5 Things You Need To Do Before Moving Into A Mobile Home Park

You’ve shopped around and finally settled on the perfect mobile home park for you and your family. Now comes the really hard part. No matter where you’re moving from (an apartment, another mobile home, or a stick-built home), you can’t escape the physical aspect of the move itself. However, you can make it a little easier on yourself by preparing ahead of time. Here are some important things you should try to do before moving into a mobile home and your new community.

1. Review the rules of your park.

Every place has different rules (and fees for breaking those rules). Make sure you know what your new mobile home community does and doesn’t allow. Here are some questions to ask before you start moving into a mobile home that has park rules.

If you’re hiring a moving company:

• Do you need to provide their information to the park management?
• Where can they park their moving van?
• Are there weight or size restrictions?
• What time are they allowed to be on the premises for unloading and unpacking?
• Do you need to be there at all times?

If you’re having friends help you move:

• Do they need to sign in and out?
• Is it okay to bring multiple unregistered vehicles into the park?
• Where can they park their vehicles?

2. Make sure your utilities are connected (or scheduled).

It’s easy to assume that all this will be taken care of when you arrive, but there’s nothing worse than moving into a mobile home and finding that the water isn’t working or you don’t have any electricity. You don’t want to waste time figuring this out when you have things to move and boxes to unpack.

If you can, have your phone, cable, and/or Internet services transferred the day of or right after your move. We’re so used to being “plugged in” that it might surprise you how inconvenient it can be to go without these services.

3. Plan where you want things to go.

You may have an idea in your mind where you want things to go in your new home, but experience has shown there are two things that can go wrong.

Potential problems

First, what you envision doesn’t always work out practically. Perhaps the space isn’t as big you remembered. Or maybe your things are just bigger than you thought. Did you forget about Grandma’s antique trunk that you wanted somewhere other than the attic?

Second, communicating where you want things to go can be a challenge. You’re directing the move from your old dwelling while friends or movers are taking things to your new home. What you describe as “the corner by the window” may be understood as a completely different space near the wrong window.

Solutions

You can avoid these two problems by drawing out where things will go beforehand. One option is to your plans by hand with a ruler, pencil, and graphing paper. Draw out the floor plan and then use cutouts to see how your furniture and other belongings will fit. Or, you can use online tools, like RoomSketcher.com or FloorPlanner.com to plan out your space. These tools are free to use and have tutorials to guide you through the process.

When you have your space laid out the way you want, you can print copies for the people helping you move. You can also post the layout of each room on the door so helpers can figure out where you want things.

4. Keep out your essentials.

If you’ve moved before, then you know that feeling when you go to make dinner the first night in your new home and can’t find the pot or pan you always use. Or you get ready for work the next morning and can’t find your laptop! No matter how carefully you pack, it’s not hard to “lose” items in a move.

Make moving into a mobile home a little less stressful by keeping a box of “essentials” aside. These are the things you’ll use right up until the last minute and that you know you’ll want first thing in your new home. If your move isn’t for several weeks, start cataloging those items now. A list on your fridge is a helpful reminder.

5. Get to know your neighbors.

You may be planning on doing this after you move into your new mobile home, but it’s a great idea to start ahead of time. If you have the opportunity, go around and visit your neighbors. You might consider bringing a friendly gift (like this “poppin’ in” announcement) to introduce yourself and your family. After all, one of the best things about living in a mobile home park is the community!

We understand that it takes time to get to know people. Here are some great tips on how to get to know your neighbors a little better after you’ve settled in.

Moving into a mobile home park doesn’t have to be stressful!

This isn’t an extensive list of everything you should do before moving, but it has five of the things that can cause the most stress … and tend to be the most forgotten! So be prepared for your move-in and enjoy your new home!