The Deal of the Decade

I should preface this by saying I am not involved in this "sale."

So, here is Inga's grand idea.

She has independently found a 1975 mobile home and she is in love.

Here are the facts. Barry bought the property with seller financing from Maurice back in 1993 for $48,000. Barry died some time ago, leaving $10,000 left on the mortgage. He gave the property to Maria, who has been making payments but there is no will and title has not transferred. Therefore, she has been paying the mortgage of a dead man.

Maurice died recently, leaving the property to his niece Elizabeth. There is no will and she claims she is owed the rest of the mortgage. She is collecting money for a trailer she does not own from someone who doesn't owe it.

Additionally, Maria, who lives in the property, owes the water company upwards of $5,000. She also owes the owner of the land (because it is in a mobile home park) $10,000.

Maria wants Inga to pay off the water and the land lease and take over the payments of a mobile home that she does not own.

So let me recap. The owners are dead. Maria lives there without legal claim. She wants to sell it and have someone pay her incurred debt as well as take over the payments she is not legally responsible for making. Maria is paying Elizabeth, who also does not have legal claim and is not owed a penny. They both are saying this mobile home belongs to them. The tax records say otherwise.

Inga asked me what she should do, but first she said, "Don't tell me to run. That's the only advice I don't want."

I said run. Don't look back. This is not the only home out there at this price (actually, it probably is), but there is a reason the price is so low. Maria doesn't own the home she is trying to sell and has no authorization to sell it. Plus, it is quite possible the mobile home park has put a lien on the property. And while we are at it, why should Inga pay Maria's late payments? I didn't check to see if the taxes had been paid, but let's be real. Also, the trailer is more than 40 years old and may possibly have 40 year old issues. Let it go. Move on, before Inga gives her life savings to this woman and never hears from her again. Barring ignoring me which, let's face it, she will, seek the counsel of a real estate attorney (who will also tell her to run).