As a child, did you ever deal with fear over moving to a new place? Even now, as an adult, the psychological effects of moving can be hard to work through. Maybe you’ve finally been forced to begin the process of selling your mobile home because of a job or family change. Or maybe you know you should move on, but selling seems far too scary.
Whatever the situation you find yourself in, just know that you aren’t alone! Combatting the fear of moving is something everyone experiences at one time or another. But it’s time to overcome that fear and today we’re bringing you 12 ways to do just that.
#1 Take a deep breath
The first step is to calm down, relax, and focus. You might be thinking “Well, obviously, I need to calm down!” But, even if it’s so obvious you’re already well-aware, we still need to say it anyway because it’s that important.
Don’t give in to the idea that you should just push hard now and save relaxing for later. You’ll only get more exhausted, and after the move is over, you’ll crash very quickly.
What we want you to do is trust that there actually are ways to overcome the fear! Plus, whether that fear involves not knowing how to sell a mobile home or whether you simply don’t want to leave the town you love, there are exciting things in store.
#2 Research, research, research
You might be the type of person who hates researching. There are those of us who love reading every bit of information we can find before making a decision. But some of us despise “wasting” so much time scrolling through Google search results.
But let’s stop and think about this for a moment. Could the reason you’re afraid be because you don’t know the first thing about selling a mobile home? Thankfully, the internet is jam-packed with information, and almost everything you need to know about selling a mobile home is right at your fingertips. If research will help you feel more confident about your ability to make the right choices, why not give it a shot?
#3 Find the fastest option
A seller’s worst fear is probably not being able to sell their home right away. We’ve all heard the horror stories from friends and family about the house that sat on the market for two years and cost a fortune to keep up in the meantime. What mobile home seller hasn’t thought about that possibility?
The solution? Find the fastest way to sell your mobile home. For example, although selling your home yourself (known as For Sale By Owner or FSBO) can be a good option, it isn’t the fastest option. If your particular fear involves a ticking clock, probably the best way to combat it is doing all you can to up your chances of selling fast.
- Empty your home quickly, before you get it on the market, so it will be more attractive to buyers.
- And if you can’t do that, clear out any clutter and have your home staged. Staged homes actually do sell faster than homes with that unpleasant “lived-in” look.
- Hire a real estate agent.
- Sell your home to a buying company rather than an individual buyer (we’ll talk about this more later on).
#4 Hire the right people
Thankfully, you don’t have to tackle your mobile home sale all by yourself. There are people out there whose job it is to handle the marketing, selling, and paperwork aspect of your move. This takes the pressure off you so you can focus on moving your belongings and getting settled into a new life.
For example, a good real estate agent will walk you through every step of the process, establish a relationship with you, and be willing to take on extra details of the move. Lawyers, contractors, and moving companies can also be great people to hire if you have questions, fix-it projects, or belongings to move over long distances. Don’t feel pressured to do it all on your own. Get help when you need it!
#5 Get a buying company involved
Do you like the idea of getting experts involved in your sale? Getting your mobile home sold as fast as possible? Then you should combine the two and make a deal with a mobile home buying company. These companies buy used mobile homes (often for cash) and resell them. This gets the home off your hands quickly, and you walk away with a little money in your pocket.
That’s actually what we do here at US Mobile Home Pros. Now, you probably won’t make as much money this way as you would when hiring a realtor and selling your mobile home as if it were normal real estate.
But that’s just the point: mobile homes aren’t real estate and they depreciate quickly (at least in some circumstances). It’s not necessarily worth it to spend so much time agonizing over hiring a realtor, putting it on the market, and waiting for a bite. Selling to a buying company takes most of the uncertainty out of the selling process and leaves you free to focus on other aspects of your move.
#6 Schedule like mad
Even if you just jot a few bullet points on a whiteboard, scheduling is important. Knowing which step comes next in the process will give you something to focus on. Rather than completing a project and then trying to remember what’s next, you’ll have a comprehensive list of what needs to be done and when. Don’t underestimate the power of writing down dates and times alongside particular projects. Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to do everything at once.
#7 Protect your belongings
Worried about what will happen to your possessions during transit to your new house? Here are some tips that will ensure all of your belongings get there without incident:
- Put your most valuable items in your own vehicle and drive it yourself. This will guarantee they will not be stolen if you’re using a moving company.
- Most moving companies offer valuation, also called “moving insurance.” This isn’t actual insurance, but rather a promise from the company to compensate for anything broken or lost during the move.
- Learn how to pack boxes and protect furniture efficiently before you move so that nothing breaks during the trip.
- Hire professional packers to pack your fragile items if you’re not sure how to do so yourself.
#8 Know the market
Knowing the market in your area is essential to combatting the fear of someone ripping you off. This includes knowing the market value of your mobile home. One of the worst things you can do is run blind into a deal with a buyer, make promises, and regret them later. Take every little thing into account, including location, value minus depreciation, and value plus any improvements you’ve made over the years. Crunch the numbers so you have a proper and realistic idea of how much your mobile home will sell for.
Next, investigate the local housing market and/or mobile home market. Let’s say you discover that mobile homes are going faster and for higher numbers than you originally thought. This could indicate a rich market where you’ll have potential buyers competing in bidding wars over your home. Price your home accordingly. Don’t low-ball it if you don’t have to!
This rule also applies to the opposite scenario. If mobile homes aren’t selling for much, don’t shoot high and expect to win. Fear sets in when you know you’re taking risks. Try to eliminate risks as much as possible by being reasonable with your price. This way, you won’t get ripped off. If you know the market and the market value of your home, you won’t get taken in by a shady buyer who is offering to buy for an extremely low or a ridiculously high price.
#9 Get excited about your future home
You’re moving! And even if you loved and will miss your mobile home, your park, and your wonderful neighbors, it’s still exciting. A new home means new challenges, but no home is ever without its redeemable qualities. You may not even know what house you’ll be living in next, but you can still be positive about it.
Chances are, there’s something about your mobile home that you didn’t like. Maybe it was the size, the thin walls that let in every little noise, or the lack of a good backyard. Whatever it is, there’s sure to be something about your future home that will improve that situation. Get excited about that, look forward to it, and we promise you’ll start thinking more on the bright side!
#10 Keep up healthy habits
Throughout this time of transition, it’s important not to neglect your needs as an individual or, if you have a family, the basic needs of your spouse and children. Take some time out of each day to relax. Better yet, schedule it into your moving agenda. Even if you’re running around most of the day getting packed and taking care of the finer details of moving, you can combat a lot of anxiety by giving yourself space.
Go on an early morning run every day. Schedule a trip to a park in the evening so you can relax and your kids can run off their pent-up energy. Get a healthy amount of sleep. Don’t compromise in the name of productivity! Sleep is essential to your clarity of thought. If you don’t get enough, anxiety will start to take over.
#11 Make it fun
So much of combatting fear includes having the right mindset. In addition to keeping healthy habits in place, try to make the process of moving fun. Do a couple of takeout meals with the family. Make it feel like a treat and a much-needed break. Have a pizza party the night before the move to reward yourself and everyone who helped. Especially if you’re moving far away from friends and family, pizza parties can be great times of fellowship, the last hurrah before things change.
Throw a packing party. Or, even better if friends and family can make it, throw an unpacking party! Inviting people you love over to help you get settled into your new place will make the transition easier. You could even make up a group game that you can play throughout the day. For example, everyone gets assigned a certain number of points and anyone who says the word “moving” throughout the day gets a point removed from their score. Whoever has the highest score at the end of the day wins!
#12 Be prepared for the unexpected
One last tip: don’t worry about making a few mistakes. We all make mistakes, especially on the first try. You’ll never be able to eliminate every bad situation. There will always be the unexpected. And guess what? Sometimes the unexpected is entirely out of our hands. Something might happen that you could never have prepared for and isn’t even your fault.
Thankfully, most moving issues and mistakes won’t cost you more than a little discomfort. Just be prepared. Know that there will be unexpected challenges along the way. Selling your mobile home isn’t easy, but if you prepare mentally to take on the unexpected, then you’ll already be halfway to solving the problem.
Setting fear aside
At US Mobile Home Pros, we’re committed to taking the fear out of selling your mobile home. And we’d love for you to contact us about your own mobile home sale. But otherwise, the biggest piece of advice we can give you is this: focus on the important things. It’s time to move on, and that’s exciting. You and your family are growing and changing. There are new opportunities in store, people to meet, friends to make.
Do your research, take precautions, ask for help when you need it, and have the right mindset. If you do all those, you’ll start to be able to set fear aside and replace it with excitement and positivity. Still not sure how you’ll get everything nailed down in time for your move? Go check out our tips for how to time the details perfectly.
