Mobile home park managers need most of the basic features associated with property management: accounting, tenant/lease tracking, budgeting/forecasting and facility maintenance. Manufactured home parks have an added layer of complexity in terms of size and layout, as well as having both tenant- and manager-owned homes on site.
Here's what we'll cover:
What is Mobile Home Park Management Software?
Common Features of Mobile Home Park Management Software
Expected Benefits of Mobile Home Park Management Software
What Type of Buyer Are You?
Mobile home park management software brings together all the aspects of the home park portfolio, such as contract timelines, finances, schedules, staff and tenant details. It enables users to set up various portfolios and then link them to properties and tenants. This kind of system is primarily intended to manage mobile home parks as well as other residential or commercial real estate assets.
| Home types and features | Since every lot or home might be different, ensure your software can identify and tag them by size, special features, utilities etc. |
| Utility metering | Track usage of water, electricity and/or gas and bill each resident according to their usage. |
| Tenant/owner communication | Store detailed information on each resident, including service requests, ownership and lease information to streamline communication to residents of the community. |
| Property layout & grouping | Particularly for a large community, you’ll want a system that can create a in a way that makes the most sense for the property manager, as well as group properties by ownership, area, lot size etc. |
| Common area management | Calculate common area charges, bill tenants for their individual lot fees and track maintenance, community policies and facility usage. |
The biggest advantage of living in a mobile or manufactured home (i.e., when prefabricated parts are quickly assembled to form a house) is that you do not have to buy or maintain the area of land surrounding your home. Instead, you can just place your house in a mobile home park. Regarding the management of land, mobile home park management software offers several benefits, such as the following:
Set up accounts for on-site managers: With this software, users can create accounts for managers to view and input information. However, these on-site managers will have access to only the specific fields based on their authorization level. As the owner of the software, you will receive a master login, using which you can track all activities of the many on-site managers.
The master login enables users to set up a job, meeting, schedule, task, or anything else. It will highlight them, along with the details, on the park manager’s screen as activities to view and complete. You can also use the solution to create and maintain punch lists, purchase orders, timesheets, work orders and much more.
Put all accounting details in one place: This software enables users to manage all their accounting details in a centralized location. It also lets them undertake tasks, such as money deposits, bill payments and check writing. In specific cases, users can also integrate all their accounting information into Quickbooks so that their accountants can use it.
Streamline management of rent cycle: The mobile home park management system simplifies the management of the overall rent cycle and has various features, such as automatic rent payment reminders, general ledger accounting, late fee reminders, on-demand report generation as well as tenant and lease tracking. Also, property managers can receive payments via the net and completely automate rent collection.
Before evaluating the available solutions in the market, you will want to know what type of buyer you are. Here are some of the types we’ve identified:
New user and first-time buyer: As a first-time buyer, you need to set your goals regarding what you want to achieve. Goals must be supported by short- and medium-term objectives that are time sensitive, relevant, attainable and measurable. Also, there must be purchasing criteria that focus the buyer on the essential parameters, such as property type, price range, condition, geography and size.
Experienced IT buyer: Expert and qualified buyers are more focused on the solution’s functionality and its integration within their existing information and data infrastructure stacks. Integration across different entities is usually more important for these buyers than the solutions’ ease of use.
If you haven’t reviewed the options in mobile or manufactured home park management systems in recent years, chances are you may not be aware of the innovations available in the market. Here are some of the current trends:
The advent of modular homes: With the arrival of modular homes, people need some clarity about the differences between manufactured or mobile and modular homes. On the one hand, modular homes are developed in a factory, either off-frame or on-frame according to state or local codes, and then transported to the designated site and placed on a stable foundation. Though manufactured homes are also developed in a factory, they have a permanent steel frame — or chassis — fixed to the foundation. Both types of homes can be created as single or multi-section buildings.
Improvement in the construction of mobile homes: The construction quality of manufactured or mobile homes has improved over the years. These days, mobile home builders use high-quality materials and provide all the whistles and bells that are part of conventional homes. These homes are now available in a broad range of floor plans and can include advanced features, such as modern appliances, cabinets, flooring, doors and windows.
Diverse groups of individuals opt for mobile homes: Mobile or manufactured homes are fast becoming popular among varying age groups, including families, couples and singles. The average family size living in mobile homes is two to three people, which goes to show that they attract diverse groups of people.
Direct-from-factory mobile homes offer huge savings: Although most of the new mobile home purchases are made through a dealer, buyers now think that direct-from-factory homes offer significant savings, among other benefits. Consequently, the direct purchasing trend is fast becoming increasingly popular.
So, as you can see from these trends, manufactured or mobile housing has come a long way over the past few years. As a software buyer, you should be aware of these latest trends as they can help you take the right decisions to grow your business.
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