Posted by Steve-WA on September 09, 2003 at 09:34:11:
I mentioned this in another post; I had a tight squeeze moved in several weeks ago, and the mover hired a guy with a crawler - metal treads though. He was independent, and charged the mover $500. Not bad for a couple hours work twisting knobs. Would be awhile before getting the 65K back though - hmm, maybe not - work 2 a week x 65 weeks - or 3 a week . . . or one a day . . .hmmmmm . . .
thoughts on deal - Posted by Dave
Posted by Dave on September 08, 2003 at 10:16:01:
Talked to a mobile home mover today and he has 23 trailers for sale in a storage lot and he wants anywhere from $0 to $500 for them and he told me he will move and setup for $500. the homes range in years from 1968 to 1994, he said alot of 14x70’s. I have never done any MH investing, mainly because I couldn’t find any in my price range. I know DOW doesn’t suggest moving them but this seems to have alot of possiblities. what I was thinking was to do a option to buy all of them and then find parks to take them in. any advice thanks Dave
Re: thoughts on deal - Posted by Dan - GA
Posted by Dan - GA on September 08, 2003 at 15:00:27:
Dave:
Don’t touch the pre 1976 models! Most counties will not allow them to be moved into the county. Only existing ones can stay and all back taxes must be paid in order to allow it to move within the county. Many parks won’t allow MHs over a certain age so be carefull. A 1994 14x70 for $1000 purchase and moving & setup sounds like a winner.
Dan
You don’t get one of doc’s gold stars until… - Posted by Dr. Craig Whisler CA NV
Posted by Dr. Craig Whisler CA NV on September 08, 2003 at 19:12:49:
There might be a number of cherries in this lot. Just buy all of the good ones. Be sure they have titles and as the other poster said check to see if any back taxes or license fees are owed on them.
With pruchase prices, moving and setup costs like these most of them may be good deals, irrespective of the DOW m.o. I don’t think Lonnie wasn’t comtemplating $500 to move and set up nice $500 mobiles when he wrote the books. Most movers charge a bunch more.
You can always TRY to get them for FREE by asking the parks with vacant spaces for a $1,000 move-in allowance for each hole you fill in their parks. This is a common practice. You can often get such an allowance just for the asking.
Be very careful how you approach the parks though. Don’t say something dumb, like I have 20 mobiles and I NEED spaces for them. Don’t tell them you have any mobiles yet and for sure don’t tell them how cheap the mobiles are OR how cheaply you can get them moved and set up. Let the park owner THINK these deals are costing you 6k-8k each to develop and THAT is why you Need the 1k move-in allowance (to be able to make a reasonable profit). All the profit you can get is reasonable isn’t it?
You don’t get one of …doc’s gold stars, until you get one for free, including moving and setup.
If you get the parks to pay for your mobiles, the rate of interest you make on your investment when you resell them should be fairly good. Try to calculate it, if you think you can. Let us know what it is.
Sometimes interest makes this a very interesting business.
Regards, doc
Re: You don’t get one of doc’s gold stars until… - Posted by Dave
Posted by Dave on September 08, 2003 at 20:08:50:
I’ll try to earn a gold star. LOL
I drove around a few park tonite and noticed some vacant lots so I will call them tomorrow to see If I can work a deal out.
More questions though.
How do you change a heater on a mh from nautral gas to lp and vice versa?
My state requires a dealer liecense if you sell 2 or more per year how do I work with that? To get a dealer license you need a approved sales lot, bonded, blah ,blah, blah. not really up for it right now. what do you think the fine would be?
what do you think about renting out mh in a park if its allowed?
how do you check if taxes are owed?
Thanks Dave
Hey, why not go for broke and try for … - Posted by Dr. Craig Whisler CA NV
Posted by Dr. Craig Whisler CA NV on September 08, 2003 at 20:50:07:
I am not an expert at doing any kind of manual labor but I watched some being done once. I think you just need to have your gas company change the jets. I’ve had it done for gas water heaters and gas stoves. Anyway the gas company would be the best source to ask about this one.
Re: dealers licensing in yousr state, I cannot answer definitively unless I know your state and it happens to be CA. How many mobiles do you expect to do in a year? Couldn’t you do two, then your wife two, how about your dog Spot, your brother, uncle, grandfather and their respective spouses— two each, then there are your friends, and the butcher, the baker, and the candle stick maker. How many do you exp[ect to do each year?
Most parks don’t allow rentals. I would only consider this option if I had them on private land (which incidently, is what I do).
Every state is different. To find out how to check for back taxes ask any mobile home owner or park manager which governmental agency taxes them and call that agency for the answer to your question.
One more point. You didn’t ask, but that won’t stop me from telling you anyway. At these prices you might want to try to resell some of them, right from where they sit on the mover’s lot. Be sure you have bought or optioned up all of the good deals, IN WRITING, before bringing any of your customers to his lot, for obvious reasons. You can advertise them for sale and charge the REGULAR PRICE for the moving and setup. It should be easy to do, especially if you offer to finance the ($1,500) moving and set up costs along with the mobile home. I bet you could get dthe first 10 mobiles FREE (with the park’s move-in allowance) and dthen make a grand each or more off 10 others by reselling them “as is, where is”. Hey, Dave how much risk would you be taking to run a couple of $25 ads to make another $10,000 in profits.
That sounds great. Ten thousand dollars free cash and 10 free mobile homes delivered and installed free, to boot!
Hey, why not go for broke and try for… one of doc’s Goldem Big Mac awards. You’ve got A REAL WINNER here, good luck.
Regards, doc
Re: You don’t get one of doc’s gold stars until… - Posted by Dave Starr (CO)
Posted by Dave Starr (CO) on September 08, 2003 at 20:36:59:
The conversion of the furnace (don’t forget the water heater too!) is a very simple change of the burner orifice ( a little control valve with an opening for the trype of gas you are going to use). These valves typically cost about $6 or $8 bucks in a well-equipped plumbing supply house, but I would not make final closing on a home, much less let buyers move in, until I had my own trusted heating guy inspect the furnace… typiclly he would exchange the orifice as part of the inspection/adjustment.
Furnaces and water heaters are one of the few really big-ticket items that can be wrong with a MH, and they typically cost more than the equivilant units for a stick-built home. Eeven a ‘free’ MH can be an albatross for you if the furnace heat exchanger is cracked … you can’t sell a home in many jusrisdictions without operable heat, and in many municipalities an unsafe furnace is an intant ‘red tag’ item. often requiring the evacuation of the home. If it is not yet sold, or you sold it in an unsafe condition, expect the bills to come home to roost. I’d recommend having the systems in the ‘junkers’ you are contemplating checked before you have them moved. You could easily be stuck with costs of $2000/$2500 per furnace and an old home with a new furnace won’t retail for much, if any, more than an old home with an old furnace.
Best regards
Dave
Re: You don’t get one of doc’s gold stars until… - Posted by Steve-WA
Posted by Steve-WA on September 08, 2003 at 20:32:07:
“How do you change a heater on a mh from nautral gas to lp and vice versa?”
Call the heating guy - he will convert by replacing the orifice, and setting the pressure. You will have to buy or lease a LP tank as well, and maybe a permit to put the tank in.
“My state requires a dealer liecense if you sell 2 or more per year how do I work with that? To get a dealer license you need a approved sales lot, bonded, blah ,blah, blah. not really up for it right now.”
What about the guy you’re buying them from? Does he have a dealer’s license? Then be a salesman under his license for these deals. If not, then ask him what the fines have been. When he’s done laughing, you may have an answer.
“what do you think the fine would be?”
see above
“what do you think about renting out mh in a park if its allowed?”
this has been discussed AT GREAT LENGTH - check the archives
“how do you check if taxes are owed?”
In my state, taxes must be paid before a permit is issued to allow moving it. Unless your guy is a midnight rambler, he paid (or somebody did) taxes to take them away. Get VIN numbers, last locations, tax ID numbers, and hit the coounty tax assessors office and/or the county treasurer’s office. Ask them.
Re: Hey, why not go for broke and try for … - Posted by Dave
Posted by Dave on September 08, 2003 at 23:53:18:
Doc, where do you want me to send the Mcdonald gift certifacate. and just curious are you a real DR. or just have your phd in mhs and big macs. Dave
thanks everyone - Posted by Dave
Posted by Dave on September 08, 2003 at 23:40:31:
thanks everyone. the guy kinda sounds like a “midnight rambler”, I mean how can he move it, set it up with skirting and steps for $500, And I think he doesn;t have titles for alot of them. but I go see what he has. Thanks Alot!!! Dave
Re: Hey, why not go for broke and try for … - Posted by Dr. Craig Whisler CA NV
Posted by Dr. Craig Whisler CA NV on September 09, 2003 at 09:31:02:
I have a JD degree in law.
The PhD in Big Macs sounds more intriguing though. I’m gonna call McDonalds this morning.
Re: this midnite rambler was… - Posted by Greg Meade
Posted by Greg Meade on September 09, 2003 at 06:54:42:
no doubt paid already to remove these homes. Anything he makes now is just gravy. Know several toters here and they all make big bucks annually. Saw something cool this weekend …a toter had a small crawler (prob 4’l X2’w X 3’ H) with rubber tracks that eas remote controlled. Operator had a belt apparatus with different control levers, and he just walked beside the unir til toter could hook on and took a 16 X 80 out of a very very tight park in less than 5 minutes. Said the unit cost 65k!!! Good luck
They DO have a Hamburger University! - Posted by Steve-WA
Posted by Steve-WA on September 09, 2003 at 09:38:15: