Can I sell my Tennessee mobile home as-is if it needs major repairs?
Before you spend money fixing it, send us photos and tell us what is wrong. Repairs made to sell rarely return what they cost on a manufactured home.
What we see all the time and buy anyway
None of the items below are unusual to us. Several of them together are still normal. The homes people are embarrassed to show us are usually the ones we have seen a dozen versions of.
- Soft or sagging floors, especially by exterior doors, tubs and toilets
- Roof leaks, patched roofs, and previous coating jobs that failed
- Water damage in ceilings, walls and cabinet bottoms
- Dead HVAC, no heat pump, or a furnace that was pulled out
- Plumbing leaks under the home, frozen lines, or water shut off for years
- Electrical problems, aluminum branch wiring, or a panel that has been added onto
- Broken windows, missing doors, or torn skirting
- Original kitchens and bathrooms from the 80s and 90s
- Smoke damage, pet damage, and odor
- Abandoned homes still full of furniture and belongings
What actually moves the price and what does not
Ongoing water intrusion is the expensive one, because it keeps causing damage and it hides rot in the floor and walls. Structural floor damage is next. Systems like HVAC and plumbing are real costs but they are predictable, so they scare buyers less.
Cosmetics barely register. Paint, carpet, cabinet doors, countertops, and yard cleanup are the cheapest things to fix and the last things a cash buyer prices in. That is exactly why fixing them before you sell tends to be money you do not get back.
Why we ask you not to repair or clean it first
Two reasons. First, you would be paying retail for labor on a home you are selling, and the price improvement is almost never as large as the bill. Second, partial repairs make a home harder to assess, because we cannot see what was behind the new panel or the fresh subfloor patch.
Leftover belongings are the clearest example. Sellers dread the cleanout. We do a lot of them, and the cost to us is far lower than the cost to you of renting a truck and taking days off work.
How to tell us what is wrong
Just describe it the way you would to a neighbor. Do not soften it, and do not talk yourself out of calling because you think the home is too far gone.
- Where the floor gives when you walk on it
- Whether the roof leaks now or leaked in the past
- Whether the water and power are currently on
- How long the home has been vacant, if it is
- Anything you know that a buyer would find out later
Questions sellers ask
Tell us about your mobile home
You do not need to clean it out or repair anything first.