Fix it up, or junk it and sell the lot?

mobile home university
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We have a 1980, 16X72, 2 bed, 2 bath mobile home that sits on a lot close to Apache Junction, AZ that we have owned since 1961.

The place has been vacant for 7 years and was in rough shape before it went vacant. Right now I’m doing extreme yard clean up and making some progress there and now turning my attention to what the mobile needs.

There are 3 soft spots in the floor from where the water pipes broke and soaked the fiber board. (The old tubing has been replaced with the hot water pvc) The carpet is totally worn out in living room, hall and both bedrooms. Wall in hallway is scratched up from my moms German Shepard. Blinds and curtains need replacing. Linolium in kictchen needs replacing after week spot is repaired. Needs at least a $400 window a/c unit or have the central air repaired.

Outside: skirting needs to be reinstalled where it has blown away. Fiber board trim needs to be replaced where it’s crumbling and the whole unit needs to be painted.

There are lots of other little things I’m not mentioning but this is pretty much the situation.

Our dilemma (my brother and his wife and myself) is, do we invest the money and time to bring this property up to a point where we could get a half way decent price out of it, or would we be be better off just dumping it as is. Zillio lists it at $54,000 and my guess is that is if it’s in decent shape. My guess is that “as is” is around $20,000.

Can any of you guys with experience help us make our decision? We need some help.
Any and all feedback will be greatly appreciated!

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@Timwiehe , as per your post:

  • “Fix it up, or junk it and sell the lot?”
  • “We have a 1980, 16x72, 2 Bedroom, 2 Bath Mobile Home that sits on a lot close to Apache Junction, AZ that we have owned since 1961.”

My Husband and I own 2 Mobile Home Parks in South Carolina.

The second Mobile Home Park is a Turn-around. When we first purchased this Mobile Home Park, it had approximately 11 abandoned and condemned Mobile Homes. We made the decision to junk/remove all these Mobile Homes.

Now…four years later…and many Mobile Home remodels…if we were in your shoes we would:

  • Renovate the Mobile Home

Now granted, we now have an awesome, reliable and reasonably priced Mobile Home Contractor.

Below is how we typically renovate our Mobile Homes:
1.) Remove all floor covering (carpet, tile, linoleum)
2.) Replace all sub-flooring that has water damage or is soft
3.) If sub-floor has pee stains from pets, paint the sub-floor
4.) Replace both Bathroom Toilets (buy prettiest/cheapest at Lowes or Home Depot…helps to modernize home)
5.) Replace Bathroom Vanities (buy prettiest/cheapest at Lowes or Home Depot…helps to modernize home)
6.) If Bathroom tubs are stained or damaged, replace.
7.) Paint the entire Mobile Home (ceiling, walls, trim, doors, kitchen cabinets). We paint it all the same color…white…just because I like a nice clean white. However, you might select another color such as a light gray or beige.
8.) Install, new vinyl, modern, wood-look vinyl through whole Mobile Home.
9.) Purchase new, Range, Range Vent and Refrigerator (buy prettiest/cheapest at Lowes or Home Depot…you can compare prices online and they will deliver…if there is a dishwasher remove it and add a decorative panel or put in a wine chest :slight_smile:
10.) Install new, light fixtures through whole Mobile Home (buy prettiest/cheapest at Lowes or Home Depot)
11.) Purchase new, window unit that heats and cools Mobile Home (can buy online…Walmart did sell some…will need a different electrical outlet which an electrician can install…will also need outside bracing to as they are pretty heavy)
12.) Purchase new, vinyl, white (I like me some white :slight_smile: ) blinds for all the windows.
13.) Install new, underskirting
14.) Install new front stairs and back stairs
15.) Add/replace shutters on all windows and paint a high-gloss black /or/ brown /or/ dark green
16.) If roof leaks or shingles are at the end of their life, we install a metal roof over the existing roof

We have renovated lots of Mobile Homes with the help of our Contractor.

We even took the following and turned it into a cute and cozy Mobile Home:

  • 1966 46x12 Singlewide - (2 Bedroom / 1 Bathroom)

Now, if you do not have the time, money or contractor, your best bet at that point would be to sell the old Mobile Home (buyer will have to pay to remove) and clean up the lot.

People will tend to low ball you if you keep the old Mobile Home with no renovations on the lot.

We wish you the very best!

3 Likes
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Thank you so much for your response. It was very insightful and very helpful! I appreciate your sharing your experience and I’m sure we will use your advise. :grinning:

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@Timwiehe , you are very welcome!

We wish you the very best!

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Is the home on a private lot. If so the value is most likely in the lot and not the home.
Whether you sell as is with the lot or fix it up and sell after repair costs the end result could be a wash. You need to know your individual market.
Talk to a local real estate agent and get his opinion on ARV.

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IHbThank you for your input. We’ll talk to someone here for an estimate.