Finding Park Home Insurance

Most home insurance policies will not cover a park home or residential lodge due to them being a non-permanent structure without foundations. You'll need to shop around for a specialist park home insurance provider that can cover your structure as well as your belongings.

As park homes and lodges are not permanent, it is possible to move homes to and from the site. If your home is damaged in a fire or flood, you would need to make sure that your insurance company will cover the cost of removing the old home and any debris as well as re-siting your new home on the park under the guidance of your park manager.

Look for policies with benefits such as 'New for Old' cover. This means the insurer will replace your home and contents with new should they be damaged beyond economical repair or stolen from the home. A park home specialist will replace a damaged home with full co-operation of the park owner.

Public liability cover may not be the first thing you look for in an insurance policy, but your park owner may specify a minimum level of cover for public liability such as £2 million or even £5 million.

Check whether legal cover is standard on the policy or whether you need to add this as an extra. Legal cover will cover the cost of pursuing civil and personal injury claims and may stretch to employment matters or consumer issues.

One of the major benefits of being retired is all the free time you have to spend and the travelling that this allows you to do. If you plan to spend long periods away from your park home, check your insurance policy covers you for leaving the home unoccupied and for what period. A standard home insurance policy may only cover your home if left unoccupied for up to 28 consecutive days. Your park home insurance should be more flexible and allow you to leave your park unoccupied for several weeks or even months at a time. But be aware of certain conditions when leaving your home unoccupied such as steps to prevent frost damage to pipes.

As with any insurance policy, it pays to shop around and compare benefits and features as well as premium as the cheapest quote may not always give you the desired level of cover.

Living in Lovely Park City, Utah

Hidden in the scenic mountainside of the Summit and Wasatch counties of the state of Utah is a one of the jewels of the Rocky Mountains--Park City. Famous as both a site for some of the world's best ski resorts, site for many of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games events, as well as home to the most famous independent film festival in the world and the largest in the United States, Park City's growth in recent years has been substantial. Tourists from all over the world make Park City one of their top destinations in order to enjoy the city's many attractions. However, it's not just tourists that enjoy. With its beautiful scenery, excellent dining and shopping, ski resorts, and festivals and events, many people have happily decided to call Park City home.

It has become an upscale resort town, it started as a rustic mining community, originally settled in 1870 after the discovery of metals like silver, gold, and lead. After the discovery of these lucrative metals, began to attract settlers and miners to the area looking for work and sources of income. As one of the few settlements in Utah not established by members of the Mormon faith, it became a prime location for saloons and drinking establishments. As silver prices began to fall and mines became flooded after reaching the water table, mining began to disappear in the town, causing some to think it might become a ghost town. However, the town was saved by its prime ski areas, which began to take off in the 1950s.

Today one of Utah's top two resort town's with three major ski resorts providing enjoyment for both residents, visitors, and tourists. As host to some of the major events in the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, Park City, as a prime location for winter sports, was thrust further into spotlight. Today, residents can enjoy year-round entertainment as these resorts offer hundreds of prime hiking and biking trails during the summer season. Another benefit to residents is the prevalence of great places to shop. Park City boasts the largest number of factory retail stores in Northern Utah.

But perhaps best quality is its serenity. Tucked into the serene Wasatch mountain range, Park City seems like a haven away from the bustle of daily life, though it is located only thirty-two miles east of downtown Salt Lake City. Residents enjoy the feel and history of a small old mining community with all the luxuries and conveniences of a resort town.

Mobile Home Loan Refinancing - What You Should Know

While home refinancing is quite common, many people don't know that mobile home loan refinancing is also a viable option as well. For anyone who owns a manufactured home you may want to take a closer look at your options. Here is a look at what you should know about refinancing a mobile home loan.

Why would you want to consider refinancing? Well, the main reasons include a much lower interest rate or loan terms, debt consolidation, or money to buy big ticket items.

How does manufactured home refinancing work? When you decide to refinance your loan you are paying off the loan you now have and signing a new loan that has lower interest rates and fees. This lower payment frees up cash to use however you wish. Refinancing is also something people will do in order to shorten the length of their mortgage.

Regardless of whether your mobile home is on acreage somewhere or in a mobile home park you can still qualify for loan refinancing. With that being said, it is important to understand individual state laws which may be different from others. You should definitely speak with your lender about your particular state's laws regarding manufactured home refinancing.

As with any type of home refinance there will be closing costs involved. Most lenders will allow you to add these costs into the total loan amount or give you the option of paying for them yourself upfront. Keep in mind that while it may seem convenient to go ahead and add them to your balance, you will be paying interest on those fees for the life of the loan. That could add up to a lot of extra money over many years. If you are short on cash then you may not have a choice.

Also, mobile home loan refinancing could involve points in order to get the lowest possible interest rate. This could easily add $1000-$2000 in extra fees that must be paid upfront. But, you also have the choice to add these point fees into the loan as well.

Refinancing a manufactured home loan can be a good move if you will be living in the home for years to come. If you plan on moving within a few years then you may want to reconsider refinancing.

Winter Park, Colorado Ski Lodging - Base Camp on Jane Creek is the Best

You are coming to Winter Park Resort for a ski vacation? You have made a great decision and will not be disappointed because here you will find the best snow, restaurants and the most friendly of people. You now need to decide on your ski vacation lodging. May I suggest the ski in and out accommodations of Base Camp on Jane Creek? The "Base Camp" has it all. It is of new construction, has great finishes and decor and the ski in and out location can not be beat.

Let's start with the fact that the Base Camp complex has all been constructed in the last three years. This means you will be staying at an almost brand new home with the newest of appliances and everything is top quality.

The finishes inside the units are really top notch. With in-floor heating, jetted bath tubs, over 20 foot ceilings, rough hewn wood floors and hand troweled walls you can not get finer appointments for your ski vacation lodging. Some of the units even have elevators inside the condos. Drive in and load the groceries in the elevator and up you go to the kitchen and refrigerator on the first level. Lets not forget to talk about the multiple fireplaces and the patio hot-tub in each unit. Also, the great room has its own bar for when you are done with the slopes and need a little down time to relax with the family.

Location is what really make Base Camp on Jane Creek really shine though. Built right on the side of a Winter Park Base ski run you are just a hop, skip and jump from strapping on your skis and heading down to the Zephyr lift. Coming back from a day on the slopes you basically ski to you front door. Not anything like it at the Winter Park or Mary Jane bases.

Come on now and get your lodging at Base Camp on Jane Creek.

Motor Home Guide to Idaho Outdoors

Idaho is the "Gem State," and motor home enthusiasts love it. What makes Idaho so wonderful? It has some of the best unspoiled natural beauty in the United States. It can also boast that it's one of the most scenically diverse states in the union, despite its small size.

Here are a few facts about Idaho that can help you decide if you want to visit.

- Idaho is the most forested of all the Rocky Mountain States, with nearly half of its land covered in tall, whispering pines.

- More than half of the land in the state is federally protected, which means that it's more than half national park.

- It is also one of the wettest of the Rocky Mountain States, with thousands of lakes, rivers and streams winding through its forested mountain terrain. That also means some of the best fishing in the Rockies!

You can thank the massive ice-age glaciers for the beauty of northern Idaho. When they melted, they left behind all the lakes, rivers and reservoirs that cut their way through the lush evergreen forests. Up in the north, where along the Montana border, are the Idaho side of the Bitterroot Mountains, a favorite mountain range of campers, hikers and fisherman all over the country.

This is also the area where the famous French expedition crossed on its way to see exploring the Louisiana Purchase. The area is rich with history and culture. You can learn about the early journeys of explorers to the great northwest, and the Nez Perce tribe that still lives there and practices its traditional culture to this day.

In the central part of the state, you will find historical highways that cross the great rivers including the Salmon River, Little Lost River and Silver Creek. In the northeast, every highway is a scenic drive, and you'll want to make sure you take your time and make lots of stops along the way. Bring plenty of film!

You can also see Craters of the Moon National Monument, a truly unearthly terrain of lava rocks, sagebrush and cinder cones. Craters of the Moon is so named because of its lunar landscape and eerie otherworldliness. It is definitely a place you'll want to see along the way.

In southern Idaho, the lush forest begins to give way to high desert. The Snake River winds through the high country, leaving an arid valley full of pretty desert scenery and lots of great fishing spots.

Anywhere you stop along the way, you'll find a decent motor home park. Idaho is known all over the RV world as the place to go, and there are great accommodations everywhere. Here are a few of the local RV parks that get the best customer satisfaction ratings.

Hi Valley RV Park - Boise

Open all year round, Hi Valley RV Park is conveniently located just five minutes from downtown Boise. It's a perfect spot the mixes the city conveniences and the wilds of the mountains. They also have all kinds of information about things to do all over the state. You can contact them by phone or email for more information.

Bambi RV Park - Coeur d'Alene

If you're taking in Idaho's beautiful forested north, Bambi is a great place to stay. It is a small and friendly mom-and-pop RV park with 21 spaces and full hook-ups. Located in Coeur d'Alene, it puts you close to grocery stores, restaurants and other city entertainments. They have a toll-free you can call for more information.

Waters Edge RV Resort

For more remote lodging along the beautiful Payette River, check out Waters Edge. You can walk right off your campsite and find wonderful hiking, fishing and other activities. They also offer sailing, horseback riding, and they have a wonderful hot springs nearby. You can contact them by phone or e-mail for additional information.

Idaho is an RVer's paradise. Go there yourself and you'll see why everybody's always talking about "The Gem of the Mountains."

Marketing Your Mobile Home Park

When I am looking to market my mobile home park whether it be to potential residents to bring their homes in or to sell homes in the park, I believe that the first contact with the potential customer is key. This first contact may be via a telephone call to your office, a drive-by by the potential resident, or in many cases could be a referral from a current resident or some other local business (chamber of commerce, dealer, broker, etc).

Let's face it, if you or your manager is rude when they call in, they probably will call the next park. If they drive in and the roads are in bad shape, the sign is falling down, or there are dangerous dogs running around, they probably will turn around and look for the next park. And the same holds true with referrals from your current customers. If you current customers don't like living there they will bad mouth you all over town and never refer their friends and relatives to move in. Continuing on to other local businesses that would otherwise refer your community to potential residents, you don't stand a chance if you have a bad reputation.

So I think the best form of marketing is to build your credibility in your town, keep your current residents happy, and make sure that those potential customers have a good first impression whether it be a phone call or a drive-by.

Before you ever spend one penny on a newspaper ad, a flyer a the local dealer, or some type of direct mailing to apartment complexes, you should make sure that you have everything in place to attract good residents once they respond. Here is my top 5 list of things you need to do first:

Focus on the entrance to the park: A nice sign that says "Welcome to ___________ Mobile Home Community". Also plant some bushes or trees near the entrance and keep the grass mowed and trimmed nicely.

Roads: Your roads don't have to paved and have curb and gutters, but they do have to be passable. If there are large potholes, patch them immediately. If they need graded, grade them. Before a potential resident ever gets out of the car they will see your entrance and drive on the roads. Make that a good experience.

Park Office: with the park office you want to make sure that it looks inviting. I have been to many an office that is not properly marked with "Welcome" or some other inviting remark. Instead it says something like, "if your rent is not paid by the 5th it is late" or "take your excuses somewhere else". Is that any way to greet a potential resident?

Park Office again: I have also been to many parks that as you are walking up to the office you are greeted by a fence with a dog inside and you have to decide whether to enter or not. Other times you knock on the door and then there are 3 dogs scratching at the door waiting to pounce on you. I don't have a problem with my manager's home being duplicated as the park office, but I do think they need to take precautions against scaring people off with their own dogs.

General Appearance of the Community: once the potential resident enters the park and is satisfied with the entrance and roads, they will encounter the rest of the park. If the park is a complete disaster with trash, junk, high grass and weeds, and so on, do you think this will be a good selling point for potential customers? At least it is not a good selling point for the customers you are hoping to attract.

Ok, now that we have the entrance, roads, office, and general look of the community ready for new residents, what do we do next? Let's suppose that we are talking about getting new customers to move their home into our park and that we have 25 vacant lots. Now apply one of the best marketing ideas I have ever heard which goes something like this. Is it better to do ONE thing 25 times to fill those lots? Or is it better to do TWENTY-FIVE things one time to fill those lots? I think the latter is the better approach. Maybe in the past you could just bring a flyer down to the local mobile home dealer and watch as he fills up the park. This is not going to happen anymore. You need to to get the flyer down to the dealer, run an ad in the paper, get referrals from your customers, join the chamber, and generally get the word out about your mobile home park.

Here is a list of some of my ideas that should get you started.

Flyer to all Mobile Home Dealers in a 25 mile radius - On the flyer, offer some form of move in special (free 3 months, lower rent, etc).

Join the Chamber of Commerce - then in all of your flyers and ads you can put that you are a member of the Chamber - builds credibility.

Entrance Sign - it works for you 24/7 and make sure to put your phone number on it!

Sponsor a Referral Program to your residents - if they refer someone give them a nice reward (not a $5 discount on the rent).

Talk to local Real Estate Brokers - if they have a customer that can't qualify on a house, maybe they will send them your way (give them a referral fee as well).

Advertisement in the paper or papers - make your ad different from the rest of the ads in the paper - not the simple... mobile home lots for rent, call ???. Instead, try something like... Incredibly Large and Spacious Mobile Home Sites... We will pay you $1,000.00 to help with moving costs! The first five callers will also get the first 3 months Rent FREE! - you get the point, make it stand out and make it enticing.

Start a Community Newsletter and send out the best stories from your newsletter to the local paper to have published. Most local newspapers have a community or local section and are always looking for good stories to publish. Also, if you get the email address from all potential prospects, you can send them this newsletter every month so when they think about moving they won't have forgot about you.

Signs on Vacant Lots - put nice signs on your vacant lots with a phone number for people to call.

Banner signs at entrance - big move in special or discounted rate or we pay you $1,000 to move your home to our park type of banners around the perimeter on high traffic areas of the park.

Telephone Book - make sure that you have an ad in the phone book as this is where many of your potential customers will find you. In the ad, you might want to include something about your move-in specials or direct them to your website to find out the move-in special of the month.

Finally, when you are out there doing your marketing, it is important to test what is working and what is not working. If you run ads in the paper and get no calls... then stop running that ad and try a different one. If none of your park residents are referring people to move in, find out way and up the ante.

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