Questions and Answers with my Mobile Home Mover.

Just so they'll know who they talking to, look at that camera and tell them how long you been doing this.

55 years.

55 years. Baby, don't let this little bit of oxygen fool you. He is the baddest mambo jambo in North Carolina, okay? What's up everybody, it's Nichole Briscoe, aka the Mobile Home Mommy, and I'm here today with my good friend Mr. Danny Lynn of Lynn's Mobile Home Movers. And today we're going to talk about the cost of what it is to move a mobile home in 2026. Give it to them real.

All right, what do you want to know first?

So I want to know, uh, like a lot of people ask me, if I get the home for $1,000 and I've got to pay $12,000 to get it moved, is that a good deal for a mobile home?

Well, sometimes. Depends.

Depends on what?

It depends on the, you know, the quality of the mobile home.

Okay, quality of the mobile home.

Yeah, the distance it's got to go.

The distance.

And vulnerability of the home has a lot to do with it.

Now what you mean vulnerability of the home?

Well, you know, sometimes You know, homes are not, you know, don't stand up to the trip.

Oh, okay.

Especially older homes. You never know. I mean, you know, it's just like buying a used car. You don't know what it's going to do, you know, on the highway. So I'm really taking a chance every time I hook to one that it's going to fall apart on me.

Okay.

And it has. I have had them fall apart.

Okay, so hold on.

But that's the negative part. I don't mean to be negative.

No, that's good. That's good. And I'm going to ask you more about that. So if I'm looking to pay you $12,000 to move this beautiful double-wide mobile home we have over here. What does that $12,000 include?

Well, it includes me taking it apart, okay, gently, you know, so we can put it back together, okay, and, uh, not lose this quality, uh, take it to the new location, reestablish it, uh, set it up, block it, anchor it, uh, tie it down. And get it ready for the inspectors to inspect for the first walkthrough.

So to explain what you mean when you say block it up, anchor it, and tie it down, because somebody—

we have to work with the ground that, you know, you own.

Okay.

So we have to, you know, set the blocks up to be level all around and plumb, and then we have to Uh, tie it together with bolts and screws.

And hold on, just so they'll know who they talking to, look at that camera and tell them how long you've been doing this.

55 years.

55 years, baby. Don't let this little bit of oxygen fool you. He is the baddest mama jama in North Carolina, okay? He is moving this double wide for me sometime next week, and we got 2 more single wides coming up. Uh, what you can't see is his crew in the background. He, he's the boss. He runs the crew, ain't that right?

That's right.

All right, all right, go ahead, finish.

We, uh, we get it to you in your location.

Okay.

And depending on what you want to do and what you pay for, if, uh, if you're gonna put it on a permanent foundation, then we charge extra for that. We charge for putting in cement, or we, you know, you can have it done yourself, it's your cost.

Cement for what, foundation pillars? Okay.

If you're going brick foundations, you probably got to put a skirt wall foundation up.

So do you typically need a brick foundation if you're moving into a mobile home park?

No, you don't have one. No, no mobile home parks have brick foundations.

Okay.

Because, uh, you know, it's never permanent at a mobile home park.

Okay, okay.

Always temporary.

All right, so if you're moving it into a park, what do you need? Just like a gravel pad?

Yeah, the pad has to be I don't especially care what the pad looks like, only what the county wants it to be.

Okay.

The county, if you'll excuse this, they got so many rules and regulations that when you apply for a mobile home permit, you give them the address and all, they go take a look at your lot and they make sure the lot is okay to put a mobile home on.

That's good, Brent.

If it is, they give you the okay. If not, they'll tell you what to do. You got to bring in gravel, you know, a piece of equipment to level it out with and so forth.

So it really depends on what the county or the city is saying we need for that pad before you come out here?

Not me, not me.

Okay, all right.

I don't care. I can put it on a cliff.

Okay, okay.

You know, I can put it on the roughest terrain it is, but You know, it's not feasible, you know, and the county knows that. So they got certain restrictions and stuff for the county to make sure that you don't have a mobile home set up that's going to give you problems down the road.

So what about permits? Who's paying for the permits and what does that look like?

Homeowner pulls all the permits, pulls all the inspections. I'll call the first one in and that'll be the, you know, the walkthrough to make sure that the marriage walls are insulated. I have to call it in before we can complete. So once I call that in and put the ridge cap on, then I turn it over to the homeowner.

So just to not confuse a beginner, because this is where I was confused at, it's only two sets of permits. And when I say that, I mean it's highway permits that I don't deal with. You deal with that.

That's mine altogether. Nobody deals with that. I take care of all the highway permits.

But I have to deal with the actual building, the actual building, where it's going to, site inspection, and where it's coming from.

Yes.

So the county that it's coming from, I need to call to get a permit.

Yes.

Now—

Ask them what they require.

Right. Typically, and stop me if I'm wrong, what's required from that is, people always say, how much do the permits cost? Free, as long as your what are paid?

Taxes.

That's right. As long as your taxes are paid, it's free. What you got?

That's your site inspection. But if you're going to pull a permit, every county is a different price. So I can't give a price for anybody.

Right. Uh, so typically, so far, Alamance County was, uh, $145 last year.

Now they, they, they're double that.

And that's, that's the highway stuff?

No, that's the whole permit system for this house.

Oh, okay. So when you— those permits, you're talking about electric, plumbing, electrical, plumbing, HVAC.

All right, uh, so set up.

So then let's call it— I'm gonna call it 3 sets of permits. The set of permits that you need is to actually pull the mobile home from where it's going— where is that— to where it's going. That's the first one. Typically that one is free if your taxes are paid on the mobile home. Side note, don't get discouraged. I bought a mobile home before that was 10 years behind on taxes. It was only like $700. Tell them it ain't a lot of money on taxes with mobile homes.

No, that's the only good part about it. That's why we— that's why most people, you know, tend to want to live in them, you know. Cheap living, uh, cheap expenses.

Yep.

Uh, you know, they're pretty easy to maintain, uh, inexpensive to maintain. If you have a problem with a mobile home, usually it costs you a lot less than a house to fix it.

Yep. So the first set of permits is the one that you're moving. That's the site permits. Typically those are free as long as the taxes are paid. The second set is what he was talking about, the site inspection. Once you get it to where it's going, uh, the electric that permit may cost $100 or $150.

The plumbing— no, no control over there, right?

The plumbing permit and the HVAC permit. But look, side note, a lot of those permits you can put in your name if you're the homeowner. Did I say that right?

Yes, but it has to be on your property, right?

Right, right.

Can't put it in a mobile home park if it's in your name. Can't do it.

I did it.

Well, Alamance County won't let you. Some of the counties will let you. Okay. But I know, yeah, good luck to you. That's the best thing, because I don't get in the middle of that.

That's right. That's right. And then the third set of permits is back to him with the highway stuff, which is what he deals with. So who's responsible for the lot prep?

The homeowner.

The homeowner.

Yeah, if you buy a lot that's screwed up, you got to fix it.

Okay, you know, but if I need your help, you can help me.

I can definitely help you.

Lean on me.

Yeah, I can, I can help you. Okay, lean on you.

Okay, okay. So you can help me prep the lot, but you may charge extra?

Oh yeah, everything costs.

That's right, everything costs.

It's, uh, you know, it's time versus, uh You know, time versus time. You gotta have money to make money.

That's right. So if I'm a brand new investor, what would be a mobile home that you say, hey, that's a piece of crap, don't do that?

Well, I can usually walk up to one and tell if it's been maintained and if it's, you know, it's feasible to move because I don't mess with them if I see it right off.

You don't? But talk to me because like I'm a brand new person, I don't know what I'm doing. What should I be looking out for?

Well, if you come up on a mobile home and the— if you see a home that's got streaks down the side, like rust spots down the side, that means there's water's getting in it.

Okay.

And it's vulnerable to the walls being rotting. And the band around the outside will be rotten. So you have to look for these things. And if the underpinnings aren't like this one is out, You want to look for insulation hanging down. Okay, that's a sure sign you got water damage, right?

You know, now you done moved one before for me with the installation.

As long as it's not detrimental, you know, to the move, right?

But ask the mover. Y'all may not be in North Carolina like us, but I know I had one with installation hanging. He got his men to go under it and, and tape it back up, right?

Yes, sir.

Yep, yep, yep. So installation hanging, you said rust on the side. What else should I look for to know?

Well, inside the mobile home, make sure the ceilings are clear, no leaks in the ceilings.

Major leaks, right?

Well, just spots on the ceiling.

Spots on the ceiling.

Spots on the ceiling means you got water coming in.

Okay.

And you really don't know how much damage it is. Right. Because it can just— maybe it got to that place as the last point, you know. May have come down the inside wall, never showed up up, you know, to last. Might be rotten all over.

Okay.

But, you know, I can about tell. You can see the house when you look at it, uh, a, uh, like you go up to a single wide and you walk up to it and the metal is flimsy looking. And like a car, you know, if it's not smooth and straight, then something's wrong.

Gotcha.

So it's got, you know, the metrics of it. If it's straight, usually it's you know, it's usually in good shape.

Okay, so the grand question is, right now in 2026, about how much can I look to spend for a double-wide move and how much can I look to spend for a single-wide move?

I would say on a single-wide move, anywhere from $4,500 to $6,500. Now, a double-wide, and, uh, what you got to, what you got to remember on a double-wide That's two single wides.

That's two single wides.

Anyway you look at it.

That's right.

Plus, you know, it's really more than that because, uh, you know, you got to treat them different. It's more work to it. You gotta work on the inside walls, you got to work on the house, you got to put your ridge cap on. So, you know, it's a lot of more work.

And what's that plastic you put in between two pieces?

Yes, I have to put in— rewrap it. You have to wrap it so we can, uh, so it's highway worthy. Don't blow the insulation.

That's right, that's right.

If you don't wrap it, it'll blow the insulation out. And if I don't If I don't see the insulation, you know, is a problem, then I don't put it on. But if it looks like it's going to blow out or anything's wrong, or if it looks like it's going to rain, we put it on. It depends on a lot of things, but either way, I'm responsible for it.

Gotcha.

If anything happens.

Gotcha. Okay. All right. Well, y'all heard it. Go ahead.

I want to tell you one more thing.

Go ahead.

If I don't think a house is worthy for the highway, then I'll tell you. But I will still move it if you say for me to move it. Uh, you know, if it— if you want to take a chance on a mobile home, you know, my insurance won't pay, you know, if it doesn't look, you know, up to par. And I made it with them. I've took houses that look like it's gonna fall down, never have a problem with it.

You remember that mobile home we moved that was sinking in the middle?

Yeah.

Golly, I was scared, but It bumped up and down, y'all. We had insulation blowing down the highway. Danny was like, we got to get this sucker off the road.

Yeah, they give me a ticket for that. They give me a ticket against my driver's license.

That's right.

I get points on the CDL for littering.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

So installation started blowing, y'all. He got that home down the road though, and we got it parked safely. Safely. It was a 1979, that mobile home you moved out in Raleigh for me. You remember that?

Yeah, I do, I do remember it. Yeah, but you got to, you know, you just have to be careful, you know. And, uh, of course, you know, you know you're not going to pay full price for a house like that, so you're taking a chance, yet you going to get a cheaper house.

That's right, that's right, that's right.

Better deal, you know. Well, if you get it set up though, it's no problem with it. Once you get it set up, you're home free.

Home free.

Home free.

Get it set up. Listen, y'all, overall, do not be afraid to move move these mobile homes. You just gotta find you a licensed mover that know what they're doing and going to give you the best advice of how he can get it down the road. Um, Danny and I have been working together since 2021. 2021. 2021. Back then, y'all, he had two gold chains on and rings on every finger. Now he just down to this one ring. Now he's just down to this one ring. He's downsizing.

You gonna tell them a story, or no?

Cut the camera. Seriously, y'all, this is how much it's costing to move in 2026, uh, single wide, double wide mobile homes. Find you a mover though that's relatable and that can help you out. Until next time.