Planned Communities Designed (Part 2)

The second installment on community planning in a two-part contribution to MHVillage by Equity Lifestyle Properties.

Stumping the Professionals

With so many advanced mathematical formulas and neat patterns for manufactured home communities, you’d think professional planners in other housing sectors could easily replicate a neighborhood design and get the same results.

They get close, Allan D. Wallis writes in his book “Wheel Estate”, but haven’t figured out how to create the strong neighborhood bonds and sense of community of a well-managed and thriving manufactured home community.

Planner Robert Bair, Jr., one of the authors of “Mobile Home Parks and Comprehensive Community Planning”, stated that community planning for mobile home parks might represent the last genuine communities in America.

Close-knit neighborliness and camaraderie rarely exists in gated communities and suburbs the way it does in factory-built community planning. Simply put, residents in gated communities rarely talk to neighbors. A third of homeowners say they haven’t met their closest neighbor, and 20 percent don’t know their neighbor’s name.

Professionals for decades in community planning have attempted to get the same results witnessed in manufactured home communities. The modern gated communities, with 4,000 square foot site-built homes, have mimicked the layout, offered the amenities, even used similar lot designs. Still, they’ve yet to figure out how to foster the social interaction seen in manufactured home communities.

Of course, community planners can only do so much.

The friendliness and neighborhood cohesiveness that forms so naturally within manufactured home communities says a lot about the people living in factory-built housing.

Popular Community Planning Designs

Those who work in community planning use formulas and algorithms to determine the layout of a manufactured home community. Lot size and home placement is especially important to create a thriving community. Experts have found a few home layouts that work well for manufactured home communities and most of us will recognize them.

Herringbone

A community laid out in a herringbone design uses diagonal lots to create a cohesive community that maximizes land use. One of the most popular manufactured home community layouts in the U.S. is the herringbone, but it does not fetch the top spot.

Perpendicular

The most common community design is the perpendicular layout. Homes are side by side. This allows for a front and back yard and allows one end of the home to face the road. Similarly, the staggered perpendicular layout provides homes that are placed on opposite sides of the lots.

Zero-lot Line

Herringbone and Perpendicular layouts are used more often than zero-lot line community planning. However, this design places the home’s backdoor on the very edge of the lot to create a larger front yard, and only a walkway in the back. This design is great for communities that have awesome views such as a pond or beach.

Parallel

A parallel layout places the home’s front facing the road. This placement allows for large lots but requires the most acreage.

Muramoto Cluster

The Muramoto cluster design is unique. George Muramoto was a popular architect and consultant for manufactured home communities in the 1950s. He created a park design that places four homes within a cluster that share a single driveway. Every home is placed with intention, even if to the casual observer it may look scattered and unplanned. The pattern only reveals itself from above.

ELS writer Crystal Adkins has authored more than 500 articles about manufactured housing and is featured on BobVila.com and USA Today.

Planned Communities

Part I of a two-part contribution by myMHcommunity.com on the history of manufactured home communities.

A Few Items About the History of Manufactured Home Communities

Community planners analyze data and use an array of knowledge and experience to design every detail of a neighborhood. They use intentional design to encourage healthy neighbor interaction while providing the residents privacy, security and safety. Everything is considered.

Even the curves in the roads are placed intentionally to slow auto traffic.

Planning communities is a centuries old concept. There is evidence of urban planning dating back to the third millennium B.C. Through the years, planners have established several community designs they feel work best. That’s why we see similar community layouts across the nation; designs proven to create a safe neighborhood with good sociability.

In most cases, planners get the same results when they design similar communities. However, there’s one thing that has been stumping expert community planners for decades. How to get their gated site-built communities and suburbs to develop the camaraderie and sense of community that seem to occur so naturally within manufactured home communities.

The History of Manufactured Home Communities

While there are successful manufactured home communities that have thrived without the help of professional planning, the largest and most desirable communities are typically planned down to the smallest detail.

One of the first permanent manufactured home communities in the U.S., Trailer Estates, was designed with the help of a professional community planner. The community was developed in 1955 in Bradenton, Fla. and included 1,451 lots on 160 acres.

The owner of Trailer Estates, a lawyer turned land developer, understood that factory-built homes would become a popular permanent housing choice for millions of families nationwide. He wanted to create the ideal permanent neighborhood that worked well for a variety of families, so he reached out to a professional community planner.

The community they created had all the necessities you could want. It had a post office, commissary, recreational areas, laundry facilities and even its own marina and beach. Residents had square dancing on Tuesdays, crafts on Thursdays and ballroom dancing on Saturdays.

Many modern manufactured home communities still offer community activities and great amenities, though ballroom dancing probably isn’t one of them.

The community was so well-planned that it was recognized as a model community and the same design and amenities offered are replicated in several communities across the nation to this day.

ELS writer Crystal Adkins has authored more than 500 articles about manufactured housing. She has been featured on BobVila.com and USA Today.

How to Find Pet Friendly Mobile Home Parks

A recent home buyer shared this note on our Facebook page about pet-friendly mobile home parks:

“Thank you all who gave me such wonderful information regarding your communities and homes for sale. We are reading and looking at all info seriously. We are retiring after the first of the year and southern Arizona is our desired area to live the rest of our lives. So thank y’all so much for sharing. So far, ALL of the communities seem great, but not one that shared will take our beloved old dog, Petey. He’s a 10 year old mix mutt who adopted us when he was a 6 month old puppy thrown out a car window on our front yard. He’s in good health and his weight for past three years has a low of 22 pounds and a high of 25.5 pounds. Currently, Petey weighs 24 pounds (he is neutered). He is friendly and lazy.”

Most communities have some restrictions on pets. However, if one of your family members has four paws, there is a way to make it easier to find a place that will welcome them. MHVillage has Advanced Search tools that let you look specifically for pet-friendly communities.

There are two easy tools for finding pet-friendly mobile home parks:

1) Go to the mobile home parks search page and use the checkboxes to narrow down the search for exactly what you looking for. Want a family friendly community that allows pets and has a pool? You can search for that!

2) You can also narrow down your search after you have seen what is available. For example, there are 104 manufactured home communities in Mesa, Ariz. At the top of that list is a Narrow Your Search tool that will let you select only pet-friendly home communities. That brings the count of communities down to 74.

Now, there are a couple of caveats to keep in mind. Occasionally policies and information change. In addition, just because a mobile home park accepts some pets, doesn’t mean they accept all pets. So, be sure to verify all information by calling the communities directly.

Pack Your Clubs – Buying a Home in 55+ Golf Community

Retirement is a time to relax and enjoy the good things in life. If one of your passions is golf, you might want to check out all the amazing amenities offered by senior manufactured home communities. Here’s just a taste of some of the gorgeous 55+ golf communities across the country.

They all have beautiful homes and golf carts in the driveway!

Golf Communities Around the Country

Fairways Country Club – Orlando, Fla.:

Located in sunny Orlando, Fla., Fairways Country Club has an 18-hole golf course, a pro shop, three swimming pools, two tennis courts, a fishing lake and pond, three clubhouses and a fitness center. Of course, Orlando is home to a number of theme parks and vacation destinations. So, this is an incredibly popular destination for all ages. Take a look and prepare to get a round in!

https://youtu.be/EW6rB8_xypU

Golf Vista Estates – Monee, Ill.:

Many of the 55+ golf communities are located in Florida and Arizona. But wonderful golf locations exist in the Midwest as well. Located in Chicago’s Southland area, Golf Vista has a 9-hole course, pool hall and community center with a fitness room. With home prices ranging between $12,000 and $44,000, this affordable 55+ community has a lot to offer retirees!

Palm Creek – Casa Grande, Ariz.:

Palm Creek has a renowned Par-3 course for your golfing pleasure. Furthermore, it offers more than 165 activities per week – so you are certain to stay busy. This golf community has everything from state-of-the-art pickleball courts to workshops on stained glass and painting. Located in Arizona’s “Golden Corridor”, Casa Grande is only 40 minutes south of Phoenix and an hour north of the historic districts in Tucson.

Schalamar Creek – Lakeland Fla.:

Ron Garl designed the 18-hole championship course at Schalamar Creek, renowned among golf communities. They have tournaments year round for fun, trophies and even cash prizes. Schalamar Creek is a great location for golfers and bird watchers alike – this 55+ Golf and Country Club Community is located alongside the 750-acre Saddle Creek Park, a protected bird sanctuary. Many interesting birds can be seen during a round of golf. Lakeland Florida has a legendary historic downtown area and is known for antiques, architecture and community gardens.

ViewPoint Golf Resort – Mesa, Ariz.:

This beautiful 55+ retirement mobile home community offers you a whopping 27 holes of on-site golf! Add in shuffleboard and tennis courts, horseshoe pits, a fitness center, billiard facilities, and a community swimming pool, and the activities seem endless. Additionally, Mesa has such beautiful weather! With better than 300 days of sunshine each year, it is a great place to play year round. Not only is there a golf course on site at ViewPoint Golf Resort, Mesa is home to some of Arizona’s most well-known golf courses designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr, Jack Nicklaus, and Pete Dye.

Water Oak Country Club – Lady Lake Fla.:

This gated community not only boasts an 18-hole golf course, it also has four tennis courts, bocce, horseshoes, and an Olympic-sized swimming pool. The 300 acres of fields, trees, lakes and winding paths are a plus. Another reason to look at Lake County also is for camping, kayaking, and wonderful fishing. It’s only an hour north of Orlando, so tourist attractions for the family are close by.

This is just a sample of some of the wonderful opportunities manufactured home and golf communities offer for retirement. Social activities, pools, great locations with beautiful weather, and fabulous courses to refine your swing!

How to Find a Retirement Community

Find a retirement community illustration

Looking at How to Find a Retirement Community? MHVillage Has A Few Ways to Narrow Your Search

Location is one of the biggest – A lot of consumers on our site look to move to warmer climates.

We have quite a number of Senior communities in Florida, California, Arizona, Texas, Nevada and South Carolina advertising on our site, for instance.

As you get ready to dive into your search for the ideal retirement community, you may find it helpful to check out some of our tips and background information about senior mobile home parks. Once you’ve read through the guide, then you will be fully equipped to browse with a purpose!

Ok, to kick things off, we recommend starting with a few state-wide searches on MHVillage to get a feel for the cities that interest you most.

If you go to our parks search page, get started on your state-wide search via our “Search By State” map.

Once you select your state, we list to the right all cities and towns that have manufactured and mobile home sales listings. You can click a location link, or click the city/town on the map that mosts interests you.

Search Criteria for Retirement Communities Beyond Location

Often, our customers looking to retire will choose the community tab from the top navigation since they are looking for a community that is 55+. The “Showcased” communities on MHVillage have more information. They have more photos, more extensive community information and added contacts detail.

Each community will list pet restrictions, amenities and activities. As an option, they will provide ways to make contact. They also will list the homes on MHVillage that are available in their community. But if you have more questions, you will want to contact the community directly.

Plus, you can stay in the know on homes or communities you like! This is done by clicking the “Like” option on the listing. If the community updates information, photos or changes a home price, you will get an email notification. You also can view your “Liked” listings from your free account on MHVillage.

Looking for somewhere affordable?

If you’re in the market for a home and would prefer to find a place that’s budget-friendly, you’ll want to check out these 10 cities with the best prices for manufactured homes in the country.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about shopping for your retirement on MHVillage, let us know! We would be happy to walk you through the process.

California Tiny Homes

The Tiny Homes Movement Has Popped Up in Palm Springs

The first 10 tiny homes are available for sale in Palm Springs, Calif., at the Palm Canyon Mobile Club, 1880 S. Palm Canyon Drive, with options between 600 and 800 square feet starting at $126,000.

Median home prices for a single-family homes in Palm Springs is more than $500,000.

The vintage mobile home park in this popular resort community is set to receive 100 tiny homes, a first of its kind project in Southern California. Watch a virtual tour of one of the community’s California tiny homes.

“Palm Springs has a vast collection of architectural and modern homes,” said Paul Kaplan, who heads the agency marketing the homes and community. ” We wanted to do something modern that would fit with the existing homes of the 1960s and 1970s that are in the park.”

About the California Tiny Homes

The pre-fab style tiny homes are delivered whole to the homesite after being factory-built with the interiors complete. Outdoor decks and porches will be added once the home is situated. Walkways, driveways, carports, fenced yards and landscaping complete the package.

Designed to avoid being too tiny, the homes are all single level structures. There are no ladders or sleeping lofts, features commonly found in tiny homes. The one-bedroom home includes up to 550 square feet of outdoor deck space. Inside is 600-square feet with glass walls for plenty of natural light. Additionally, the home offers nine-foot ceilings, sliding glass doors, full-size kitchen appliances and a bathroom. The 2-bedroom has about 250 square feet of deck space.

Marketing to Seniors, First-Time Buyers

Kaplan anticipates the community being popular with winter visitors, retirees looking to downsize and some first-time manufactured home buyers. The community has had about 100 people come through each recent Saturday.

Designers deliberately kept the homes slim as a strategy to maximize outdoor space. The tiny homes are placed on a traditional double-wide mobile home pad. Each lot provides room for a garden, grill and a dog run. Kaplan said these and other lifestyle amenities rarely are found at area condo developments.

The homeowner rents the lot space for $650 per month, about $100 more than the average condo association fee in the area.

Mobile home park amenities include paved drives, driveways, walkways and landscaping, clubhouse, pool, grill areas, dog park, gym and common areas.

An added bonus of tiny home living: if you want some new scenery, you can put the wheels back on your home, and tow it to a new locale.

Is Your Home Priced to Sell?

Here are some factors to consider when deciding on the selling price for your home

Though we work in the advertisement world of our industry and do not directly sell homes, our communication with our home sellers, professionals and buyers can give us a unique perspective when it comes to the appropriate selling price for a mobile home. This article will talk about a few trends we see when it comes to homeowners who are listing their own home.

Now, we know nobody knows your home like you do. So it is not surprising that we see a lot of individuals home sellers over-pricing their home on our site. This totally makes sense, considering you know the all of the upgrades and special features the home has to offer. Plus, if you are like most homeowners, you have invested in your home quite a bit over the years and hope to regain some of those costs with the sale.

These are all completely logical and rational reasons to list your home on the higher end of the price range. However, there are some risks that come with pricing too high.

Things you risk with a price that’s too high:

A “Hard Pass”– Some buyers look on our site and from the search results will scroll right past homes that are simply outside of their budget. So, if you are pricing your home higher, you risk them scrolling past and not seeing your advertisement.
Quality Buyer Leads Missed: Similar to number 1. Let’s say a buyer receives your home in one of their search alerts and decides even though it might be priced higher than they are looking, they will see the details. Your buyer might take a look at your advertisement but if the price is not justified with your home listing then you risk them moving on.
Buyer’s Appraisal; Lower than Selling Price- If a home buyer is getting financing for your home, their lender will need an appraisal. If that number comes in substantially lower than the selling price you risk the buyer backing out before closing.
Selling Other Homes: By pricing your home too high, the other homes in your area that are priced lower get the advantage. Knowing your market is important since buyers can also research the selling prices for other homes in that area.

Pricing your home to sell is something that takes research and perspective.

Take some time to learn how to correctly price your home for the market. If you are working with an industry professional, or real estate agent, they will be able to tell you about nearby home prices, and where your home fits in the spectrum. They should be able to guide you with their industry knowledge, which is a benefit to hiring a local professional who knows your market.

If you are selling your home directly, then you might want to invest in a home appraisal or at the very least a Book Value. Not only can these options give you a number to start with, but a report or an appraisal is also something you can offer your buyer. We currently have offer a manufactured and mobile home value report for free. Our report can be viewed as a mobile home blue book value, as our appraisal staff will search for the resale value of the property in our system using information about your home. You can get just the value for the home for free with your home listing, or if you want the full report (which includes a market analysis report) you can purchase that option too.

For home appraisal options, we recommend contacting Datacomp Appraisal.

They have a few different appraisals and report options and can give you a quote for service right over the phone!

The next step is how you advertise the home.

While you know your home, the buyers don’t have any of that experience with the space. They are seeing a price tag on your home and they have to be sold on why it’s worth that number.

If you are advertising on MHVillage, we not only let you list all of the amenities and features of the home, we also have a spot where you can enter a full description. This area of the listing is incredibly important to buyers. Plus it’s your chance to really describe the space and prove that your listing price is accurate. Last but not least, photos photos photos. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so why not support your selling price with them too!

Hopefully, this article can give you a little perspective from the buyer’s side of things as you continue the process of selling your home. If you have any questions about the services MHVillage offers, please give us a call or send us an email. Our customer service staff is happy to help!

The Power of Your Sales Caption

Is Your Home Sales Caption as effective as it could be?

MHVillage offers a space in its home listings for a “Sales Caption” for Featured and Premium Home Listings.

This space will allow you to enter a sentence that will show above your listing in a search result. You want to include an offer or something that is eye-catching. The goal is to get the customer to click on your ad from the search result.

This one is an attention grabber.

Often, I come across Featured and Premium Listings on our site where the seller has entered a caption, but it’s not as effective as it could be.

Actual Sales Caption on MHVillage:

Example of information unnecessarily repeated.

While “Best Value”, “In A Great Community” or “Beautiful New Home” sales captions sound okay, they’re not very inviting. Often, the same simple sales caption appears on multiple listings, even on the same page. Try for some varied language that will hook the reader.

Also, if you have one of the more expensive homes in the area, a sales caption can help you explain why. I mean, if your home is priced significantly higher than others in the area, there is probably good reason. However, browsers might skip the most expensive homes if the caption fails to explain why the home is costs more. Some likely features that increase home value include a home located on land, or one that is newly renovated or fully furnished.

So how do you ensure you are getting the most out of your sales caption?

Here are a few tips:

Research for the Sales Caption: You want your home to stand out above the rest in your area. So, do a few searches on MHVillage in your area and make sure you aren’t using the same language another seller is using for their home.
Unique Details for the Sales Caption: Try to find something unique about your ad that you can highlight in the caption. For example:

“Fully furnished, renovated home, with open floor plan”

Current and Updated Sales Caption: One of the benefits of online advertising is you can update your information at any time. So you can change your caption at any time, based on any incentives you might be willing to offer as the seller.

This feature really can make the difference for your traffic on our site. It can be the detail that turns a shopper into a buyer!

And, if you you would like assistance or if you have any questions, please feel free to contact our customer service.

Home for Sale

Tips for the New Home Buyer

If you’re looking at a home for sale, whether it’s new or previously owned, in a community or on private land, there are a few things that people with experience want you to know.

Do your research. When a make, model or design is suggested, find out about the competitors. This holds true, too, for associated services, like financing, transport or setup.

For a previously lived in home, check the roof, water heater and furnace. These are expensive components to replace, and you should know that there is significant life left in them at the time you’re looking to purchase.

Think about drywall versus wall panels. Step heavily on high-traffic areas to ensure the floor is solid. Check windows for leaks. Check skirting for holes and moisture underneath the home.

None of this is very pleasant, but all of it is necessary.

Be Your Own Advocate

Maralee Dougherty, of Leesburg, Fla., recently lost her husband and moved to a new home in a new community. She moved to a resident-owned community, so she could own the land beneath the home, and to a home that was a bit smaller in size. Beyond the expanded amenities in the new community, Hawthorne at Leesburg, Dougherty said the home “showed very well.” An inspector and friendly contractor helped assure her of the value of the home for sale.

“It’s very open,” Dougherty said of the new home. “The living and dining rooms are one big L-shape. A lot of the more expensive stuff has been replaced, including roof, windows, and siding. There also was new laminate floors. Everything the previous owners had done, they seem to have bought the best.”

It’s always best that you watch for problems with a home for sale, or have someone you can trust do it for you.

David Murphy, of Las Vegas, Nev., said he prefers to live in an all-ages community as opposed to a senior park, and that he’s mindful of staying above flood level to help protect his investment.

“I like new-from-the factory,” Murphy said. “It is vital that the roof is sealed and taken care of. The home would be no good if it leaks on the beams… then the heat and AC need to be working well, with plumbing up to date and electrical up to date.”

On the more pleasurable side, every home shopper has a unique interest in amenities.

Pick your package

Bruce Thelen is director of sales and development for Champion Homes, one of the largest makers in the market. He has detailed what Champion and its product designers have implemented in the way of customer demand.

“Our consumers want to see the features and color pallets and design elements that they see on HGTV, and that they see in higher price stick-built homes,” Thelen said. “We spend a lot of time figuring out features and colors that go into our homes while maintaining the price points everyone is accustomed to in our industry.”

Pink remains a popular color with homes for sale in Florida. Darker tones play well in the Midwest and Great Lakes, while much of the rest of the country is going to lighter brown-beige and off-white tones.

“We try to offer the consumer as much choice as possible,” Thelen said. “There are two ways we do that. One is in the actual design of the house. We create a ‘family of homes’, focusing on the living area, kitchen, and bath. We perfect those as much as we can, and then build the remainder of the house around it in multiple dimensions.

“Maybe it goes from a three- to four-bedroom, or turns a 56-foot house into a 60-foot house,” he said. “We can offer the consumer this variation, along with three different bathroom designs and maybe certain cabinets, varying roof pitch or an optional dormer.”

The Finishing Touch

Champion customers want to see built-in components – architectural designs that look somewhat like free-standing residential furniture. For instance, a kitchen island that uses table legs on one side rather than a full cabinet, or a fixed computer desk, or storage cubes in an entry “mud” room.

Customers want deep, stainless steel farmer sinks, “rainfall” shower heads, wide ceramic showers with no tub, and bright-open layouts.

And overall home design, inside and out.

“A cleaner and streamline look,” Thelen said. “We’ve really followed that trend. It varies somewhat by region, but it’s been more distinct in recent years.”

Ready to see some incredible pictures of manufactured homes?

Take a closer look at some of the latest features and designs of modern manufactured homes. Also, if you’re curious about what some of today’s mobile homes look like inside, we’ve got a guide for that too.

High Tech Home Shopping

Clayton Launches High Tech Home Shopping App; Home Previewer® Augmented Reality Mobile App

MARYVILLE, Tenn. — Home shoppers can use augmented reality to visualize how their potential new home may look like on their land before they break ground.

Clayton, a Berkshire Hathaway company and one of America’s largest homebuilders, announced the release of Home Previewer®, an iPhone® compatible app. The app allows shoppers to envision what a home may look like in 3D on their future home site. The free app is available for download from the App Store®.

National homebuilder takes high tech home shopping to the Next Level with enhanced interactive functionality for homebuyers

See Clayton’s video of their new high tech home shopping app!

Industry Use of Augmented Reality

“We’re pleased to be one of the first builders to introduce augmented reality to the digital home buying journey,” said Kevin Clayton, CEO of Clayton Homes. “Our homes now offer custom designs, innovative features and energy efficient upgrades. We are committed to being a leader in innovation for the home building community and will continue to develop the kind of technology that will support our customers throughout the experience.”

Home Previewer® app is the creation of Boulder, Colo., ad agency Made. It allows users to digitally anchor a home model from a list of model choices to the future home location using augmented reality. The app makes it appear as if the home is actually already there.

Therefore, the user can walk around the 3D rendered image when the home is “anchored”. It then can be viewed from all angles on its future site. Users can take pictures of the house in its physical setting and share them with friends and family.

More High Tech Home Shopping to Come

So, Clayton intends in the coming year to introduce a wide variety of digital tools.

These tools aim to aid customers as they visit local home centers and tour homes on location, devices on hand. We want to make the home shopping experience fun, personal and informative. Home Previewer™ is the first mobile app of its kind in the manufactured home building industry. This app follows the 2015 release of the MyMobi Home Finder® application that provides location, pricing and the ability select homes they would like to visit in person.

“Everyone should be able to have a beautiful, affordable slice of the world to call their own,” Clayton said. “We see interactive digital tools like this Home Previewer® app as one way to deliver on extraordinary experiences for our customers every day. We want our homebuyers to feel confident about the smart choice they’re making.”