Do Not Skip On Your Mobile Home Maintenance!
In the state of Florida, mobile homes are taxed as personal property and not as real estate property. This means that your mobile home is taxed similarly to your other possessions like vehicles. Vehicles need regular maintenance, and so is your mobile home
How important is it to keep up on your maintenance on your mobile home when you do not live there full time?
How about if you are looking to sell your mobile home and have already moved out, should you make it a point to keep up with the maintenance items even though you don’t live in the home?
Unfortunately, these are not common questions that come up to us, and in turn, they become very common issues we wind up having to deal with when selling a mobile home.
Many times Sellers believe that if they are not living in the home and have the property for sale, then it does not make a lot of sense to continue to put money into it, especially in the form of routine maintenance.
While, I can certainly appreciate someone being thrifty and looking to conserve their finances, especially in a time like we are all experiencing right now, I must stress to everyone watching that skimping on common maintenance things that a mobile home needs to continue to operate well, is just not a good idea.
The most common maintenance items we see that Sellers continue to discontinue are their routine maintenance of the air conditioning system and keeping up to date with all pest spraying on the property itself.
Now, as we have discussed in previous blogs, mobile homes are based in large part on wood-based building materials, and when these materials are exposed to the Florida climate, termites will come looking for a place to live.
Many times this will be in the walls and flooring of your mobile home. To prevent this one needs to connect with a reputable pest service for regular treatment. Most of these companies will offer different packages for maintenance service, but I cannot stress to you any more than this to not discontinue this service!
Several times we have seen Sellers move out of their homes for various reasons and then call us to sell their home fast only for us to walk into the property and feel soft floors, rippled wall paneling, and ummmmmm…….. let’s just say……….some “gifts” laid behind by their non-rent paying tenants!
At one time, the termite infestation was so bad, the Seller had to go through an entire termite tenting process just to try and see if their home will not fall in on itself. This tenting service cost the owner over $3,000. I can only begin to think that the Seller could have avoided this if they kept up with their regular termite spraying service.
The second service that should not be overlooked is your air conditioning unit.
Many homes around the Sarasota area do have central AC, and with that comes biannual checks where a local company will come to your property and make sure the unit is working correctly. Most of these companies will offer you a discount if you buy both services for the year at once which may save you a considerable amount of money.
Colonial Manor
Even tall grass and thick vegetation around your mobile home can create problems if not properly managed. Termites, ants, and other destructive insects can find their way to your house if thick vegetation is touching your walls.
As we all know down here in Florida, your AC will run most of the year, and for it to work well, you have got to make sure that it is being checked on a regular basis.
Avoiding this could lead to your AC unit going out completely without you even knowing, and this will cost you well over $5,000-$7,000 for a new unit when it could have been avoided with a basic maintenance plan.
When selling your mobile home, we cannot stress enough to stay up on these two maintenance items, even when you are not living in the property.
While we do understand this does cost money and can be frustrating to have to pay for it when you’re not even living in the house, it will be quite a bit more expensive in the long run if you do not keep up with these simple routine maintenance items.
A small leak on the roofing could destroy the whole ceiling and everything under it if not attended to immediately.
Many owners left their mobile homes for just a couple of months and returned only to find out that the ceiling fell down because it failed to hold the water leaking from the roof. This is a common issue for unattended mobile homes with leaking roofs.
If you are planning to sell your mobile home while being away, we highly suggest taking care of all things that need repairs before they can create bigger problems. We’ve seen it before. Even new mobile homes can land in the hands of fixer-upper because the owner can’t afford the repair cost anymore. Small issues can create huge problems if not properly maintained.
The Mobile Home Dealer are licensed mobile home broker in Sarasota Florida and the surrounding areas. We provide professional buy and/or sell assistance to our clients. If you have any questions, please contact us by clicking this link. You may also visit our Facebook Page and send us a message
This is Mark Kaiser with The Mobile Home Dealer, and we help mobile home buyers and sellers get to a better place in life.
See Also:
- What Are Sarasota Mobile Home Buyers Looking For?
- Common Issues With Sarasota Mobile Homes #1
- What Is Needed For A Sarasota Mobile Home Park Approval?
- Are You Able To Get Financing When Buying A Sarasota Mobile Home?
- Should You Try And Rent Your Sarasota Mobile Home When Selling?