Questions about buying mobile home from county tax auction in MI

[Eric P.]

I'm looking at some of the properties offered by my county's tax auction and there are a couple of decent mobile homes that I am considering. Key word, considering. These mobiles are not located in a mobile home park, but mixed in with single family homes in subdivisions. 

I'm trying to determine if these mobiles are, in the state's eyes, private property separate from the land or are considered real property. And if it's private property, what my options are. In the disclaimer for the auction listing, there is this:

As a preliminary step, it may be useful to determine if an Affidavit of Affixture of Manufactured Home has been executed and recorded as outlined in MCL 125.2330i. You may wish to consult a licensed attorney or title company to assist in this research.


The site that the state of MI gives to search for an affidavit of affixture is https://mhaoa.apps.lara.state....

I looked up the current owners in the county tax records and entered the last name into the search, nothing found for any property. Not surprised. So now what? The disclaimer says affidavit of affixture search is preliminary... does that mean there are other methods of research or other things I should be looking at to determine whether or not the mobile is considered real property? What would a title company be doing if they were doing the search? 

The price of these mobiles is so low that there is almost no way someone would pay to have them moved off the property where they currently sit. Especially if they can't pay their $2000 in back taxes. But I want to make sure that I have full legal ownership of both the property and the mobile home if I buy. Any advice?