So you've found a mobile home you want to buy.. Now what?

FYI before I even start on anything I should make you aware: mobile homes used aluminum wiring as small branch circuit wiring prior to 1976 and then it was discontinued.  Be advised however it's a fire hazard in general so speak with your electrician before you buy any "vintage" mobile. 

Ok, on to the fun!! 

Check for any personal property taxes due, by calling your local office that handles that. Back taxes have to be paid and excise tax has to be paid and then you can get the title transferred to your name.  You can't skip getting the title transferred to have less money out of pocket. For example in my market it takes one to three weeks to get the title in the mail after it has been applied for.  This may sound obvious but if you don't have title, you don't do work, the previous owner could snatch it back after you give money if you don't get title.  Not cool.

Onto your walk through 

Check everything just like a car:

Outside: 

Gutters: Are there any? Are they full of debris? Broken or missing parts / downspouts?

Roof: Try to find out from the seller when the roof was replaced last... hold a pencil up to the roof line, is the line parallel and straight with the pencil? If its bowed or sagged - polite pass on the deal right then and there. 

Windows: missing screens, broken glass, are the metal or vinyl and are the windows sweating?

Doors: do they all function? This one seems easy to overlook or skip but you shouldn't. You will be needing easy access when you are rehabbing... you will be rehabbing right? 

Siding: ugly color - ignore that - it doesn't matter if its purple, puke orange, or painted black that is easy, structurally sound is what we are looking at - are sections missing, is it T1-11, is it concrete board, is it vinyl siding, is it that faux rock stuff? are their pieces missing / what kind of damage (does it look like the wall is swollen, is it squishy to the touch? You have yourself another area of water damage if so.)

Skirting: do you have any? if you can see under your house anywhere, depending on the year of the home, you may have to replace the skirting all the way around if it does not have vinyl tongue and groove type 2 rail skirting, or you may be able to do it in sections. Vinyl is all that is available commercially where I am at, but there may be other options in other markets. And you don't have to use vinyl, you can use that faux rock wall material as well or faux brick.  Something weather proof, don't use wood paneling.

Decks,Ramps, and Stairs: Whats broken/wiggly/missing/slippery/rotten, etc  

Porch roofing: is it attached to the home or is it free standing? Depending on the area the permitting is different.  This must be checked in a safe manner, and I can't give you an idea on how to protect yourself when you check this but I can say that if you think its going to fall on you, you should take it down and replace it or just remove it fully depending on the situation and not use that entry point until that is done. And mark it as unsafe with a sign once you own the home before you start working on it so no one else hurts them self opening you up to a liability...

Outside of the fireplace on the roof (saw one poking out of a wall the other day... not ok, just saying) L & I states that a chimney has to be 36" minimum in WA state from the roof line in MH. 

Lets see what else... 

And the landscaping - if its in a park it has to be de-grubbed if its out of control and that is important anyway for curb appeal. Clean it up and make the park staff happy and it will keep you off the office radar.  Besides talking with them on what the permits are that you need when you start your work, and what you need office approval for, etc, etc, then following through in the order they tell you. 

Wasn't that fun??? Ok now on to...

Inside

-check where the ceiling meets the walls, look for water damage and new repairs or spotty paint - shows there is a leak that is being covered up, ignored, or freshly repaired and possibly badly repaired.

-step around the base of the toilets in the bathrooms, if its soft, you are going to be re-doing the whole subfloor - better than sitting on it and falling through - your welcome.

-check that the water heater is present and turns on /fires up / sometimes its burnt out.

-turn on the faucets / look under all sinks for issues of broken and leaking pipes

-check the heater, turn it on... so many people sell their homes or dump them when the heater is broken and its really not as expensive as it seems to fix / clean it.  Usually its just cleaning needed or changing the batteries in the thermostat.

-walk the whole house interior, consciously step. What I mean is, feel for soft spots, all the older "good deal" homes are made cheaply with press board floors i.e. sawdust and glue... people drop liquids / dogs pee / drinks... and knock holes in the floor that you can't see through carpet.  You would be surprised how many people don't fix the problem but just cover it up, sometimes with laminate.  Makes me think of the bedroom under the throw rug in the movie Money Pit... If you have soft spots you can't ethically just re-carpet or throw down some laminate, you need to replace the subfloor again with 8x4 plywood sheets or patches of plywood depending on the severity and location.

-check for laminate damage in bathrooms and kitchen / utility room - this will show other types of flood damage if its curled along the edges, or if there are holes underneath.

-check for holes in things like doors, broken shower doors, broken sliding doors, any broken glass, check all windows that they functionally lock or don't...look for missing or pulled wires off the walls / missing outlets, where the cable and phone come in...etc.

-check for mold anywhere - window sills, wall corners, in stripes on walls or on ceilings point to leaks in the roof or human inflicted moisture issues/ broken ceiling fans/lack of repair, etc...

-does it have a fireplace? Check where it is in the home - see how it attaches to the ceiling and if its on block on the floor... how long has its been there? who put it in? was it permitted -it can be a huge fire hazard. 

-is there a room marked as a bedroom on the listing but it does not have a closet? surprise!! You have a den - again, you're welcome. build a closet in the room to make it a true room or market that space as a den, put some sweet doors on it and call it good.

- here is a fun one... go to the center of the house, if its a double wide its where the highest point in the middle of the two sections meets in the middle and are married together, there will usually be a visible seam line, and then go roughly to the center of the length of the house, stand there and jump as high as you can... when you come down, does the house wiggle like jumping in an elevator? The house has issues underneath if it wiggles that would have to be addressed. Mainly where I'm going with this is checking it to re-level.

Hope you took notes on your walk through for issues... a quicker way... now that you know the long way, is bring a contractor and electrician with you :) Let them look with you.