Dealers license?

I am a loan officer that specializes in manufactured home financing. I have found is that most sellers of manufactured homes in parks do very little advertising. I have begun advertising many of these houses, in the hopes of producing loans out of them. So far it has worked well enough to continue. If I am bringing a buyer to the seller, I feel that it is only fair to charge a commission (or finders fee) to the seller. I know I don’t need a realtors license to do this, as we are dealing with personal property, rather that real estate. Some people have told me that I need a dealers license to do this, but that doesn’t seem right either, because I am not the seller of the house. I am merely connecting buyer and seller.

Can anyone provide me with the answer to my dilemma, or point me in the right direction?

Do you do loans in Oklahoma? If so what are the terms? Sorry I don’t know the answer to your question but I think there is a limit to how many you can sell per year before needing a license.

In my state (Michigan), a MH dealer’s license allows you to legally perform the activity you are describing. The license is actually called a “Retailer/Broker” license, so you can both sell as well as broker.

I tell you this so that you will check with your own state to see what the guidelines are. States vary greatly with regard to license law so you really need to do your homework. I would suggest starting with a search of your state’s government website, and/or contacting your state department of motor vehicles.

Jeff

I have spoken with the state licensing department (Washington) and they did say I needed a dealers license. What I have found though, is that most government employees do not know the laws and guidelines of their own department, as a result the response is always “Yes you need a license”.

Getting a dealer license is not a large issue, but does anyone know about selling houses across state lines? Do I need a dealers license for every state I sell in, or just the one I reside in? With my location, selling into other states will most likely be common.

This is an issue that can vary state to state. In my state (Oklahoma) you would need a dealers license, but my state is really wacky when it comes to mobile homes. They say that any purchase of a mobile home with the INTENT of making a profit on its sale requires a dealers license. This means even a regular Joe mobile home buyer who plans of fixing his home up some to make some money when he sells. So the real answer is you will need to ask other people in your state who are doing similar things. There are a few on here from WA but not sure any of them do exactly what you do.

To me it sounds like you are more of a broker so you might see if WA has something like that. As far as other states that would depend on each states laws as far as mobiles.

Jad