Thanks Gayle. It is pretty much impossible to take out anything less than a 20 year mortgage here unless you have at least a hundred thousand sitting around for a down payment. It's not that you would have the place for 40 years, but it makes the payments low enough to afford, and the bank ends up making a lot of money on interest.
The reason for getting it would to have something to live in for 2 or 3 years and maybe by that time have another somebody to buy a real house with. I would hopefully be able at that time to sell the property for close to as much as I bought it for, so I wouldn't be losing a lot of money. With renting, sure I have a nice place to live, but when I move I don't get anything back.
Oh and mobile homes up here are built well for winter
I actually know one family who lives out there now, and we also have a very old mobile home as our current cabin at the lake. We do use it in winter and have a nice wood stove to keep it warm
The main thing is to make sure you insulate underneath the home as well as using insulated skirting.
But... my heart is set on travel. I think I may end up spending half my paychecks on rent for the next few years.