Why Dave Ramsey Says Mobile Home Ownership Is a Financial Trap

Dave Ramsey just dropped a hot take: don't buy a mobile home if you want to build real wealth. And his reasoning? Pure math.

Here's the breakdown: Mobile homes depreciate the moment you buy them. Unlike real estate (the land itself), the structure loses value continuously. Sure, the *land* might appreciate over time, especially in metro areas — but Ramsey argues that's just "the dirt saving you from your stupidity." The illusion of gains is actually just the underlying real estate doing heavy lifting.

The real kicker? **You're paying for something that loses money.** Ramsey's comparison is blunt: renting at least doesn't drain your wallet through depreciation. When you rent, you trade monthly payments for shelter. When you buy a mobile home, you're making payments *and* watching your asset sink. That's a double loss.

Before you think this is class warfare, Ramsey acknowledges many Americans can't afford traditional homes. The problem isn't affordability — it's that mobile home purchases lock people into a financial spiral disguised as homeownership.

The takeaway: If traditional real estate is out of reach, renting beats buying a depreciating asset. Mobile homes might feel like a stepping stone to the middle class, but they're actually the opposite move.