Tiny House For Sale
Here’s how to find a great tiny house for sale. You can skip the hassle of designing and building a tiny home by buying one already built. The tiny home industry is flourishing. There are many excellent builders all around the country. However, as with anything, there are also scammers trying to take your money. So how can you tell if you have a good builder or not? Here are some tips.
Here’s a Great Resource You’ll Be Glad You Read
Tiny Home Buyer’s Guide: Part 1. How to Buy a Tiny Home on Wheels
Jenifer Levini is a housing and real estate lawyer in California who specializes in in buying and selling tiny homes.
Jenifer became involved in the tiny home movement quite by accident. In the 2013 global economic crisis, she recognized that people can only experience housing stability and security when they own their homes. Simultaneously, tiny homes on wheels were invented. When she learned about these homes, she was frustrated by the building and zoning codes and ordinances which made them illegal.
She explains the laws in plain English
Jenifer decided that the only way to help make these homes and vehicles legal was to explain the laws to everyone so that we can all work together to change the laws. In 2019, her first book, “Building, Occupying and Selling Tiny Homes Legally” explained the only laws in the United States which provided a path to legality which were in California. That book became a bestseller and has provided the precedents for almost every law in the US that has legalized tiny homes since then. As tiny home acceptance has grown, new legal problems have emerged. Builders are unaware of the standards to build these homes safely and run their businesses legally, and consumers are confused because there is so much misinformation. Combined, these problems have led to many people being ripped off and law-abiding manufacturers struggling because others aren’t playing by the rules.
Jenifer Levini has two additional books
This led to two new books, one for the builders called “Tiny Home Builder’s Legal Handbook” which has the rules for all 50 states on how to get licensed and run their businesses. The second for buyers, called “Tiny Home Buyers’ Guide,” tells how to identify safe and legal tiny homes, legitimate builders, valid contracts, and their housing needs.
Her books are easy to read with detailed table of contents that allow you to focus on the parts of the book you need.
Choosing a Reputable Builder
Tumbleweed Tiny Homes Construction Facility.
Find a tiny home builder nearby who’s facilities you can visit. A reputable tiny home builder will be excited and proud to show you what they’re building. They should have several tiny homes in various stage of construction. Many have a scrapbook of completed homes, as well as and satisfied clients you can contact to hear their experience.
A reputable tiny home builder will know about the different building codes, but you should also know. Familiarize yourself with the RVIA building codes for RVs, as well as the ANSI and IRC building codes for stick-built homes. You will be able to tell at a glance if a builder is building to code. Read this page of the Tiny Life Consulting website to learn more: 2021 International Tiny House Provisions. Check with your county’s code and zoning enforcement officer to see what codes your tiny house needs to be built to.
There are a multitude of tiny house building companies. Anyone can set up shop as a tiny house builder, so do your homework before picking one. Look for reviews and check with the Better Business Bureau. Never believe the testimonials on their websites. Look for independent reviews. Call people who have purchased from them.
Tiny House Certification
A tiny home builder may boast that their home are NOAH or PAC West certified. Learn what that means on this page of the Tiny Life Consulting website: Tiny House Certification Companies.
Ask For References
A good tiny home builder will be happy to have their previous customers brag about them. You might be able to visit some of them to see how their tiny home is faring.
If a tiny home builder won’t give you references, just walk away.
Insurance
See if they have “bonding” insurance.
Expect A Written Warranty
Being a competent builder includes running a reputable and solid business. They should be able to show documents of incorporation, a business license, certificates of insurance, and a written warranty. This will demonstrate that they are competent business people and stand behind their work.
Ask For A Quote
Obtain and compare quotes from at least three different builders. This will help ensure that you are getting a competitive price and identify any discrepancies or red flags in the pricing. We’re not recommending that you take the cheapest priced tiny home. Get want you want. Just remember that better construction materials and practices will result in less maintenance costs and greater satisfaction in the long run.
Check the quality of the trailer they use
The trailer is the foundation of your tiny home. Check to see if they are constructed properly. A major brand like Trailer Made should be used. Have them explain the design aspects that benefit a tiny house build. Make sure the trailer has a data plate showing the VIN number. See this page for more information on DIY trailers: DIY Tiny House Trailers
Financing
Most reputable builders work with a finance company so they can offer you a mortgage and monthly payment.
Finding A Tiny House Builder
There are hundreds of tiny house builders. How do you sift through the mountain of superfluous information that comes up on the search engines? I’ve spent hours curating the builders listed on this page and other sources for you to peruse.
Tiny House Builders Directories
Here is a tiny house builder directory by state which might give you some leads for a builder to create just what you want. This list is provided by our friends at The Tiny Life.
Here’s another list of safe tiny house builders provided by Tiny House Alliance USA.
Here’s another place to buy and sell tiny homes: Tiny House Listings
Visit Tiny Home Builders Tiny House Marketplace. Follow the link,, click the MORE tab, then Tiny House Market Place.
Attend a Tiny House Festival or Jamboree
Attending a Tiny House Festival or Jamboree is a great way to meet reputable builders. Instead of traveling to their facilities, there will be dozens of builders showing off their tiny homes at the same time. There are so many festivals around the country there’s certain to be one in your area.
We might also be in attendance to give you a lot of free advice. See this page for more information: Attending a Tiny House Festival and this page: People’s Tiny House Festival.
Tiny House Builders Listed On Ebay®
Many tiny home builders advertise on Ebay®. It’s a good source of information to find a builder near you.
Elegant Rustic Cabins
“Tiny home living with luxury amenities! Elegant Rustic Cabins® is your last stop when purchasing a tiny house on wheels for your vacation property, or a new home for your everyday living. We build our cabins with so many options they are completely self-sufficient.”
This tiny home is listed for $76K* but that would be just an average as just about every feature, finish, and design elements can be customized to your exact liking. The deck and landscaping, of course, is not included. There is a link to their website where they have photos of each of their builds.
Elegant Rustic Cabins is located in St. Clair Shores, Michigan.
Ebay® Buyers Protection Plan
When you buy a new tiny home through EBay® you get a buyers protection plan. Protection is only offered on transactions that are completed on eBay.
You can contact the seller directly to work out all of the details then complete the transaction through EBay and get some solid protections.
Craftsman Tiny Homes, located in central Florida, specializes in building high-quality custom tiny homes that are tailored to your needs. The father and sons team will work with you to design and build the tiny home of your dreams.
They start by offering two base models, The Nordic, and The Bunk, then customize them to your tastes. There is also a shipping container home in the works.
One of the unique directions this family takes is to present all the local tiny house communities so you can find a place to live. Click on the image or logo to see more about Craftsman Tiny Homes.
Tumbleweed Tiny House Company offers three base models that you can customize broadly. They also offer many tiny homes completed as well as just the shells if you want to complete the house yourself.
Tumbleweed Tiny House Company is based in Colorado Springs, Co. and have a huge facility with dozens of employees. They have been in business sine 1999.
Tiny Idahomes is one of my favorite tiny home builders. They offer nine base models and allow for infinite customization. Their starting price is under $54k.
Their tiny homes are built like an RV, fully self contained with holding tanks, slide-outs, and awnings. They are built to be towed. These tiny homes are built to RVIA standards.
We bump into each other at the various tiny home festivals from time to time.
Tiny Idahomes factory is in Emmett, Idaho. They work with several RV shippers and can ship their tiny homes anywhere in the United States. They work with various lenders, and can help you determine which one is right for you.
Avoiding Tiny House Scammers
There is good advice in the items shown above about finding a reputable tiny home builder. The prolific use of online advertising has some additional pitfalls you need to be wary of.
When researching a tiny home builder/seller, here are some things that should set off the red flags:
Stolen Images
To check an image source go to Google® Images: Type “reverse image search” into the Google® search bar. Click the camera icon the red arrow is pointing at. There are several ways to enter or download the image. Google® will bring up all sources of the image it finds. From the list you can tell if the image is original or has been copied from another website or source. If it’s from another source investigate that source to see if they are actually selling the tiny home or listed it with the company who says they are selling.
No Facility You Can Visit
If you call or message a seller about their tiny home and they don’t offer or allow you to visit their construction facility, do not give them any money. This is particularly true for sellers on Amazon. See my page for more details: Buying a Tiny Home from Amazon
You might be a little safer if you deal with a company like The Home Depot that have brick and mortar stores. You can go to and raise a fuss if the product delivered is not right. See this page of the Tiny Life Consulting website for more information: Buying a Prefab Tiny Home From The Home Depot
Check with Snopes
Tiny House For Sale scams are so prevalent they have their own section on the Snopes website. No one gives a tiny house away for free.
If The Price Is Attractively Low
The old adage holds true: If it seems to good to be true, it probably is.
Sketchy Payment Methods
Scammers will frequently ask for a wire transfer or crypto currency. Wiring money is like sending cash. Once it’s gone, you have no avenues to get it back. Use only payment methods that are protected against fraud.
Selling Your Tiny House?
When selling a tiny home, keep in mind that you are not selling real estate. You are selling a trailer with a decorative load. The only real paperwork required is a clear title to the trailer. It’s more like selling a vehicle than a home. Check with the DMV in your state for the exact rules.
If the tiny house is on a foundation and includes the land, then you are buying real estate. Real estate sales have a mountain of paperwork and regulations. It’s best to use a real estate agent for the transaction.
The book shown here, Building, Occupying & Selling Tiny Home Legally, has a section on becoming a THOW dealer and selling legally.
Many dealers and individuals list their THOW on E-Bay and/or Craig’s List.
Disclaimer: The links on this page take you to another companies website. We do not warrant or guarantee their services or claims in any way. Affiliate links offer us, at no cost to you, a small commission if a sale is completed. More legal stuff. The information provided by us on Tiny Life Consulting, LLC website is for general informational purposes only.
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