Hi there, we are the Schmidt family. A wife and husband with two kids.

In 2022, my husband and I decided to look at buying a mobile home instead of continuing to rent. While we were both making decent money, we still couldn't afford anything new or fancy. We found a home on the cheaper end and started the process. We were told it needed some cosmetic upkeep but it was in decent shape. It passed inspection and we believed that was good enough. However, when we moved in, we began to spot the problems. We were first time homebuyers in their early 30s and unfortunately didn't see anything wrong beforehand.

We tore up the carpets and found water damaged floors. There was mold under the washing machine. The furnace was the original from 1984(38 years old!) and didn't blow heat. I have no clue how this place actually passed but it did.

We replaced the flooring in the bedrooms and eventually replaced the furnace. But our home has continued to head into unlivable territory. The floor in the kitchen is breaking, there is a hole through the floor there as well as another in the living room. A pipe for the water heater broke and began leaking water. It was going into the heating vent and dripping back out under the trailer. Now there is a potential for more mold under the home. We are trying to address it ourselves but it's beyond our abilities to fix.

We have already been paying more than the monthly payment and we are barely making a dent in what we owe. Our lot rent has increased every year since we moved in and it's becoming harder to manage.

We don't know what to do at this point, we can't afford to pay off the remaining balance right now. The home will likely not sell for what we owe ($29,403) because of the rough shape it's in.

Our goal right now is to repair the water heater leak and beyond that, sell the home and go back to renting.

We are trying to keep our family from going under and it's been harder every day. I know that everyone is struggling right now but if you can donate or just sharing our fundraiser is so helpful.

Thank you.