Sorry. This isn't a very interesting question, but I just wondered if anyone could suggest a good company to insure a 20+ year old, single-wide mobile on piers (we'd be buying it with the land its on). We'd eventually sell it and keep the land, but for now we're required to insure it to buy it. If we get this place I'll definitely have more pertinent things to talk about next time.

Brian

-- Brian (bdmetz@altavista.com), February 23, 2002

Answers

Brian, i would inquire at city hall as to weather you can sell that mobile home. i know where i live any m.h over 4 yrs old can not be moved in or out of the county.you cant live it it either unless it is on a permanent foundation. check the local laws first. cody

-- cody (urbusted@alltel.net), February 23, 2002.

Hi Brian;

My wife's been a personal lines insurance agent for many years and she said the best company that will insure something that old is Foremost. She said Foremost has a website that will give you a listing of agents. Mind you it's probably not going to be cheap.

Foremost's contents insurance is very expensive and she recommends insuring the mobile through Foremost and getting a separate "renters" policy for the contents.( Personal belongings... furniture, tools appliances, etc.)

If you have another other questions give a hollar. P.S. We are located in New England so other States and areas my have different coverages.

-- Ken in Maine (Kenjan@pivot.net), February 23, 2002.

Ken: I've discoved that AAA will insure almost any mobile home cheaper than Foremost. How I found that out was one of the older mobiles on the ranch had to have fire insurance. We checked with all the major insurers and rates were sky high. Someone asked if we were AAA members (we are) and they would find a carrier for us. They did. And it was full coverage and much cheaper..

-- al (yr2012@hotmail.com), February 23, 2002.

For whatever reasons mobile homes have been frowned on here in the Northeast. I think alot of it had to do with unscrupulous people converting vacant lots into "mobile home parks" where they had a mobile, a driveway, and another mobile and on and on. Individual mobiles faired a little better if they were on their own private lot but most communities had ordinances prohibiting them... hence the term " trailer trash" was coined and affordable housing units passed by the wayside.

The subdivision I live in was brought before the planning board in 1984 for approval and one of the lifetime covenants is no " trailers". These lots are 10 acres each by the way.

I think other regions have been more open so insurance regs here and elsewhere differ greatly.

Ken

-- Ken in Maine (Kenjan@pivot.net), February 23, 2002.

The phrase "trailer trash" came from the distinction of having an old metal tube called a mobile home that simply rusted and fell apart. There are plenty of them all across America, not just in the NE.

-- al (yr2012@hotmail.com), February 23, 2002.