you for the detailed comment as the certainly does help me understand your situation a bit better. However I’m unsure of what state that you and the mobile home are located in. However I can absolutely say that you are not the first person to go through a situation like this that needs a duplicate title, or the title track down and finally placed into his/her name. I would absolutely encourage you to click the link below. Once you get to that page scroll down a bit and click on your state. You will then find instructions to transfer title. You are not looking to transfer title but rather obtain the mobile homes VIN or serial number to call your states title transferring department. Explain the situation clearly to them and they will let you know the quickest way to move forward legally to obtain ownership of the mobile home. I hope that this helps and starts to point you in the right direction. If they are not very helpful then there are ways to move forward as you are the landowner as well and can likely eventually file for an abandoned title if possible. If you have any follow-up questions never hesitate to reach out anytime. All the best. https://www.mobilehomeinvesting.net/mobile-home-title-transfer-state-by-state/

Talk soon,
John

Hi Sarah,

Thank you for reaching out and connecting. Additionally, thank you for the detailed comment is the certainly does help me understand the situation a bit better. There definitely are options in many situations, however most of these options require there being some identifying information or numbers on the mobile home itself. Since the mobile home does not have a Vin number it really does not matter where it was built as long as the wind zone is the correct one for the area. You will want to get in touch with the state directly and find out how you are able to receive a new VIN or serial number for the mobile home. You want to call the states manufactured housing titles and department to get started with. Once a new Vin number can be obtained than a new title can be created with the owners information. I hope this helps and punch you in the right direction. All the best.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Jacob,

Thank you for reaching out and connecting. Additionally, thank you for the detailed comment as this definitely helps me understand your situation a bit better. I regret to hear that you are going through the situation in the first place. The landowner may likely be able to get clear title of the mobile home to abandonment in Kansas. However depending on the situation they may not be able to get clear title as well. This process may take a few months however it is important for management to keep in touch with you in my opinion. Locate your mobile homes VIN or serial number then called the DMV locally in Wichita and mention you have purchased this mobile home and provide the VIN or serial number to the clerk over the phone. Let them know you want to confirm that it is in the park’s name or not. Also try to find out the last time the title was changed into the current owner’s name. It is best to work with the park if they are sincere about getting you an abandoned title. However talking with the local real estate attorney for a free consultation is definitely not a bad idea either. I hope that this helps and point you in the right direction moving forward. If you have any follow-up questions now or moving forward never hesitate to reach out anytime. All the best.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Linette,

Thank you for reaching out and connecting. Additionally, thank you for the detailed comment as the certainly does help me understand your situation a bit better. You’re certainly right to be concerned about selling this home in the future and a bank being interested. In my experience if there is no title the bank or the bank’s underwriter will jam up to the deal. Even though the mobile home is considered real property and the title may have been relinquished the state banks will not approve the deal if a physical title cannot be shown. However this is only in many cases and some banks or loans will allow this to go through from what I have seen. This means that if you plan to rent the property or sell this with seller financing then you should have no problem moving forward. Hope this helps a bit and make sense. These new exit strategies into account when making a purchase offer. It will not only be difficult for you but anyone else that buys the home to sell it with bank financing. Hope this one works out if you can get it for the right price. All the best.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Andrew,

Thank you for reaching out and connecting. Great work jumping on this opportunity and pulling the trigger when you had the chance. However I regret to hear that this “vendor” never provided you with clear title. Did you purchase this mobile home directly from a mobile home park? Or perhaps from a mobile home dealer or mover? If the vendor is a dealer and licensed with the state than it may not been ethical or legal for them to sell you this property with no title. However I am glad that there is at least a decal number that hopefully matches the mobile home. I would very much encourage you to contact the California HCD at (800) 952-8356 to ask them specifically how to obtain clear title in your name the easiest way possible. Since this is a renovation project I would encourage you mention you are a private buyer who is purchasing a mobile home for themselves. You will definitely want the serial number or decal number when you call the HCD office. You may have to wait on hold for a while however these folks are usually very helpful whenever I call. They will be able to tell you the quickest and easiest path forward. Hope this helps and points you in the right direction. All the best.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Janet,

Thank you for reaching out and connecting. The short answer is that you will need to bring the mobile home up to current HUD standards and have the home inspected in order to obtain a new serial number or VIN. If you did have a HUD label number, serial number, or VIN you would be able to file for an abandoned title or obtain clear title in another way. You are not even able to go through court as you do not currently have any pertinent information on the mobile home. This does not mean it is not valuable, there are certainly buyers will purchase a mobile home with no title and only a bill-of-sale. In most states this definitely does not convey mobile home ownership however it definitely happens in every state mobile homes exist within. When you only transfer the home with a bill of sale there are definitely precautions you want to make to protect both you and the buyer. I hope this helps and point you in the right direction moving forward. This is definitely the short answer, however if you have any follow-up mobile home related questions please never hesitate to reach out any time. If you find some pertinent information on the mobile home or discover another way to move forward please never hesitate to comment back anytime. Keep in touch. All the best.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Susan,

Thank you for reaching out and connecting. Thank you for expanding the situation as this definitely helps me understand things a bit better. The state will likely have your mother sell her interest over to your son for a dollar. However there should be a way for your mother to simply remove her interest without this being considered a “sale”. Have the VIN or serial number or title number to the mobile home and contact the local Department of Motor Vehicles to ask them this question. They will tell you the quickest and simplest way to have your mother’s name removed and where to go moving forward. You may have to wait on time for a bit however these folks are usually helpful when we have general questions like this. I hope this helps and points you in the right direction moving forward. If you have any follow-up mobile home questions never hesitate to reach out any time. All the best.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Sangeeta,

Thank you for reaching out and connecting. Great job searching everywhere you could to find any kind of pertinent information or serial numbers concerning the mobile home. You may be able to find the information online if you search via the address on the local property appraiser’s website tax collectors website, or by calling the local Department of Motor Vehicles. That said the Department of Motor Vehicles will likely not provide you with the serial number unless you are the landowner or owner of the mobile home typically. You are not able to move forward with a bonded title, abandoned title, or even have a court case to obtain a new title as you do not currently have any information on the mobile home itself. However this does not mean it is not valuable. There are certainly still mobile home buyers that will take a mobile home with only a bill of sale. This does not sell the ownership, however it does sell possession and hands over the keys. There are definitely things to consider and know before selling this way, and in many states it will deftly not be the right way to move forward as far as the state is concerned. However many situations are different and sometimes it is wise to sell with only a bill of sale, sometimes it is able to be tackled another way, or sometimes the mobile home is demoed and a new/use home is added with a clear title. I hope this helps him and point you in the right direction moving forward. It is probably not the advice you are looking for however I hope that it makes sense. If you have any follow-up questions about this or something else never hesitate to reach out anytime. All the best.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Brenda,

Thank you very much for reaching out and connecting. I very much regret to hear that 15 years ago you were dealing with a company that never completed the deal and transfer title into your name. Perhaps they never owned the home in the first place or perhaps they just got lazy. Since you are not the owner is difficult for you to contact the DMV and ask them for information about the current owner. I’m not sure what state you are in, however in some states you are able to find out more about who is the current owner on the property appraiser’s website or local County tax collector’s website by putting in the personal property address, owner’s name, or serial number. I’m curious if the taxes or yearly registration has been paid over the past 15 years? If the local government did not know that you are the owner perhaps the bill was being sent somewhere else. If this is the case then this will likely have to be paid before title transfer can be put into your name. However in some states this is not the case. I would encourage you to contact the manager at the Department of Motor Vehicles where you are. I assume that this is where they transfer titles in your state since this is what you mentioned before, however I’m not sure exactly what state you’re in but the DMV is a commonplace for titles to be transferred. Contact the manager and let them know your situation and asked them what can be done. Due to her exact situation you may need to go in front of a judge and start a court case to petition for a title. You want to prove to a judge that you are the owner for the last 15 years and forced the DMV to create a new title for you. In my experience this would be the worst case scenario, however you’re not left with many options as this was done so long ago and the company you are dealing with is long out of business. Keep in mind that in many states you will still be able to find a buyer that will pay money for a mobile home without a clear title. This is not ideal however there are still a number of buyers that will not know to ask about a title or simply not care. This is definitely not ideal and it is very important to disclose the entire situation to a buyer, however it is important to know all of your options. If possible it is definitely ideal to obtain clear title in order to sell the mobile home correctly. I hope this helps some and make sense. Moving forward if you have any follow-up questions please never hesitate to reach out anytime. All the best.

Talk soon,
John

Hi Kaylee,

Thank you for reaching out and connecting. The answer definitely will vary from state to state. However it absolutely sounds like the seller is ignoring you for one reason or another. Perhaps the seller never truly owned the home in the first place or there is a lien on the property or something else. If possible, contact the mobile home title department in your state. Give them the serial number or VIN of the mobile home you purchase. This number may be on the bill of sale you have, any tax paperwork you pay annually, or on the mobile homes data plate which is a piece of paper that can be found somewhere inside the mobile home on a wall with pertinent information about the mobile home. Your states mobile home title transfer department should be able to tell you if the person you bought it from is the current person on title. They should also be able to tell you when the last time the title was transferred and if there are any taxes owed or hidden liens. Depending on what information you find out, he will then want to ask the clerk over the phone what are the steps to obtain a title. Explain the situation you are in and asked to speak with a manager there if possible. This is definitely not the first time this has happened, and unfortunately will not be the last time. In every state there is a process, and you may have to go to court to obtain clear title. If you are not able to find the Vin number or serial number and that is more of a significant problem and you may not be able to obtain a clear title without these numbers. If there is a HUD label on the back of the home this will have some numbers as well that may be given to the state to identify the mobile home. There may be some numbers pressed into the steel at the very front of the mobile home where the tongue is found. Hope this helps and points you in the right direction. Keep in touch moving forward. Happy to help if possible.

Talk soon,
John