A different but maybe interesting topic...

[goufgators]

Wife and I are contemplating selling our house and was wondering: We have a metal carport type building on a concrete pad to house our 32' motorhome. Is that structure going to be more of a hindrance or benefit in our planned selling of the house? Certainly, someone with an RV or large boat would likely be interested in buying the house. BUT, a person without a need for the structure, I believe, could be turned off and not interested in buying the house because of the structure. Anyone with thoughts about this? Hindrance or Benefit??

[ppine]

You only need one person that likes it. Shade is a valuable commodity for many people in Fla.

[Atlee]

If it's clean, in good shape, leave it. If I were moving to a new house, I'd view it as a plus. And if it house is near perfect for someone, but they did not want it, hey could as that it be removed in their offer.

[bucky]

Post a pic and you will get more applicable comments. Or just the address if the site is not heavily treed so that it can be viewed on google earth. Nobody is going to drive from OK to steal anything.

[spoon059]

OP, interesting topic for sure! I thought about this when I installed my metal carport and decided to use gravel as a parking base rather than a more permanent material. While a covered parking area for a camper, boat, tractor or car is an added benefit to me, I can understand that others would see it as an eyesore. I can easily get rid of the structure, scrape the gravel and plant grass.

Steel structure has value to scrappers though. You could either attack it with some sawzalls and transport yourself (and make a couple dollars) or you could probably find a scrapper who is willing to come collect it from you without charge.

Personally, I like the idea of noting in the listing that you would remove the structure at the request of a buyer. That way it becomes a non-issue. The people that value the carport would like it. The people that don't value it would have no real reason to avoid it. As close to the water as you are, I'm sure there are fishermen with 26-30 foot fishing boats that would LOVE covered storage for boat and trailer.

Good luck either way!

[tdiller]

Find a way to present it to other than boat or rv owners. Maybe park the lawn tractor under it so buyers get some idea of what it could be used for. Or place a table and the BBQ under it.

[dodge_guy]

I bought a house with a pool.....because it had a pool. some will say it makes selling a house harder. well it was one of the reasons we bought our house! leave it and if the buyer doesn't want it then offer some cash for them to have it removed. however being in FL it will be a perk!

[free_radical]

goufgators wrote:
Wife and I are contemplating selling our house and was wondering: We have a metal carport type building on a concrete pad to house our 32' motorhome. Is that structure going to be more of a hindrance or benefit in our planned selling of the house? Certainly, someone with an RV or large boat would likely be interested in buying the house. BUT, a person without a need for the structure, I believe, could be turned off and not interested in buying the house because of the structure. Anyone with thoughts about this? Hindrance or Benefit??

Benefit imo,,
Id think structure like that makes property worth more $$..
If someone doesnt like it,,let them buy diferent house or remove it..

[scbwr]

Leave it and be prepared for it to be a negotiable item. It wouldn't hurt to see if you could get a quote on the cost to just have the structure removed without removing the cement pad.

[captnjack]

The consensus among RV'ers is clearly to leave it be. But what percentage of homebuyers are RV'ers? And what percentage have an RV that is small enough to enjoy the protection advantage of that size cover?
I think the condition and appearance are huge factors. If it looks good and fits in with the property and the community (and is LEGAL) you could probably get away with leaving it be. Potential buyers may see other uses for it.
I don't think a cement slab is desirable as a patio. Buyers these days seem to want stone, pavers or stamped concrete for their patios.
Ask the realtor for a professional un-biased opinion. And then LISTEN to that realtor. Those opinions are one of the most important things we hire them for.
I personally would not put in the listing info that I would be willing to remove it. But let the realtor know that you don't want this thing to ruin an otherwise good deal. Leave it to the realtor as to when that info gets shared.

[wanderingbob]

Leave it . I live in Crawfordville , and most home buyers would consider it an asset . All us ' Crackers 'have boats , RVs , alligator farms , whiskey stills to put in it !

[d3500ram]

If it were me, I would leave it in place and make sure it is neat, clean and presentable as possible. If a potential buyer balks at a sale because of it, make it a condition of the sale that you will demo it.

I would get a retainer that if for some reason they make it a condition of the sale and then back out that you keep the retainer for cost of the demo.

[JAC1982]

Former realtor here. As others mentioned, as long as it's in good repair and looks nice, I'd leave it. You can always put a note in the listing that you're willing the remove the canopy if the buyer does not want it. I would not offer to remove the concrete pad though, and I can't see hardly anybody objecting to that since it can be used for lots of things like extra parking for guests, or can function as a patio depending on its location.

Even some RV people may not want it. We've been househunting a bit in Idaho and it's so disappointing when I see homes with "RV parking" in the form of an RV garage and it's too small to fit our trailer, or the door is too short. I'd rather that it not even be there and build our own to fit our needs.

[memtb]

goufgators wrote:
Wife and I are contemplating selling our house and was wondering: We have a metal carport type building on a concrete pad to house our 32' motorhome. Is that structure going to be more of a hindrance or benefit in our planned selling of the house? Certainly, someone with an RV or large boat would likely be interested in buying the house. BUT, a person without a need for the structure, I believe, could be turned off and not interested in buying the house because of the structure. Anyone with thoughts about this? Hindrance or Benefit??

Could go both ways! If I were the prospective buyer.....a huge plus. But....for some a negative!

[westernrvparkow]

2chiefsRus wrote:

westernrvparkowner wrote:

ro_sie wrote:
From a womans point of view. I would leave it. We built a steel building for our MoHO. It has a concrete pad and is large enough for a 41 ft with all the slides out and still lots of room for storage. I live on several acres and recently someone bought the closest house to me that also has acerage. the new owners are building a huge garage on their property. The man is into race cars and builds them. another house close to me is up for sale, a couple of acres, and people are fighting over it. A bidding war is happening, because they all want the extra land to build another structure on. Yeah, keep that building standing. Its easy to remove it if it is unwanted.

Barns and garages are very different than carports. And the construction of a carport will not lend itself to conversion to a true garage. To me, carports are the above ground swimming pools of vehicle shelters. They sort of work, but they aren't ever going to be a positive focal point.

Carports in Montana vs carports in Florida are somewhat different animals. It doesn't take much to provide shelter in Florida from the almost daily summer rains and or sun and the winters are mild enough to just want to keep the frost off of the windshield. Carport in Montana not nearly as functional.

True. However, no carport will every serve the same functions as a barn or garage. A barn or garage provides some security for all the other things people store and use. A barn or garage hides whatever is inside it. They are a barrier to critters. They keep all the weather off whatever is inside, even when the wind is roaring and debris is flying around. They really aren't comparable.