Iam going tomorrow to look at the first trailer that I might buy.Its off an individual.He bought the trailer off a friend of the family as a rehab because of fire damage.The original owner has a clear title and the person that is selling it hasten transferred it to him yet.This all has been within the last few months[may] I talked the the original owner and everything sound legit.She said she has all the paper to transfer the title and has no problem doing it.She said she has some paper work about release of lien because insurance payed off mortgage company. What is the process when buying a trailer off a individual.What do I need to make sure of? Iam in texas.
In Texas, legal title is recorded at the Texas Dep’t of Housing & Community Affairs, MH Division (TDHCA-MHD). You can look up the registered owner in their database, and you will need that person’s signature on the application for a new Statement of Ownership and Location (SOL) that the TDHCA will use to record the home into your name. Once you own the home (but before you register it), you can move the home and the mover will need a TXDOT permit on something or other (Form T?) which will eventually be used to compare the data from the previous owner/location to the new owner/location. The TDHCA will send someone out to inspect the new installation (if it was moved). You will need to make sure that the county tax information matches the TDHCA information, because the TDHCA will need a certificate from the County certifying that all taxes are up to date on this home before they will issue the new SOL.The TDHCA also records whether there are mortgage or tax liens on a home. If their database says there is a lien, it will need to be cleared or paid off before the home can be retitled.The online database is accessible at: http://mhweb.tdhca.state.tx.us/mhweb/title_view.jspBrandon@Sandell