give it away or demolish

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NancyKay
Posts: 47
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2007 2:27 pm

My mother recently passed away, and it looks like I'll be moving back home to her house. I have a 12 x 65 that I have lived in for 5 years in Michigan. Nothing is wrong with it, but maybe decor (1970's) and probably could use a roof recoat, I was gonna do that this summer, and / or a relevel. I don't know for sure exactly when I'll be moving, probably 4 or 5 months down the road, we still have stuff to do to her house. So if I put a for sale sign in the window, I would have to say I'm not moving yet. And I don't want to put a FOR FREE sale sign out, but I thought of putting it real cheap, and if they are nice and they want it, I would say, Well, I said $1000 but you can really just have it? Or maybe Craigs List?

Anyway, I wish I could find someone who needs a home and would just "take it" They could move right in when I move out. Or I guess I'll have it demolished. They still would have to pay the lot rent of course, and be approved by the park, but I just want to be rid of it. But everyone I've asked think my lot rent is too high. $475. Anyone ever donated their home? or heard of a mobile home being donated? How much do you think it would be to have it demolished? Anyone have any ideas?
NancyKay
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Harry
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Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 7:45 pm
Location: Citrus county Florida

Hi

Can you sell it to the park for a few bucks?

Harry
Aside from the roof leak, soft floors, rats, mice and bursted plumbing ........ how do you like it?
NancyKay
Posts: 47
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2007 2:27 pm

I wish I could. They said they don't do that. I would even give it to them and they could resell it, just to wash my hands of it. But they said all they could do is put it on their website for sale. And even with that, they take a percentage.

I may put it on Craigs list, and either someone can live in it, or maybe someone will want it for scrap. But the park says they have to be liscensed and bonded to demolish it. I sometimes think it's been there to long to move. The wheels are there, but there are no tires on them. It's a 1971 and it's been there it's whole life.
NancyKay
nwwoman
Posts: 43
Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2007 11:45 am
Location: SE Washington (not DC!)

I did the craziest thing one time -- but it worked. I ran an ad saying that I wanted to develop a list of people who wanted to buy my place when it came onto the market in four or five months, after renovation work. I was flooded with inquiries and people, oddly enough.

Maybe try this idea in an ad. I know here we have palouseads.com where you can place a free ad online and it runs for one month.

Or, you can contact your local community action center, Habit for Humanity office in your market, or local university (undergrad or grad students) and offer it for free, continent on park owner approval of tenant.

Just some ideas.
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1980 Rex Mftg Home; metal ext / roof; bowed roof; 2 bdrm; 1.5 bath., single wide; 14X60
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Greg
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Nancy, sorry to hear about your mother. Most any home that is livable is worth $2 - 3000. I doubt you will have any problems selling it, I would start high and "let" them talk you down. They will walk away thinking how much they beat you down and you will walk away with more than you wanted. Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
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JD
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Hi Nancy,

I think you would be much better off selling it as an "as is" mobile home for someone to use in the park it is in.

Around my area, it is getting harder and harder to find a park that will take an older home. I have heard prices from $2500 to $4000 just to demo the homes and get them to dumps and salvage. There is not a lot of money in the salvage material, even with aluminum siding.

JD
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Yanita
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Location: Eastern N. Carolina

Hey folks,

Am gonna move this to the Off Topic forum, this is not repair related.

Yanita
The difference between success and failure is who gives up first!
Serena

Because the lot rents in the MHP where I live are high, $380 per month, the "Or best offer" abbreviation, OBO, seems to increase the number of home seekers. MHs such as yours are the ones that go the fastest here.

Having to continue to pay the lot rent after one has moved can get quite expensive. I found a couple of MHs on Craigslist that I was int'd in when I was first looking. The ad that gave me the courage to look for a place of my own was a MH for free to someone who would come get it.

I thought, "If someone is willing to give away a house, there must be something close by that I could afford." There are a lot of folks in need of a house just such as yours.

I'm sorry about your mother. Hope your move goes well.
NancyKay
Posts: 47
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2007 2:27 pm

Thank you guys for your suggestions and kind words.

I'm still looking. I've called a couple "friend of a friends" but no bites yet. It looks now like I will be moving in July. So I have a little over 90 days. One thing is if I go for demolition, the park wants 30 days notice. I intend to put it on Craigs List soon, and I'm going to look into those flyers that say, "We pay cash for your mobile home"



One little side note: Don't read if you're a cat hater! hahaha

There are about three stray cats that I feed. One has become friendly with me, the others just want to eat and then hit the road. This one knows when I wake up, knows when I come home, will let me hold him, pet him, I've let him in, even though my cats do not like him. I have tried to find a home for him, and even had a woman take him, but she changed her mind after only one day, she said he was too traumatized? Anyway, I have it stuck in my mind that I will be "abandoning" this poor kitty who has taking a liking to me. I was just trying to help him through the winter, feeding him and letting him in to get warm. He was never in all night, just maybe an hour or so at a time. He would go to the door, and I would let him out and he would go, even in the snow. So I know he has a life outside. (and under my skirting) My cats are inside cats. I thought of moving him with me but I don't think it's a good idea. - But I will always worry what is happening to him.
NancyKay
nwwoman
Posts: 43
Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2007 11:45 am
Location: SE Washington (not DC!)

Is there a university nearby? Seriously, go post flyers there or look at the university site to see if there is an online student bulletin board. College kids buy mobiles like sardines flocking to join a school. (Oh boy, was that bad.)

I am looking for a new cat to replace my wonderful kitty, Snuggle-Wuggles -- who died abruptly in December from a blood clot that lodged in the artery under her tail. We were cuddling one moment and then, one hour later, I was putting her to sleep. Horrible.

I adopted a feral cat once. Locked her in my house until she was tamed. It was like a crime scene for several weeks. But, it worked. She became my backpacking cat. You could try and keep that one partially tamed kitty.
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1980 Rex Mftg Home; metal ext / roof; bowed roof; 2 bdrm; 1.5 bath., single wide; 14X60
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Demolition
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Joined: Wed Nov 14, 2007 3:07 am
Location: Arkansas
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The cheapest I would demo a mobile home for is $500
The cheapest I could get one moved across town is about $450

I agree with the newspaper idea....
You can have it, you got to move it.

Habitat for Humanity are snobs and have lots of rules to go by, so they won't take it.
Run an ad saying... you can have it but you got to move it in 30 days
Call Dinwiddie Demolition we'll tear that house right down.
Sweep up every splinter n haul it out of town
NancyKay
Posts: 47
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2007 2:27 pm

There really is no university close by. There is only a community college. I put a flyer yesterday at my grocery store bulletin board.

I thought of taking the stray cat with me, but he is such an outside cat. When the other lady tried to take him in, he freaked in her house, then went under the chair for like 30 hours straight. So she thought it was too traumatic and asked if I would take him back. So I did. I know he may adjust over time, but my cats will be in a state of adjustment to, and with him there freaking out, it will make it harder for them. And if he got outside, he wouldn't know where he was and would probably bolt and then be lost again. It's such an adjustment, moving, moving with 3 cats who don't know the house, and then bringing a stray too. I don't know what to do. But first I got to figure out what to do with the trailer, then figure out if I'm going to take the stray with me, or leave him in a environment he is used to
NancyKay
NancyKay
Posts: 47
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2007 2:27 pm

Sorry about your kitty. Isn't it something how we get so attached to our pets? and this stray isn't even mine, and he's only taken to me like just this past winter, but I think I'm the only human contact he has. And I feed him once in the morning and once in the evening, so I'm worried where he will find his food once I'm gone.


I'm going to try and find a demolition person today
NancyKay
nwwoman
Posts: 43
Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2007 11:45 am
Location: SE Washington (not DC!)

To Demolition --- I tend to avoid using inclusive words -- anything that means "all" as it is rarely accurate. You referenced Habitat for Humanity, saying they were snobs. I was on our HH board for many years. I don't think I am a snob. We also did take mobile homes.
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1980 Rex Mftg Home; metal ext / roof; bowed roof; 2 bdrm; 1.5 bath., single wide; 14X60
Serena

You might be able to donate it to a church and they would come get it.
One of my favorite thrift stores is in a MH and is open on Saturday mornings, run by the older men of the church to pay for church maintenance.
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