mobile office for sale

Mobile Office for Sale: What Do They Cost?

Did you know that a construction site requires an office? Construction sites are more than the project you’re building. The office is where workers clock in and out, receive assignment briefs and look over documents.

Mobile work sites still need administrative duties; that’s why it’s a good idea to be on the lookout for a mobile office for sale. One of the best things about a mobile office is its portability. You can put a mobile office anywhere.

But you need to know about portable offices to purchase one, so we’ve put together the ultimate mobile office guide. Here, you’ll learn about the average mobile office cost and why you should invest in one.

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What’s the Cost of a Mobile Office for Sale?

A mobile office for sale can cost anywhere from $15,000 to $32,000 – that is, if you’re looking to buy one. You can always rent an office space if an outright purchase is too much to consider spending.

Renting an office will run $100 to $500 monthly. The price of your mobile office will depend on the unit’s size and configuration (layout). Here are a few examples of office sizes and rental fees:

  • 8×20 (160 square feet) offices rent for $163 a month
  • 10×40 (400 square feet) offices rent for $241 monthly
  • 12×60 (720 square feet) offices rent for $$377 each month

As you may have guessed, the smaller the space, the less you’ll pay per month. Regardless, you shouldn’t choose your office solely based on price, but choose the best size suited for your needs.

Mobile Office Pricing Factors

We mentioned that size and configuration would determine how much your mobile office cost, but are there other factors to consider? As it turns out, these four factors play a significant role in what you pay for your office unit:

  • Location
  • Seasonal demand
  • Delivery price
  • Contract terms

The first factor, location, guarantee prices will differ between states or regions in the United States. For example, prices on the West Coast and Northeast are typically higher because of demand and permit fees.

Regional accessibility can increase office costs as well. The harder it is to get your unit to where you want it, the more you’ll pay for the delivery.

Seasonal Demand

Construction sites are where you’ll see mobile offices. Businesses often perform their construction work during the spring and summer months. You can expect demand to be greater during the year’s warm parts.

Greater demand means that prices are higher for consumers. Fall and winter are when offices’ demand decreases, resulting in lower customer fees.

Delivery Price

One factor determining delivery price is the difficulty in reaching your desired location. Another potential complication is the distance from the shipping location and the trailer width.

The farther your delivery site is, the more you will pay for shipping. You’ll have to ask the office company how much they charge per mile traveled.

Contract Terms

Here’s one of many helpful mobile office tips: most vendors will require at least a three-month lease before you can stop renting the mobile office. How long you rent generally affects your price.

For example, renting for three months may cost about $190 monthly. Leasing your mobile office for a year could get a 10% discount on your monthly rental price.

Granted, you probably wouldn’t find a mobile office so cheap in reality, but the example still stands. The longer you rent, the less you’ll likely pay over time.

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Is Renting the Best Option?

You may assume that buying a mobile office is the best option—you wouldn’t necessarily be correct. You can purchase a mobile office if you’d like, but most businesses choose to rent.

Here is the second of your mobile office tips: Rentals are typically the best option for most establishments. Renting is cheaper, and many businesses don’t want to own a mobile office.

But there are other advantages to leasing a mobile office aside from affordability. It’s easy to remove the office from the area; you can have it scheduled for removal.

Office space providers also offer liability packages in case of damage and theft. Think of these packages as insurance to help offset costs if something terrible happens.

Rental services typically provide maintenance for their units as part of the lease. Malfunctioning HVAC systems and sticky windows are no issue for the rental service.

Should I Buy?

We’ve extolled the virtues of renting your potential mobile office, but sometimes buying makes more sense. You’d probably want to own an office if you work on various sites constantly.

You should ask three questions if you want to purchase an office instead of renting one. The first question is how long you plan to use the mobile office. You may want to buy the office if you use it for over three years.

Many rental places offer the choice to buy an office if you’d like. There are also rent-to-own options, so ask your local leasing service about the possibilities.

Buying your mobile office is also better if you want to customize your space. Renting an office isn’t sensible if there are various features you want to have. Many features come with an additional charge.

You can ask a mobile office supplier to build the unit to your exact specifications. Purchasing a used office space is a great way to save if you can’t afford the expenses, try getting a used mobile office instead.

Keep in mind that before purchasing a used office, you should get the unit inspected. A used mobile office is likely sold “as-is,” meaning there may be existing damage.

Ask for pictures of the unit, and seriously consider getting an inspector to look at the mobile office before you buy.

Mobile Office Options

The first option you should know is that there are various size options for mobile offices. Earlier, we mentioned 8×20, 10×40, and 12×60. These are common size options, but you can also get mobile offices in these sizes:

  • 10×30 (300 square feet)
  • 12×50 (600 square feet)
  • 14×64 (896 square feet)
  • 24×60 (1440 square feet)

You have various interior options to choose from as well. You can have the inside of your mobile office outfitted with additional workstations for your team or furniture of your choice.

The interior is customizable depending upon your personal needs. Speaking of “needs,” you can have mobile offices outfitted with plumbing and bathrooms.

You can even have ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) bathrooms installed. If you get an ADA bathroom, you’ll need to have an accessibility ramp added to the office.

However, some office vendors only offer chemical office options. You may have guessed you can also get an office with electrical wiring. These pre-wired units come with overhead lighting and outlets.

Mobile offices can accommodate data usage, but you’ll need to ask the office provider if the model you want comes with proper connections. Heat and air conditioning are also something to ask about.

Smaller units may have through-wall cooling and electric baseboard heating. Larger offices often come with central HVAC systems. You can expect most offices to be insulated, although not as well as a permanent building.

The exterior of your trailer is customizable. You can ask for vinyl siding, shingled roofs, or louvered windows. You can make your mobile office appear more inviting to entice potential customers and increase sales.

Why Should You Consider a Mobile Office?

You’ve learned how much a mobile office could cost, but you may not be sure why you should bother getting one in the first place. One thing to consider is whether buying or renting an office is cheaper than building one.

Constructing a temporary office is an option, but you may have more overhead costs thanks to having another construction project on your hands. Getting a premade workspace could be cheaper in the long run.

Mobile Offices Are Flexible

At the beginning of the article, we said that one of the best things about a mobile office is its portability. You can take a mobile office anywhere you need. But mobile offices have more flexible price points.

It’s usually cheaper to buy a mobile building because manufacturers build them for easy accessibility and quick use. They take less time and effort to make but are no less viable options than building an office from scratch.

Extra Storage and Security

Construction tools aren’t cheap; unfortunately, it’s not uncommon to find many lying around the worksite. Sometimes, workers forget to put their tools away after a long day.

Another one of many mobile office tips, your unit can serve as a temporary hold or additional storage space to keep valuable construction gear from getting damaged or stolen.

You can collect forgotten tools or have workers put them in a locked trailer to keep them safe from harm or theft. If you’re especially worried about someone taking the gear, you can invest in a unit with electronic locks.

Easily Expandable

“What is a mobile office,” you ask. Convenient is probably one answer that comes to mind. Larger projects may mean hiring more workers—many of whom may not fit into your single trailer.

It’s no complicated task to rent or purchase additional mobile offices to accommodate extra workers. Your business can grow comfortably with your new staff members.

Traditional offices don’t expand (at least not easily) with extra team members. You may have to pay exorbitant prices to build on an existing office. Whereas a mobile office only requires a convenient place to park.

Environmental-Friendliness

Something you may not have expected to see in this mobile office guide is that buying one can help the environment. You can’t reuse a temporary office construction for anything once you and your staff finish the job.

At best, the building will sit on the site, abandoned and purposeless. At worst, the materials used to build the temporary office end up in landfills.

Meanwhile, mobile offices are reusable. You can either keep the unit or give it back to the provider when the construction project is complete.

Questions to Ask When Purchasing A Mobile Office

A general rule when purchasing something is never to choose a company that seems untrustworthy. If something tells you, “Don’t buy from here.” you should probably listen to that instinct.

But, you should still ask questions, even if a company looks like somewhere you want to spend money.

Here are some things it may help to ask regarding mobile office options:

  • Do you sell and lease mobile offices?
  • Do you have any mobile office tips based on my business?
    • Why do you think I need these recommended items?
  • Do you have new and used offices?
  • What customizable features do you have?
  • What size offices do you carry?
  • Do features differ depending on mobile office size?

This mobile office guide wouldn’t be as helpful if it didn’t give you advice on how to shop for one. Like with any purchase, asking the seller a few questions is beneficial, so you’ll know you’re getting the right product.

Quality and Customer Service Questions

You should also ask questions about the offices’ quality and customer service. Just because they answer yes to all the above questions doesn’t mean they’ve got good products or services.

Here are questions to ask about their trailer quality:

  • What’s your price range, and what determines how much I pay?
  • Where do you source your mobile offices, and how old are they?
  • Can I see the mobile office in person?
    • If not, do you have photos of the office’s interior and exterior?
  • How long have people been using the office?
  • Where was the office stored?
    • What was the storage climate like?
  • Did the transportation process damage the unit?
  • Is there any visible damage, like rust, water damage, or holes?

Even if the product is good, the customer service may be awful. Knowing how well a mobile office provider operates is essential in case you need assistance beyond purchasing the unit.

Here are the customer service questions you should consider asking before your purchase:

  • May I ask about your weekly hours?
  • How many people are involved in the purchase and process?
    • Are the workers involved local?
  • What happens in case of emergencies?
    • Am I covered in case of HVAC issues, bad weather, theft, etc.?
  • Do you have live workers answering the phone
  • Do calls go to voicemail?
  • What are my responsibilities vs. yours during the process?
    • Do I handle attaining permits and site prep?
    • What do I do during the delivery process?

There are a few more things you should ask as well. Ask if there are permit fees and if they offer liability waivers and one-year warranties. Inquire about delivery costs and leasing contract durations also.

Need a Mobile Office?

If you want a mobile office for sale, hopefully, this mobile office guide will help you find the best unit for your needs. One thing to remember is that it’s generally cheaper to rent than buy.

One of the final mobile office tips for you is to use PriceItHere to help you buy the best unit within your budget. Contact us today for further assistance!

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