Here’s a situation I see all the time out in the rural Midlands.
A family wants a place of their own with a little room around it. Building a site-built house is out of reach. Renting doesn’t feel like home. They don’t want to find land, then a home, then a septic installer, then a power company, then a grading crew. They want it done.
A land and mobile home package is that done version. One parcel, one home, utilities in, ready to live in.
I’ve been doing more of these. They sell well — when the location and utilities are right. That condition is the whole game.
What makes a parcel package-worthy
Not every lot should get a home. Before I even think about which home, I ask whether the land can carry one and whether a buyer will want it there.
Resale location. Is this somewhere buyers want to live? Reasonable drive to work, schools, groceries. Paved road or a well-kept road. A neighborhood feel, even if it’s rural. A beautiful parcel nobody wants to drive to is a slow sale.
Utilities. Power at or near the road. Public water, or a realistic path to a well. Public sewer is rare out here, so septic is usually the plan. Every utility you have to extend a long way adds cost and time.
Septic. This is where deals live or die. If the soil supports a conventional system, good. If the soil evaluation says it needs an engineered septic system, the cost and complexity can wipe out the package. I find this out before I commit.
Zoning and restrictions. Does the county allow a manufactured home on this parcel? Are there deed restrictions or covenants that prohibit them? Some areas restrict by home age, size or type.
Setbacks and the buildable area. Once you account for front, side and rear setbacks, the septic field and its repair area, the well (if any) and its required separation, and any flood zone, is there still a good spot for the home?
Access. Legal, recorded access a delivery truck can actually use. A home has to get to the lot. Tight turns, soft ground, steep grades and low branches all matter on delivery day.
Utilities, septic and setbacks: the setup order
Here’s the sequence I work so I’m not paying for something twice:
- Confirm zoning allows a manufactured home and note any restrictions.
- Get the soil evaluated for septic and understand what kind of system is allowed and where.
- Survey and mark property lines, setbacks, and any flood zone boundary.
- Lay out the site: home pad, septic field and repair area, well (if needed), driveway.
- Confirm power — where the service comes from and what the utility requires.
- Water — tap fee and connection for public water, or a well permit and drilling.
- Site prep: clearing, grading, driveway, pad.
- Home delivery and setup by a licensed installer, then utility connections and inspections.
Every county has its own permitting steps and order. Call the county planning and zoning office and the relevant health or environmental office early. Ask them to walk you through it. They’d rather explain it up front than reject a permit later.
New home, used home, or one already there
There are three common starting points:
- Raw land + a new home. Cleanest, more predictable, often easiest for buyer financing.
- Raw land + a used home. Can work, but age, condition, title and transport all add risk. Some lenders won’t finance older homes.
- Land with an existing home. Sometimes the best deal is a tired home already on a good lot — repair or replace it. Check the septic system and well thoroughly; a failed system can force a full replacement.
Financing considerations for your buyer
You’re not just selling a home. You’re selling something a buyer has to pay for.
Some buyers bring cash. Many need a loan. Whether a manufactured home on land can be financed — and by what kind of lender — depends on things like the home’s age, its foundation, how the home is titled (personal property or real property), and the lender’s program.
In many cases, a home that’s permanently affixed to land the buyer owns can be treated as part of the real estate. The rules and paperwork around that are specific. Ask a closing attorney and lenders who work with manufactured homes how they need the home titled and set up.
When bank financing doesn’t fit, some sellers offer owner financing on packages. That brings its own rules — especially when the buyer will live in the home. Read the cautions on seller financing and in selling land with owner financing before you consider it, and use an attorney.
How I underwrite a package
I don’t publish numbers, but I’ll give you the logic.
Value: What do comparable land + home properties nearby actually sell for? Compare similar acreage, similar home age and size, similar road and utility situations. Sold, not listed.
Costs: Land acquisition, the home, delivery and setup, septic, well or water tap, power, site prep, driveway, permits, survey, closing, holding costs, and a contingency for surprises — because there will be surprises.
Time: From closing on the land to a home being ready to sell takes longer than people expect. Permits, weather, installer schedules and inspections all stack up.
If value minus all costs doesn’t leave room for risk and a fair return for the work, pass. The method is the same as any deal — I walk through it in how to analyze a real estate deal.
Red flags that make me pass
- Soil evaluation says engineered septic and the margin can’t absorb it
- No legal recorded access, or delivery access is impractical
- Zoning or covenants prohibit manufactured homes
- Most of the parcel is in a flood zone and the buildable area is tiny
- Power or water is far enough away that extending it changes the math
- Title issues: heirs, unclear easements, liens
- A location buyers don’t want, no matter how nice the land
More of these are covered on the land due diligence checklist. Many overlap with the broader red flags when buying investment property.
Where this fits
Land + home packages are one part of how I invest in land. They take more coordination than raw land and less than a full renovation. And they help a real family get into a home.
If you own a parcel or land + home property in South Carolina — or you’re a licensed agent with one listed — send it to me on benlovro.com. I’ll tell you straight whether it works as a package.
Questions people ask
What is a land and mobile home package?
It’s a parcel sold together with a manufactured or mobile home placed on it, usually with utilities and septic in place. Buyers get a move-in-ready home and land in one purchase instead of coordinating each piece themselves.
Do land and mobile home packages sell well?
In the right locations, yes. Package-worthiness depends heavily on resale location and utilities. A parcel with good access, power, water and a conventional septic system in an area buyers want is a candidate. A remote parcel needing an engineered septic system often isn’t.
Can buyers get financing on a mobile home on land?
Sometimes. Whether a lender will finance a manufactured home with land depends on the home’s age, how it’s titled, the foundation, and the lender’s program. Talk to lenders who do this work before you build a package around a specific type of buyer.