Worth it to Renovate???

[cmsc94]

I am handling the probate of a family member who owned a 1975 Excella 500 31'. It had sat neglected for many years in an old campground, and was then towed back to this person's house a few years ago. I have no idea what the condition of the frame is, although it was apparently towed back those two miles without an issue. It is entirely original and appears to be in very bad shape both externally and internally with evidence of water intrusion and mold in many spots inside. Animals have lived there. The family member's widow will inherit the trailer and wants it gone as soon as the title can be transferred to her via probate. We are curious if there are any folks out there that want to take on projects like this or if it should be taken to the junkyard. Could we get a couple thousand dollars from someone who wants to do a complete strip and renovation? It would have to be taken as is. The trailer is located in NE Ohio. Thanks for all your insight.

[cmsc94]

More photos

[Justen]

It's worth more than scrap value- it looks reasonably sound but who knows what the frame and subfloor are like. I'd list it here in the classifieds for a few grand and let some dreamer take a chance on it.

[Piggy Bank]

My opinion.

I think you might consider listing on your local Facebook marketplace and be as frank as you have been here. If there is any interest, that would be your easiest solution. Sell as-is, buyer must remove.

It seems to me your best option would be to try find a willing buyer in your local area.

If that is unsuccessful, I personally would not think its condition would bear out spending much time and expense on a wider search. Perhaps a listing here on the classifieds.

[AlbertF]

It’s original and largely intact, with no evident dents in the skin. While the frame and floor probably need work, it’s not ready for the scrapyard yet. It just needs the right buyer.

[TechRR1]

The larger ones are actually worth less. Best size to sell is 19'-26' but if you list it on Craigslist you will sell it.

[Minno]

Put $5000 on it and see what offers you get. It's a good project trailer, and people are looking for these. Airstreams are very renovatable (if that's a word....). We did a 1972 31ft, 14 years ago, and now a 52 year old trailer is on the road, traveling again.

Don't scrap it!


Kay
PS: that said, no we don't want it. We already have one....

[Starlight Mike]

I agree with ask five grand, it is worth it to someone. I bought one that bad, older, cleaned it up, new tires and drove across country with three kids and a dog and back no problems. Ignorance was bliss.

[Luna1967]

I agree! Try to sell her. If you want to up the odds and have the time, before taking pictures for the ad, remove everything loose from the interior. Close the cabinet doors (so it shows they’re there) open the blinds for light etc… 20 minutes will make a big difference in how she ‘shows.’ Good luck!

[SilverPal2]

The devil is in the details, the condition of the chassis and the body will dictate the current value. Sell it as a project trailer, condition unknown and let the prospective buyer do the discovery.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

There are a *lot* of folks who take on renovations of trailers in *much* worse shape than that one. Are they wise to do so? Many of them do indeed come up with a very nice trailer .

I agree that a listing of ~ $5K "or best offer" makes a lot of sense.

Bob

[Portage to Caravan]

If you list it, it will sell.

[KevinGraceAZ]

We are intereested in the Airstream. $2,000 cash. As we would like to limit the weight for towing is there a place where we could get rid of the gutted material close by?

[Mikebrady62]

I have seen worse go for more. $5000.00 is what I was thinking also but a cash offer of $2K is most likely worth more than my opinion.

[KevinGraceAZ]

Understanding that this has to go through probate, and not trying to push things, but we are starting to plan some travel routes and wanted to know if you are entertaining our $2k offer as we have to plan logistics if we are heading out your way or not.

[Gene]

I am certainly no expert on renovating trailers, though I have done four houses. I have looked at photos on the Forum for a lot of years and many have been much worse looking trailers. Save as much of the original interior as you can while trashing junk. Trailers worse than that (though I can't see some important parts) used to sell for $2K and more but that was 15 years ago. I agree $5,000 is a reasonable price now. I think RV prices are dropping, so sooner is better than later.

In some states probate can go faster and others, not so. So it is a good time to find out about this and plan ahead. Ask whatever lawyer is handling the probate what he or she estimates is the time frame to get an court order transferring title and getting an actual title from the state. You can whet people's appetites now, but it will take some time. Depending on the complexity of the estate, a court order could be obtained to sell it prior to closing the estate since this is a good time of year to sell an RV, but that would require some time and money. It depends just how fast you want to get this item out of the way.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Gene

I am certainly no expert on renovating trailers, though I have done four houses. I have looked at photos on the Forum for a lot of years and many have been much worse looking trailers. Save as much of the original interior as you can while trashing junk. Trailers worse than that (though I can't see some important parts) used to sell for $2K and more but that was 15 years ago. I agree $5,000 is a reasonable price now. I think RV prices are dropping, so sooner is better than later.

In some states probate can go faster and others, not so. So it is a good time to find out about this and plan ahead. Ask whatever lawyer is handling the probate what he or she estimates is the time frame to get an court order transferring title and getting an actual title from the state. You can whet people's appetites now, but it will take some time. Depending on the complexity of the estate, a court order could be obtained to sell it prior to closing the estate since this is a good time of year to sell an RV, but that would require some time and money. It depends just how fast you want to get this item out of the way.

Hi

Also don't rule out "bumps in the road" that include things like not being able to *find* a title to transfer.

If the "big deal" is that having it there on the property bothers folks, maybe moving it to a storage location would be possible. Again it's a "check with the lawyers" sort of thing.

Bob

[tjdonahoe]

Not in my lifetime

[Tim J]

Totally worth renovations! My wife and I bought an 83 Soveign 31'. We towed it home from Fla to NH and ended up completely gutting it. This allowed us to reinsulate the floor, put heating pads on the tanks and rebuild to our liking. It was rough inside. Frame needed some love too. But we lived in it for two years while building a house and have since had this awesome little Vaca home to travel in.

[Jama4701]

We bought a 1975 31' Sovereign that sat in a field for 20 years. It was full of animal waste. Some of the floor had to be replaced. We have gotten the inside done. We are working on the outside now. It is worth a million to me. It has been a lot of work.