5 Reasons NOT To Buy a Tiny Manufactured Home 

Why do I get the feeling that due to a tiny home's VERY limited square footage (399 maximum), that states and/or municipal governments won't be able to get a lot of PROPERTY TAXES from these meager dwellings, so they go in the opposite direction to create draconian measures (e.g. banning tiny homes, etc.) to ensure they are not available to the masses. Greed is a bitch.

As a city planner, I find a lot of local and state ordinances (especially zoning) against tiny homes absolutely ridiculous and even immoral.

My best friend did a tiny home himself. Bought a "shed" had them put a full loft on it. For 18k roughed out with electric. 1000 sq ft. He did everything else and put it on his land. He's debt free and loving it.

One thing this video did was confirm just how unfree and controlled we really are. I too have had a vision of starting a tinny home village. 🙏❤️🇨🇦

They've already started making them unaffordable

Nothing screams freedom like a centralized housing authority with dictatorial power over what you can live in.

Wow, loft bedrooms in these things give a whole new meaning to "crawling out of bed".

I live in a camper with my husband, two kids (10 & 4 yrs old), and 2 medium sized dogs. It was supposed to be temporary while house hunting, but after covid we are stuck in it and let me say.... we LOVE it. It’s a Puma trailer and came with a washer and dryer. We built a dog run off the back bedroom door for letting the dogs out. They also have a childs playhouse with a pet door and ac window unit as a dog house. The kids sit in there with them and play too. The kids LoVe their bunk room as well. Each one has a tension rod with blackout curtains to make it more private. On the weekends, we flip the sofa into a bed in the main area and have movie nights. Last night was Detective Pikachu. We also can move the main large tv to mount it outside. So on cooler nights we light mosquito repellent tiki torches and sit in chairs, or on a blanket and hook the sound up to the installed Bluetooth outside speakers. There’s an outdoor shower with hot and cold water too for when we bath the dogs or rinse off the kids if they get too muddy. Our 15 year loan costs about $300 and I spend maybe $75 on electric, $30 on water (we now afforded a giant water slide the kids play on 24/7), our insurance is about $100... and that is it. We don’t pay for cable, and internet comes from our phones unlimited hotspot. I’ve heard of off gassing and that these things weren’t meant to be lived in and that they are cheap. I want ppl to know from experience that after 1+ years of living this way..... I LOVE this camper trailer. I’ve had no odd smells or health issues (I already had Lupus prior) and with two kids and a rough husband, not a single thing has broke except a screen door and the glass cover on the stove. It’s incredibly large, 36’ or more with two slides and a large bathroom. The only thing I didn’t realize was the importance of a drinking water hose to provide water to the camper. Believe me that’s a must lol. I think you can find joy in any size or type home. But if you are living through difficult times like us, this is a viable option and one where you don’t have to go buy appliances or even furniture. Finding land for it is incredibly difficult in our area so we live on my parents 10 acre property with an electric pole and no septic/mechanical system. We have a giant black water external tank we have to dump twice a week. It sounded horrifying but isn’t that bad at all if you use the correct chemicals to break it down in the tank. We then go pay a couple bucks to dump it at a campsite. When the kids are older we hope to get a composting toilet to avoid this. So just know it’s not the worst thing in the world to live in a camper. In fact, you may find that not paying $1000+ a month for a 3 bedroom house, hundreds in utilities, taxes, much more for insurance and maintenance is.... gratifying and relieving. Sorry for the long post hahah I just wanted ppl to know this was a possible lifestyle if the pandemic destroyed your finances or just wanted to live small and save for a home like we were trying to do.

Our government would rather have a very large homeless population instead of allowing affordable homes. That makes a lot of sense. Way to go USA. I challenge every senator, representative, every governor, the president, and local officials to actually try and use their brain....just for a minute. You can do it. I am rooting for you.

USA should not have 40,000 veterans homeless. Should be in their contract when a soilder signs up he should be guaranteed housing aftermath.

We built a tiny house ourselves for a "camp" because we couldn't afford the outrageous prices, plus I wasn't about to climb a ladder to a loft at 57 years old. When it was done, we loved it so much we sold everything and moved in! Still a work in progress, though, as are all homes. Heat bill last winter in Maine was $350 for wood. Just thought I'd share my tiny house experience. They have their place but it's probably not for everyone.

Thank you for this information. It's very useful. Here in Kansas City, MO, there's a tiny home village for veterans. There are about fifty homes and veterans are allowed to stay rent-free for a year. They take part in rehab if needed and job training -- whatever it takes to get them off the street and back on their feet. Bless you for thinking about them.

so now tiny homes are going for 60-100k? because its popular? whtta joke the whole point was so u can live and not jst wrk and pay bills.....oof

I would also like to have a tiny home community for young adults aging out of the foster care system! RE: veterans -- much of the problem with homeless veterans is also their mental health issues related to PTSD. That is something that needs to be addressed in tandem with housing. Also, the wait period for veterans to receive their healthcare. I have a veteran friend who has repeatedly requested counseling and has yet to receive any. :(

I learned about the rules when I first started researching more about the tiny homes. Not being able to have a traditional mortgage was a big no.

My only concern would be that I hope the floors are sturdy and that the windows are too. Storms, hurricanes. Etc. Depending on if you are living in a very hot or very cold environment or state then these need to be double paned windows and be secured for any disasters so that's something really huge for me.

I used to work in a factory that made these. We had a bunch of them catch on fire after they got sent to their destination because they let someone who wasn't licensed do the electrician work. They made us do a lot of cheap and sketchy fixes too. If you buy one please before you buy it make sure to inspect absolutely everything top to bottom, twice.

VA loans should approve these tiny homes. Especially for those w disabilities.

You are totally right! Even though I LOVE tiny homes, the permits etc can be a problem. I would reccomend a manufactured cabin. These are 600-1500 sq ft and are built in a factory and can be delivered to your site! Cost is fairly the same as a maxed out tiny home

I live in Georgia, I bought a tiny home from Incredible Tiny Homes in Newport Tenn. they are the most affordable tiny homes I have found. Tiny homes are great for resale. They also have 4 communities for their homes

The less the government knows what you do on a peice of property the less they will tax you.

State Farm covered Sheryl’s She Shed.

I had two tiny houses on wheels that I used as rentals on my own property for two years. Cash flow was awesome, until the county came knocking. The good news is that they were very easy to sell and they didnt depreciate much at all.

Homeless veterans....that’s just criminal IMO. If nothing else tells you that your government is not there for the people, this certainly should. Anyway, thanks for info! Very helpful video.

At 50 years old & being someone who has lived in trailer houses in the past, most people including myself don't have to good of views on trailer houses but somehow making them smaller, raising the prices to ridiculous prices & calling it a tiny home somehow makes them in style

Someone I know build his son one of these in his back yard for 4,000 dollars. His son was loosing al his money in rent and his father decided to help him and lets him live i his backyard rent free. I don't know all their story, but I believe his son suffered a divorce and was having trouble qualifying to rent a place on his own after the divorce.

Sad reality being told.. My fantasy living in cute brand new tiny house in the middle of mountain is gone now. Going back to original plan, buying regular house and work until the day I die! 😂 Thanks to Kristina always being honest and informative👍

Why was Kentucky not on your list? They sell a lot of those homes here and there are many places without any building codes at all so you are good to go. Land is affordable and taxes are low. I know several folks that built their own small cabins and it was no problem. ALWAYS a good idea to check your local codes and such before considering building anything. I enjoy your videos Kristina.

This is a ridiculous price on these tiny homes.

We have a gorgeous Tiny Home community in Greer, SC. They are even using one as a Coffee shop and one as a B&B. Love it, love it, love it!!

Some tiny houses in Texas are considered RVs. Which is a recreational vehicle. Which most if inspected they don't pass all rules. My husband and I just got an RV and he saw the cabling for the washer and dryer and is now gonna check the rest. Apparently they didnt put 2 separate cables just 1 running thru 2 outlets and that's bad.

Kristina you do what most people in this country do not, you share reality for those of us who appreciate and listen to what is happening with all these rules elites create for Americans. Super work. You helped many.

You can buy a single wide mobile home for $30,000. All finished, appliances included. Will be insured and is tax deductible. Much more room also.

$800 a month???!!! That's what a mortgage payment is for a full size regular house! That's ridiculous! What's the point then? Thought a tiny home would be so much cheaper. That's just greed. Ugh...

#1 reason to buy a tiny home: Its easier to live off grid, not dependent on government nor anyone else.

Incredible Tiny Homes in Newport TN...Randy Jones builder with lots available. Every home is custom and the town of Newport welcomes this type of living and I think the area banks are on board as well.

In a country this wealthy, no one - no matter the reason - should be homeless. The fact that 40,000 of them are veterans, is obscene. I've heard of some of these tiny home communities set up specifically for veterans, and I think it's a wonderful idea. States, municipalities and the insurance ind. need to catch up with the tiny home concept. It would solve many problems for many people.

What ever happened to one room cabins with a bathroom? They were very spacious even though living quarters were all in one. Many of which had a fire place or a place for a pot-belly stove for heating. Never were they illegal to my knowledge & they were very inexpensive to build, while being affordable to live in & to maintain. Seems to me people's idea of luxury is distorted. Just my thoughts & opinion.

I sold everything, bought a 5th wheel and started traveling. I found a place i wanted to live. Still live in my 5th wheel 3 slide outs . The main living area is 16ft by 12 ft. Not bad for a trailer. I love it never go back to conventional living. Not for everyone

Thank you for thinking of us. USN CVN-75 Disabled (once) homeless vet. I live in a 12x30 tiny off-grid cabin that people like you helped me build.

Well just like some places I know that requires you to have a thousand square feet as a home. The way to get around that is a decking that is the remaining amount that needed to equal 1000 square feet. So if your house is 500 square feet you build a 500 square feet decking that's all. That is living space. Learned that the hard way. The more we allow the government to govern what we can or can't do we won't be able to go to the bathroom without being told we doing that wrong too.

Set up a business and call your tiny home "storage", then deduct expenses. A good CPA should be able to figure something out. But the most difficult is getting zoning approval. Neighbors are always the first to rat you out, err, complain.

The worst part of this is that loft is so dangerous its crazy, it take four seconds for a house on fire to fill up the ceiling with smoke, anyone up there will die of smoke inhalation before they can even think if waking from a sleep. if the one exit is block by fire jumping from the black can result in injury. and the windows are too small to escape from. These are definitely not to code here and look incredibly uncomfortable, plus you're subject to pay ground rent and might as well have a full size at that point.

I used to haul these on occasion. A nice respite from the typical 18ft wide, 15'3" high, and 90ft behemoths that I hauled.

I wish they would bring back "mobile/manufactured home parks" where people own the land/co-op. They have a bad rep but the ones that are well kept are lovely and affordable.

great video...as a thirty plus year contractor id like to point out the "trailers" we had in the 1960's and 70's were aluminum skinned and could easily last a lifetime (i grew up in trailers) now "manufactured homes" are just particle board thats just stapled together. much more expensive to repair and maintain than a stick frame home...and a side note, one good fart on a bad day and that little house is out of commission for a good hour

Girl thank you so much for this video. It came at the right time as we had begun to talk about a tiny home for my daughter. You gave us lots of things to think about. I had never watched your videos before but I’m now subscribed and look forward to seeing more. The deal for veterans is the most wonderful thing I have ever heard of. My husband is a veteran so we have big hearts for all veterans. We really are not where we can financially help with that but I know a lot of ppl who are and I’m gonna talk to them all and see if we cld do anything in our area. I’m friends and neighbor with a congressman, our county judge and other government persons that cld be a lot of help with this type of endeavor. Thanks again.

Where I live in Northeast Florida, I was able to get my tiny house on a recreational vehicle loan with my bank with a 9%interest rate.

Big developers don't make big $$$. Sad because homes like this could solve the rampant homeless issue in this country. See San Fran. See Hawaii...

I live in Washington state and have two friends with tiny homes. They had none of the financing, placement or insurance issues you spoke of and love their homes. My husband who is 6'1" can stand in their showers comfortably with head room to spare! So I would say the take from this is that it's only a bad idea if you happen to live in a state with too many regulations. But I guess that's why they put wheels under them 😉

You are right! I used to own the mobile home in a nice park to live cheap and sell higher. But the reality was that in most nice parks have very stricted regulations and because of the rent has been raising so high, people are not trying to buy the mobile homes anymore. For me, it took 11 months to sell and the price i sold was almost half of what i was putting for the mobile home. Some gangsters are staying trying harrassing neighbors but no one can do anything besides moving out. Those bad neighbors know even police can not arrest to stop them harrassing. Most parks can not really put a fence around to keep a privacy. Please do not buy a mobile home. You will lose money.

Great info Kristina. I seem to recall in Arizona if you take the wheels off of it and remove the tongue as well as put it on a permanent foundation it can be treated as a permanent home. You turn the title in as well. This helps with financing. The older I get the more I find that the answer to most questions can be found in "follow the money". Its easier to buy a 2000 square foot home in a subdivision than to find a place where you can live in one of these some times. So much for protecting the environment and living within your means. Great idea about turning it into a rental as well.

The price is to large for the amount of sq footage.

IT IS NOW COMPLETELY LEGAL TO LIVE IN A TINY HOUSE IN IDAHO!! WOOP WOOP!!!

Very kind of you to bring light to the issues involved as things always appear better at first. . It is easy to take steps, make commitments and lose money anywhere along the path of setting the house up especially when people rush or come in contact with a seller looking to unload quickly. Thanks for the time and information.

Her energy is so uplifting. I think she'll help a lot of veterans!

That shower is HUGE compared to showers in an RV. I’m guessing you haven’t toured many motorhomes. I live full-time in a motor home.

I recently purchased what I would call a small mobile home, rather than a tiny home. 1 bedroom, approx 550 square feet. Fleetwood model 14401X. It cost 25K base price. I made upgrades and the final price was about 40k before delivery. That is lower cost than many of the tiny homes I see advertised, and it is a fully functional 1 bedroom home.

Fact Check: HUD director Ben Carson is actively pursuing tiny homes as a solution for homeless.

👏👏Thank you for this. My mother and I had this problem early this year. Sold my condo and was ready for my build in her backyard when all these factors came into play and that was after the $78k starting budget they gave me. So now I'm buying a 1200sq foot home outside of California and plan to stick to my minimalist lifestyle. So yeah not everyone has a lump sum of money or private land. But a lot of the aspects can be applied to smaller homes being built so I'm still a fan🤗🤗

damn they been making tiny homes with wheels for years ITS CALLED A CAMPER !!!

We have so many blessings in our country, but there are some areas where we lack understanding. Tiny Homes is a great for people to own a place to call home, so it's not fair that in some states, it's banned. Who came up with these ideas? Local Government, do better!

3:36 $64,000 for a tiny house. Wow, no. That defeats the whole purpose of them. There are cabins for sale everywhere for that much.

Hey, happy Sunday I love your video. Thank you for sharing and yeah, that is a great idea to help the homeless

I built my 700sft house for 12,000. I love it. I fought my county and won. They didn't have a legal rite to tell me what I could do on my property as long as it could be sold and pass code. Fight back by doing your own research/homework well before you try. Have a lawyer help you who is not a friend of the county. (Hint) There are old laws still in effect from the late 1800s and early 1900s.

So glad I found your channel. You are a wealth of information. I never would have thought about the drawbacks of purchasing a tiny home, loans, insurance, no tax write off, etc, Thank you so much. What a great idea to provide homes for veterans. We owe them so much.

Thank you for sharing the points about buying a tiny home. You opened my eyes about the problems you can have with house insurance and where to place it at matters.

I originally started looking at tiny homes on wheels, but at the time I was in California and there is no place to park them. Then I started looking at building out a schoolie, but I am an artist and need a space to create and a woodshop. I also looked at living on a sailboat, same issue - Then my company transferred me out of Cali to Georgia, and that is when I realized I could build a small cabin on a foundation, not sure yet if I will be able to be totally off grid yet here, but it is looking like a possibility. The home will have to be at least 759 sq. ft., I can do a metal shop building for the wood shop and garage, and I am thinking of art studio being a sun room for light. I might go up to 1000 sq. ft. just to have a spare room for kids that will include stand able loft for master bedroom. My kids are completely grown and don't live with me. I really want to be free of utility companies like PG&E who price gouges customers, doesn't maintain their equipment, has started hundreds of forest fires in California, and burnt down one whole town and parts of other towns killing close to 100 people. Now they are random blackouts so they don't have to maintain their lines and stuff. I am a little disillusioned on that part. I was brought up subsistence farming and was composting before it was cool to be green. I want to be independent in that manner raising my own meat and eggs. More over when I look at homes most of the space is wasted and just more places to clean instead of being out enjoying life. I want to live small and minimal. The best part is I could do this for cash, even if I have to live in an RV for a time while I am building it.

our Government needs to stop giving away so much money to other countries.

My friends from college have had a tiny home for 6 years and they have tax deductions, they also went from 220 to 350 sq ft tiny home and we’re able to resell with profit.....🤷🏽‍♀️

Thank you SO much for this information! I was considering a tiny home bc I have never owned a home and am in my 50's. I just cant see buying a huge house at this juncture in my life. I have lots to think about now.

Great video! I love how you weigh the pros and cons of considering a time home.

This is so helpful Kristina! and yes to putting every homeless veteran into a home, tiny or large. It's disgraceful that a single one of them is on the street after the service they have given to our country. I had NO IDEA there were so many homeless veterans in the USA.

Great info! I'm in Orlando (FL) and went round-and-round with the City. For some reason my area was not zoned for tiny houses, but after a lot of back and forth I got the okay. A couple of drawbacks: no wheeled structures. They must be permanently grounded, and they want it connected to City utilities. That defeats much of the purpose for me. The good part is that thought processes about tiny homes are changing on the daily. Some of these City officials are clueless, so the more 'the people' that voice their tiny house needs/desires the more favorable change will evolve. Thanks for uploading!

Thank you 🙏🏻 for the great info keep them videos coming you rock

Thank you so much for breaking this down ! Great Video

The biggest movement I have found right now is Shed/Cabin to home because the manufacturers offer no credit checks and easy monthly payments. You have to finish it inside completely though. They can be finished as cheaply or expensively as the owner wishes. I've seen some awesome ones that have been done. It gives "small" house living without going so tiny. That is what we are looking into because the manufactures will build to the states required specs.. I saw these tiny homes but the loft is just not good for us older folks to be groveling on our knees.

Land? Sewer? Electric? All those cost way more than the tiny home.

Extremely helpful video! Thank you for this information.

Thank you for the info. I've been looking at a lot of tiny houses, both manufactured and custom built.

I love you for doing my “homework” on this situation!

In April 2019, the U.S. had a homelessness population of over 630,000 with 67,000 being veterans of the armed forces.

Thank you for doing your research and sharing.GOOD VIBRATIONS ILL SEND EVERDAY FOR YOU HELPING OUR VETS

Thanks for the heads up. I was thinking about buying one, but not now. Hugs to you.

Tax I've avoided for the last 28 years, and I work self employed full time. Just stay under the radar and live in a small home on wheels that can me moved easy it's that easy. Who needs a large house when you can only be in one room at a time. This life style enables me to save a fortune. Never forget all you need in life is a safe place to sleep, shelter, shower and cook.

I live in Cove, Arkansas and there are tiny homes here. In fact, I have a 12x36 cabin shed that would cost me $50 a year in taxes if I add a bathroom. Right now it is my "Sanity Shed" that sits in my garden and there is no tax for sheds here but I am contemplating making it livable space. Eagle Homes is a Tiny home community in Northwest Arkansas. I would love to create a Tiny Home Community but my spouse isn't going for it.

Thank you for sharing the information you researched and found.

Thanks so much for this informative video - so helpful - all the best!

Vacuuming the loft looks like a real chore

I read recently that, if a tiny house is fixed-site (not on wheels), it is treated like real estate; however, if it is on wheels, it is treated like personal property. That affects various issues, like real estate taxes, but I don't know the specifics. Another point to research, and the answer may well vary according to where one lives.

Thank you for sharing this important detail ☺️ I was seriously considering this way of getting a tiny house

Thank you for sharing this content. Very useful.

The whole idea of a tiny home is to not have any mortgage or debt. Why would you even consider a mortgage on that small, ugly, manufactured trailer home? Lame..

The banks want to force you into five times the house you need at ten times the cost. Remember, bankers, lawyers and builders run the real estate business for their best interests, not yours.

Thank you all the information. I have friends who are considering something like this. Buying a property and settling into a tiny home because they have had a series of unfortunate issues. This will somewhat discourage them but will help them make the right decision as well as to how to make their choices. Thanks again.

Very much appreciate all the information. The tiny house in the video is really cute. A loft that you can stand upright in is a must. I can't imagine how many times I would bump my head, elbows, knees, etc. in a loft like the one shown.

Whenever I see these tiny homes I can't stop thinking how perfect they'd be as an artist studio, of even a holiday home/camping home or for someone who wants to downsize and simplify life. Also a great vision for using them to help with homeless veterans

You showed up in my suggested vids and glad I clicked. You're very well informed and it shows. Whoever else is helping you film along with camera angles deserves multiple kudos for the fluid motion and clear concise editing throughout. Thank you and will look forward to more videos!😄❤️

Fantastic info...thank you..it is helping to know...I fell in love with the idea of a tiny home...why not..just me and hubby...thanks once again..