How Do I Sell My Manufactured Home in an Orange County Mobile Home Park?

When you own a manufactured home in a rental park, you typically own the home and rent the land under it. So a sale really has two parts: the buyer purchases your home, and the park decides whether to approve the buyer as a new resident.

I'm Jeanette Nelson, a REALTOR® with Jeanette Nelson Real Estate, Keller Williams Realty, serving Orange County, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, and surrounding areas. Many people who call me about a park home are planning a downsizing move, and the paperwork can feel unfamiliar. This is general information, not legal advice. For questions about your rights in the park, a real estate attorney is the right person to ask.

California's Mobilehome Residency Law, published by the California State Senate, gives homeowners clear protections. Under Civil Code section 798.71, management cannot prohibit the listing or sale of your home in the park by you, your heirs or your agent. Management also cannot show or list your home for sale without your written authorization.

Section 798.70 lets you, or your agent, display one "for sale" sign in a window, on the side of the home facing the street, or in front of the home, within size limits in the law. Open house signs are allowed if the park allows open houses.

Under section 798.72, the park cannot charge you a transfer or selling fee unless it performs a service in the sale that you requested in writing.

Section 798.74 lets management require approval of the buyer before the sale closes. The park can only withhold approval for reasons listed in the law, such as a reasonable finding that the buyer cannot pay the rent and charges. The law says management must notify you and the buyer in writing of acceptance or rejection within 15 business days of receiving all of the information it requested.

Encourage buyers to apply early, and keep copies of everything you and the buyer give the park.

There are limits. Section 798.73 generally prevents the park from requiring removal of the home on a sale to a third party, with specific exceptions based on the home's age, type and condition. Section 798.73.5 limits the repairs or improvements a park can require on a resale to those that meet conditions listed in the law.

If the park asks for repairs or removal, ask for the request in writing and talk with an attorney before you agree.

Most manufactured homes in parks are titled and registered with HCD. HCD's transfer page explains that the forms you use depend on two things: whether your home is on local property tax or yearly registration renewal, and whether you have an HCD Certificate of Title or an older DMV ownership certificate.

HCD's Registration and Titling Program can answer questions about your specific home. Gathering your title, your latest registration or tax bill and your rental agreement early makes the sale smoother.

HCD's occupational licensing booklet explains that licensed real estate brokers, and salespersons employed by a licensed broker, may sell manufactured homes that are already registered with HCD or recorded as a fixture with the county. The California Real Estate Law also limits how licensees advertise these homes. Mobilehome dealers licensed by HCD can also sell them.

If you are buying next, you may like our guides on what to know before buying in a mobile home park and planning moving day when you downsize. You can also learn about downsizing support.

If you are thinking about selling your park home and moving closer to family or into something easier to care for, I'd welcome a private planning conversation with you and your family about your timeline and goals. Call or text me at 714.366.8575 | DRE: 01397168, or contact me.