Thinking About Moving Your Mobile Home?

The idea of a mobile home invokes visions of travel and flexibility. These mobile homes are in fact stationary units with the inclusion of wheels. Also known as manufactured homes, these mobile homes will never actually move from their original delivery location from which they are first installed. If you need or desire to move your mobile home, there are several things you will need to consider including what’s involved to move the home and the costs associated with the transport itself.

Transport Costs

In order to transport your mobile home, you’ll need to hire an experienced heavy haul trucking company that specializes in hauling oversized loads such as your mobile/manufactured home. Provided the mobile home can be moved, it will be placed on a large flatbed trailer and hauled away to your chosen destination. Pricing is based on the total distance in miles as well as the size/weight of your home and whether it’s a single or a double wide. Expect costs to be around $15,000 for a local move on a double wide home. It will be much less if you are only moving a single wide home. If you have plans to move your mobile home further, like to another state or across the country, you can expect the cost to be considerably higher.

Zoning

You will need to be aware of the zoning laws if you are planning to move to a different state. Mobile homes are all manufactured based on the standards of a specific location. Any mobile home you were planning to move now must meet or surpass the standards in place by HUD.

Hiring The Right Moving Company

You can start out by searching Google for something along the lines of “mobile home movers near me”. Go ahead and fill out multiple company’s quote forms and be sure to confirm everything that’s included with the transport itself. Permits will be required to move a mobile home along with permits for each additional state that the mobile home will either cross or enter. The transport company can usually handle this for you. 

Will the quote you received include leaving the lot clean after you depart? You will be responsible for ensuring the cleanliness of the lot after you leave otherwise you could expect to pay a lot more in fees. Be sure to check any transport company you are looking into and their reviews and online references. You should also look at the company’s reviews and complaints on the Better Business Bureau and see how they have been handled so you can get an idea of how they treat their customers. 

Make sure whatever company you go with is licensed and insured. Most insurance companies for mobile homes won’t cover your home while it’s in the course of its transit so be sure to inquire about supplemental moving insurance. 

An experienced moving company can help you with:
* Permits
* The inspection of the mobile home itself to verify its safety/condition and whether it can be moved or not
* The disconnecting of your plumbing and utilities

Confirm that the mobile home you have is allowed to be moved. You can find this information laid out in the paperwork related to your home. You will also need to check on any unpaid property taxes. Make sure everything is paid up if you want to get that house moved. When you cancel your utilities, inquire about any fees in order to have someone come out and disconnect all the lines connecting to your home.

Preparing Your Mobile Home For Moving Day

Turn off all your utilities including the electricity, water, and gas. Ensure that all the lines have been properly disconnected including your cable television and telephone lines. Make sure that your pipes are properly protected if you are moving during the winter months

Remove any items you have from the interior, especially anything delicate or valuable that could otherwise be damaged easily during its transit. Check with the transport company you hire to see if everything needs to be removed from the interior prior to the move; just as you would with any other type of household move.

Be sure to remove any exterior attachments which could otherwise be damaged by the high speed winds encountered on the highway. If your home has any type of awnings or hanging decorative items, these should also be removed and stored in the home provided you have space available.

Your home’s exterior will need to be secured properly by bolting down all of the windows and any doors. You can also cover them as well for an additional layer of safety. Prior to your move, check the siding and roof of the mobile home and fix any loose pieces as these can cause a lot of damage if they come loose on the highway.

Your destination site will need to have been prepared prior to the delivery of your mobile home. The property where you are going to place the home must be flat and completely level with no trees obstructing the site. When the transport company arrives with your mobile home it will need to be correctly placed in the exact location as previously agreed upon.