is it smart? buying land+small mobile home

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by Ghost Town

But land they can buy very cheap for cash right now. About 3-5K for an acre in semi-rural area. Even cheaper, depending on location.
Septic plus water would be a bigger expense though. For the electricity they can go solar and live off the grid.

But in a long term perspective that's not very good investment. If they want to live in a comfort. If they can afford 15-25K downpayment right now and 1K monthly payment, it's better to go with the regular starter house and FHA loan or even conventional loan.
I don't believe they can't find anything within 100-150K budget. Especially in Alabama. You still can find it in Houston area (pretty hot market).

Purchase and maintenance for a solar system to completely power a home is cost prohibitive. Plus it is not very reliable. If you want to live like people in the 1800s it is fine, but for a modern lifestyle it is not yet practical. You also have to be wealthy and willing to spend a fortune just for the novelty of it.

[sholomar]

Too many variables to properly answer this question. Despite their reputation most manufactured homes will hold up just fine and are actually quite cheap to maintain.

Back in 2010 I bought one with an included 2 car garage for a really good price... well under what I make in a single year. I sold it because I didn't like commuting 30 minutes one way, but it really was nice.. spacious no next door neighbors, big yard. Part of me wishes I would have sucked it up and stayed there.

They have their disadvantages and they are hard to get mortgage loans for, but they can be a very inexpensive way to live. I would stick to a reasonably modern doublewide but for the right price take anything you think you can resell for a profit...

[gentlearts]

I haven't read all the posts, but VA loans don't require a down payment. Why not buy a very modest little fixer upper, and maybe in 5 years you can make some money on it. As someone else said a mobile home will not appreciate, so why waste any money on it?