Certain Michigan mobile home owners have been suffering from issues relating to the sale of their homes. Recently, unscrupulous mobile home parks have been trying to make an investment property out of their homes on the cheap. The problem is that many of the mobile homeowners are unsophisticated when it comes to the market-value of their property or the legal processes involved in selling their homes. In one recent case, a homeowner was sued by a mobile home park after she did not accept its offer to buy her home for $3,500.
In this case, a mobile home owner sold her residence and was later sued by her mobile home park for $25,000. The park says the woman violated the park’s right of first refusal, which assumes that the park has the legal right to try and outbid any interested buyers. According to the owners of the property, however, they never agreed to such arrangements.
The owners of the mobile home in this case say that they initially had an offer of $15,000 for their mobile home from an interested buyer; however, the owners of the mobile home park dragged their feet in helping them complete the deal and it eventually fell through. Later, the mobile home park offered to buy the trailer home for $11,000, but again dragged its feet on the deal. When the owners followed up, the park lowered their offer to $3,500. Another interested buyer showed up and offered $9,000 and the owners accepted the deal.
Now, the new owner of the investment property cannot remove it from the park due to a restraining order relating to the lawsuit. Michigan residents who have been sued by their mobile home park, or are trying to deal with a similar legal situation, have legal rights, which they can assert in court. It is unlawful to take advantage of unsophisticated homeowners in real estate deals. Indeed, those who were harmed financially in such deals may be able to pursue compensation for the financial damaged they have incurred.
Source: Fox 17 West Michigan, “Another mobile home tenant facing $25k lawsuit after selling her own home” Darren Cunningham, Apr. 07, 2014
