Mobile Home Investing is not the Same in all Areas

Mobile Home Investing is not the Same in all Areas

Homeowner · Saint Petersburg, FL · Member since 2013 · 41 posts · 4 votes

I've read quite a few posts here on mobile home investing and I know for a fact, living in Florida requires you to get a license for ANY mobile home bought and sold as an investment opportunity. According to Florida law, anyone who buys, sells, or deal in mobile homes must become a dealer. I have spoken to several representatives from the State, the compliance officer for the region, and the instructor for the mobile home licensing course and all have told me that I am not allowed to buy more than one MH and sell it for profit without a license. I've had my license for two months and have been trying to find a loophole where I'm actually able to buy a home and finance it but I'm being told I cannot do that either. I'm also told if I upgrade my license to a dealer, I would be able to do more, but still didn't get a definite answer as to whether I can finance, advising me to contact the Real Estate Commission. I'm in a situation right now where all I'm doing is advertising to bring the buyer and seller together; no real money to be made right now until I can get more opportunity. I talked with the licensing instructor last week and he told me the law has been revised to provide more opportunity for broker and I'm actually able to buy a MH, assign the title in my business name, and when I sell, re-assign it to the new buyer. Still not clear because the compliance officer is saying totally different.
For anyone who has the idea of investing in mobile homes in Florida, be aware of the licensing law.

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  • Specialist · Springfield, IL · Member since 2011 · 700 posts · 479 votes
    12y

    Great Post! Far too many post here and elsewhere on the internet, stating what they believe is legal in their state and forget to warn people that other states often have vastly different laws. People reading here often unwittingly get themselves into trouble following advice that works in the poster's state, but not in the state they start operating in.

    For that matter in some states, certain rules can even vary from county to county or from city to city. People posting advice that involves legal issues should be very careful to define the scope and geography of their knowledge and expertise.

  • Dallas, TX · Member since 2013 · 4k+ posts · 744 votes
    12y

    Sheena,

    It is best to talk to a lawyer in your area for straight answers and take everything on the internet with a grain of salt because most will give ideas but nothing to back it up.

    Joe Gore

  • Investor · Clairemont, CA · Member since 2011 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    12y

    Sheena it sounds like you have several different areas of focus that are being run together which may be why you are having difficulty getting more straight answers.

    The one is about buying and selling MH's requiring a dealer's license, which is state specific.

    The other is about financing those sales which has something to do with the SAFE act which is federal.

    There is a thread here on BP that is quite long now and has an industry professional that works to make sure people are SAFE act compliant specifically for MH's. It may not be FL specific but may help you begin knowing what questions you need to ask a FL state atty to get more of the answers you need.

    I dug up the thread which actually was started by Ken who posted above.

    http://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/30/topics/105344-lonnie-deals---then-and-now---the-original-method-wont-work

  • Homeowner · Saint Petersburg, FL · Member since 2013 · 41 posts · 4 votes
    12y

    Hi, thanks for the information. Yes, I actually did ask about both- being able to buy and sell, and also being able to finance the homes and was told by the State of Florida and the Compliance Officer that I would need to contact the Real Estate Commission regarding the ability to finance.

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