By Roger Maltby

Real estate agents only get paid when they close the deal. The challenge then can be how do you find an agent who will work to get you the most money for your home and not just be motivated to flip the home to get a quick commission?

The mobile home marketplace is niche marketplace within the larger housing market. The best agent for you is the agent who specializes in representing homes sold in mobile home parks and communities within their local marketplace.

Depending on the number of communties in their local market—some agents list homes within a single community or list homes in multiple communities. This agent typically knows the marketplace inside and out, will listen attentively to your needs, and will conduct themselves ethically.

Here are some guidelines for finding and evaluating the best real estate agent to represent the sale of your mobile home:

      1. Tour Park for For Sale Signs – Make a tour of the mobile home park. Look for for sale property listing for sale signs and print flyers. Go online to view the listing. Note the published date for the listing. See if you can determine the how long, on average, it takes the agent to sell a home? Too fast might mean their not getting top dollar, too slow might mean they’re not motivated.
      1. Research Mobile Home Park Agent Listings Online – On MHBO.com, you can search one of the largest databases of mobile homes listed for sale in parks and 55+ active-adult communities in the United States. Start by entering your city, state or ZIP CODE (e.g. Mulberry, FL) into the Buy or Rent search tool. Next, filter your results by Seller Type > Agent/Realtor. Next, check out some listings. From the listing detail page, you’ll be able to view contact information for the agent representing the park.
      1. Attend Open Houses – Do some mystery shopping at open houses. A great way to evaluate the competence of an agent is to visit one of their open houses. Do they offer professional marketing collateral? Is the agent polite and attentive but not pushy or too “salesy”? Do they sit around looking at their phone ignoring you? Take business cards and make notes on the backs of cards of what you noticed.
    1. Ask Community Residents for Recommendations – This takes a little courage but knock on some doors and introduce yourself and ask for referrals. Park residents often have great insights and will be happy to refer you to someone. Ask other agents. A reputable agent will be happy to refer you to an associate, especially if they don’t represent homes in mobile home parks.