When I considered my initial thoughts about Mobile Homes or Caravans, I conjured up old memories of holidaying with my sister at my grandparents Caravan in Witton Castle near Bishop Auckland. It was a large caravan park nestled nicely on the forest grounds of an old manor house. I would look forward to my weekends, exploring the forests, playing bingo on an evening and settling down in my small single bed and listening to my Nana pump when she visited the toilet, silently cheering with my sister.
The caravan was, even back then an amazing thing. A compact house on one level, a small easily kept plot of land and neighbours (or in my case, most of my extended family) all doing the same thing….Relaxing! An easy going lifestyle that even as a child I looked forward too. I could happily disappear into the forests of Bishop Auckland and have myself a Lord of the Rings exploration day without even stopping for lunch, but the weather was a dampening experience I wish I could have avoided. Sometimes the summer weekends were awesome, othertimes I was confined to my caravan and having a younger sister meant that eventually I would end up playing with “Barbie Dolls” and sapping all my masculinity!
Fast forward 20+ years and here I am working for a company selling them to couples and families wanting to enjoy this lifestyle outside of the UK. I agree with this, the weather means that I would enjoy more days outside the caravan than inside…but with the added luxury these new homes offer, staying inside is just as pleasurable!
Buying one can be split up into a few easy steps that should be explored with deep curiosity.
1. Finding the right park.
It needs the right plot, the right amount of sunshine, the right views and neighbours that make you feel welcome. The amenities and facilities need to be on tap and available with ease and it has to feel right. Aesthetics are only a small part of finding the right park. Inspection visits are the key. Although for some it conjures up images of timeshare salesmen pressuring you into buying a home or putting down a deposit, asking you to sign things, following you around, questioning you constantly and generally making you feel claustrophobic and uncomfortable. The simple answer to this is to get to know a company, shop around and talk to them individually. The hard sell companies will push push push information over the phone, the soft sell companies (The ones you will have more control and confidence with) are there to answer questions when you want to ask them and are not pre-built with static answers that are forced upon you before you even consider them.
Airport locations and flight costs over the year. Getting to and from the park is just as important as living there. Quiz the people on the park, find out what it’s like living there, find out about social events, such as bingo! Very important! and find out about the local town and festivals, markets and things you might like to enjoy. This is a new start, a new day in your future where new possibilities and a reboot of your current lifestyle will begin.
2. Finding the right home.
All the UK manufacturers and European manufacturers will showcase their homes in magnificence, finding the right angles to work the light and camera from to make rooms look massive, but photos are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to exploring the right mobile home and choosing the perfect mobile or lodge. Collect as many brochures as possible if your new to this and begin working through them like you would a wallpaper or paint colour chart. Find the ones you like and keep them to the side.
Also remember that a budget is very important and should be placed at the top. Assign a set figure and from that figure, work through the prices and narrow down your choices. Think about how many bedrooms you require, whether or not you want a large open plan home or closed sections. Think about the placement of the TV to how the sofas are laid out and most of all, ask opinions. Carefree Lifestyles John Robinson is a mobile home fanatic and spends all his time working with mobile home layout plans and working out the best positions for Wall Mounted TV units to sofa angles.
Visit the public shows / showrooms and / or factories. See them in production, see the show models and explore them. Many people just visit the shows up and down the country, such as the NEC in Birmingham or the Caravan and Motorhome show in Manchester. Carefree Lifestyle .co.uk can take you directly to the showrooms of the companies available and show you sample models at anytime of the year so don’t feel like you can only see them on a photograph or at a public show, it’s important to know that getting to see them at anytime can be arranged in some form. Just remember to ask!
Getting technical is important! You want to know room sizes, layouts, floorplan, cladding and if it’s possible to customise the mobile home. Having a layout set in stone for example, means that’s how your home will be, but some of the manufacturers nowadays prefer to work with you and actually design how the layout will be, giving your home a fresh individuality and offering the manufacturer the option to expand their variants, offering more and more to new customers.
Stay in contact with the company, always know that you have someone to talk to, email or write letters to, asking questions and keeping up to date with developments.
3. After Sales
Having the support network available to keep things running smoothly well after your home has been built, delivered, sited, cleaned up and unveiled to you is another major factor to consider. Some of the manufacturers actually have staff living on the same park which is perfect for offering that extra peace of mind and knowing that any teething problems can be addressed immediately and dealt with professionally will give you the confidence that you and your home will live in blissful harmony for many years to come. Being able to ring up your mobile home dealer of choice and invite them over for dinner and a game of bingo means that you have made the right choice and your future is a happy healthy one.
Enjoy the Carefree Lifestyle