Purchasing a used MH
Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2007 7:10 pm
Hello, this is my first post, but I've been lurking around here for a few days. I will try to make this quick, and answer any questions as they come.
My family is going to be purchasing a used MH in a MH park. It is one of those "fixer-uppers", but it is all we can afford at this time. If you don't know what the weather has been like in NW Indiana, we have had tons of rain. Long story short, the roof on our current house has fallen in, and we are trying to get out ASAP.
Now, for the used MH we looked at. I know very little about it at this time, and I apologize if that is going to be a problem. When looking through the home, I looked at every inch of the ceiling, no spots at all. The ceilings look very nice, almost as if they had be painted recently, but there are cobwebs hanging, so I believe this is very unlikely. With all the rain I believe there would be water damage if the roof was bad. Am I correct in assuming this?
The floors seemed very sturdy. All around the tub, sinks, behind toilets, and in front of windows. There was just one spot right at the front door, and it looks as if it had been replaced in the past with a piece of wood from one of those WalMart entertainment centers. This seems to be good news also, correct?
The windows are what I am worried about. The windows are single pane, most likely with an aluminum frame. There are 3 busted out, and one cracked. The ones that are broken have been sealed up nicely, and again, with all this rain we had, I did not feel any moisture at all. I am worried because at every window sill the wood was peeling up, and appeared to be water damaged. The park manager said this was because the old owner was sneaking in, leaving the windows open...but every window? That seemed a bit odd. Again though, I could not feel any moisture. Could this be from some kind of condensation? Are windows expensive to replace in a MH?
Water pipes I know nothing about...they would not turn the water on until we fill out the app. for the park. They did say if they turn the water on, and it has severe damage, we can retract our offer for the home. I am a bit confused on one thing. The water is off to the home, we checked...but there is a hose spicket under the back porch that is running, causing water to pool up in the side yard. How can this be if the water is turned off? I asked her, and she said that always pools when it rains, and she would not believe me that a hose spicket was running. Is it possible for rain water to be coming out of the hose spicket in a MH? I personally think she just didn't feel like looking. She did say she would have maintenance look though.
The front door is OK, the back door is caulked shut...not sure why. She did say they are required to provide us with 2 exits, and the current back door would be acceptable. I don't see how, but whatever. Do regular house doors usually fit on a MH?
I am going back to the MH park tomorrow. Is there anything else I should ask them? We are making a low offer for the home...1/2 of what they are asking. It seems like a all right deal, but everything is as-is, and the place has been vacant since Nov. They do not know if the water heater, fireplace, or furnace work either.
I guess the main thing I am wanting to find out from this post is, am I checking everything I should be? I have no clue what to look for under the trailer until the water is on, so I have not looked under there yet. Should I? As soon as the deal closes I will be buying Marks book. I love home repair (it's a love hate relationship really), so I plan on fixing everything I can myself...with the exception of the furnace and fireplace...that is going to be looked at by the pros.
Well, to make a long post longer...thanks for reading, and I look forward to any opinions you might have to share.
--Jon
My family is going to be purchasing a used MH in a MH park. It is one of those "fixer-uppers", but it is all we can afford at this time. If you don't know what the weather has been like in NW Indiana, we have had tons of rain. Long story short, the roof on our current house has fallen in, and we are trying to get out ASAP.
Now, for the used MH we looked at. I know very little about it at this time, and I apologize if that is going to be a problem. When looking through the home, I looked at every inch of the ceiling, no spots at all. The ceilings look very nice, almost as if they had be painted recently, but there are cobwebs hanging, so I believe this is very unlikely. With all the rain I believe there would be water damage if the roof was bad. Am I correct in assuming this?
The floors seemed very sturdy. All around the tub, sinks, behind toilets, and in front of windows. There was just one spot right at the front door, and it looks as if it had been replaced in the past with a piece of wood from one of those WalMart entertainment centers. This seems to be good news also, correct?
The windows are what I am worried about. The windows are single pane, most likely with an aluminum frame. There are 3 busted out, and one cracked. The ones that are broken have been sealed up nicely, and again, with all this rain we had, I did not feel any moisture at all. I am worried because at every window sill the wood was peeling up, and appeared to be water damaged. The park manager said this was because the old owner was sneaking in, leaving the windows open...but every window? That seemed a bit odd. Again though, I could not feel any moisture. Could this be from some kind of condensation? Are windows expensive to replace in a MH?
Water pipes I know nothing about...they would not turn the water on until we fill out the app. for the park. They did say if they turn the water on, and it has severe damage, we can retract our offer for the home. I am a bit confused on one thing. The water is off to the home, we checked...but there is a hose spicket under the back porch that is running, causing water to pool up in the side yard. How can this be if the water is turned off? I asked her, and she said that always pools when it rains, and she would not believe me that a hose spicket was running. Is it possible for rain water to be coming out of the hose spicket in a MH? I personally think she just didn't feel like looking. She did say she would have maintenance look though.
The front door is OK, the back door is caulked shut...not sure why. She did say they are required to provide us with 2 exits, and the current back door would be acceptable. I don't see how, but whatever. Do regular house doors usually fit on a MH?
I am going back to the MH park tomorrow. Is there anything else I should ask them? We are making a low offer for the home...1/2 of what they are asking. It seems like a all right deal, but everything is as-is, and the place has been vacant since Nov. They do not know if the water heater, fireplace, or furnace work either.
I guess the main thing I am wanting to find out from this post is, am I checking everything I should be? I have no clue what to look for under the trailer until the water is on, so I have not looked under there yet. Should I? As soon as the deal closes I will be buying Marks book. I love home repair (it's a love hate relationship really), so I plan on fixing everything I can myself...with the exception of the furnace and fireplace...that is going to be looked at by the pros.
Well, to make a long post longer...thanks for reading, and I look forward to any opinions you might have to share.
--Jon