First mobile home investment

[Ryan Gandy]

Hello BP community! We are just getting started with our first mobile home flip and we bought the home for around $5k from a local park. The park is doing improvements to get the home to code, fixing the skirting, etc. but we are considering putting more into it to make it more appealing. The community is a mix of older and newer homes, with ours being from the 90's.

What advice do you have regarding putting more money into the home's interior versus just selling after the park makes the minimum repairs? Is it worth it to invest a little more into the interior to update it? Thanks!

[Frank Rolfe]

Mobile homes are no different than regular homes regarding the necessity of offering an appealing product. I would definitely paint it (low cost/high impact) and make it smell good (remove old smells and add an air freshener). Beyond that the standard playbook is to replace the old carpet with vinyl that looks like hardwood, and then add area rugs that you can buy from Walmart or Home Depot (if the current flooring can't be saved). We have also found it extremely important that the stairs/deck be solid with a decent railing and that the door opens easily -- otherwise it gives a terrible first impression. 

Most mobile homes are an affordable housing product. That means that the price is the most important feature, and the customer is tolerant of many aesthetic issues in the name of getting something they can afford. But simple items like paint and carpentry and air fresheners can make it much more appealing and cost very little. I would start there.