Selling your mobile home can’t happen without someone around to buy it! Finding a buyer is central to your selling plan. This goes without saying, of course. But what’s somewhat more elusive is finding a good buyer. That can be a little intimidating. After all, your buyer can make or break the experience.
You, as a seller, want a good experience with your buyer and a sale that happens quickly and smoothly. But in order for that to happen, you must know how to spot the good, the bad, and the ugly. You have to learn how to avoid the bad and seek out the good buyers, whether you’re selling to an individual buyer or a buying company.
Helping you sell your mobile home
So today in our seller’s sit-down series, we’re going to talk about some of the ways your buyer can affect the selling experience. Along the way, you’ll learn how to search for a buyer who values a good home and a good sale as much as you do.
And, as always, you’ll gain more of the confidence you need to sell your mobile home. Because that’s what this series is all about! Our goal is to take the fear out of selling by sitting down and sharing our tips and experiences with you. Selling is often a long, complicated process that makes homeowners cringe to think about. But it doesn’t have to be that hard. When you know exactly what to do (and in this case, who to look for to buy your mobile home) it can actually be pretty simple.
11 Ways your buyer can make or break the experience
So let’s get straight down to it. These are 11 ways your buyer can affect your selling experience. We’ll be contrasting good characteristics with bad ones so we can demonstrate what to avoid and what to look for in a potential buyer.
#1 Not caring about your story
A buyer must care about you personally. Sure, you have a great mobile home that they would love to buy. But is that all they see? Are you just means to an end? You shouldn’t be. Rather, they should see you as who you are: a person with a story.
If your story isn’t important to a buyer it will cause a ripple effect.
You can spot a buyer who doesn’t care about you or your situation because they’ll be dismissive. In a hurry, no time to talk about the details. You may have important things going on or even contingencies that are important to you. A buyer who only cares about himself and his own situation is one who will certainly ruin the experience for you.
#2 Being a good listener and asking questions
On the other hand, if buyers care about your story, they’ll listen. They’ll ask questions, get your side of things, and try to make it work for both of you. They’ll want to do what will make you happy, as well as themselves.
Find a buyer who cares. If you explain your needs, expectations, and situation to them, and no matter how complicated they may be, a good buyer will at least listen. Then you can both come to a satisfying compromise.
#3 Being in a rush
Buyers, and especially companies, are sometimes in a hurry to buy a mobile home. Maybe you can understand this if you’re equally in a hurry to sell. Quick transactions can be a big help in some situations, but a buyer who is in too much of a hurry can make things go downhill fast.
These kinds of buyers are in too much of a rush to listen and communicate. They may even be too rushed to complete the sale the right way, which can cause uncomfortable conversations at best and legal problems at worst.
We mentioned buying companies. Buying companies purchase mobile homes for cash, and they value fast transactions. Because of this, buying companies and the investors who run them can be tempted to make the excuse that it’s “just business.” Not a good characteristic of a caring buyer. If you intend to sell to a buying company, search for one that is prompt and helpful, but not in a rush to get their hands on your home.
#4 Showing willingness to compromise
A good buyer is a compromiser (a good seller is a compromiser too, but that’s a conversation for another day!). You’re not going to get anywhere if there isn’t some compromising along the way. Instead of being so eager to get the sale over with that they don’t take your interest into account, a buyer should be ever-ready to negotiate.
What do you want and what does your buyer want? Can you reach an agreement by compromising on some of the small things?
#5 Failing at communication
It’s almost impossible to reach these compromises if there is bad communication. If the buyer isn’t clear about what’s important to them, how are you going to come to an agreement?
A good buyer should be absolutely firm and clear about what’s important to them. However, a bad buyer will be difficult to work with if he or she is vague or just plain dishonest. Transparency is vital, especially if you’re working with a buying company. Beware of buying companies that have bad communication. If a company takes a long time to respond and does so vaguely when they do get around to it, you probably want to move on and find another buyer.
#6 Being open to sharing knowledge
There should be a good measure of shared knowledge when it comes to buying and selling mobile homes. Specifically with buying companies, a seller has the right to know what’s happening behind the scenes. You’re the buying company’s client, and you should be treated as such. Transparency is key.
Ask to know what a buying company’s process looks like. Find out why they think you should work with them rather than with the hundreds of other buying companies around the country. Remember, buying companies purchase dozens of mobile homes every year. They know more about buying and selling than you do. If they’re willing to share their knowledge and expertise with you, that’s a sign that your experience with them will be satisfactory.
#7 Seeming unable to bring the deal to a close
Avoid buyers who are unsure of themselves. They can quickly wear you out. When a buyer keeps negotiations up for too long, hemming and hawing, you might want to consider moving on to another potential buyer.
For you, bringing the deal to a close quickly and with as little hassle as possible is important. Not to this kind of buyer. Unlike you, they’re hesitant and unmotivated. This may be a sign that they don’t have sufficient funds to buy your home and are fishing for a little charity. Or they may be trying to rip you off. They may have never intended to buy your home, but are simply window shopping, wasting your time and energy. Avoid these buyers like the plague. They’ll never come through for you.
#8 Being willing to close the deal and move on
For a selling experience to be a good one, it must be brought to a satisfying end. At some point, you have to end negotiations and sign the papers. The home switches hands, you move out, and you take the next steps in your life. And you never worry about your old mobile home again. You’re confident that it’s in good hands.
As a seller, you want to know that when the deal is done, it’s actually done! Unlike the hesitant buyer we mentioned above, a good buyer is swift to come to an agreement. They’re motivated and ready to pay. They want to close the deal and move on as much as you do. Find a motivated buyer, whether an individual or a company, who will complete the buying process efficiently and not keep coming back with problems or proposals.
#9 Arguing
Then there are those buyers who just like to argue. They’re similar to the kind of buyers who never bring the deal to a close. The difference is, they really want your home. And they’ll do a lot of aggressive negotiating to get it.
The good news is, if you’re firm and know what you want, even the best arguments can’t sway you. Know what your home is worth. Stick to it. There will be things you can’t compromise on. Don’t give into an aggressive buyer, no matter how stubborn or argumentative they are.
#10 Being prompt and keeping their word
The culmination of all the good attributes we’ve talked about is a buyer who is prompt, friendly, and keeps their word. A good buyer should have a very good reason for ever dropping out on a contract or delaying a response.
A positive selling experience happens when you make an agreement with any necessary compromises, close on the deal quickly, get your money in hand, and move on. Anything less than that can really ruin the process for you, so look for buyers who are prompt, honest, and will go to great lengths to keep their promises.
#11 Acting dishonestly
The worst kind of buyer is a buyer who is just plain dishonest. Dishonesty in real estate can take many forms, but the single best way to avoid it is to arm yourself with knowledge. Know the warning signs. A buyer might try to lure you in with cash and take your home off your hands for a much lower price than it’s actually worth. There are plenty of real estate scams out there, so be cautious!
Finding a buyer with integrity
Before we wrap this up, let’s discuss a few ways to find good buyers whether you’re hiring a realtor, selling the “for sale by owner” way, or looking for a buying company to purchase your mobile home for cash.
Selling to an individual buyer
The key to finding a good buyer is being a good seller. And to be a good seller, you’ll need to educate yourself. The internet is jam-packed with information on selling, so what are you waiting for? Learn everything you can.
Buyers know the market well. After all, they’ve been searching high and low for a mobile home, maybe for several months. If you know the market, and you price your home reasonably, there’s a good chance a buyer will notice and get interested. The next step is to apply the Golden Rule: do to others what you want them to do to you. Everything we’ve talked about today can be applied not just to buyers, but to sellers as well! That means that as a seller, you should care about your buyer’s needs. Compromise on the small things and stay firm on the big things. Be a prompt communicator. Bring the deal to a swift and satisfying conclusion.
Selling to a buying company
Looking for a good buying company to sell your mobile home to is a little different than selling to an individual buyer. To make the process go smoothly, our best advice is to thoroughly vet the companies you’re considering. Look them up online, read reviews, and get in touch with people who have used them, if you can.
When you contact a company, try to have realistic expectations. Remember that buying companies buy mobile homes for less than what you would get from an individual buyer. If you are realistic and confident, a buying company will want to work with you.
Also, it’s a good idea to offer buying companies an empty mobile home. They find empty homes more attractive because it makes the buying/selling process faster for both of you. The best way to attract a good buying company is by being a good seller.
Selling with confidence
Why are so many homeowners afraid to sell their mobile homes? Most of the time, it’s because they have no idea what they’re doing. If a seller doesn’t know how to handle a park owner or find a good buyer, how can they be confident?
Selling your mobile home is a big step. Finding a buyer is a key part of that plan, and there are a lot of ways a potential buyer could make or break the experience. Use the knowledge you accumulated today to aim for a good experience!
