How Mobile Home Sellers Can Be Tricky? (Buyers Beware)

Welcome back,

Mobile home owners and mobile home sellers are average people. Many of them are upstanding and hard-working folks just like you and me. Sometimes even goodhearted mobile home sellers can do things that may seem frustrating or downright malicious.

Over the years I’ve been fooled many times. Some of these errors have been costly, and every single one has been valuable as a well-learned lesson. Human psychology and forgetfulness may play a large role in why some sellers omit certain truths. In short there is one thing you can almost always count on regarding a mobile home seller: they want the most money they can get in the shortest period of time possible.

Below is a short list of 4 ways mobile home sellers may occasionally mislead you while you are trying to purchase their unwanted mobile home property inside a mobile home park.

How Mobile Home Sellers Can Be Tricky? Investors and Buyers Beware

1. Selling Out From Under Your Offer (Likely)

Over the years I’ve met so many great mobile home sellers and buyers. Occasionally I have been able to negotiate win-win purchase offers to close investment mobile homes. While the process from start to finish may only take a small handful of hours of time consisting of meeting with, understanding, chitchatting and negotiating with these sellers, it can be heart-wrenching when a seller agrees to your price and terms and then suddenly sells to another buyer prior to your closing date.

Realize that in many states a mobile home is not sold until the physical paper title is signed by both seller and buyer and transferred into the new buyer’s name. Even with a purchase and sale agreement, verbal agreement and handshake between you and a seller, the seller can almost always sell their title to someone else before your closing.

What to do: As soon as you and the seller reach a win-win purchase agreement, close on the property. Remember that you should not be making purchase offers until almost all of your due diligence is complete. Once your purchase offer is accepted, aim to close in the next 1 to 48 hours.

2. Undisclose Repairs the Property Requires (Likely)

Perhaps one of the biggest and most prevalent mistakes a mobile home investor can make is to be too trusting when it comes to believing a seller’s word about repairs needed to their homes. As an active mobile home investor, you should walk every square inch of the mobile home property, inspect and verify previous repairs made to the mobile home, track all leaks to their point of origin and determine repairs needed for yourself.

If the seller tells you something that you or your inspector determines is incorrect or untrue, this may open your eyes to other issues the seller has either maliciously or unknowingly incorrectly told you about.

What to do: If you are not working with a seasoned mobile home partner or teacher, then hiring an experienced mobile home inspector can be of tremendous value. Follow this inspector around and learn exactly what he or she looks for while inspecting mobile home properties. Additionally, you will want to test and make sure all appliances are in the condition the seller states.

3. Duplicate Titles (Least Likely)

While the last two bullets above may simply be considered sellers being forgetful or acting in a way that best suits their needs, this bullet and the bullet point below are truly malicious acts in order to increase a seller’s profit.

In many states if a seller loses the physical copy of their original paper title, they may simply go down to the local titling office and obtain an original duplicate title. This duplicate title is just as good as the original and will allow the seller(s) to transfer ownership from them to their new buyer. If a mobile home owner wants to, they can go down daily and obtain multiple copies of original duplicate titles, thereby having more than one title to “sell” to well-meaning new buyers.

In rare cases I have heard of a mobile home owner selling their home to multiple parties in the same week or day. This is accomplished by the owner having multiple titles to give out to approved or non-approved buyers in exchange for cash. In these cases the seller can close with multiple buyers over the course of a few hours or days, take all the money and leave.

What to do: The first person that makes it down to the local mobile home title transferring agency, in many states the local DMV or DOT, to transfer ownership into their name, corporate name or trust name is the new and legal owner of record. After you close on a mobile home, when not closing with a dealer, make sure to take all your paperwork to your local state office and have ownership placed in your control. Aim to do this with 24 hours of closing.

4. Undisclosed Liens (Less Likely)

The very first mobile home I purchased inside of a mobile home park had a private seller-financed lien on the property. This was not an official/recorded lien; however, it was a verbal agreement between the current owner/seller (the current owner is the sweet older lady I was buying the home from) and the previous seller. whom the current seller bought from. The current owner/seller still owed the previous seller over $2,000, which had not been paid. Due to the fact that the previous seller did not place a physical lien on the property/title, I was able to transfer ownership from my seller into my personal property trust — and therefore into my control without even knowing about this money owed.

Soon after closing I received a handwritten letter from the previous seller posted on the mobile home door to alert me that they were still owed $2,000 due from my seller, and they were going to follow through with legal action to collect this money from me. Needless to say, as a 20-year-old kid, I was scared and confused. I talked with a friend and eviction expert who told me if the title was currently in my name, I was likely safe. The previous seller made the huge mistake of trusting the new buyers to pay them without placing a lien on the home.

What to do: While this error did not affect me, I did feel bad for the past seller. She had trusted the sweet elderly lady buyer to pay her the money they agreed on; instead, the seller got stiffed all this equity when the elderly lady sold the home to me. Since then I always make the effort to ask every seller if he or she owes anyone any money on this property, even if a lien is not recorded on the physical title. If there is a lien, recorded or otherwise, I make sure to pay these parties directly before giving the seller any compensation.

In conclusion, it is so important to know everything you don’t already know. The reason I can sit here and write the advice and stories above is because I have been misled and fooled too many times in the past. It is important to note if/when this happens to you, it is nobody’s fault but your own. As real estate investors, we must expect the unexpected and know that human psychology and human nature are part of the equation. Before investing in any property, make sure your due diligence is complete and every possible concern is addressed.

If you have any comments or questions please don’t hesitate to list them below or email me personally at support@mobilehomeinvesting.net

Love what you do daily,
John Fedro

 

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31 Comments

  • Jules

    Reply Reply May 29, 2015

    Great video and post John. I have never thought of any of this happening. Thanks for this advice and I’ll make sure to watch out for this moving forward.

    Thank you always. So glad to be on your email list.

    Keep up the great work.
    Jules 🙂

    • John Fedro

      Reply Reply May 30, 2015

      Hi Jules,

      I am so glad this video has been helpful to you. Thank you for commenting and for your kind words. I’m happy you are part of our email list as well. If you have any specific or general questions never hesitate to comment below or email me personally.

      Talk soon,
      John

  • Hector Easterly

    Reply Reply May 29, 2015

    Holy Moly! These are great lessons. Thanks for the vidoe and congratulations and my props go out to you and Jarod!

    Keep this up guys. You’re making me jealous over here. I’m planning on starting this summer.

    Thanks guys.
    H. Easterly

    • John Fedro

      Reply Reply May 30, 2015

      Hi Hector,

      Thanks for commenting in the kudos! I am beyond happy and proud of Jarrett as well. He has really stepped up to helping others, closing deals, and reselling quality mobile homes. No need to be jealous… I’m confident there are sellers and buyers needing your help locally in your area too. When you get started if you have any questions or concerns never hesitate to reach out to us. Always here to help.

      Talk soon,
      John

  • Joe David

    Reply Reply June 3, 2015

    This was a great post and video. When is the best time of year to start investing in mobile homes? Do you suggest getting started with parks or mhs on their own land? In my area there are both for certain. I am in MO.

    Thank you in advance.
    Joe David

    • John Fedro

      Reply Reply June 5, 2015

      Hi Joe David,

      Thanks for commenting. I’m very glad to hear this video has been helpful to you already. Concerning mobile home investing throughout the year it depends how cold your state gets. I say that because as the weather gets colder and snow gets thicker, sellers and buyers have a way slowing down their selling and buying need. In the spring time and summer and fall you will typically have a good bit of sales both purchasing and selling of used mobile homes. In the colder states during the winter time your sales may slow down significantly. With that said in winter times in cold states we are simply purchasing mobile homes more conservatively knowing that it may take an extra few weeks to sell or days to fix due to cold weather. Lastly, I do suggest to start no matter what time of the year because starting now is always better than starting later. I say this because as mobile home investors we have the luxury to get our hat in the ring and make purchase offers days, weeks, even months before we actually may purchase a seller’s home. So starting now and networking with sellers all over your area will typically lead you to close some of these deals down the road. I hope this made sense. If you have any follow-up questions or concerns don’t hesitate to ask.

      With regards to your questions about parks or mobile homes on land, I always suggest getting started with mobile homes in parks then quickly moving over to dominate mobile homes attached to their own land. There are a few reasons for this however it is certainly not necessary to go this route. Again, I hope this answer helped and if you have any follow-up questions don’t hesitate to ask. Always here to help.

      Talk soon,
      John

  • Katen

    Reply Reply June 9, 2015

    Hi John, I came across your blog because I have a problem on my hands. We recently bought a mobile home located on the coast area, and the movers have said that it is not going to be able to move because the bottom was not protected with a skirt for all the 15yrs that it has been sitting there; its rusted by sea breeze. Anyhow, the seller did not disclose this problem when asked what it needed done. Am I screwed? Or can I legally ask her to refund our money.(note: we have closed the deal but it has not been 30days if this somehow makes a difference).The trailer home is sitting on her property and she wants it moved because she wants to buy a new one.

    • John Fedro

      Reply Reply June 11, 2015

      Hi Katen,

      Thank you for reaching out with this concern. I regret to hear that you ended up purchasing a home you thought was in a different condition. With that said I hope it is the only issue and repair the seller either did not know about or forgot to tell you. My first suggestion is to contact at least five mobile home movers to come out and take a look at the home and bid the job. Some of these movers will move the home and some of them will not do to the underside. If it turns out that this mobile home cannot be moved then you should absolutely consult an attorney to demand your money back. In fact it may be wise to keep the seller in the loop as to what the past mover said and your feelings about purchasing a home that is unable or unlawful to move. Let the seller know if you are not able to move the home you will be consulting an attorney if you both can’t reach an agreement to get your money back.

      I hope this has helped and made sense. You will likely find a buyer to move the home for you. Once the home is reset up in its new location make sure to protect the underside of the home. I hope everything works out and you get another 20 years out of this home. Keep in touch.

      Talk soon,
      John

  • Sylvia

    Reply Reply June 26, 2015

    Hi, I am selling our mobile home in Ventura, CA, it is old, built in 1972. Large 1600 sq ft. We had a good offer 3 weeks after it was listed, but it had a pretty bad inspection. Most of the major stuff works fine, but its near the end (or over)its expected life span (at least $18,000 worth of repairs,(and/or replace) including termite damage,) It’s beautifully furnished but after the inspection the realtor likened the beautiful furnishings as “dressing up a pig” and she suggested I sell it to a builder (all cash deal) as a pull out. The offer from this “builder” isn’t bad, I will still be walking away with $30,000 after everyone is paid, but the offer is still $50,000,00 less than the original asking price. My question is should my realtor still get the 6% commission, seems like a lot of money for a months work. I am quite willing to pay it if that’s the way it works, but I am not so sure any more, maybe its an easy way out for her to get a qucik sale. Please advise,

    • John Fedro

      Reply Reply June 29, 2015

      Hi Sylvia,

      Thank you for reaching out concerning this issue. Congratulations on the tentative closing. A realtor certainly wants to sell every property they list as quickly as possible for as much as possible. It is likely that the realtor is correct and that the home may have many underlying issues that may be worth $18,000 in repairs. Over the years I have fixed many mobile homes and have never spent anywhere close to $18,000 in repairs for one home. With that said you asked a question about the realtor still getting paid their 6%. Over the years I have worked with many high-quality and also very low quality realtors. However once you agree to work with them and sign your listing agreement then you are on the hook if they find you a buyer. With that said you can certainly bring your concerns to your realtor and their broker to see if you can get this commission lowered by a few percentage points. Again, I am very glad to hear that you have almost sold your home. With that said if you have not tried to advertise it yourself or if you would like to keep the home on the market for longer then by all means do so. You do not have to accept this builders offer if you think you can get more for the home from an end-user who will live in the home. Then again $30,000 is a decent amount to walk away with from a 1972 home. I hope this helps and gives you some direction to move forward in. If you have any follow-up questions or concerns never hesitate to write back. Always here to help.

      Talk soon,
      John

  • Sylvia

    Reply Reply July 2, 2015

    John, I just saw this, thank you so much for your input. I did exactly that, renogiated her fee down a few points, this will help pay for movers and storing my furniture for a while at least. Your advise was spot on!

    Much appreciated,:-)

  • mike secor

    Reply Reply July 30, 2015

    Hi John,

    We are closing on a Park Model Home this Saturday,8/1/15. We have agreed on the cash price.

    The seller said that the title is free and clear of any liens, but she only has a copy of the title, not the original. She is going to get the copy of the title notarized because she can’t find the original . Meanwhile she said she sent for a new title, and it would take 60 days.

    Should I be concerned about this? Can she transfer the park home to us with a notarized copy of the original title? Thanks for any help.

    mike. We are in new York state.

    • John Fedro

      Reply Reply August 4, 2015

      Hi Mike,

      Congratulations on the sale and finding a home you love! With all that said you should absolutely receive a state created title when you exchange money for this mobile home. I say “state created title” because this may be a duplicate title and not the original that the seller obtained when she initially transferred the title from her buyer into her name. With that said a paper copy that the seller made with her printer or at the local copy store will absolutely not work.

      I apologize about the delay in this reply to you. Did you already close? What other paperwork did you receive from the seller? Did you receive a bill of sale? Do you know how and where to find the seller now that she is left?

      You may have likely already contacted the state however if you have not then please call this number to verify that the seller is the true owner of the home, there are no liens on the property, and all taxes have been paid. 518-867-3242

      Let me know the answers to the questions above and any other updates. If you have any further questions or concerns never hesitate to reach back out. No matter what is already happened there is a procedure and correct way to move forward to protect all parties. Keep in touch and talk soon.

      Talk soon,
      John

      • mike secor

        Reply Reply August 5, 2015

        thanks John

        Yes we already closed. I realize it was very close to the closing. Everything is good. She had a bill of sale, with all required info.
        She TRAVELED to the DMV, THE DAY BEFORE, and applied for the title, but could take up to60 days to process. the bill of sale, was notarized. We have her address, email etc. At the time she receives the title, she will sign it over to us, free of any and all liens. We paid with a Certified check. She wanted 4 checks of equal amts. However, my bank of course would not do that. 1 check with her name on it. She Accepted.

        We are now learning about the electrical, and heating system at the park model home.

        1 thing I was not aware of is the Park has to do a background check on us. I was told many RV parks are doing this now.

        Thanks again, and I find your work, and help invaluable.
        I will reach out, if I have more questions. Now to learn how to close up the home for winter, in October.

        thanks again
        Mike…

  • pam

    Reply Reply September 13, 2015

    Hi, found your info helpful. But my question is this. There is a mobile home that i’m interested in. The older man who owns it is in nursing home, nephew is handling his bills etc. That being said, The title is missing and the manager at the park said it can take along time to get this straightened out. Well if these are titled like a car does it work the same way, as say when you’ve lost the title to your car. Also IF the man is unable or incable of signing this over to me, how do i make this work. Thanks in advance.
    pam

    • John Fedro

      Reply Reply September 14, 2015

      Hi Pam,

      Thank you so much for commenting and for your kind words. I would certainly be happy to help bring you more clarity and point you in the right direction moving forward. Please see my thoughts in bold below.

      Hi, found your info helpful. Very happy to hear this. I am glad that this info has been of value to you already. But my question is this. There is a mobile home that i’m interested in. The older man who owns it is in nursing home, nephew is handling his bills etc. That being said, The title is missing and the manager at the park said it can take along time to get this straightened out. Well if these are titled like a car does it work the same way, as say when you’ve lost the title to your car. In many states mobile home titles and car titles are very similar. What state are you located? To answer your question it is first important to know whos name is on the title. If the owner on the title is the older man in the nursing home then all that needs to be done (in many states) is for the nephew to provide a power of attorney, duplicate title application, and pay a small fee to obtain a duplicate copy of the title. However, if the older man is not the owner, and perhaps he never transferred the title into his name when he paid for it, then you will need to track down the owner. Or perhaps there is a lien on the home and the owner forgot to mention that the bank is holding the title. With all this said it is odd the park manager made this sound harder than it is. Also IF the man is unable or incable of signing this over to me, how do i make this work. The nephew will need power or attorney to sign on his uncles behalf. Thanks in advance. I hope this helps and makes sense. If you have any follow-up questions or concerns never hesitate to reach out now or in the future. Always here to help.

      Talk soon,
      John

  • Kimbra

    Reply Reply October 29, 2015

    Hello John,

    I entered into a nightmare and don’t know how to proceed from here. I’ll try to give you a brief, accurate timeline of events to date.

    One year ago I began a hurried hunt for a place to live, (my home burned and I were completely displaced). I was introduced to an owner of mobile home, looked and began questions. It was in rough shape but they (found out there were two owners) assured me repairs were made but they hadn’t gotten to cosmetic finishing. Several family members were moving in and out over a few years, but again I wasn’t informed until after purchase agreement started.

    We agreed on a negotiated price, with conditions, 1-materials to finish rooms, 2-trash removal, (and I mean truck loads, tires, toys, old building materials), 3-a complete new commode, 4-cabinets. I were not able to check it out unless they had time to be there. It was winter and there was no fuel, but was electric. They refused to purchase fuel so I had to, to protect plumbing. I asked for a key and had already paid over half of agreed price. They refused key until I put electric in my name and new month start.

    I wanted to start repairs and maintenance before having my belongings added to what already was there, very dirty also. Okay, yes, I was stupid, all flags at full mast, but I desperately NEEDED a place. I began moving and doing repairs and cleaning, I also own a business so my time and attention was already strained. My dog has not opposing thumbs to help, unfortunately, and we live alone.

    A year has passed, I’m still doing repairs! Had a fire within 1st month (electrical, which they of course said was redone). Did walls, plumbing, doors, ect. I’m sure you’re getting the picture.

    They took money off price since they didn’t do what they promised would be done. Now they say they promised only one discount, refuses to title (demand from park owner) while we dispute monies. I am getting threatened by both, one for title, other for all the money, with legal action. Oh, and I just finished patching and trying to seal roof. They said two small leaks, ‘only in winter’. First rain, every room was like a full sprinkler system.

    I cannot now afford an attorney. What can you suggest? Please help!

    Thank you!

    • John Fedro

      Reply Reply November 3, 2015

      Hi Kimbra,

      Thank you for reaching out and for the detailed comment. First off, I regret to hear about the situation and the headache that the park manager and previous seller are putting you through. It sounds like you are the only one who is keeping your word throughout this deal.

      Please tell me again why the park is pursuing legal action? Is it because you are not the owner on the title because the lot rent is past due? If you don’t mind me asking approximately how much money is still left to be paid to these sellers? Is there a specific date deadline that you have in the coming weeks before the park begins an eviction or legal preceedings? What paperwork or bill of sale did you receive when you “close” on the property?

      Please let me know the answers to the questions above and I would be happy to give you any additional information I can that would help you obtain title and get these deadbeat sellers off your back. Please feel free to comment back here or email me personally at support@mobilehomeinvesting.net.

      Lastly, I would suggest that you seek the counsel of a real estate attorney. Look for one that gives a free one hour consultation over the phone. Have all your questions and concerns ready and have them answered during this phone call. This attorney will be able to point you in the right direction legally speaking.

      Talk soon,
      John

  • Kimbra

    Reply Reply November 20, 2015

    John,
    Thank you very much for your reply. I will try to be brief with my answers to the questions posed here.
    Q) why park pursuing legal action?
    A) title transfer incomplete. I did ask if they had an address that I could send a payment to the sister who stepped in to handle sell. They said they cannot give it to me. I had offered another payment but not what she asks. I have been paying, and are current, in lot rent, taxes, utilities, ect. Began this transaction Oct 2014, and began lot rent and utilities in Dec 2014. Although I paid almost 800$ for fuel in November.

    Q) amount still owed?
    A) she is requesting another 300$. She discounted 100$ for me to ‘hire someone to load and remove garbage’. I’ve already had 4 loads out and probably 2 more to go.

    Q) specific deadline before eviction or legal action?
    A) there have been several throughout. Last one she said, ‘within a few weeks”. There are a lot of issues with them (park owners). Eg: My insurance renewal invoice wasn’t received and isn’t due for 3 wks, but I received threat of eviction since they don’t have receipt showing paid now. I am new to this ‘park’ thing and don’t know how they work, but thus far it is not a walk in any park I have visited.

    Q) what ‘closing’ paperwork/ bill of sale?
    A) only the initial purchase agreement. Although I have all receipts and have been paying taxes and insurance, and any other bills associated with trying to live here.

    Furthermore, I am looking to find out my legal rights and are doing correspondence on paper (or texts as sellers preference), rather than only phone calls.

    Thank you again, John. Your help and direction is greatly appreciated.

  • Kimbra

    Reply Reply November 20, 2015

    John,
    I forgot to mention, I have even offered them to buy back mobile home since they are not willing to complete transfer. Park owner does not want that and sellers made no replies.

    • John Fedro

      Reply Reply November 20, 2015

      Hi Kimbra,

      Thank you for the reply and detailed answers. I believe I understand now. It sounds like you are not only working against the current seller/owners but also working against the park management. It also sounds like once you clear up everything with the title and insurance, the park should ease off you a bit at this point. With that said I may be wrong and not fully understand.

      With that said I would not let this go without a fight. You’ve already paid so much and taking care of this home all this time. If you have to go to Small Claims Court to prove you are right and force the sellers to finally sell to you, then by all means please do so. However, if you are able to pay the seller a few hundred dollars to make this go away and receive free and clear title, I would suggest you go this route instead.

      Do you feel that the sellers are trying to be malicious or keep the properties for themselves to then resell later? If this is not the case then any logical seller would take the money they feel they are owed and provide you free and clear title. With that said please do not pay any more money to the seller until you are ready to pay them off and they have free and clear title which they can hand over to you (not mail to you) if possible.

      Please keep us in the loop moving forward. Very interested to hear how this works out. If you have any further follow-up questions or concerns never hesitate to reach back out. Keep in touch.

      Talk soon,
      John

  • Sena

    Reply Reply June 29, 2016

    I’m a seller of my mobile home but we signed a purchase agreement can I back out? And if I do I have a realtor who is selling it but what can I do

    • John Fedro

      Reply Reply July 1, 2016

      Hi Sena,

      Thank you for reaching out and connecting. To answer your question there is a “legal answer” and a “real-world answer”. The legal answer is that a signed and notarized contract is binding and should be honored all the way through. If it is not then one of the parties can legally sue the other party for “nonperformance” and get the home sold/purchased. While a buyer or seller may sue of this happen with a single-family residence or bigger type of home, it is not likely going to go through a legal channels with a mobile home inside of a pre-existing community. With that said, anything is certainly possible.

      In short, if you sign something then you should absolutely do what you agreed to. However, if you want to drag your feet or not sign any more paperwork I’m sure the buyers will eventually move on to another property. Does this make sense? Please let me know if you have any follow-up questions or if I did not fully answer your original question. All the best and keep in touch.

      Talk soon,
      John

  • HEIDI HANDTMANN

    Reply Reply July 17, 2016

    Sold a mobile home as is no warranties. …buyer has signed title..wants refund.

    • John Fedro

      Reply Reply July 18, 2016

      Hi Heidi,

      Thank you for reaching out and connecting. I very much regret to hear about your situation. This buyer is certainly having “buyers remorse”. Perhaps the buyers feel as if they overpaid Or perhaps the mobile home has more issues wrong with it then the buyers expected. Either way there are few paths you have to move forward. You may either issue a refund and resell the home to another buyer, if you go this route make sure to take out lot rent for this month as these buyers have wasted your time a bit and lot rent would be the least they could pay. Or you can stand your ground and simply move on with your life as the buyers have agreed to purchase this property and have done so already. The issue you run into if you stand your ground is that in some states you must sell a home with adequate heating, windows, and other basic amenities. I am not sure your state however the buyer could have a justification for going after you legally or at least dragging your name through the mud online or to the states “fraud alert” website. I bring all this up to you because I am certainly not sure what condition the home is in when you sold the property and I am not sure how angry or vindictive these buyers are. It does not sound like they transfer the home into their names just yet so if you do not take title back they may not transfer the home into their name and you may receive tax bills in the future for a property you no longer own. In short, this is a decision that is best made by you. Legally you may not have to give the home back however to avoid a headache situation moving forward it may be the best and easiest route. With all this said please know that I’m certainly not an attorney of any kind. I encourage you to speak to a local real estate attorney to know all of your options in full. Look for an attorney that offers one free hour of consultation. Have all your questions lined up and get them answered during this one free hour. I hope this helps and begins to point you in the right direction. Keep in touch moving forward. Additionally, if you have any follow-up questions or concerns never hesitate to reach out any time. All the best.

      Talk soon,
      John

  • Lina

    Reply Reply December 18, 2016

    Hi John, you have a very interesting website.

    Hope you can help me.

    We purchased a mobile home in the end of 2014 in Illinois from the mobile home park owner. We paid in full with cash. The owner then sent it paperwork to DMV and we received the title to the mobile home already. It is 1974 model 924 sqft.

    We have never received the tax bill from Lake County. When we called the county, back in 2015, they said it was never registered and that’s why we never received any tax bill. We let the mobile home park owner know this. He said he sent in registration documents bit late, and that he will take care of this, and it will be no problem.

    In 2016 we still have not received tax bill from the county. When we called the county, according to the county treasurer our home was never registered with the county, and is still showing as non-livable.

    We did sign the county registration form when closing on the home, and the seller said he will mail it in to register. I recall we asked him in 2015 about it, and he said not to worry – he will pay 2015 taxes because he sent it in late, and we thought all is fine.

    Well in 2016 – it’s still not registered. County said that they tried to contact him – called him 3 times, and he does not return their calls. When I called the park owner myself, he said that he never received any phone calls from the county, and he sent in registration paperwork 3 times already.

    Now what should we do about this? We did all we were supposed to do. Lake county said until they hear from him they can not help us. And they can only register when the seller – mobile home park owner sends in the documents.

    Basically going in circles here, and the county mentions that now once they receive registration paperwork we will owe a lot in past due taxes and fees.

    Why should we have to pay all these fees when we did everything right, and it’s absolutely not our fault?

    Thank you in advance for your help John.

    • John Fedro

      Reply Reply December 19, 2016

      Hi Lina,

      Thank you for reaching out and connecting. Additionally, thank you so much for your detailed comment as this certainly helps me answer your your questions. I very much regret to hear that this park owner is definitely not being as responsive as he could be and is clearly not trying to help clear up the matter 100%. For some reason he is avoiding clearing up this matter and that absolutely does sound fishy for some reason. In all reality I cannot see any reason why he should be dragging his feet unless he simply does not want to pay the few years back taxes, which really shouldn’t be too much and is certainly not worth all this hassle. In my opinion the real tricky part comes from the fact if you get an attorney involved the park owner may be offended and may not want you in the park or may not want to work with you any longer as he feels threatened or personally attacked in some way. However, I mentioned an attorney because you have certainly gone through good legths to get this done yourself and organize a win-win solution, only to be blocked every time by the slow moving park owner. Between you and me I can tell you that many park owners are not as organized or business -like as they would appear on the surface. Again, for this reason I would encourage you to contact a local real estate attorney who can send a letter on the attorneys letterhead to the park owner. The park owner is letting this very small matter turn into a bigger issue than it needs to be. Clearly this park owner does not take this too seriously and unfortunately now you need to either move forward to let the park owner know you will pay for all of the fees as long as he can call up the state in the next 48 hours, otherwise you need to contact a local real estate attorney to get your options as you do not want to be in jeopardy of the state. Make sure to let this park owner know how frustrated you are with the whole situation and that you want it resolved ASAP. I hope this helps and starts to make sense. I may have said a few conflicting things if you have any follow-up questions or concerns please never hesitate to reach out to me anytime. All the best. Keep in touch. When this gets resolved please never hesitate to comment back and let us know how it turned out.

      Talk soon,
      John

      • Lina

        Reply Reply January 5, 2017

        Hi John,

        Thank you very much for your reply. Well, it all got straightened out. Apparently our county is either a little bit disorganized or corrupt. Yes, our landlord did send in registration documents three times, and finally after faxing them over again, the county contacted us and ended up eating their past due fees. And we finally received and paid very small property tax bill. So now we are registered. Apparently there are many homes in our complex that had similar problems. Just so you know, sometimes it is the county treasurer who are weird I may say….

        Thank you so very much for your help, and I truly enjoy reading your website.

        Lina

  • Eugene Roma

    Reply Reply January 29, 2017

    My mother recommended I might like this blog because I’m always looking for new ways to make money and business opportunities. I’ve really never considered any type of real estate before but I have always been around mobile homes growing up and they do not scare me.

    • John Fedro

      Reply Reply February 4, 2017

      Evening Eugene,

      Thank you for reaching out and connecting. I’m glad you found this website. I do hope that this website and videos have been somewhat helpful to you thus far. Moving forward please never hesitate to reach out and ask questions as you have them. I appreciate you looking for alternative businesses and likely trying to “think outside of the box”. While mobile home investing can be quite profitable, there are also many mistakes and errors to make along the way. Never hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns you have. If I can help I am always happy to. All the best. Keep in touch.

      Talk soon,
      John

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