Deal of the Century or NOT?

[micropsycho]

Ok here's the scoop. I live in AZ. We are cheap so this is diy project. We will have 60 days to to do this once the application goes thru. The park we are moving to just evicted and repossessed the mobile home. We went to check out the mobile home. The owners of the park said it was in pretty bad shape. Looking at it all: things remaining need removed, the floor looks ok and feels ok but may have some weak points, the ceiling has some repair required, exposed wiring plus hole from a possible missing lighting or fan fixture, the cabinets and such will need repair and or replacement, and one of the interior walls will need to be repaired. If we are approved via application we may get this trailer for $0-$1700. Yes that's right the park is willing to just give it away. probably due to the amount of work needed to repair and sell it. My question is this a deal of the century to fix up in 60 days and is it possible i have constructions connects so i may be able to get the floor for nothing (hard wood beams easy to come by). We have three months worth of income to work with (about $5,000). Is this amount of work required possible in the time frame of 60 days? I consider this a complete interior rebuild plus some additional duct work (one room of the 3 bed 1 bath) has no ventilation. Any advice? we plan to clean up the left over furniture and sell what we don't plan to keep and donate what we cant sell, start with the floor and work our way up. we are thinking dry wall, some minor hard ware (screws nails and ply wood), all appliances a/c, swamp cooler, stove, fridge, washer maybe dryer maybe more (yes this has nothing. We would like to put rough tile (non slip) in the bath room and do an office like yet simple remodel on bath room take out tub and put in dual sided shower head shower with basin. Is this possible with time and budget?

[bobfather99]

It could be done if you do most/all of the work yourself, and get good deals on materials. Shop around as necessary. Ive had good luck with craigslist in the past for materials, paint, and appliances. Dont be afraid to haggle a little on the price, sounds like the park owners want to move it to someone like you, who will improve the home and make it liveable again.

[Greg]

Hi & welcome. If you are willing to do the work your self and spend all of your time on it you should be able to make it livable with no problem. 60 days may be pushing it time wise, Trust me you will get sick of looking at it after a few weeks but it can be done. It took me about 6 months (nights & weekends) on our daughter's but we took it down to the studs & joists with new doors & windows.

It will take some shopping and wheeling & dealing to stay in your target price range. You may want to sit down and make a "master plan" to help you figure up a price. I think if you stay with the basics for now and plan for the extras down the road you may be better off.
Ask how firm they are on the 60 days like I said it may be tight.

Greg

[Steve-WA]

I've made a living the past 10 years buying and reselling homes in parks, and I'll tell you this: what the park want to see in 60 days is EXTERIOR improvements. They usually couldn't care less about what they can't see; it's what the outside looks like that makes the park look better.

So put your first money into livability, then hit the outside. Repair or replace skirting, clean walls and roof, paint to improve appearance, fix the yard/shed/carport, plant flowers (cactus? LOL), lay bark or decorative rock, wash and stain or replace porches and awnings - that's the best way to satisfy the park.

Once on the inside, weak points in the floor are easy: pull the floor covering back, cut out the bad area, add cross-supports between joists and nailers as necessary (see the cr*p toilet repair post for floor support tips), cut new plywood in the same thickness as the old subfloor and screw down, replace floor covering.

Ceiling repair: acoustic ceiling tiles are a pretty close match to the texture of the old ceiling panels

Electrical: easy - wire a new fixture back in the hole?

Cabinets: consider painting or making new doors before replacing the whle cabinet. Cabinets are pricey. If you do replace, I would recommend buying plywood cabinets, NOT the particle board cabinets sold off the shelf at Lowe's. For about the same money, they are a much better product.

Interior wall: If joists are OK, and there is no mold or water damage, you may be able to just go over the damage with new sheetrock, prime and paint. Mudding is optional; consider using battens over the vertical joints and priming and painting.

Good score, and good luck to you - vaya con Dios!

[Greg S]

The problem you face will be the 60 day time line. This does not allow you much time to waste shopping for deals.
You say you have $5000 to invest. The question you need to ask is what quality of home could you purchase for $5000 and is it possible to get a loan for more.
The fact is it may be less expensive to purchase a better condition home than it will cost in the end to renovate this one. Obviously if the park is not interested in renovating to make money it probably isn't worth it for you to renovate it either.

Some times a deal isn't really a deal just because it presents itself.