If you are getting ready to sell your mobile home there are some specific steps to getting that home ready to list. Here are a few suggestions.
Home Evaluation
When selling your home knowing the estimated value of the can be helpful in calculating the selling price. This information also gives the buyer the information they might need should they seek financing. We work with Datacomp Appraisal, which is a nationwide certified appraising company. They specifically work with manufactured and mobile homes within communities. They send an inspector to the home so an appraiser can calculate the value by comparing the home’s make, model and condition with the comparable sales in the area.
MHVillage also offers a manufactured home valuation report to help you understand and calculate the potential resale value of your home. This is a simple online option that will let you enter home information. It will generate the value of the home by comparing your details to the value within the NADA Book.
Staging
Something we see quite a bit is a home that is listed but not properly staged. Even if you are still living in the home, there is a huge impact a properly staged home, clear of clutter and bulky furniture can make.
“If a home is vacant, furnish only the main rooms: living, dining, and family. Otherwise, people have trouble picturing how it can be set up.”
-Bill Golden with Re/Max Metro Atlanta Cityside
Photos
Once your home has been de-cluttered, organized and is ready to be seen, this is the best time to snap some photos! When it comes to advertising a home, the photos can make or break the sale.
Now that you are ready to sell your mobile home, MHVillage is a great first step. We are the largest marketplace for mobile and manufactured homes. This allows us to provide buyers with multiple search tools all free of charge.
Our site is specifically for mobile and manufactured homes. This ensures the buyers on our site are of higher quality. As for the cost of listing with us, homeowners only pay a one-time fee to list a home.
If you have any additional questions when it comes to selling your mobile or manufactured home, please feel free to contact our customer service staff!
A Few Weekend Fixes Can Make A Big Difference In Comfort, Livability
Industry veteran Michael Power provided a wealth of information at a recent gathering of MH professionals, including a session on how to maintain and update your home.
The talk was geared toward community owners and managers, but we at MHVillage felt the advice was so good that it would be valuable, too, to residents and homeowners.
Power has been a partner in ownership of 25 manufactured home communities during his career. He also has rehabbed more than 2,000 homes and purchased 1,000 new homes in the operation of communities in North Carolina.
“If you have home rehab needs, get in there right now… the clock is ticking,” he told more than 100 attendees during a presentation at the 26th Annual George Allen International Networking Roundtable in Indianapolis.
How To Update Your Home
His tips ranged from how to shop and clean to how to hire help and apply the final touches.
On buying products — such as paint brushes, gloves and cleaning solvents — he advised to avoid time spent going from place to place.
“Pick one place and stick with it. Buy the best stuff, and stick to a brand,” Power said. This is about reducing frustration, and the cost of traveling from place-to-place for the sake of saving a few bucks.
When it comes to repairs and updates, be reasonable about how “perfect” you want to make the home. Remodeling, he said, really is about patching holes, painting and laying new carpet.
“It’s really not that difficult,” Power said. “You don’t have to hire a giant company. If you’re hiring, get the person who has their name on the side of the truck and comes with two workers. It’s the best value option.”
Power also suggests taking out old, solid doors.
“Get doors that have a pane of glass,” he said. “Let a little light in.”
After the the heavy lifting is complete, lightly scent each room with a pleasant aroma that will allow a guest’s olfactory system to say “Oh, this is a nice place.”
Finally, make the place brighter with some simple swap-outs — put up new shower curtains, lay down fresh mats and make sure every fixture has a fresh light bulb of the proper wattage. Take a suggestion from the audience, too: Cut some flowers and make them a centerpiece on your kitchen island or dining table or at your coffee spot.
Since Tiny Homes have become all the rage, many of the manufactured home builders have added small and tiny home models to their lineup.
Some officially fit under the “tiny home model” name, while others are Park Model RVs. (Read about tiny houses vs park models here) These tiny home models may be small on space, but are packed with modern conveniences. Additionally, they make great guesthouses and vacation homes. That said, here are a few of the small and tiny home models that caught our eye!
Champion Homes, Athens Park Deluxe 604
Champion Homes homes was founded in 1953 and is one of the most storied manufactured home builders in America. In addition to larger, standard sized homes, they build the Athens Park Model RVs. These adorable models come in coastal, rustic and traditional styles. Many of the designs offer a loft above the kitchen – large enough for a guest to sleep. Because they also offer additional porches on the front, and back, of these models – you can enjoy the great outdoors as well!
Legacy Homes LTD prides itself in building affordable, well-built manufactured homes. The company has created a series of Tiny Homes models, including this “tiny guest house”. Because the 1234-32A features 399 square feet of living space, with three Bedrooms and two bathrooms, it’s a great little model!
Rolled-form countertops with bullnose edgefronts and integrated backsplash
Decorative valances throughout
Mini-blinds throughout
Hidden cabinet door hinges
Raised panel interior doors with metal knobs
Steel out-swing front door
Glued-down tile flooring throughout home
Stainless-steel kitchen sink
Exterior GFI receptacle
See more photos of this home and others in the Tiny Home series on the Legacy Homes website.
Clayton Homes Low Country
The Low Country tiny home allows you to embrace minimalism without giving up the modern home features you crave, such as top-of-the-line home appliances, aluminum-clad wood windows optimized for energy efficiency, 7-inch oak hardwood flooring, beautiful quartz counter tops and more. Although The Low Country is currently available only in Alabama and Tennessee, Clayton anticipates it being available in other states soon.
Model Details:
Square footage: 464
Bedrooms: 1
Bathrooms: 1
Low Country Features
Premium cedar shake shingles
Time-tested, all-natural poplar bark siding
Sleeping accommodations for up to four
Energy efficient French doors
Stainless steel appliances
Three walls of windows in living space make for 270 degrees of view
Open cathedral ceilings at living room and master bedroom
Built in bar dining seats four
Queen size bed at master with full-height closet storage and a built-in desk
Skyline Park Models – 1922CT
Skyline produces a wide range of park models with prices to fit most budgets. Since the Skyline park models are temporary quarters built on a frame, they are generally used in resort or vacation locations. Most noteworthy, though, is that they enjoy the same benefits of efficiency and quality as single-section and multi-section manufactured homes. In addition, the Skyline Park Models are available in a number of different styles to fit your taste.
Model Details:
Square Footage: 420
Bedrooms: 1
Bathrooms: 1
Exterior Dimensions: 35×12
Park Model 1922CT Features
All weather exterior siding
Vinyl windows
Residential appliances
Upgraded flooring
Hardwood cabinet doors
Optional alternate wardrobe
Palm Harbor Homes Waverly LS15471A
Palm Harbor Homes has been in business for more than 30 years. The company has a reputation for being an innovator in design and construction of manufactured homes. Because The Waverly Model is slightly larger, it is not technically a “tiny home model”. But this cottage styled mobile home with its optional porch was too cute to exclude! This one-bedroom model is available in Florida and Arizona.
In conclusion, if you are looking for a condensed space with big charm, you can’t go wrong with purchasing a smaller home like a park model. They have a lot to offer and have show to be good investment for home buyers. Because these manufacturers know how to build beautiful homes, you are sure to get a winner with any of these lovely models. Most of all, these models offer customer options in an adorable package.
FMHA Director Asks for Information to Connect Resources to Areas of Need, Stories from Hurricane Irma
Manufactured home communities in the path of Hurricane Irma have experienced varying degrees of damage and flooding, and the Florida Manufactured Housing Association has put out a request for information that can bring resources to people in need and tell the stories of storm survivors.
“We’re still trying to assess the extent of the damage. We’re getting varied reports all over. There’s a lot of damage in the Keys and up the west coast and into Tampa,”
USCG Search & Rescue Team in Jacksonville
FMHA Executive Director James Ayotte said. “The east coast has a lot of flooding from storm surge, if not damage from the wind.”
Hurricane Irma made landfall in South Florida on Sunday morning. Power is out to more than half of the state’s residents, and flooding and property damage is widespread for home owners.
Ayotte said FMHA is organizing a crew to fly over the region and will document conditions.
USCG team in Hastings, Fla.
In the meantime, the association would like to hear from homeowners and residents who need help, or have resources to provide, and also would like to document how the storm affected individual manufactured homes.
“We’re open for business, and working with state and federal entities to get the aid people need,” Ayotte said. “If people need assistance, please contact us and we can accommodate that. We have members who have inventory, with homes and sites that are available right now.”
Many Floridians are stranded or isolated for a variety of reasons, including communication and infrastructure disruptions, as well as because of health or socio-economic challenges. FEMA, the U.S. Coast Guard and other state and national recovery teams have been working round the clock to lend assistance.
“As an industry, it’s of great interest to us how manufactured homes, particularly the ones built since 1994, are holding up,” Ayotte said. “We want the stories, we want people to share with us what they’ve experienced.”
Individual residents and community owners/managers should call FMHA at (850) 907-9111 to report the condition of homes, share experiences from Hurricane Irma, as well as to express any needs or ideas for providing relief.
Members of a FEMA Search and Rescue team helps a survivor into a vehicle.
-FEMA News Photo
South Texas Parks Recover from Varying Levels of Damage, Loss from Massive Hurricane
Green Acres is one of the many South Houston manufactured home communities hit by Hurricane Harvey. Residents today are emerging from water-damaged homes as community management and maintenance teams check on people and clear away debris.
“I’ve been able to walk through about half of the park now and everywhere I’ve gone, there has been damage, including water in homes and cars,” said Catherine Hinojosa, Green Acres community manager. “Water was definitely coming in from the rain, but also came in from the flooding. I feel so bad. Some ladies were crying and still very scared. This is their home.
“We have our residents asking about who to contact for clothing donations,” she added. “People are having to throw out a lot of what they own, including clothes and furniture.”
Green Acres is located off Hooper Road and neighbors a pair of other mobile home communities hit by Hurricane Harvey. While her community sustained damage, Hinojosa said, adjacent neighborhoods were under deeper water.
Nebraska Task Force 1 sets out in Hurricane Harvey recovery. -FEMA News Photo
“People needed to swim to safety, or boats were going in,” Hinojosa said. The Green Acres maintenance staff did a good job of limiting the flooding. Workers waded through and cleared away storm water drains.
“That’s hard to do, and I’m sure many neighborhoods weren’t able to find where the storm drains, or even if they did find them, they would be hard to clean under the rising water,” she said.
Expanded Deer Crossing Among Communities Hit by Hurricane Harvey
In Victoria, Texas, southwest of Houston, John Goldman had recently invested $200,000 in the expansion of his park, Deer Crossing. Goldman’s property sits about 30 miles off the gulf. High winds peeled off part of the roof on one of the multi-section homes in his community, and many others sustained lesser damage.
“Right now, I have about 20 people in my yard cleaning up, trimming trees and such,” Goldman said on Thursday morning, six days after Hurricane Harvey came ashore and stalled.
Goldman said Victoria received about 20 inches of rain, at least partly because the eye of the storm stalled above them during a short time when the Houston area was under a torrential downpour.
“We do have electricity and we have water, even though we need to boil it. But we’re doing OK all things said… we’re going to need to replace a lot skirting,” he said. “You can see the sky a lot more now. It’s weird to have all of that foliage and coverage gone. The trees are bare. The place looks different, but we’re safe.”
Harvey Dumps Historic Amounts of Rain
Some parts of Houston were hit with more than 50 inches of rain, the most rainfall ever recorded from a single storm in U.S. history. Nearly 40 people were reported to have died from the storm, as of midday Thursday.
One weather analyst said the amount of rainfall in South Texas during the last several days, 19 trillion gallons, would raise the entire Great Lakes water level by more than 11 inches.
Temporary and Replacement Homes Needed for Communities Hit by Harvey
With an estimated 30,000 flooded homes, finding places to live for area residents in need will be a primary task in the weeks and months to come. On Wednesday, in an effort to help with recovery, MHVillage and its sister company Datacomp, provided the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with a free report of mobile homes for sale in the state of Texas.
The report details more than 2,300 homes for sale across the state.
FEMA in recent days has reiterated its need to ramp up inventory of manufactured homes for relief efforts in Texas. Much of its inventory had been depleted during the last year given flood recovery efforts in Minnesota and Louisiana.
Ernie Sanchez is a salesman for RD Mobile Homes in Pearland, south of Houston. The storm and subsequent flooding kept the dealership shuttered for more than five days.
“We didn’t have any damage to inventory,” Sanchez said. “We had some flooding, but it’s subsided completely. Obviously, there’s going to be a need for housing. I’m assuming we’re going to be very busy,”
“We bought 20 houses yesterday, so we’re ready,” he said. “There’s going to be a need.”
However, Sanchez pointed out, the housing problem for communities hit by Hurricane Harvey is as much about a location for a new home as it is about the structure itself.
“It’s too early to know exactly how much of an impact on Houston this storm will have. But the way I look at it, people are going to be looking for homes, and mobile homes make sense, but there’s a limited number of places to put them,” Sanchez said. “In Houston, you can’t have a mobile home placed anywhere but in a community, so that’s something that might need to be set aside while this recovery is underway.”
If you’re interested in lending a much-needed hand to the recovery effort, here is a Houston Chronicle news story on a few ways to get involved.
Natividad Seefeld is a leader in her resident-owned community.
ROC USA plants the seed of possibility with a resident-owned community
Home ownership is a giant step toward independence for Many Americans, but often it’s far from the last step. For those who own a manufactured home, the formation of a resident-owned community may be the path to a sustainable housing solution. Mike Bullard and those at ROC USA, a New Hampshire-based nonprofit, help residents ask “why not?”
ROC gains steam nationwide
ROC coaches residents as they form coalitions and navigate the tricky waters of purchasing property.
Residents — the majority of whom already own their homes — form a co-op and board of directors. Each community member pays a price up front to join the co-op. That amount typically is between $240 to $500, which also helps establish buy-in for the effort.
This model began at the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund in 1984. “Don’t lose the nun’s money,” became a common mantra after they made their first purchase with the Sisters of Mercy fund.
ROC residents lead the community together. They control who to admit, how to screen candidates and, of course, how to spend the money.
Each member becomes a shareholder, owning a percentage of the park’s land as a whole, rather than simply owning what’s beneath them.
This means it’s in each landowner’s best interest to help their neighbors. Monthly rent goes to the community, often used toward maintaining or updating the community, for garbage, snowplowing or landscaping.
As a result, community relationships improve as well. “People always used to say they knew their neighbors, and maybe a few other people in the community,” said Bullard communication and marketing manager for ROC USA. “It runs a lot deeper now, and I hear it all the time as I walk through a community.”
New Community Owners Celebrate their Purchase
One Resident-owned Community in Minneapolis
Natividad Seefeld, board president of Park Plaza, a ROC near Minneapolis, uses the co-op model to create a thriving community.
As a fellow resident, she has vested interest in developing ways to improve the park. Seefeld organizes nights out against crime and lines up funds for huge projects. These include a new playground, paid for by raising private donations through the ROC USA website. Park Plaza also replaced the water system. One winter, in the middle of a cold snap, a pipe burst under a house. Water gushed out onto the street and froze.
The co-op had to bring in a crane to lift the house to remedy the immediate problem. Later they were able to fix entire water system.
ROC gains an Industry Name
Each year, ROC USA transforms an average of 15 parks. One of the most important aspects of the mission is the time spent with community owners, brokers and realtors. These are the professionals with an inside track on what communities are coming up for sale.
ROC USA aims to gain information through these connections and supporters. The organization’s employees inform everyone they meet how selling to residents can be the most beneficial exit strategy.
“Many community owners aren’t particularly interested in even contemplating a resident purchase,” explained John Wiltse of Pathstone, a nonprofit in the ROC USA network. “It’s different from the traditional business model.”
Pathstone is a CTAP, or Certified Technical Assistance Provider, one of nine nationwide. These nonprofits focus on making ROC known and building partnerships locally. This is done through joining the state manufactured housing association or by showing up at an industry-related event.
There is a prime challenge supporters face when attempting to convert a community owner to ROC’s cause, Wiltse explained. It takes effort to convince owners that the residents are good buyers, and ones capable of taking over the operation of the community.
“Many may believe their homeowners could never do what they do and have concern toward disclosing any part of their operation to their homeowners,” Wiltse said. “They’re used to a business model built around limiting access to that type of information, and they’re concerned that if the community goes to sale, everyone would leave or stop paying rent.”
Wiltse argues this belief is unfounded, but residents, too, often doubt their ability to own land and run a community.
Natividad raises the sign on a new playground.
How to Create Buy-in
To show the residents it is indeed possible for them to get a loan, pay for the land, and manage the park, ROC USA offers a skills survey at the start. The goal is to identify people in the community who can serve as treasurer, bookkeeper or secretary.
“People don’t necessarily know the talent in their own community,” Bullard said.
In the beginning, residents can be “skeptical and jaded” with conversation between a willing park owner and the resident group, Wiltse said. But with time, a light comes on in their eyes as the potential for ownership builds.
ROC USA’s devotion to connection-building and overcoming obstacles has led them to a 100-percent success rate with their communities. Each community to enter an agreement with ROC USA has maintained payment on the property and continues to effectively operate it.
ROC USA continues educating people in the industry, and organizers hope selling to residents continues to have a growing place in the market.
Visit ROC USA to find out more about the work it does, and contact them here.
This fantastic home maintenance calendar comes to us from the folks over at Factory Built Owners of America. It is a member-driven nonprofit organization that represents the common interests of owners and prospective owners of manufactured homes.
A Home Maintenance Calendar for You
August
• Service and clean the furnace. Have your furnace inspected and cleaned by a professional, especially if you have a gas furnace. It’s better to find out now that you have a furnace problem rather than in the dead of winter.
• Do you have a fireplace? Inspect fireplace stacks and have chimneys cleaned. Fireplace stacks and chimneys are often overlooked in a maintenance schedule, but it is very important to keep these clean and free of debris. Otherwise, they can be a fire hazard.
September
• Test smoke detectors, and replace batteries. Most factory-built homes have two smoke alarms. I recommend having one smoke detector in each bedroom and at least one carbon monoxide detector.
• Check mobile home steps, porches and decks. These need to be in good repair and stable for the upcoming winter months. Because these areas get very slick when wet or icy, consider installing an anti skid type material on them.
November
• Clean carpets. Get ready for the holidays by cleaning your carpets. I prefer steam cleaning over shampooing because it leaves no residue.
December
• No maintenance this month. Enjoy the holidays!
January
• Change Air Conditioning (A/C)/furnace filter. Filters should be changed or cleaned at least every three months.
February
• Tighten toilet flange bolts. Toilets can become loose at the base and may leak past the wax ring causing extensive floor damage. Tighten the two bolts, usually covered by plastic dome caps at the base of the toilet, being careful not to tighten too tight or the toilet may crack.
• Tighten tank bolts. There are typically 2 or 3 bolts that secure the toilet tank to the toilet bowl. If you can rock the tank back and forth it needs to be tightened. Carefully tighten the nuts on the bolts that go from the tank bottom thru the holes in the base being careful not to over tighten or it may crack the bottom of the tank.
• Replace flapper valve. Many households use disinfect tablets to keep the toilet tank clean, but these tablets damage the rubber valve over time, making is necessary to replace it. These valves are cheap, and a bag of them can be bought from any of the big hardware stores for a few bucks. To replace the valve, pull the lid off the tank. Looking down you will see a black rubber valve with a little chain connected to it. Lift the valve out of the tank with the chain and replace the old valve with a new one.
• Tighten drain pipes and water connections under sinks. Reaching under the sink, follow the drain pipes from the base of the sink, and tighten each nut that connects the pipes and the traps together. Follow the hot and cold water lines up to the base of the faucets and tighten the nuts that secure the lines to the faucet with your hand. It’s so simple – no tools needed.
• Clean faucet aerators. These are the little screens that are on the end of each faucet. They simply unscrew. Pull them apart and soak in CLR, Lime Away or similar product to clear away lime deposits. Or buy a replacement at your local hardware store.
March
• Remove floor registers and vacuum ducts, then disinfect. Most factory-built homes have the heating and air conditioning vents in the floor. Dirt, debris and other objects can fall into the ducting through the floor registers. Once a year, remove the 2 screws from each vent and remove the registers. You will be surprised at what you find, especially if you have children. Remove any objects, and vacuum out the dirt. Take a spray bottle with a mixture of water and bleach, and spray into the ducts to kill any germs. While the vent is off, check the vertical riser pipe for any leaks. Seal any leaks with aluminum duct tape.
April
• Change the A/C filter.
• Inspect roof, seal stacks, edges, and seams. Inspect the roof of your mobile home once a year. Remove any loose sealer, and then paint on a roof patch product, or use an aluminum roof coating. Metal roofs should be completely re-coated every few years with either aluminum roof coating or white coating. Use aluminum coating around stacks and seams first, wait a couple of days to give the coating a chance to set up, and then paint the entire roof with white coating. This not only protects against water leaks, but helps save on energy bills. Inspect shingle roofs making minor repairs with black roof patch. Purchase these coatings thru a factory built home supplier like Atlas Supply or a large national supplier like Home Depot.
May
• Inspect the seal of exterior doors and windows and exterior mobile home siding. Caulk exterior doors, windows and exterior hardboard siding. Use clear silicone if you will not paint or a paint-able caulk if you will. Caulk small holes or cracks of vinyl siding with silicone, or replace sections of siding that are heavily damaged.
• Inspect and tighten screws in your metal siding. Be sure to tighten any ¼” hex screws that are coming loose on your metal sided home.
June
• Flush water heater. Many cities have very hard water causing hard water deposits to form in your water heater. This leads to inefficient water heating making it necessary to flush the water heater. Flushing the water heater should be done by a professional. But if you are doing it yourself, be sure to follow manufacturer’s instructions.
• Inspect foundation blocking. If your home sits on concrete blocks directly on the ground with no base pad or concrete, your house will settle. This can cause structural damage to the home, and can cause doors and windows not to open or close properly. Look for cracks in the blocks; and look for signs of water passing under the home which can cause erosion leading to major settling problems in your home.
• Inspect and repair underbelly. While checking the underbelly, patch any holes you find with an underbelly material which can be bought from Atlas Supply. Take a piece a little larger than the hole, use spray-on contact cement to secure the patch.
• Inspect A/C and Heating crossover ducts. Multi-section homes have a 10” or 12” crossover duct that connects the ducting systems underneath your home. Keep these taped, connected and off the ground.
• Inspect and repair your mobile home skirting. Whatever type of skirting you have, keep it maintained. It is important for energy efficiency and to keep animals from living under your home.
Factory Built Owners of America is a nonprofit membership association whose mission is to represent the common interests of owners and prospective owners of manufactured homes in acquiring, maintaining and improving their manufactured homes.
Factory Built Owners of America offers educational programs and services related to the purchase, financing, maintenance and improvement of members’ factory-built homes.
Are you considering retirement? In our last publication, we shared some of the fine retirement communities across the country. To contrast, today we shine the light on some wonderful senior community selections in Florida. Whether you are interested in golf, boating or relaxing at the pool, these destinations have so much to offer. Joins us for a stroll through some of the top retirement communities in the Sunshine State.
Senior Communities in Western Florida – Gulf of Mexico Coast
Colony Cove, Ellenton
The Herald Tribune of Bradenton named Colony Cove the Best Retirement Community in three consecutive years.
Colony Cove is located in Ellenton, Florida, in the Sarasota/Bradenton metro area. Ellenton is a small, quaint town with tropical breezes and a friendly atmosphere. In addition, over a fifth of the area within Ellenton is water. As a result, waterfront properties are everywhere, including at Colony Cove.
This resort-style senior community is a design for the active 55+ lifestyle. It has a private dock, great fishing and beautiful views. Also, the senior community has five heated swimming pools, shuffleboard and tennis courts. Colony Cove has on-site management, laundry, RV storage, woodworking shop, two fitness centers and a dog park.
Jamaica Bay, South Fort Myers
Jamaica Bay is a beautiful gated community of manufactured homes in South Fort Myers, Florida. This area is well known for its 50 miles of sandy shoreline, fantastic fishing and natural beauty. Jamaica Bay is a private community with a gate, and sits on 230 acres of palm trees in paradise.
Some of the many things to do include two heated swimming pools, a whirlpool spa, fitness center, tennis, shuffleboard and bocci ball courts as well as horseshoe pits. Add to that, free RV and boat storage and three fish stocked lakes. The residents also have access to numerous planned activities and events. As a result, it is a wonderful place to call home.
Oak Crest/Acorn Mobile Home Community, Largo
Largo is the fourth largest city in the Tampa area. Enjoy long walks on the world-famous Clearwater Beach, the highest-rated white sand beach in balmy Florida. Explore The Pier with its shops, observation deck, aquarium, boating and just plain fun. In addition, Largo is home to the Florida Botanical Gardens and the Museum of Fine Arts.
Oak Crest/Acorn Mobile Home Community is a gated senior community. It has a heated swimming pool, shuffleboard courts, and picnic area with a gas grill. A game room with billiards and library is in the clubhouse. Pets are welcome at Oak Crest/Acorn. So your furry friends can enjoy the Gulf too!
Windward Village, Spring Hill
Windward Village is located on Florida’s Adventure Coast, in Spring Hill, in Hernando County just 40 miles north of Tampa. The community is near U.S. 19 and Windward Boulevard, nestled over 81 acres of stunning landscape surrounded by beautiful nature preserves.
Windward Village is near numerous recreational activities such as golf, boating, fishing, swimming, snorkeling, canoeing and kayaking. But Lake Jared is on site and is the community’s own catch and release pond. A nature preserve that surrounds many homesites offers residents the inspiring sights and sounds of nature.
Del Tura Country Club, North Fort Myers
Del Tura Country Club is the perfect retirement destination for the avid golfer. It boasts an on-site golf course. When you aren’t out on the fairways and greens, there are five swimming pools, five spas, a fitness center, library and even a restaurant on site. Additionally, this waterfront property has a huge clubhouse, a fishing pond, shuffleboard and tennis courts and planned activities. You certainly never will run out of things to do or ways to enjoy Florida’s beautiful weather.
Central Florida Senior Communities
Mid Florida Lakes, Leesburg
Mid Florida Lakes can be found in Lake County. Located in the northwest segment of the Orlando Metro area, Lake County is a step away from the big city, but with a small-town atmosphere. In fact, Leesburg was voted one of the top 100 Places To Retire-2014 by TopRetirements.com.
This pet-friendly, gated senior community has a swimming pool, tennis courts, a fitness center and great fishing opportunities. Homes located on the water provide covered and open boat slips. With boat ramps and palm trees, you’ll get the full taste of Florida!
Sunlake Estates, Grand Island
Talk about natural beauty! Lake Yale sets the stage for this Central Florida senior community. Plus, Sunlake Estates is just five miles from the Ocala National Forest. It is ten miles from everyday conveniences, including restaurants, shopping, banks, medical facilities and churches. Add to that attractions and small-town charm, residents enjoy visiting the nearby towns of Eustis, Leesburg and Mount Dora.
Sunlake Estates residents enjoy the community’s fabulous clubhouse with resort-style amenities, 48-slip marina, nine-hole golf course, community garden and 10-acre recreational park with softball field. There is a lakeside park with BBQ and picnic areas. With great fishing and boat and RV storage, Sunlake Estates has everything you need for your relaxing water side Florida retirement!
Schalamar Creek, Lakeland
Winner of 2014 National Community of the Year award, Schalamar Creek is recognized for its attention to detail, amenities, community design and professional management. It has a history too! Schalamar Creek is the 1999 and 2000 Reader’s Choice first-place award winner for best community in a survey by The Lakeland Ledger.
Situated on 500 acres of waterways and natural beauty, the neighborhood provides fairway, lake frontage and wooded homesites. Schalamar Creek also offers one of the area’s finest golf courses. The Ron Garl-designed, 18-hole championship course can challenge even the most experienced golfer, as well as introduce someone new to the game. There are year round tournaments for fun, trophies and cash. Schalamar Creek has a PGA teaching pro on staff and offers a full-service golf shop. The course sits aside Saddle Creek Park, a bird 750-acre bird sanctuary. During a round, players may see a variety of beautiful birds.
Lake Point Village, Mulberry
Centrally sited to the south of Lakeland and just east of Tampa, Mulberry has all the charm of small-town living with all the modern metro conveniences. Mulberry is “The Crossroads of Florida” due to its central location in the state. Mulberry is a small town perfect for fun and exploration.
The design of this senior community is unique. Homesites encircle two large nature preserves and a crystal blue lake encompasses the eastern property line. In addition, residents at Lake Pointe Village enjoy an array of fun activities – from socializing in the beautiful 12,000 square-foot clubhouse to playing tennis, shuffleboard, and a 9-hole putting green. Poolside parties are a way of life, as is ballroom dancing, billiards, cards and bingo.
Heartland Estates, Haines City
Heartland Estates is a 55+ manufactured housing community in Haines City, regarded as “the Heart of Florida.” Heartland Estates is on lovely Lake Hester. There are a number of challenging golf courses in a 15-mile radius. Disney World is 18 miles away, and many other famous attractions also are within a short drive.
Heartland Estates is big enough to support a full, active lifestyle, yet still small enough to serve as a true neighborhood. It has a clubhouse overlooking the pool and Lake Hester. Other amenities include a library, billiards room and exercise room. Residents enjoy a wide range of activities and organizations, including bingo, craft shows, computer club, game nights, coffee hours, shuffleboard and much more.
Rolling Greens, Ocala
Rolling Greens has a perfect central Florida spot on the edge of the Ocala National Forest. Located in North Central Florida, there are many old trees, picturesque horse farms and pleasant year -round temperatures. A dream come true for horse enthusiasts!
As you can tell from the name, it also is a haven for golfers. Rolling Greens has an 18-hole Executive Golf Course and a Pro Shop. For the non-golfer, there are three swimming pools, tennis and shuffleboard courts, horseshoes and billiards. They also have group activities with everything from BBQs to dance lessons.
https://youtu.be/ou4J7Uz9108
Senior Communities in Eastern Florida – Space Coast
Lamplighter Village, Melbourne
Just off the Atlantic Coast, Lamplighter Village boasts one of the finest climates in Florida. The average temperature is 73 degrees, and the prevailing breeze off the ocean is lovely. Fans of the U.S. Space Program also know the area as the Space Coast serving as home to many who worked on the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle programs. The Space Coast has 75 miles of coastline with nationally recognized beaches and outdoor recreational opportunities.
Situated on 110 acres, Lamplighter Village offers a 5-star clubhouse, heated pool and hot tub, pool-deck bar, dog park, spacious card and meeting room, fitness center, billiards room and tennis courts. This senior community is pet-friendly and has new and professional refurbished homes available.
Lauder Lakes, Fort Lauderdale
In sunny South Florida’s famous Fort Lauderdale, Lauder Lakes is minutes from seven miles of beaches, the airport and Las Olas Boulevard’s renowned shops and eateries.
This private community offers a large clubhouse and heated pool, sauna, laundry room, kitchen, billiards, shuffle board, petanque court and showers. Streets have tropical vegetation at every turn, and they’re closed to through-traffic. The combination of scenic and minimal motor traffic makes for ideal avenues to stroll. All residents have their own private and often covered parking. Also, homes surround two large lakes.
Find the Senior Community That is Right For You
Florida provides a nearly endless number of spectacular senior retirement communities. What we provide here is a glimpse, to give you the idea. If you are interested in learning more, check out our in-depth guide to finding the right senior mobile home park and you will be fully prepared to begin your search!
More and more we are seeing technology come to the rescue when it comes to convenient and efficient shopping. From automated search alerts to online communication between consumers and sellers, the urgency of response time continues to be more valuable every day. Our Virtual Tour feature is yet another tool to help follow this trend and give more information to your buyer up front.
MHVillage works specifically with home buyers and renters who shop online, and we’ve have found that a high percentage of these customers look at homes in cities and states that are far from their current location. This can be quite the obstacle for home sellers who are trying to set up a time for potential buyers to view the home.
This is one of the reasons we offer the option for home sellers to upload a Virtual Tour to their Premium Home listings!
What is a Virtual Tour?
This is a space on the home or community listing where you would add a link to a video. Once added it will load the video directly to your listing page near the photos, making it easy for a customer to view.
How do I create this video?
Our technology evolves rapidly and there are no excuses for a poor quality video these days. So, while a professional video would be ideal, a smartphone video can be surprisingly effective as well.
Here are some tips on creating a Virtual Tour that will show the best sides of your home:
Formatting: A horizontal view is the best angle when recording the tour. It not only allows for more of the home to be featured, but also formats cleaner on both desktop and mobile devices.
Style: A video simply walking the customer through the details as if they were right there next to you is the most effective style for this video.
Start with a steady view of the exterior and then end with the same. This will create a similar experience to the first and last impression of the home the customer would have if they were to take a tour in person.
Narration/Music:This is a matter of preference. If you choose to narrate the tour (meaning you speak directly to the customer off camera while filming), then be sure and check the audio quality in the editing process. If music is more your style, then you also want to be sure you have the rights to the song. There are multiple websites where you can purchase the rights to music for this exact purpose. (click here for a list of well-reviewed music options on the web)
Editing/Uploading: We also suggest editing the video before you load it online. This is so you can be sure the video starts and stops at an appropriate spot. Some smart phones have editing features built in, others are downloaded apps, and typically there are editing tools provided on video-sharing sites like YouTube and Vimeo.
Once you have the video filmed, edited and loaded online, then the next step is copying the URL and adding it to your Premium home listing. Voila!
If you have any additional questions about the Virtual Tour feature on our site, contact us!
The Mortgage Collaborative Pilots Affordable Lending Outreach
SAN DIEGO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — The Mortgage Collaborative (TMC) is the nation’s only independent mortgage cooperative and today launched a pilot program to focus on affordable lending.
The new Affordable Lending Outreach Pilot Program was developed to promote the cooperative’s lender members’ initiatives to expand lending to low- to moderate-income borrowers, and loans in rural and manufactured housing communities. It provides support and education for select lenders that are members of TMC’s network, using educational resources and materials provided by Fannie Mae.
The Affordable Lending Outreach Pilot Program will help participating lender members expand educational events with nonprofit organizations, enhance partnerships with community groups to promote affordable lending options, train targeted populations and assist with the cost of homeownership counseling for consumers. The innovative program will be tested with select lender members in 2017, and TMC plans to expand the initiative in 2018, allowing additional members of the cooperative to participate.
“TMC is pleased to promote affordable lending options to traditionally underserved markets in all corners of America with support from Fannie Mae,” said David G. Kittle, vice chairman and president of The Mortgage Collaborative. “Whether it’s rural areas or manufactured housing, TMC is committed to ensuring that mortgage access is available in all markets to households of modest means. We applaud Fannie Mae and its commitment to work with our members to fulfill this important mission.”
TMC’s Affordable Lending Outreach Program aims to help consumers responsibly obtain homeownership and by supporting the cooperative’s growing network of best-in-class lender members in their outreach and educational efforts.
About TMC
Based in San Diego, Calif., The Mortgage Collaborative was founded in 2013 to empower mortgage lenders across the country with better financial execution, reduced costs, enhanced expertise and improved compliance to help its members access the dynamic and changing consumer base in America. The cooperative is managed by its founding members: John Robbins, CMB; David Kittle, CMB, Gary Acosta, CEO of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP); and Jim Park, the former chair of the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA). Robbins and Kittle are former chairmen of the Mortgage Bankers Association of America (MBA). For more information, visit http://www.mortgagecollaborative.com/.
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...
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