the roof, like normal home roofs last about 15 years (but need patching just before they fall apart). Some people build a small home around them and then put a second roof over them like a carport looks like. A mobile home lasts about 18 years before the hallway is found to be weakened and the tub falls thru and you'd have to brace it with wood boards and such. The things in a mobile home (like sinks, tubs and their enclosures, etc.) are made of plastic so are easily scratchable and although may last a while look like heck. If you are in an area where there are tornadoes and hurricanes then every time one is due you'd be told to leave because mobile homes aren't safe at all even though you'd have to spend the money to have 8 or so attachments to a cement pad and reinforce the roof so you'd probably have to store your stuff in a storage unit. Mobile homes are like a car, they rust out, and they are licensed like a car. You can put one on land and call it a home and maybe get some money off from your yearly taxes though.

No, a trailer home will probably not last that long. You don't see many trailer homes for sale that date back to the early 1980s, simply because they do not hold up well. While the manufactured homes built today are better than what was around in the 1980s and 1990s, they will not hold value.

A main reason for their affordability is the fact they won't last in the long term. The only people who will tell you they'll last are the people selling them and the occasional real estate agent.

If you do buy a trailer, start setting aside money into a dedicated fund to either replace the trailer or use for a down payment on a house.

They're not going to last that long to the standard a traditional house would. I would guess that after that long of a time there would be serious structural issues, even if you tried to stay on top of problems as they come up. I definitely wouldn't bank on trying to live in one for 40 years. A mobile home is just like a car; it will constantly be losing value the longer you have it, and although you can fix things there will always just be more problems popping up. A house can be renovated back to like-new condition no matter how old it gets for the most part, and will always be worth SOME money, even if the neighborhood goes South and the value drops after you buy it.

On top of that, if something were to happen or change that made you want to rent it out while you lived elsewhere, it would be harder to rent or at least find a decent renter for... I'd rent a small apartment before I'd do that myself simply because I've been in one during a good strong storm and whoooo... feels like there's no where to hide because there isn't.

I personally wouldn't ever consider buying a mobile home when I knew I wanted to live there long term. No way.

If you mean mobile or manufactured homes: 20 years or more.

If you mean an actual trailer: Maybe 10-15 max.

However, over a 20+ year time span, you'd be better off buying a "stick-built" house. In a mobile/manufactured home park, you'll pay ground rent, which likely will go up every year. Meanwhile, the home itself depreciates like an automobile: More in the first few years, then slowly after perhaps 6-8 years. But the value won't go up. You can buy a really nice manufactured home for $100,000 or so. But in 20 years it'll probably be worth $25,000-$30,000 in today's dollars.

Hope that helps.

My mobile home is 1970. It has had carpet and such upgrades but the mobile itself is just fine.

Until the first tornado

Hi guys, I'm looking to buy something I can live in for a good while without it falling apart on me, but I'd rather not buy a house. Do you think a trailer home can last 30-40 years or so?