purchasing a pre-owned manufactured home

[prairydawn]

Hi everyone, a newbie here. We are considering purchasing a pre-owned manufactured home built in the early 90's in NY, near Ithaca. I was wondering what we need to know when we go to look at it. What should we be looking for? Do home inspectors typically have knowledge on manufactured homes? We would also like to have an addition put on, a stick built addition complete with basement. The house is currently on peirs that go below the frost line. Is an addition of this nature possible? This is actually a make or break point on the purchase. I had asked the real estate agent and she assured me that 'of course you can add on'. However we would rather ask the experts, you folks, to see what your opinions are. I have one last question, and forgive my ignorance. The whole house is wall papered. We would like to strip it off and paint the walls instead. Not knowing what the walls are typically made of, we didn't know if this was a bigger job than the usual spray and scrape. Thank you in advance!

Dawn

[procableguy]

Hello1! My name is Ryan and I just found this site. I know i can help with your questions but will let you in on a short story first let me say that
mobile homes are built in a factory and not as coventional when it comes to building processes. They build the floor and then put walls on top which is similar but Mobiles tend to have particle board(absorbs water and deteriorates) stapled down ad it will not be easy to just "replace". You will have interior walls to contend with and closets and Kits and baths> I was a Carpenter for 5 years and I woulld hate to have to fix another particle board floor. I hope i'm not discouraging you but that is important to know.

I had 2 Mobile homes ( 1 as ordered new from dutch housing in 2001 only after the one I spent 3 months renovating from top to bottom had burned down and i had no Insuance).



You can screw thicker Drywall over existing thin drywall but patching and sanding can be very challanging for regular DIYers. Priming, light patching and painting would be ideal! If you decide to take down drywall make sure you crefully take down trim and mark numbers in sequential order so they may be tacked back into place.



Any other questions just ask.

[prairydawn]

Hi Ryan, Thank you so much for your informative responce. We are going to see that pre-owned home this weekend. As a novice what should we look for when we are touring the house? Are there way's to check issues, such as flooring, roof, foundation, plumbing, etc. The house is currently on piers so I guess there would be some access to the house' 'bottom'. Any guidance you can offer would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Dawn

[procableguy]

I need the year, model and manufacturer so I can do a little researc myself.
When "inspecting" for yourself while walking through there are specific questions to ask while looking in certain areas. (kind of like purchasing a vehicle, I usually ask as many questions as possible as I look over the entire mechanical and electrical systems, I would not purchase anything from anybody who doesn't have a clue as to what they are trying to sellto me.)If the seller is not available during walk thru and your with an agent take as much time as neccesary because this is your purchase and they help in the negotiation with first hand knowledge of any of your concerns.Refresh me as to what you will be doing with ths as far as transport and set up and I may have some other good info.
Whan doing walk thru make sure you have a checklist( download one here?)

*If it is a late model it should have a pitched shingle roof system with flashing and maybe gutters so that should be ok ,but ask if they had ever attached a satelite system, that could cause a leak and major damage if not sealed properly.
*Look for cauck around windows and doors while outside,if there is a A/C unit and you are taking it ask how it works, any maintenance?, covered during winter.
* Ask if any electric or plumbing was altered and look and ask questions why and again take your time so you can see the whole picture.
* Look under cabinets and other places to see what kind of flooring was installed originally, or ask if they don't know then heres a trick:

In the closets there may be a spot where you can lift carpet(bring pliers/hammer and a tack)1n trunk of car, it may be a dirty trick that the agent lets you perform but this is a big purchase and you want to be sure of everything you possible can!
*look at the cainets and trim to make sure they all match so when you decorate you dont have a clash of different materials to work with.
* ask and look to see about the furnace and appliances.
* ask what monthly average utilities cast and differences may be obvious in size of family/lifestyles but it gives tou an energy/functionality to the home for you to see.
*list pros/cons and compare to others later.
Good luck and happy house hunting!!!
I have more suggestions just let me know!!!
Ryan