A couple of decades ago, finding mobile home insurance could be an incredibly difficult task. Older mobile homes often couldn’t be insured at all, making mobile home values drop dramatically after a short period of time. But today’s mobile homes – often called manufactured homes – are built more like traditional homes using better materials, and it’s had a positive impact on the mobile home insurance rates.

If you’re looking for mobile home insurance, there are some additional steps you can take to get an even better handle on the cost of premiums.

Shop for insurance companies that specialize in mobile home insurance. Not only are you likely to find good rates from those companies, you’re also working with professionals who know all the ins and outs of mobile home insurance. They’re more likely to offer you discounts for specific criteria, especially making the mobile home more stable.

Regardless of the insurance company you are considering, ask about discounts. You may find that a company offers better rates if you’ve put down a concrete foundation and permanent underpinning, even if they haven’t mentioned those discounts.

Mobile home parks sometimes offer some perks that will help you find more affordable insurance rates. For example, a mobile home park may have early warning systems for tornadoes and damaging winds. Extra fire hydrants and other features can have a positive impact on your mobile home insurance.

There are several reasons better insurance rates have positively impacted mobile home sales for personal living accommodations and for real estate investment opportunities. One is simply that it lessens one of the peripheral costs. If insurance costs less, the total cost of mobile home ownership is less. But another is that better insurance rates have also made mobile home loans more available.

When talking about the increase in popularity of mobile homes, one can point to an entire network of “cause and effect” principles. Insurance is more affordable and loans more available because manufacturers are improving quality and materials. Those improvements are being made because more people are accepting mobile homes as a viable long-term housing option. The fact that there’s more demand means companies look for ways to make loans and insurance more affordable. And each of these reasons has other effects.

The type of mobile home will impact both the cost of insurance and the availability of financing, but may also affect where the mobile home can be set up. Some areas limit the mobile homes allowed to those with shingled roofs and non-metal siding. Some finance and insurance companies also give better rates for mobile homes with those features.

The reason mobile homes are gaining in popularity is simply the ratio of amenities to cost. Mobile homes often have fireplaces, garden tubs, Jacuzzis, skylights and other features that would be much more expensive in a traditional home.

While there’s no doubt that some home owners will always demand stick built homes and some companies will always offer better rates for traditional homes, the changes in mobile home manufacturing and services has impacted their popularity as a long-term housing option.