You’ve heard the renovation horror stories but you need to dive into a makeover anyway. You’re gearing up to sell your mobile home, and there’s no alternative. Your home is in desperate need of an update or else your buyers won’t be interested.
It’s a lot of pressure. Between selling and renovating, you’re not sure how long your sanity will hold out! And just as important, how are you going to move on with normal life in the midst of it all? How do you make sure the process won’t be hard on your family?
We want you to not just survive but thrive during a pre-sale mobile home renovation, whether you’re doing it yourself or hiring a contractor. So today we’re talking about things you can do to hold it together and get through your renovation with a smile.
Make a game plan
The key to surviving a renovation is planning. Before you begin, map out your timeline. Next, double that timeline. You heard that right: however long a given project is “supposed” to take should be doubled. There’s always the unexpected so you need to be realistic with yourself, especially since your goal is to not go crazy.
Secondly, make a shopping plan. Know what you want before you shop and only spend a certain amount of time in the store. Wandering through Home Depot for hours, undecided, isn’t getting you anywhere.
Before you go shopping
Before you even set foot in a home improvement store, decide on a budget. And make sure the budget isn’t just clear to you, but also to your spouse. Agreement is critical because you don’t want to be fighting about it in the middle of the renovation. Not only will that hinder any thriving that should be going on, it’s just plain bad for your marriage!
Do yourself a huge favor: plan your budget, allow for the unexpected, and then go ahead and start shopping for materials and tools.
One thing at a time
The idea of tackling one thing at a time applies to the entire process of renovating. For instance, before you start renovating, collect all the necessary materials. There will always be that one thing you forgot, but as long as you have most of the necessities on hand, those last-minute shopping runs will be reduced a minimum. Tackle the shopping before you start.
This also is a good rule of thumb for the renovation itself. Take it one room at a time. If you’re redoing bathrooms and/or the kitchen, it vital that they’re not all under construction at the same time. Don’t get stuck without water! That’s never a good thing.
Normalize it
A lot of stress will be alleviated if you contain the renovation (and the mess) to one spot. So when you’re renovating a room, section it off from the rest of the house. Move everything from that room into another room and keep things as functional as possible. It’s important that you keep things normal for you and your family. Normal routines, semi-normal eating habits (if you have to move the dining table into the living room, that’s okay!) and normal bedtimes.
Be mindful about what’s important to you
Your family should be thriving during this renovation, not just scraping by. If you have young children, attitudes can flare quickly when things are stressful and different. But this goes for you parents as well. Try not to stay up all night just to “get it done.” A healthy night’s sleep is important if you’re going to survive the renovation.
What’s more important to you? A perfect, sellable mobile home? Or your family’s well-being? The answer is obvious! Keep the important things in the forefront of your mind during this time.
Take breaks
And finally, we want to stress the importance of taking breaks. There’s nothing wrong with taking a quick trip to a restaurant or spending a day out with friends. Take walks. Get your normal exercise. If you’re doing the renovation yourself, this is especially important. Renovations are hard on the body!
Your break time could even look like dropping the kids or pets off at a sitter’s. Or renting a hotel room for a couple nights when your bedroom is being renovated. Give yourself permission to do what you need to do to get through it.
Surviving and thriving
Yes, renovations are stressful. Pre-sale revelations even more so. But you can survive them, and you can even thrive through them. It just takes a little thought, a little planning, and a knowledge of when to take breaks.
If you have questions that need to be answered before your sale, check out our blog for relevant content. Let us help you tackle questions like Is my mobile home too old to sell? and more.
About EZ Homes Design Team
