What do we need to consider before buying a mobile home?

We are farmers and own a great deal of land but are not ready to build a house. (At this time we cannot afford to build something we will be happy living in for the rest of our lives, but we are tired of our rental in town and just want to be out on our land.) We are planning on purchasing a new (or just a couple years old) mobile home and living in it for about ten years. (Please do not lecture on what a bad investment a mobile home is - we are well aware of it.)

We are in Iowa and we know we are probably looking at problems with frozen pipes and rodents. Does anyone have any suggestions about dealing with these issues or any others we may not have thought of yet?

We were also wondering how energy efficient new (or newer) mobile homes are.

Also, storms & tornados will not be a problem - we have a shelter already.

New mobile homes are quite energy efficient. They have to meet very high standards.
Any northern home can have the frozen pipe and rodent issue.
The home is not a bad investment if given proper maintenance. They last a long time now a days. They aren't the trailers of the past. If this home is put on a permanent foundation it will have the support it needs. Spend a little extra on the supports if you want to keep this place for a long time. You may want to consider where you want to put the unit to be rented at a later date so that your renters don't have the permanent site that you really want.

Insurance can be a problem. Check out different sources.

This is a good site with lots of mobiles on it and they have some info that you might find interesting. Including some insurance resources.

http://www.mh-quote.com/index.asp

This site talks about a particular model's construction and efficiency efforts and the second (from the same manufacturer) gives a good description of what today's manufactured homes are like.
http://www.palmharbor.com/our-constructi...
http://www.palmharbor.com/our-constructi...
But you can find most manufacturers on the 1st site and then see what each offers.

This site may be helpful: http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/mobilehome/m...

The best thing you can do before buying a MFH is to have a home inspection done on it (manufactured home or not). FYI, most lenders require a MFH to be a double wide, title-eliminated and you own the land (or MFH is sold with land).

Have you thought about a SIP home? Google SIP home and see what you think.

A MH home is a better investment than rent, so no lecture here. Just make sure if you go that way that you put it on a foundation, much easier for the next person to finance.