All About Mobile Home Skirting

mobile home skirting mobile home curb appeal

Pick the Mobile Home Skirting Material that Suits You Best, and Watch Out for a Few Pitfalls

Mobile home skirting is required around the home’s bottom exterior to keep away pests and moisture. Additionally, the installation of skirting can enhance the visual appeal of the home by masking piers, tie-downs and the concrete slab.

Many online marketplaces and corner hardware stores sell mobile home skirting. However, the question remains, what feature set, what material and what look is best for you?

Standard vinyl skirting comes in 12-foot long panels. It’s cut to width for the average height off the ground from the bottom of the home. Vinyl is the least expensive option, and comes in solid panels or panels with vent holes.

Other Mobile Home Skirting Options

Chris Carpenter, manager of Southern Heritage Homes of Louisiana in Denham Springs, La., said vinyl remains the most common purchase for this product type.

“Another common material here is called K-ROK, which is panel that looks like stone or brick. You can get it in a great number of varieties, and it’s typically much more expensive than vinyl,” Carpenter said. “I tell my customers to go with the vinyl material. It’s cheaper, it ventilates your home better, and it’s easy to replace. And vinyl comes in about four or five different colors.”

vinyl mobile home skirting — New vinyl skirting

The cost of K-ROK skirting is about four times that of the vinyl product, which costs about $500 for enough sheeting to enclose a 16-foot by 84-foot single-section home.

Kurt Taubert, co-owner of Mobile Home Depot in Highland, Mich., said he sells nearly as much aluminum skirting as he does vinyl. Faux brick and stone, as well as textured varieties, make up about 20 percent of his mobile home skirting sales.

Regional Considerations

“Those two are the standard,” Taubert said of vinyl and aluminum “We have Rapid Wall, which is a flat pebbled finish and a higher-priced product. We also have Exteria, which is a faux brick, and is a thicker panel than K-ROK. We offer R-Cotec, which is a steel panel with foam for insulation and a painted brick texture.

faux brick mobile home skirting — New faux brick skirting

“That’s very popular in the northern states because it’s insulated,” he said of R-Cotec.

Transition zones such as the upper central plains require homeowner to weigh the winter benefits of insulated mobile home skirting. That same winter protection can create a summer home for termites and other pests.

“Termites will tunnel through from the bottom,” Taubert said. “They’re very hard to detect until it’s a real problem.”

Steel is trending

Larry Harmon, manager of Tulsa Siding Pro in Tulsa, Okla., has a product that has become a company of its own. With Strong Skirt, a bit more than six years in, he feels he’s met the original intent of offering mobile home skirting that is durable and FHA compliant, covers most cities’ ordinances, and is of value to the customer.

“Strong Skirt is an all steel product,” Harmon said. “It’s the most weed eater resistant. You don’t have to worry about getting your grill too close to it. And the 17 color choices really allow the homeowner to get the look they want.

Maintenance

“The installation tasks with Strong Skirt are about the same as vinyl,” Harmon said. “The cost is about double what you’ll pay for vinyl. Likewise, it takes about twice as long to install. But it’s much more durable and stays looking the way you want it to look.”

Typically, Taubert talks to his customers about maintenance and longevity when considering material types.

“Aluminum will dent if a ball is kicked into it, but it will hold up to a weed wacker,” he said. “The vinyl will get eaten up by the weeder, but it will flex and bounce back if a ball is kicked into it.”

Skirting of nearly any variety can sustain damage or be destroyed by a weeder. This will be unsightly and provide access for water to enter. Additionally, these compromises in the mobile home skirting provide an animal gateway to chew on wiring and harm other utilities. Worse yet, they could take up residence under your home.

So, there are three primary approaches to beating back skirting damage caused by weeding.

First, consider putting down a few inches of plastic and landscaping stone around the skirting. Second, you can spray chemical weed killer, which tends to yellow the surrounding foliage. As a result, the remaining spray could be toxic for pets and children. The third option is a bit of a manufactured home maintenance hack…

Mobile Home Skirting Installation Tips

“You can order an extra length of that thick vinyl tracking typically used on the top of the skirting,” Carpenter said. “You use that same product on the bottom and it will help keep the vinyl panel protected when you’re working in your yard.”

Additionally, Carpenter reminds customers to use a concrete bit with a drill for the hole and anchor spots in a concrete slab. The alternative, liquid nail products, will deteriorate easily and allow the wind or animals to pull up the skirting.

“With the top of the skirting, it’s a good idea to screw a couple of the panels in and pull them tight,” Carpenter added. “Then you get the other panels placed and screw them to the home about every four to five feet. This keeps the skirting secure on the top.”

The following tools will be required to install your own skirting: Drill and bit, a hammer, a tape measure, wood stakes, tin snips, spikes and nails, a level and a utility knife. Replacing skirting on a single-section home, if you’re a homeowner with some handyman skills, could take most of the weekend.

On the other hand, an experienced installer can finish the job in a day, and charges about $45 per hour.

Many times, mobile home skirting options are rolled into the home buying process. If the skirting is for a new home, it will be placed inside the home during mobile home transport. Buyers can ask for added lengths of siding that can be extended down in place of or in combination with skirting.

Keep the Moisture Away

One of the advantages to vinyl and aluminum is the ventilation.

The faux and textured panels are solid and trap ground moisture below the home. The recommendation is to only use the solid panels on three sides of the home and to use a ventilated material on the rear of the home. This approach provides some ventilation, but is less effective than having a home ventilated on all sides.

Unwanted moisture under the home will create mildew and possibly buckle the home’s floor joists, which is particularly common in wet states like Louisiana and Michigan.

“The fire marshal will inspect homes in Louisiana to ensure there is a well-prepared pad that has a ‘turtle-back’ curve to it that keeps moisture away,” Carpenter said.

Skirting Update:

Dennis Hermen, a sales manager for Rustique Enterprises, near St. Louis, Missouri, approached our MHVillage team during SECO17. He wanted to tell us about a new skirting product that might be of interest to our readers!

The product name is Rustique Rib, and it comes with a guarantee against weed eater damage.

“We used recessed vents and a flat surface, which means there’s no place for the weed eater string to catch and damage the skirting,” Hermen said. “We’ve eliminated the weak points in the panel. It’s the heaviest panel on the market today.”

About 25 percent thicker than most products on the market, Rustique Rib come in s six colors and can be purchased through the company’s website at $10 per panel.

“That’s not a whole lot more than people are currently paying for skirting,” Hermen said.

Free Kit For Home Sellers

Home Seller Kit for selling a mobile home

Selling your mobile home by yourself can be a complicated process. MHVillage would like to help. If you list your mobile home for sale on our website, we’ll send you a free Home Seller Kit.

The Home Seller Kit includes:

“Seven Costly Mistakes that Most Sellers Make” (And How You Can Avoid Them)
“Present Your Home Like a Pro” (17 secrets to making buyers fall in love at first sight!)
A large 15″ by 20″ full color For Sale by Owner sign
A sample mobile home purchase agreement
A sample seller’s disclosure statement
Financing and insurance information and much more. . .

In fact, even if you haven’t yet listed your home online, you can still receive our kit!

Just click over to our Sell Your Mobile Home page and tell us where you would like us to send it. As you can see, we ship these out by Priority Mail – so please make sure you give us a good address that can accept a large box.

If you are thinking about listing your home, spring is just around the corner and now is a great time to get started! Remember, home listings are just a one time fee until the home has sold, (Basic listings are just $49.95.) List your home now and attract those spring buyers – you can update, edit and change your listing at anytime.

Have questions? Email the Customer Service team, we’d love to help!

psssst…. if you are also thinking of purchasing a home, we have some excellent information for you too! Check out our guide to buying a mobile home for some great tips and checklists!

Eleven Gorgeous Resort Retirement Communities – Not in Florida!

People naturally think “Florida” when it comes to retirement plans at manufactured home communities. Rightfully so, as Florida has amazing resort communities designed for senior living.

However, there are many great manufactured home communities for retirees! As a matter of fact, senior mobile home communities are a wonderful way to live in style, at a reasonable cost, throughout the country.

Here are 11 manufactured home communities that stood out to us:

Saddlebrook Farms, Grayslake, Ill.

Saddlebrook Farms is just an hour from both Chicago and Milwaukee. As a retirement destination, Grayslake boasts natural forest preserves, inland lakes, and plenty of activities for the outdoor enthusiast. There also are nearby golf courses, theaters and the Volo Auto Museum for fun day activities.

Saddlebrook Farms, among the 55+ manufactured home communities, is located on fish-stocked lakes and is surrounded by miles of gorgeous walking paths.

Test your green thumb with the gardening club. You can explore new horizons with the travel group. Pick up a new skill with the wood carvers. With all of this and more, Saddlebrook Farms in the Midwest is a great place to retire.

Tropicana Palms, Las Vegas, Nev.

When you think of Vegas you think “fun filled vacation”. However, you may be surprised to learn this high desert locale has prime manufactured home communities for resort-style retirement.

And Tropicana Palms easily captures your attention.

This community has a pool, tennis courts and a wonderful fitness center. It offers billiards and card leagues. Plus, the activities team constantly arranges fun and engaging gatherings for the senior living community, including line dancing, Zumba, water aerobics, movie nights, costume parties and more.

Love the outdoors? Well, Tropicana Palms is adjacent the Clark County Preserve and Nature Center and has a private entrance to the park. It is minutes from McCarran Airport and the Las Vegas Strip. Beautiful scenery, loads of things to do and the excitement of Las Vegas? What more could you ask?

Dolce Vita at Superstition Mountain, Apache Junction, Ariz.

Love palm trees and warm weather, but looking for both of these outside of Florida? Dolce Vita is a premier active adult community in the Phoenix area. Check out these amenities: a 33,000 square-foot clubhouse featuring a stocked library, billiards room with eight tables, a top-of-the-line workout facility, craft room with a kiln, two card rooms, movie theater with video library, community kitchen, and a 6,200 square-foot ballroom!

Because the weather is so warm, you’ll want to head outside for the 3,000 square-foot pool and two spas. Additionally, the community offers tennis, pickleball courts and a putting green! Because you’ve played so hard, you’ll want to sit back and enjoy the spectacular Superstition Mountain views. As a result, “Where to Retire” Magazine selected Dolce Vita for the Short List of 50 Best Master Planned Communities in the United States.

Furthermore, nearby Apache Junction offers perfect activities for visiting relatives, including grand kids. There are noteworthy museums, state parks, the Boyce Thompson Arboretum and even a Ghost Town to visit!

The Oaks of Rockford, Rockford, Mich.

Oaks of Rockford was honored as one of America’s 100 Best Master-Planned Communities by retirenet.com and is currently a featured property among manufactured home communities. It is an upscale 55+ active retirement community near Grand Rapids, Michigan’s second largest city. However, this suburban neighborhood provides all the conveniences of a larger metropolitan area while retaining its small-town charm and ambiance. Neighboring the gorgeous Rogue River, Rockford is a city rich in natural beauty and recreational opportunity.

Because of this, nature enthusiasts from all around the area come to check out scenic views at the famous Rockford Dam, seek adventure in the city’s 12 public parks, including several park areas situated right on the river for some of the best Steelhead fishing in the whole state, not to mention the kayaking and tubing.

From there, navigate the 100-mile Fred Meijer White Pine Trail, featuring miles of trees, historic bridges and pathways and wildlife. Downtown Rockford is a warm, bustling community with charming boutiques, galleries, art fairs, historical museums, restaurants, festivals, and a great farmers market. Rockford also has 10 golf courses and a number of ski areas within short driving distance. If you are looking for an active retirement, this Midwestern gem is a great location.

Royal Palms, Bakersfield, Calif.

Royal Palms has carefree senior living in beautiful Bakersfield, Calif. Recently, Bakersfield was noted as a Top 100 Place to Live in the USA by U.S. News & World Report. Royal Palms offers a charming community atmosphere, friendly neighbors and affordability.

Royal Palms is a beautiful 60-acre community, perfect for outdoor activities, including a private three-hole golf course, putting green, swimming pool, spa and dog park. Residents enjoy walking and biking the private streets. There is a paved bike path only two blocks from the golf course. The social activities are a highlight for residents. Many programs are designed especially for seniors, such as card games, bingo, arts and crafts, and exercise classes. Other events include Pot Luck dinners, luncheons, morning coffee hours and social gatherings. Special social events for singles are scheduled every night.

Willow Lake Estates, Elgin, Ill.

Retirees looking for small town charm near a bustling big city will want to take a look at Willow Lake Estates. Located in the Fox River Valley, Willow Lake Estates is a beautifully landscaped community featuring mature willow, oak and maple trees in a country setting. Residents enjoy a private stocked lake and boat dock, a heated community swimming pool, and a fully outfitted fitness center. Proximity to major highways, O’Hare International Airport and Chicago metro area means that you will never be far from modern conveniences. In fact, local area shopping and dining opportunities abound all within a six-mile radius of Willow Estates.

Sedona Shadows, Sedona, Ariz.

Sedona Shadows is a pet-friendly and thriving 55+ retirement mobile home community. Located in the beautiful red rock country of Sedona, Ariz., Sedona Shadows offers its residents a relaxed and comfortable lifestyle surrounded by the beauties of nature. When USA Weekend compiled their Most Beautiful Places in America list, Sedona claimed the top spot.

The community features ample amenities including on-site library, Whirlpool-spa-hot tub, spacious club house and scenic picnic area. This community sets an easygoing tone for its residents even as the well-equipped fitness center, huge community swimming pool, and nice billiard facilities keep them active. For the traveling senior, Sedona Shadows also has RV storage for your home away from home.

Royal Villas, Tigard, Ore.

Oregon might not be your first thought for a retirement destination, but Tigard is a desirable and affordable community in the Portland metro area. The city has a lot to offer in the way of natural beauty, with access to more than 16 miles of paved trails and nearly 550 acres of parks and open spaces.

Royal Villas is contemporary and distinctive among manufactured home communities for the active adult in Tigard. Additionally, homeowners enjoy beautifully manicured grounds, lighted walking paths, fitness centers, a swimming pool with luxurious cabanas, shuffleboard courts and a putting green. The community center offers a library, relaxing fireside room, and a billiard and card room.

Royal Villas also is only minutes away from two challenging golf courses, many fine restaurants, shopping and healthcare facilities. For the theatre lover, there is the nearby Broadway Rose Theater at Tigard High School, featuring professional 0ff Broadway musicals and comedies.

Westbrook Senior Village, Toledo, Ohio

Residents at Westbrook Senior Village have the best of both worlds – peaceful, small town living matched with a fabulous urban location. This ideal location provides residents the opportunity to enjoy numerous urban attractions and activities. Toledo boasts a wonderful museum of art and a stunning botanical garden. More so, you can bring along the grand kids and check out the Imagination Station Science Museum or the famous Toledo Zoo. Of course, there also is shopping, restaurants and cultural venues.

Finally, Westbrook Senior Village has a heated pool, spa, shuffleboard courts and a community center – everything you need to relax near the big city.

Oak Ranch, Austin, Texas

Oak Ranch is wonderfully located just 15 minutes from downtown Austin. Austin is the fourth largest city in Texas and well known for its vibrant music scene. However, there is plenty to do there in all arenas – great food, walking and biking tours, swimming at Barton Springs, shopping, museums and many historic sites. Oak Ranch is a gated community with peaceful, tree-lined streets. In addition, the community offers amenities like an activity and fitness center, a beach entry pool and even a playground for the kids when they come to visit. Importantly, Oak Ranch is one of the pet-friendly manufactured home communities, and has on-site management and homes offering two-car off street parking and private driveways.

We have been focusing on communities that have age qualifications. However, just because you are over 55 doesn’t mean you have to live in a Senior Community. Rather, some all ages communities can offer quiet resort-like settings.

Sky Harbor, Cheektowaga, N.Y. All Ages Community

As a result, were were particularly taken by Sky Harbor, located only two miles from the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. This beautiful development offers a blend of a quiet neighborhood with easy access to all that Cheektowaga, Buffalo and Erie County have to offer. In addition, residents are within 35 miles of world-famous Niagara Falls and just ten miles from the Canadian border. Especially relevant is the nearby the Walden Galleria Mall, boutiques, cafés, antique shops, galleries and restaurants. Cheektowaga also offers incredible wildlife, vast beautiful parks, and numerous recreational activities.

This closely-knit neighborhood provides residents a relaxed lifestyle with many exciting amenities including a community center, a meeting hall with fully equipped kitchen and 4 open park spaces. Sky Harbor is pet-friendly and has on-site management.

Curious about learning more about these manufactured home communities? Check out our article on How to Contact Communities.

Tiny House Movement

The tiny house trend is something we see consistently across a wide range of ages and incomes.

The days, everyone has a need for micro housing options, it seems.

What makes a tiny house is interior floor space of 400 to 999 square feet.

The movement invites a younger generation to live smaller, with sleek designs and contemporary features. In some cases, that’s an effort to simplify life or create a smaller carbon footprint.

However, there are many motivations that spark the interest of buyers.

Tiny House, Tiny Cost

The cost and custom options might be a primary factors for younger buyers and retirees.

High Design Tiny House — New Frontier Tiny Home

The tiny house provides a contemporary alternative option that homeowners can locate on private land or in a community. Tiny homes also are used as second residence. The second residence, often termed an accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, can be a “granny house” or “writer’s cabin” behind a primary residence, or at a separate “getaway” location.

And buyers are not alone in their fascination and appreciation for the tiny home. Manufacturers are jumping on the band wagon, too, with new models from companies like New Frontier.

Custom Built Tiny House

Additionally, there are custom homes from companies like Tiny Incredible Homes.

While the younger generation creates a lot of buzz about these tiny homes, we see structures provided as an option to decrease the homeless population, as well.

That is, nonprofits nationwide build tiny homes to help people in need. Whether that means providing housing to homeless veterans or retirement-age homeowners who have been displaced, we are seeing tiny houses used in a variety of ways.

Tiny houses are a natural fit many buyers because they are affordable and take less time to build than most other options.

Yet another trend is with companies looking to create communities of tiny homes for their employees . This has become a viable option for seasonal labor, or temporary housing on long-term projects.

So, whether this new style of smaller, simpler living is just trend or not, we sure are excited to watch as our industry continues to expand and reinvent the meaning of factory built housing.

Check out more of the latest home trends in manufactured housing today

“Simply put, it is a social movement where people are choosing to downsize the space they live in.” – The Tiny Life

Good VS Bad Photos

How Do Your Photos Represent Your Home?

Mobile Home photos make your listing come alive. Photos can show the immaculate landscaping, rural views, inviting fireplace or upgraded kitchen. The number one question we are asked from a home buyer is “Can I see more photos of the home?”

When you are trying to sell or rent your home, not only is it important to have multiple home photos on your ad, another important detail is the quality of the photos. In this case, we are talking about composition, lighting, the subject of the photo and how those subjects represent your home and lifestyle.

Here are some actual home photos from MHVillage:

With our current smart phones and cameras, it’s easier than it used to be to take high-quality shots and then crop and adjust them before you upload. Plus, it is easy to take many of photos at one time and sort them later. Taking multiple photos will help ensure that you get that perfect shot!

Now let’s take a look at some MHVillage photos:

This bathroom photo is blurry, not incredibly attractive and also it is a vertical shot that doesn’t look particularly great online.

Because of the size of the room, bathrooms are terribly hard to photograph. In this case, this photo doesn’t show the home to its best potential.

Another problem we see is lighting. This living room is has been emptied and is ready for the next owners, but it’s hard to tell in this photo. In this case, turning on the lights, opening the blinds and using a flash would have helped a lot.

Now, let’s look at some great photos:

Both of the images below have great lighting and are shot from the corner of the room. This really gives the customer the opportunity to see the size and feel of the layout.

So, while you always want to have as many photos of the home as possible when advertising, it’s also really important that the images represent your home in the best possible light (literally!).

Exterior Home Photos:

Another problem we see on MHVillage are photos of the exterior of the home taken from too far away. This is a lovely home, but it’s hard to see in this photo. Try to take your exterior photos with a minimum of road – or sky. (On the other hand, if this photo had been accompanied by a closer shot, it would have been a great way to show of the mature trees and peaceful setting.)

Tips on Photographing Homes

It is worth taking a few extra minutes to get the right shot. Here are some tips:

Remove cars, toys, trash and other distractions from around the home.
Keep the light behind you. This can mean shooting the front of the home in the morning and the back in the afternoon. If you have interesting flood lights, consider taking a shot of the home at night, but always include a day shot.
Take interior shots with the widest angle setting on your camera.
Turn on all lights, open blinds and try using the flash indoors. If the shot is overexposed (washed out), adjust accordingly. Each home is going to be a little different but look for clear, well-lit photos.
Photos taken toward a window or door during the day will appear underexposed. (The room will appear dark and the window very bright.) Again, you might have to play with this a little to get it right.
Crop the image to feature the home clearly. If you want a distant shot featuring the landscaping or setting, fine, but be sure to include a second photo where the home occupies most of the image.

The number one photo people want is a CLEAR shot of the front of the home. Take a look at the list below for more direction.

Suggested home photos, in order of importance

The front of the home – a clear, close shot
The living room/great room/family room. Include the fireplace or interesting entrance way if you have one. Include a separate shot of the view from the room if you have something exceptional.
The kitchen
The back or sides of the home
Any feature you claim is remodeled or premium quality
Any outside features like decks or garages
The landscape or setting of the home
The master bedroom
The master bathroom
Second bedrooms, bathrooms or utility areas.

If you have any additional questions or would like some assistance with uploading your images to MHVillage, please feel free to contact us!

Under Construction

New Manufactured Home Community Under Construction in Central East Florida

The effort it takes to build something new often is viewed as a troublesome necessity or a source of frustration. In the case of a new manufactured home community, like one being developed in Ormond Beach, Fla., approval to clear and level, start utilities and lay out a site plan certainly is cause for celebration.

The development of a new manufactured home community in Florida last occurred about 15 years ago. The challenges include a difficult economy, zoning hurdles, investment barriers and the negative perception of a new manufactured home community.

New Communities Nationwide — New Development Data

About 310 new manufactured home communities were built nationwide during the last 15 years. Compare that with with the 2,645 new communities during the prior 15 years, including 395 communities built during 1986-87 alone. It’s easy to understand why affordable housing advocates are concerned.

Ormond Beach Commissioner Dwight Selby serves Zone 1 where the new community is located. Additionally, he serves as treasurer for the Florida Manufactured Housing Association and co-owns the nearby Shady Oaks manufactured home community.

“I think it’s important to stay focused on providing housing for all kinds of income, not just the rich and uber rich,” Selby said. “We have a huge gap in affordability. Most builders aren’t putting up anything below $250,000 – $300,000, and the developers at Plantation Oaks are coming in at half that. It’s a way more affordable number for a lot of people.”

The New Manufactured Home Community

Developers Parker Mynchenberg and Ronnie Bledsoe have prevailed in their efforts to bring about Plantation Oaks of Ormond Beach.

“We’re selling the lifestyle, the amenities, the gated entry,” Mynchenberg said of the 55+ community.

Plantation Oaks is near the intersection of I-95 and U.S. 1, north of the municipality. The property is unincorporated land set for annexation into the city when phase one is complete. Phase one of the development calls for 427 lots. The final project will include 1,577 home sites.

“We were just held up for a bit and got back at it,” Bledsoe said. “We’re in a great location to do this. Ormond Beach is among the nicer communities in the area. It’s a great place to live.”

Two- and 3-bedroom homes in the new manufactured home community will range from 1,200 to 2,400 square feet. Prices are between $120,000 and $200,000. The community will also operate as a mobile home dealer for homes from two makers, Homes of Merit and Palm Harbor. Homeowners can rent the land their home sits on for about $700 per month.

“The rents will vary a little,” Bledsoe said. “Depending on whether you have a waterfront lot, a premium lot or a lot that borders a preservation area.”

Finally, each home will have a front porch, and a two-stall garage rather than carports.

The Obstacles

Mynchenberg affirmed the reasons why the development of a manufactured home community takes some endurance.

Affordable Housing — Home type for Plantation Oaks

“Zoning is difficult,” he said. “The second reason why this type of development is rare is because of the infrastructure cost up front. When people move in, you get paid back over time with the lot rent… it’s hard to find funding.

“Once they’re leased up, they’re sought after by investors,” Bledose said. “Not so much when they’re being developed.”

As a result, Commissioner Selby said bridging that gap should be a priority locally, and nationally.

“It’s a total mystery to me how a product class can be so attractive, yet there are no people chasing new deals,” Selby said. “I know it relates to financing and delayed returns, but all that being said, somehow we have to figure this out.

“There needs to be a mechanism whereby new communities can be built,” he said.

Selby points to the wave of Baby Boomers who will retire to Florida and other warm weather places. If there are homes for those arrivals to live in, Florida’s economy can reap the benefits.

“Boomers add a lot and require very little,” Selby said. “We should prepare ourselves before they advance to an age where more community services will be required.”

Lifestyle Retirement Community — Clubhouse rendering

The Community Perks

“We’re doing a 10,360 square-foot clubhouse with café and large kitchen, as well as community rooms to play cards, exercise and meet friends,” Mynchenberg said. “Out back are covered and screened porches that overlook an Olympic size zero entry pool. It’s ADA accessible, and very good for seniors.”

Mynchenberg is a civil engineer, landscape architect and pool designer. Bledsoe has significant experience as an underground utilities contractor. The two have teamed in development efforts several times, including on Plantation Oaks of Flagler between 1998 and 2004. They sold that community and purchased the Ormond Beach property, waited out the recession and in 2012 worked on re-zoning for manufactured housing.

In addition, Plantation Oaks of Ormond Beach will boast dog runs and dog parks. Additionally, it will provide tennis and pickle ball courts, shuffleboard, walking and bike trails, boat and RV storage, nearby shopping and entertainment.

The median home price near the coast is significantly higher than the cost at Plantation Oaks. However, Bledsoe and Mynchenberg have declined to advertise the community as affordable housing.

“I think if you asked the customer about the high point, it’s not affordability, it’s lifestyle,” Bledsoe said. “We’re proud of this community. We’ve had a huge response. When we put up the billboard alone, I can’t say how many emails we received.”

Installers have set the first models and set the first wave of residents gain access in Fall 2018.

How to Contact a Mobile Home Park

What if I need more information? How do I contact a mobile home park?

We understand that there are times when you will need to contact a mobile home park. To clarify, MHVillage.com does not own, operate, or manage any of the communities advertised on our site. Rather, we are the #1 website for communities to advertise their homes, services and features.

MHVillage.com only has the information that communities provide on their listings. However, many communities list an email and/or a phone number for you to get in touch with them.

To Contact a Mobile Home Community by Email:

When you are viewing a community on MHVillage, there will be a Email Community button on the upper right hand side of the page, if we have an email for them.

Just click this “Email Community” button to directly message a representative from a community.

Contact a Mobile Home Community by Phone

Searching for a community phone number? Scroll down to the red heading that reads “Contact Information.” There you will see a button that says “View Phone #”. Click this to reveal the contact information.

There are also a couple of other buttons at the bottom that might help:

Ask Question, which will email the community.
Request a Brochure, which will either

We encourage members on our site to respond within 48 hours, but keep in mind that some businesses may respond more quickly than others.

If there is insufficient or missing contact information, you may need to search in your local directory or Yellow Pages.

Search for a mobile home park here!

Seven Cost-Saving Tips to Stage Your Home

Is your mobile home for sale? We’ve compiled these “Lucky 7” easy tips to help you stage your home.

MHVillage aims to help you impress home shoppers and save you money. These are simple things you can do to help make your home more marketable.

Seven Easy Tips to Help Stage Your Home for Sale

1. Impress the Drive-By

If you have your manufactured home for sale, you may notice folks who slowly drive with an eye on your community. It’s a common weekend activity for those in the market for a new home.

When your manufactured home is for sale, make sure you impress those drive-bys in the 30-45 seconds you have their attention! Your lawn should be in good shape and landscaping is tidy. Move trash and recycle containers out of view. Make sure sidewalks and stairs are swept. Stand in the road outside your home and look at it with a buyer’s eye. What can you do differently to stage your home, to make it appear more inviting?

Tip: Make sure people who drive by have your phone number. A well placed, clearly written “For Sale” sign can really help. The MHVillage Seller’s Kit (Free with your listing) includes a big window sign for your home.

2. Clean Up Outdoor Structures

Don’t forget to shine up your outdoor areas. These areas can be easily forgotten, but when buyers come to your home they will be seeing them for the first time.Now is a great time to clean up the shed and make sure tools are neatly put away. Look at the carport, especially up near the roof. This is an area that attracts dirt – and bird’s nests. Have deck or patio? Make sure they are clean and look welcoming. In warmer climates, spruce them up with flower pots, in colder areas, make sure the walks and structures are free from snow and ice.

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Photos Photos Photos!

We have been talking with our home buyers on MHV and their number one request is: “More home photos please!”

Statistically, we have found that listings with more than 30 home photos receive 25% more clicks to view than similar homes with fewer home photos

In other words, there really is no such thing as too many good home photos! The important word being “good”. While your bathroom might have really lovely tile, and you may have recently replaced the shower curtain, there are only so many good angles you can capture of this space.

However, the exterior of the home, the layout of the living spaces, the community the home is in, these are all areas that have a variety of different angles which would be very beneficial to your buyer. You would be surprised how quickly you can surpass that 30 photos mark!

Here are some listings on MHVillage that have many photos – and also have a sale pending.

Pro tip: Try having your first photo be of the exterior of the home since if the buyer was coming to see it, that would be their first impression in person too.

The best first photo is the exterior of the home. If possible remove clutter and cars, and try to fill the shot with as much of the home as you can – you want a minimum of sky and road.

The goal is to give the customer the experience of walking through the home when they are scrolling through the pictures. Remember, home buyers might be moving from a different state. So it is important that they get to experience the home in this medium as close to in person as possible.

Hopefully these few tips will help you be able to present your home to the perfect buyer – because after all, you only need one buyer to close the deal!

If you have any questions about your listing on our site, give us a call or send us an email.

We are happy to help!

Affordable Housing Update

National Nonprofit Partners to Expand Affordable Housing Efforts in Texas

Nonprofit organization Texas Community Builders is demonstrating the potential of delivering efficient affordable housing in Texas manufactured homes communities. Next Step Homes and Clayton Homes are working together toward this focus on factory-built housing.

Texas Community Builders, under Business and Community Lenders (BCL) of Texas, will provide a model home in La Grange, Texas to host visitors. The goals is to show what is possible in regard to home ownership for middle-earning professionals. The program targets teachers, first responders and service providers, including families and individuals, often held out of home ownership.

“We are proud to work with our partners to offer a model for affordable, energy-efficient housing that will be replicable in communities across Texas,” Texas Community Builders CEO Rosa Ríos Valdez said.

City officials, economic developers and members of the public attended an open house to explore the future of sustainable housing. An open house for home buyers on July 8 was a success. A second showing later that month with developers, real estate professionals and public officials also was productive.

The price for a 3-bedroom, 2-bath homes starts at $149,000, including the land. Homes that are customizable and a choices of layouts are built on a permanent foundation to ENERGY STAR® standards. Homes will be available for purchase or order as early as August 2017.

“This is a great opportunity to show the benefits of factory-built home,” Stacey Epperson, president and founder of Next Step, said. “Working with Texas Community Builders, we hope to provide sustainable homeownership opportunities for more hard-working Texas families.”