Complete Guide to Moving Your Mobile Home - Page 6
HOW TO MITIGATE YOUR RISKS
The most important part about moving a mobile home is taking every precaution to make sure that you understand all the costs involved and guard against damages that may occur. The move will be expensive enough, without tacking on a lot of unnecessary charges and shocks to your nervous system. The following is a list of some important preventative measures you should take.
AT ALL TIMES, BE WITH YOUR MOBILE HOME
From taking it apart, to putting it on the lot, to putting it back together, the most important thing is to be there to oversee what is going on. That doesn’t mean that you have to sit there all day, every day, but that you have to make continuous progress checks and be responsible to give commands on what you want done that isn’t getting done.
The least important time to be with your home is during the physical drive from point A to point B. There is nothing you can do to help during that part of the process. But your continual appearance on the scene during the preparation and re-installation will make sure that you get what you want. Also, the workers will be more conscientious and work faster if you keep coming around.
When you are an “absentee” customer, you basically delegate the decisions to other people through failure to make them yourself. This is a stupid way to do things, unless you just can’t physically be there. This is your home and you need to be responsible.
UNDERSTAND YOUR MOBILE HOME INSURANCE FULLY
There is a lot of potential property damage and liability exposure when you move your home. It is important to be an expert at what is insured and with what the deductibles and policy limits are throughout the moving process. During parts of the move, the transporter’s insurance is more important than yours. You have to know how the insurance works and if you’re covered. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. And don’t believe anybody until you’ve seen it in writing. There is no verbal contract defense on insurance.
PREPARE YOUR MOBILE HOME FOR THE MOVE EFFECTIVELY
Most of what gets broken on a move is inside, not outside, the house. It is not normally really big-ticket items, but it can cause a lot of frustration and unhappiness, and some of the by products, such as broken glass all over the floor in your kid’s rooms, can have serious safety problems in perpetuity.
If you could only prepare one thing, that would be to take the glass out of all fixtures. After hours of shaking on the highway, they will almost always come crashing down. Also, it’s a safe bet that any cabinet, closet, or house door will swing open after awhile from all the shaking. So, if you have limited time, prioritize what’s the most important to you.
KEEP EVERYBODY INFORMED OF YOUR PROGRESS
If the move is delayed for some reason, be all over everyone involved with constant updates. Make sure that you stay in the good graces of whoever owns the land where it is now, as well as where it is going. We’ve seen many a customer who has their move delayed, give no notice to their new mobile home park (if that’s where it’s going), and arrives with the home a month later only to find the park owner re-rented the lot. If this happens to you, it’s your fault for not timely calling and notifying everyone of the delay. Don’t say you’re too busy – it only takes one minute to call and leave a message!
CHOOSE YOUR MOBILE HOME TRANSPORTER VERY CAREFULLY
The greatest risk of disaster you have is having the home destroyed during the move. A total loss is not uncommon. Be as careful on choosing a mover as you would a surgeon. So don’t only obsess over price. Price is very important, but there are many other equally important considerations. If you save $200 and lose your home or have $2,000 in damages, what kind of decision was that? You have to look at the total package the mover is providing.
KNOW THE DESTINATION REALLY WELL
One blunder that is common in a mobile home park is trying to move a home that is too big to fit the lot (either length or width, or both). Make sure you have a firm handle on all the dimensions, as well as necessary site preparation. And know where on the lot the home goes – do not wait until you get it there to decide.
KEEP A POSITIVE ATTITUDE
When a problem arises, the WORST you can do is to panic and get upset. That does not in any way solve the problem. Always be analytical, and with a can-do mindset. Often your positive attitude is the only thing that will hold the move together. Remember that you are the mover’s boss, effectively, and your positive energy will rub off onto him, as will your negativity.
Have a firm mindset that the move is going to happen successfully no matter what roadblocks may arise.
TIPS ON SAVING MONEY ON MOVING A MOBILE HOME
- First of all, you can do most of the prep work of getting the mobile home ready to move. This can include, removing the skirting, detaching the decks and awnings, attaching the hitch (if it is a bolted on type), and removing all obstructions that will get in the way.
- Secondly, you should get the moving permit in plenty of time. Many states will not grant a permit until the taxes are paid. Most reputable movers will require a permit (if they don’t move to the next one because they probably are not a licensed and insured mover). Don’t let the permit cause a time delay and additional charges by the mover.
- Thirdly, make sure that the mobile home park you are moving the home from is aware of this fact. You need to make sure you have given proper notice and paid your rent up-to-date to avoid any unnecessary delays. You don’t want the mover to have to make an extra trip because you didn’t pay your space rent.
- Fourthly, as mentioned before, don’t try to save money by unhooking the utilities. Sure you might save money, but if you make a mistake you may cause damage to utility lines or to your physical well-being.
- The final tip is one which can save you thousands of dollars if you are moving a home to a mobile home park. In the current economy many park owners are having a hard time filling vacancies. If you approach the park owner or manager and let them know that you would like to move your home to their park and you plan to stay long term, they may offer to pay a portion or even all of the costs of having your home moved to their park. In my parks that have vacancies, I will pay anywhere from ½ of the cost up to 100% of the cost for homes that are in decent condition. If the park manager does not offer to pay a portion, then ask! If they won’t cover at least a portion of the cost or offer you some other type of rental discounts or incentives, then find a park that will. They are out there in most cities and markets today. This strategy also works well for those of you who are in a mobile home park that you hate living in. Maybe you would like to move to the one down the road that has the clubhouse and swimming pool or the one that has rents $50.00 under what you are paying. Approach the owner/manager and see what they will do if you decide to move your home over.
CONCLUSION
Nobody looks forward to moving a mobile home. It is not a cause for celebration. It is a big pain in the neck, and a big pain in the pocketbook. Nevertheless, every mobile home has to be moved at least once in its life.
If you read this book and will follow the directions, and follow it through to a successful conclusion, then you will not even remember the move a few years from now.
If you do not read this book, pay attention, or put any advance thought or effort into the move, you will probably still remember a decade from now, and maybe still be paying off the loan to pay the bills on the items you neglected. Or maybe you are still in court.
Moving a 20,000 pound object is big business. This is not just like moving your fishing boat or RV. This thing is huge and heavy and, like the 800 pound gorilla, it pretty much does what it wants to when on the road. Remember the old saying, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”? Well, that certainly applies here.
We hope you learned a lot and wish you good luck on your move.
Need help? Find a mobile home mover near you.
Frank Rolfe & Dave Reynolds
MobileHomeParkStore.com