Some people have recently paid off their rent credit and want the title, no problem. I’m being told I need a retail license to sell the homes I already own to the residents.
Anyone else experience this?
The catch 22 is that they’re also telling me to actually get the retail license, I have to be zoned to have a mobile home retail lot. I’ve explained that I’m not selling to the general public, only residents, but still they say I have to be zoned for a retail lot, to get the license, to sell the homes I own.
Anyone else deal with this bureaucratic red tape?? Is there a better way?
Thanks!
UPDATE: I do have a parcel of land that is fortunately zoned for a mobile home retail lot, that was my concern. It turns out in the very long list of approved uses, Mobile Home Retail lot is under the letter O, not M, R or anything else even remotely logical.
Why you say? “Outside Mobile Home Retail Sales”. As opposed to all of those indoor mobile home sales lots. 
What state are you in? You will need a retail license, almost certainly. We do in TX and MI.
What is involved in obtaining a retail license?
In Texas, I think you need to post a bond and attend a 3-day course in Austin. In Michigan, we had to post a bond and that’s it to get a provisional license. Then the permanent one came with no other hassle, I think.
The bond I believe is for $50,000 and will run about $1,000 per year. The course is given every couple of months and costs about $350 I think. I’m hedging because this is all off the top of my head.
It’s not the license that I care about, no big deal. The issue is that fact that your park has to be ZONED as a mobile home retail lot.
Now - in my case I’m in luck, the front part of my MHP has about 2 acres that are zoned for just about anything, including a mobile home retail lot. Also in luck, the office building is in that parcel. What about all the poor saps that don’t have a parcel zoned for a retail lot?
It’s more the principal of it all, having bureaucrats tell people that they can’t sell mobile homes that they own. I understand the need for some regulations, but it tends to be “regulation creep syndrome”.
But - it still ticks me off because if I wasn’t fortunate enough to have that parcel, I’d be screwed. I think there are probably some loopholes, like making an agreement with another retail lot.
Getting off soapbox.
See update in my original post.
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I’m in Virginia. I haven’t taken any courses yet but plan to. I am looking at a potential opportunity and am trying to figure out the factors I need to look at.
