Advertising your mobile home for sale or rent means you have to accurately represent the home in text and in your images. The benefit of advertising online is you can update those images regularly. The downside? The buyers and renters know you can do this, so there is little to no excuse in not having well-executed photos of your home. At MHVillage, we are passionate about teaching sellers how to take great shots of their homes.
Here are a few home sale photography tips:
Photos of the Room – Not the Stuff
If you are taking photos of your home, do what you can to tidy up personal items, like removing all the magnets and photos from the fridge. Speaking of which, be careful not to accidentally catch yourself in the reflections in mirrors and windows! Buyers want to imagine themselves in the home and the less you can personalize it, the better.
It’s All in the Timing
Dusk is a beautiful time to take photographs and everyone loves a gorgeous sunset, but it might put photos of your home in dark shadows. Look instead for mostly clear days or bright days that are a bit overcast for exterior shots. For interior shots, natural lighting is best. Newer bulbs can really distort the colors in your home. To avoid that, try to get those interior shots with the windows wide open on well lit days. Take your shots with your back to the window or other light source.
Highlight the Best Features
When taking pictures of a room, try to show off the home’s best features. It might be the extra storage in the kitchen or the view from the deck. However, don’t feel like you have to show every single room. While buyers love to see photos if all you can get in the frame is the bedroom window and some carpet, that photo probably doesn’t have to go on your ad.
Turn Your Phone
Modern mobile phones have amazing cameras and most take great photos. However, don’t forget to turn them horizontal so you have landscape photos. If possible, take the exterior shot on an angle. Homes, particularly mobile homes, tend to look better that way.
Photos – Lots of Photos
As we have said before, buyers love to see photos of your home. It gives them the opportunity to experience the home from the comfort of their living room. Taking a lot of pictures helps ensure you get great shots – and gives you something to send when people ask for more.
When you choose land for a mobile home, there is a lot to think about. Here are a few topics and explanations, with a very useful home buyer’s guide too
Your retailer can provide guidance on how to choose land for a mobile home
The person you work with to buy your home and get all the amenities and extras you like can be a great resource. You’re already there, making vital decisions together on floor plans, material types and add-ons. Why not ask about area properties that might fit your needs? Does your seller know any landowners interested in offers. Where are other people placing their homes, or are there new developments in the works?
Where are you going to put that house?
Understand the Local Zoning Requirements
If you’ve contacted a real estate agent to scout property for you, that person will have a working understanding of where in the community you are allowed to place a manufactured home. Or, if there are any doubts, they will know how to reference zoning lines and how your property sits in within the zoning plan.
However, this early scouting for land might be a fun endeavor. Don’t leave it all to your agent! You probably have a good idea of what part of town you want to live in. Maybe there’s a particular tree-lined ridge you’re fond of, or an area that provides easy access to your child’s school or your workplace.
Or maybe you’ve lived in one part of town and want to try somewhere new?
Regardless of your intentions, Google maps provides some great overviews (literally!) of property in nearly every area of the United States. And when you get on to something you might like, take a drive and look for yourself. Are there sales signs out? Are there other manufactured or mobile homes in the area? If so, you might be onto something.
How much grading is likely to be needed, and is it in your budget? Earthmoving can be a pricey endeavor
Regardless of what property you decide is the right one for your home, some grading and earthwork will be needed.
“The ground under your home needs to be built up to provide for drainage away from the home site in all directions,” said Karl Radde, general manager for Southern Comfort Homes in Bryan, Texas. “Your retailer and installer will have an understanding of minimum standards in your area. That said, whichever route you go, the home is only as good as the foundation. The more work done up to and including poured concrete minimizes the work and money that may be required later when re-leveling the home.”
Radde also suggests taking a look at the federal standards for siting a home on land. These directions will get you moving in the right direction, and should be paired against local and state regulations as well.
A hairpin turn in Oregon.
How accessible is the site from a main road? There needs to be access for home delivery
Yes, looking from above on a map or driving by in your car can whet the appetite for what is possible. But remember, your home will be delivered behind a large truck that needs room to safely maneuver with your home.
So, if the ideal land for your home involves narrow roads, hairpin turns or steep inclines, added earthmoving will be required. That can be pricey. If there are changes to be made to the access road, make sure your grading and site prep contractor is aware and can do it all in the same trip. This will help minimize cost and frustration. If you have doubt about whether the approach to your chosen property will work for your home delivery, contact the transport company ahead of time and ask them to assess the area. Maybe they’ve been there, or maybe they can make a quick visit between other jobs.
How should your home sit on the land you choose?
Most experts agree, a manufactured home looks best with the broadside facing the road, street or breadth of the property. How your home will sit on the property also informs where and how site prep will be handled for utilities and any add-ons like a garage, porch or shed. And this leads us to our next question, and answer…
What is the easiest way to connect utilities to the land you choose for your mobile home? The closer the better for your budget.
Every home needs a connection to water, electricity and sewage. Depending on how far your property is from a municipal system, you’ll have to make decisions about whether you will want a well and septic system on your land.
Again, each of these options, even if you’re creating a main to the electrical grid or other systems, will require some earth moving and in ground utilities. If you are connecting to municipal utilities, you’ll want to be as close to the system as possible while maintaining your frontage and privacy expectations. Every foot of line you bury is an added expense. If you opt for a well and septic system, you’ll want to have them out of the way of the approach, parking, property lines and downslopes. They should be clear of obstruction about 20 feet in every direction. And the well and septic, if you’re using both, should be no less than 150 feet apart from each other depending on state and local regulations.
Will there be seasonal access issues, like flood barriers or snow removal? Make sure your home will be accommodating year round.
Yes, we live in a dynamic world. Most locales nationwide have some type of seasonality, whether it’s the nor’easter or the monsoon season. Most often, homebuyers will conduct their business in the spring and summer, but take into account the likely conditions in your area for the other two months of the season to ensure you’re safe and comfortable throughout the year.
How far from the main road do you want your home to be?
Do you want the parcel cleared for landscape design, or maintained with some natural growth?
With many of the logistics out of the way, consider the natural elements of the land you’ve chosen. Do they play into your vision for your new place in the world. In commercial development, many professionals prefer to entirely clear the land before doing the work, then landscape in the latter phases. For a singular, residential effort, there’s greater flexibility. If there’s an old linden tree you love, plan to keep it and position your home in accordance. Maybe there’s a gentle slope you’d like to look over, or a pond on the property. Some of these natural elements can remain and play into the final product.
How close are you to shopping, fuel and other basic needs?
Living in a remote location can be alluring, but when you forget that grocery item you needed… Should it be another 30 mile trip from the land you choose for your mobile home. When the weather turns cold, will you want to spend as much time on the road for daily necessities, or a trip to the library or movie theater? And the further from the main road your home sits, the more access road you will be responsible for developing and maintaining.
Being near an interstate has its advantages. When you’re scouting properties, pay attention to traffic noise. If the highway a quarter mile off is muffled by trees and other natural surroundings, maybe it would be an advantage to reduce trip time and make it easier for friends and relatives to visit.
What lot size makes sense for you? You want to balance your investment goals with your tolerance for maintenance. Each added square foot cost a bit more, but can add to your investment too. Does it make sense to buy more now while land is cheap? Or would you rather save the time mowing and doing other seasonal chores required of a large property?
Did you think we forgot about your handy home buyers guide?
Don’t fret — here is MHVillage’s handy mobile home buyers guide; take it on the road with you, show it to your agent… And rest assured you’re making the best decisions on how to choose land for a mobile home.
The Lewis's factory-built home being placed one section at a time.
Brian Lewis was born to live in manufactured housing. His wife Holly took more convincing.
Brian was raised in a manufactured home, and has worked in the industry for more than 20 years. But when Brian and Holly married, they ended up in a small rental home with their two daughters.
Soon after, the Effingham, Ill., couple began thinking about having another child, and debated: They also wanted to become homeowners, and both life changes at once would be a big investment.
The Lewises on their wedding day.
Renting Versus Factory-Built Home Ownership
Renting in Illinois isn’t exactly cheap either. According to the Illinois Manufactured Housing Association (IMHA), renters must earn at least $3,525 a month (or $20.35 per hour) to afford a two bedroom apartment with utilities.
Brian suggested they consider manufactured housing, but stereotypes remain in many cases, so at first, Holly was hesitant.
“Then I took her to look in our showroom,” Brian said, “We have 25 different homes on display. She was like, ‘Oh wow, I didn’t realize!’”
The Lewises’ Kitchen
Today, factory-built homes, including modular and manufactured homes, allow room for creativity and customization – from glass showers to granite countertops – at an attractive price.
Factory-built homes come without exposure to the elements and minus the need to hire a separate carpenter, plumber or electrician. In many cases, all of this makes homeownership an even more affordable option than renting.
For just $590 a month, the Lewises purchased a custom-built, 2,100 square-foot manufactured home. They also purchased a five-acre plot of land to live on. Any typical home building experience would take many months, but Brian was able to help put his home together in a matter of weeks.
Factory-Built Homes Exceed Expectations
The Lewises had their home delivered, and Brian Lewis assisted with siting and installation.
“When any of my friends are like, ‘oh, you live in a trailer?’ I tell them to come down and look at it,” Brian said of the 2,048 square-foot 2017 Commodore he designed and helped build. “I fancied up the inside and once people get inside, they’re impressed.”
Frank Bowman, Executive Director of IMHA, has seen this happen many times.
“Old ways die slow and people have pictures in their minds of what a ‘trailer’ is,” he said. “It’s best to get people in to look at these homes.”
Bowman stresses the importance of all kinds of MH communities and homes as affordable housing options.
“Housing cost is at an all-time high nationwide,” he said. “Everybody is talking about affordability and it’s become a huge problem.”
State Associations Advocate for Factory-Built Homes
The Lewises’ home after on-site construction of the garage and attachment of front porch and walk.
In an effort to counteract this, IMHA advocates on behalf of factory-built homes to both the government and to potential mobile and manufactured home buyers.
“What we’re trying to do is talk about the quality, the affordability and the unsubsidized nature of our product,” Bowman explained.
Manufactured housing often enables people to live where they need or want to live. While the Lewises chose the country, others residents attend school or work in big cities; factory-built homes enable them to live closer than an hour and a half drive that is a common commute in many major metro areas.
City dwellers often reside in older homes, as builders of new homes tend to go where communities are more open for development — previously developed urban and suburban areas often are less so.
“We’re working on that, to create that attitude, to create better understanding of our product,” Bowman said.
Factory-built homes are so economical, they’re often a better option than subsidized government housing. They’re built using assembly line techniques and are created in a controlled environment, minimizing waste and theft. As a result, Bowman explained, manufacturers can build homes for $60 a square foots vs. an average of $120 a square foot for a site-built home, excluding real estate cost.
“Manufactured homes offer a variety of quality and products for everyone’s price range,” Bowman said. “It’s important to have those one or two-star communities, for people who need them.”
All varieties of energy-efficient homes is Modular Lifestyles' are of expertise.
Steve Lefler and Modular Lifestyles Set the Stage for Energy Efficient and Net-Zero Residential Construction
Steve Lefler of Modular Lifestyles is creating homes and turning heads, often to far flung and out of the ordinary places.
Lefler works with modular, manufactured and RV code homes to create highly energy-efficient homes. This includes one on-grid near net-zero energy home where he resides in Paso Robles near Sacramento, and another that toured the state for two years before going on display at the California State Capitol building.
Home on the State Capitol lawn.
The “Quest” home that ended up on the Capitol lawn was the result of a project Modular Lifestyles did with Cavco Corporation and Newport Pacific. The off-grid home has many energy-efficient features, including a photovoltaic (PV) solar energy system and propane to charge the deep-cell marine batteries, sustainable cork flooring, recycled furniture products, specialized insulation and an incinerator toilet that requires no running water.
So, the only thing required to live “off the grid” in a Modular Lifestyles Quest home is a location for the home and a water source, Lefler said.
“Factory-built houses are the most energy-efficient form of housing,” said Lefler, who purchases his homes from Cavco and others from builders like Champion and Palm Harbor.
“They’re a sub-contractor now,” Lefler said of the original home builders. “I take the energy liability and put my own name on the house with a 4×6” metal plaque at the front door that says ‘Another Award Winning Modular Lifestyles house’.”
What is Net-Zero Energy?
The Lefler home near Sacramento, Calif., is a near net-zero energy home on the grid in harsh desert conditions.
A net-zero energy home is one that uses no more energy than it is able to produce.
Lefler works largely in California, where net-zero has moved from preference to a near mandate, with state law requiring all new residential structures to be net-zero by 2020.
“My house was one of five homes chosen in the state of California for most energy-efficient prior to net zero rules,” Lefler said. The home uses high grade materials, high R-value insulation, solar panels on the roof and a closet-full of rechargeable batteries that can store energy for later use or push out to the grid.
Down to a $400 output for well water, Lefler isolated the usage and was able to figure out how much more energy would be needed from solar to make the place truly neutral in energy consumption.
Given this, he sees his home as a model for what California residents will do in the very near future.
“I asked to go on the most stringent payment structure, by the hour, and did that in 2014 to be able to study and figure out how all this stuff works because everyone will have to operate by the hour before too long,” he said.
The Builder Put to the Test
When Lefler began his work in energy-efficient housing, he resided in a site-built home inLaguna Beach, Calif.
From left, Steve Lefler of Modular Lifestyles, Tom Sullivan of Newport Pacific, and MHI President Dick Jennison.
“I kept getting calls from people saying ‘If your home is so great, why aren’t you living in it?’ I took that to heart, and we made the move,” he said. “The off-the-grid home in Paso Robles is now our full-time residence.”
Lefler constructs as many as 100 homes per year, including some 190- to 960-square foot extremely efficient “tiny homes”, which are adapted from Park Model RVs.
In Ojai, Calif., Modular Lifestyles partnered with a manufactured home builder to show how planned efficiencies can improve public health, safety and welfare by creating an off-grid positive environmental impact. The project focused on planning and design for…
Energy efficiency
Water efficiency and conservation
Material conservation and resource efficiency
And improved air quality
Modular Lifestyles, after spending a year in design and development, launched the first-of-its-kind manufactured home in 2009.
The unique home produces its own electricity through a solar electrical generation system, which dramatically reduced monthly utility costs for the home’s resident.
Modular Lifestyle Awards and Honors
Modular Lifestyles has won multiple awards for its energy-efficient homes design and construction, including the 2014 USGBC-C4 “Green Home Nomination” and the 2018 MHI National Energy Efficient Award for the Paso Robles home, as well as 2012 USGBC-C4 Taylor Ojai House Nomination for Green Home Award and both the 2011 and 2012 Ojai Valley Green Home Tour Participant Award.
For more information on energy-efficient and net-zero energy construction, contact Steve Lefler at Modular Lifestyles.
Whether it’s a summer potluck, a kid’s birthday party or a sophisticated dinner party, planning in small spaces can pose some challenges.
Manufactured homes also have unique floor plans and layouts, which can have their own list of obstacles when party planning in a small space. However, instead of trying to fight it, sometimes embracing the layout and the coziness while including it in the fun can make a world of difference.
Here are some simple tips!
Preparation and Planning
The more you have prepped and prepared ahead of time the better. Since space is limited in the kitchen. So, it’s ideal to have everything you can prepared before your guests arrive.
While a sit-down dinner might sound fancy, you can achieve this with well-made heavy appetizers displayed throughout the home. Presentation is everything when it comes to setting a tone. With appetizers, you also can do all of the prep ahead of time, simply warming the tasty morsels through the night. To get you started, here is a list of super simple recipes from Good Housing Keeping!
Small appliances help with party planning in small spaces.
If you are prepping a lot of warm food options or serving food something that should stay warm, portable butane burners can be a lifesaver.
There is a reason the professional catering companies are well stocked with these bad boys.
Raise Your Glass!
Drinks are always an issue. In theory, you would set up one bar or bar area for beverages.
But, another option would be to consider pre-batching your drinks of choice. Not only is this something you can do easily ahead of time, it also makes refilling and replenishing is a breeze. And you don’t waste the space of setting up a full bar with multiple bottles.
Often when planning a party we think of a central gathering space. But with manufactured homes, your living area or dining area might not be big enough to comfortably house all of your guests.
We all know well the age-old saying “the party is always in the kitchen”. Well, often times that’s because people will mingle where the food and drinks are. So a way to use your whole space? Set up multiple places for hors-d’oeuvres and drink stations in different areas of the home. Plus as each dish runs out you can clean them as you go! Each space should provide a pairing of small bites and sips that encourage your guests to get up and mingle!
Setting up multiple areas eliminates the problem of people standing in line or bottlenecking around the food.
For kids parties (or let’s face it, grown-ups too!) another fun way to implement this is setting up game stations in each room.
Little Help From Your Friends
While there are some cool points to planning and executing a party on your own, clean up is always a buzz kill. Even just asking one of your friends to help you with set-up and clean-up can make a world of difference. Friends often like to help, too, since they get the left-overs. Another obvious solution to wanting an extra set of hands is throwing a little money at it. Hiring a neighborhood student, or reliable acquaintance to help set-up and clean-up might be worth its weight in gold. You want to be able to enjoy your party! Having your hired assistant refresh drinks and clean up platters throughout the night will cut back on your stress, keep the place tidy, and allow you to more time to schmooze.
Hopefully, these little tips will help for all of your party planning in small spaces So wear a smile and have fun!
Residents at Seabrook Cooperative recently purchased the park they live in.
Seabrook, N.H. — After voting overwhelmingly in favor of purchasing their community, homeowners in Seacrest Cooperative made resident-ownership a reality.
Residents purchased their 190-unit manufactured-home community, making it New Hampshire’s 125th resident-owned community (ROC) and the 21st in Rockingham County. The community was originally called Staples Mobile Home, Inc.
Resident Betsy Coggins was thrilled with the opportunity to purchase the park. She said she has many friends in other ROCs in N.H. and understood immediately what a great opportunity they had.
“It’s safety. It’s security,” she said. “We have control and say about what happens in the future.”
The co-op’s members, and their elected board of directors, worked closely for months with ROC-NH to make the purchase a reality.
Resident Betsy Coggins joined Seacrest Board Members on June 27 as they signed the purchase papers for their community.
Board secretary Nancy Lewis, treasurer Denise Tuccolo, and president Stuart Erbstein were some of the earliest supporters of resident ownership. At the first meeting where the possibility was put to the residents, Erbstein, who has a background in commercial real estate, told them buying the park was a no-brainer.
“We’re excited and relieved,” said Lewis. “It’s done! We own it and it feels great!”
Dave Palavanchuk, the co-op’s operation manager, said they will hit the ground running. He had already researched vendors for services like snowplowing, trash pickup, and landscaping.
“We’ve been busy, but all this groundwork will still be making a difference 40 or 50 years down the road,” he said. “Our cooperative will always be an affordable place to live in Seabrook.”
Residents review and sign papers leading to the purchase.
They finalized the $11 million purchase June 27 with a mortgage from the Community Loan Fund.
Board Members will work with Michelle Supry of ROC-NH, a program of the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, for the duration of their mortgage — at least 20 years.
Samera and Jeremy Harvey, mobile home experts of Dayo Properties.
What to look for in a mobile home for sale
Jeremy and Samera Harvey of Phoenix, Ariz., look at a lot of mobile home listings. As a husband-wife team operating Dayo Properties, the couple finds they ask sellers many of the same questions when searching for a mobile home.
Here are just a few examples the Harveys offered up:
What to ask a seller when looking at a mobile home for sale
What is your situation?
Often you can get a feel for how accommodating the seller might be when you have a better understanding of their motivation. Each situation is unique, but there are some common themes.
“We do get a lot of people who are moving for health reasons, for work or because they’re moving the family into a larger home,” Jeremy said. “And then there’s the people who are downsizing into an apartment.”
A seller’s motivation in listing their mobile home for sale can be an indicator of how urgent the sale may be, and how negotiable the price.
What type of home is it?
Each buyer will have a preference, such as a double-wide mobile home for sale, or a single-section home in a community. And individual makes and models, or the year the home was built might be preferences.
Jeremy and Samera deal in all vintage of homes, but often are looking for late ’80s to mid-’90s homes.
“We like Palm Harbor. That brand sells well here in Arizona, as well as Fleetwood, Schult and Champion,” Jeremy said.
“We sell a lot of Cavco, too,” Samera chimed in.
A 1988 Cavco mobile home for sale in Tucson, Ariz.
Where is the park?
There are a number of reasons you want to understand where the home sits. Perhaps it’s not far from you, or it’s in a new area you might like. You could simply buy the home and reside in the community.
If the park is in a location that doesn’t work for the buyer, there’s always the option of moving the home, which Dayo Properties has handled for a client or consulted with them on how to have a home moved.
Understand that some homes are too old or in too much disrepair to move safely and cost-efficiently. If the bones of the home are solid, and the seller is able to contract a good mobile home transport company, the home can be placed in a new community or on private land.
Are there big ticket repairs?
“Many homes need new carpet, a repair to the AC and some minor plumbing issues,” Jeremy said. “That’s standard maintenance.”
The couple met in Tampa, Fla., and moved to Phoenix with an interest in the housing market. Jeremy has a masters in business administration from Florida Gulf Coast. Samera studied at University of New Mexico and is a certified public accountant. They learned about manufactured housing from John Fedro, and went into business on their own.
“We kind of were tired of the 9 to 5 and the glass ceiling,” Jeremy said. “We wanted to get out and do more, do something on our own and do more to help people.”
The High Demand for Manufactured Housing
Samera said they saw the giant demand for affordable housing and took a leap. “We just jumped right into it and it’s been great,” she said.
The do a lot of work through client referrals, and word of mouth. They said the most difficult part is not selling the home, it’s find the good home to sell.
“We’re building relationship with community owners, largely by introducing ourselves when we identify a home we want to buy in a community,” Jeremy said. “We let them know who we are and how we do business, and tell them they can keep us in mind for any time a home comes up for sale.”
Dayo initially would purchase, fix and list a manufactured home for sale with payments. Then they moved to a more extensive rehab and outright sale.
“Sometimes the buyer wants to come live in the community, and sometimes they’re looking to take the home to their own community or private land,” Jeremy said, which started their business toward a brokerage and consultancy.
In the last 18 months, the couple has sold about 80 homes.
“We’re transformed in that way, brought in some team members to help and really have been able to scale our business in a way that provides the greatest amount of flexibility for the customer’s needs in terms of schedule and home maintenance,” Samera said.
A streamlined 'floating desk' is a serious space saver
Cut the Clutter with these Mobile Home Organization and Storage Tips
Some small spaces like many mobile homes, as well as college dorms, apartments and of course tiny homes all share an uncanny ability to breed a maze of lost keys, forever-packed boxes and over-stuffed cabinets.
Your days of digging out of a beanie baby collection or trying to figure where to stuff a weekend shopping spree — well, they still might not be over.
These tips can only conjure up so much space!
Long-time mobile and manufactured home residents, please leave a comment and let us know your tips for how to stash those beanie babies?
In the meantime, here are some ways to save space in everyday situations:
LIVING AREA
Keep it visible, keep it safe An outside observer might think smaller space = easier to find things. Our perpetually lost keys say otherwise. Instead of stashing them wherever there’s room when you get home, create space for them. Add a command hook to the side of the fridge, attach a key rack next to — or on — the front door, or attach a magazine holder to the side of a shoe rack. A window shutter, hung up by the door and paired with hooks and clothespins also can be an easy place to hang a key or clip a bill.
Use your walls strategically Instead of a full-size desk, try a desk that folds into the wall. You can even paint it to blend in. Getting a higher couch leaves room for storage bins underneath — or simply get a storage couch.
These hacks use surprisingly multipurpose items:
A streamlined ‘floating desk’ from Wayfair is a serious space saver
Shower storage rackscan be an easy and even cute alternative to shelves, when little space is available. Stash scissors, chargers, remotes or desk items here.
Instead of taking up floor space with a bulky shoe rack, try cutting some PVC pipes into shoe-size lengths, attach together and onto a supportive base and lean against a wall.
Cut the clutter
Do you need ten throw pillows, or do they make your space feel cramped? Maybe you’ve been saving every pair of shoes since your high school prom — they’ll just add to the stuff you need to store in your living room, so donate or store somewhere else. Keeping just one of anything, from household cleaners to scissors, will help your home stay clutter-free and feeling spacious.
A storage couch from Wayfair
KITCHEN
Give household items a new purpose Need to restore space and order to your built-in cupboards? Magazine holders work here, too: They’re perfect for stashing aluminum foil, plastic wrap or cleaning supplies. These are also a great option if your small living space doesn’t have many cupboards — try attaching them to the side of a counter, or on a kitchen door or wall. Multipurpose items win again:
Wire shelves installed upside down in a pantry will easily hold cans and boxed food.
Use adhesive hooks to hang cookery lids.
Command hooks attached to a wall can hold pans, pot lids or mugs.
Shower storage racks can similarly hold cookery or canned food.
A pegboard wallalsocan use empty wall space to hang cookery — this means more room in the cupboards for food!
Disguise messy/in-use areas
Free standing cabinet space
This doesn’t exactly save space, but it could ease your mind if you care how things look and need to add extra storage shelving to a regular kitchen wall: Simply install a curtain above an exposed shelf, and pull it across when not in use. Alternatively, get a standing cabinet, or to add creative flair, install shelves inside a small wardrobe or armoire. Find one at at thrift or discount store, repaint it and you have an attractive storage space! If items are on display, they might as well be pretty (if you care about this sort of thing). Instead of stashing random items on top of cupboards, use large mason jars or similar display jars for oatmeal, cereal or dried beans and rice.
Cut the clutter What kitchen items don’t you need? That juicer you used once 10 years ago? Re-gift it. Those duplicate soup spoons, can openers, measuring cups? Donate them. That China set you’re keeping just in case the Queen comes for tea? Give to a historical re-enactment group.
BEDROOMS
A strategic use of space strikes again
A storage bed is helpful here, working as a dresser and linens cabinet.
Add more clothing rods to your closet. Attach hooks and hang purses. Use hooks to hang multiple tank tops on one hanger.
If you do want a dresser, choose a tall one.
Add pegs to a closet door for easy shoe hanging.
Use a hanging fruit basket for hats or socks or scarves.
I’ll say it again: Cut the clutter!
BATHROOM/LAUNDRY
So many life hacks
Install a shower or clothing rod under the sink for hanging spray bottles.
Use silverware trays inside drawers to organize toiletries.
Purchase one of these talltoilet paper holders or use small, hanging bins like this toToilet Paper Holder from Wayfair
organize toilet paper and other items underneath the bathroom sink.
Install a foldable clothes drying rack — you could even hang it from the ceiling.
You know this, but cut out the items you don’t use — your space will thank you.
By the way, I asked a friend where he keeps his beanie babies: In his car.
A sales center and model homes being sited at Admiral's Cove, a new Michigan retirement community in Fair Haven.
Admiral’s Cove is a new 55+ manufactured home community in Fair Haven, Mich.
A new Michigan retirement community community is coming to Southeast Michigan, developed by a pair of industry veterans for more than 450 sites that will cater to active-lifestyle retirees who desire a gated community with many site-built residential features.
Admiral’s Cove sits lakeside near Fair Haven northwest of Detroit, and will be open for new residents beginning in 2019.
“It’s across from Lake St. Clair, which is a huge boating and recreational atmosphere out here,” said David Arnow, the chief investment officer for Admiral’s Cove. “There are probably 30 boat clubs and marinas in the area, and fishing tournaments that draw top fisherman from all over the country.”
Home Styles for the New Michigan Retirement Community
Homes from Skyline Champion and Clayton Homes will be multi-section residences, each with 5/12 roof pitch, and available attachments including garages, porches and sheds. Each home will have Nailite simulated brick skirting and each site will have lawn care, sprinkling and snow removal services.
“We’ve worked with both of these builders extensively designing the homes that will come in here, and they’re unique to this property,” Arnow said. “Another thing about this particular community is that it’s heavily treed. There are not very many properties you can find that look and feel like this. It’s a very mature and serene area.”
The site was all Anchor Bay, owned by the Crest Group LLC, before the company split the property and sold half of it as Anchor Bay and retained the other half for development of Admiral’s Cove.
John Tucker from Sunrise Homes is contracted to move all the new homes to Admiral’s Cove.
The entry boulevard at Admiral’s Cove
Property Development Plans for Admiral’s Cove
The 150-acre property will be developed in three phases, the first of which is underway and includes 114 sites and the new clubhouse. Phase two for the new Michigan retirement community will bring in 180 more sites northwest of phase one, with an added 150 or more sites on the southwest portion of the property.
Homes for the community range in price from $80,000 to $150,000.
“Residents can have anywhere from $5,000 worth of amenities up to $30,00 inside the home,” John Tucker said.
Site rent for Admiral’s Cove will range from $515 for interior sites park set homes, to corner sites at $545 and residential set sites for $560 per month.
“We have reserved several lots for individuals but we’re not moving in homes quite yet,” Arnow said. “Once we open the gates, I think the flood residents will start.”
Arnow said they anticipate 15-20 occupied residences in the community during the first month. There also will be seven new home models at Admiral’s Cove for potential residents to tour.
By completion of the project in 2022, Admiral’s Cove will include the following amenities.
Amenities at Admiral’s Cove in Fair Haven – A New Michigan Retirement Community
New clubhouse with banquet facilities
Gated community
New stone front entrance
Indoor pool
Indoor hot tub
Putting green
Tennis court
Dog park
Gazebo with picnic area
Sprinklers on each individual home lot
New street signs
Fresh road work
New sidewalks
Driveways
New sales center
Seven new model homes
RV/Boat storage area
For more information on Admiral’s Cove, please contact David Arnow at (631) 582-4800 Ext.18.
If you are looking to purchase a mobile home you might see some lesser-known manufactured home definitions about structures on mobile homes that can be confusing.
So, here we provide a quick breakdown of terms used to describe exterior structures on mobile and manufactured homes. These include site-built rooms, porches, and carports.
Below We’ve Compiled Some Quick and Helpful Definitions of Structures on Mobile Homes with Illustrations for Reference
Site-Built Room – a site-built room is a heated room that has been added to the home after the home was placed. In other words, this room was built on site, not in the factory like the rest of the home. In addition, site-built rooms often are constructed with standard 2×4 or 2×6 lumber. Frequently they have siding like the rest of the home. Site-built rooms are used as additional living space. In many cases it can be fairly difficult to tell where the original structure ends.
Enclosed Porch – Enclosed mobile home porches are generally not heated. They are built on the cement slab or on a raised deck. Enclosed porches also have windows and gutters. As you can see, to the left, this room has both windows and gutters. The interior of the room can be decorated like the rest of the home, but it will still be an enclosed porch – typically an unheated room with windows added to the home.
Screened Room – A screen room or screened porch is very similar to our enclosed porch. However, the majority of the wall space consists of screening. Pictured at right is a home listed for sale on MHVillage. It has a screened room tucked under the carport.
Below is another photograph of a screened porch on a home for sale in Florida:
Carports and Garages on Mobile or Manufactured Homes
Carport – A carport is a long awning over a slab that provides cover for a car. Homes also can have awnings. Awnings may be over cement slabs, but to be considered a carport it has to be big enough for a car to park under.
In the example to the right, you can see the carport. In the home below, it has an awning and a carport on the home.
Garages – did you know that some mobile homes have garages? In fact, there are some manufactured home communities where every home has its own garage. Below is a photo of a manufactured home in Arizona with an attached garage.
This weekend, October 7th through the 9th, 2022, is your opportunity to tour six model homes as part of the Manufactured Home Showcase.
The Showcase,...
Novi Home Show to Include 5 New Manufactured Homes
The Novi Home Show, Oct. 11-13, will include five new, fully-decorated manufactured homes from some of...
Advertising your mobile home for sale or rent means you have to accurately represent the home in text and in your images. The benefit of advertising online is you can update those images regularly. The downside? The buyers and renters know you can do this, so there is little to no excuse in not having well-executed photos of your home. At MHVillage, we are passionate about teaching sellers how to take great shots of their homes.
Site-Built Room – a site-built room is a heated room that has been added to the home after the home was placed. In other words, this room was built on site, not in the factory like the rest of the home. In addition, site-built rooms often are constructed with standard 2×4 or 2×6 lumber. Frequently they have siding like the rest of the home. Site-built rooms are used as additional living space. In many cases it can be fairly difficult to tell where the original structure ends.
Enclosed Porch – Enclosed 
Screened Room – A screen room or screened porch is very similar to our enclosed porch. However, the majority of the wall space consists of screening. Pictured at right is a home listed for sale on 
