February 27th - March 2, 2023 - Our Florida Home

On February the 27th we delivered Marge to her new owners. Putting her in place was a two-hour ordeal that I don't want to relive by telling it to you. I didn't think I would get it into their spot, but I did. Thereafter we got something to eat and then made the two-hour drive to our mobile home in Golden Gate Resort in Pinellas Park.

All day the 27th and 28th we unloaded stuff from out vehicles and from Celina's shed in the park. I could not believe how much stuff we had accumulated in Marge over a fifteen-year period. Our new place came fully furnished with silverware, dishes, pots and pans, towels, bedding, etc. (They did take the TV.) Kelly spent most of the 28th taking everything out of the kitchen and re-arranging it to her liking and putting her favorite dishes and utensils in place. Meanwhile I got the last load of stuff out of the car, the truck, and Celina's shed. I put all my tools, etc. in one of our two sheds. After two days of this we were "settled in" but BEAT. The last time we moved was 27 years ago. It was much easier then. 

All is not finished but I thought I would share some pictures as she sits today. The lady that owned it was, as Kelly says, "a girly-girl". Every room is decorated in Burgandy and pinks with lots of fluffy and lace curtains, etc. It is not Kelly's style. She will have all summer to think about redecorating ideas and the purchase of a HUGE TV. For this month we will have no TV nor internet. I can take my laptop to the clubhouse, where I am now, to get on the internet.

Here are some pictures I took; they are pretty self-explanatory. (Notice even the outside trim is burgundy.)

I forgot to take pictures of the master bedroom, master bath, and porch, but you get the idea. The place was move in ready and they even had the carpets cleaned the day before we moved in. It is our "Home Sweet Florida Home". I hope we get to enjoy it for a number of years. There are lots of activities in th park on a weekly basis. We bought tickets for the "St. Patrick Day Dance" on March 8th. It will be a good way to meet people. Janet, the secretary, already knows me on sight due to all my visits with questions. We will be here until the end of March.

Here is the main shed. It needs lots of attention. My first job is new lighting.

One of my blog followers asked that I explain what makes a mobile home park a “co-op” park. In a co-op park each mobile home unit owner owns a share of the entire park. In Golden Gate there are 340 lots, so our share is 1/340th value of the entire park. Periodically the share value is increased based on the value of the property. The share value was recently increased by $5,000. The major advantage of this arrangement is that you do not have monthly rent and since the park is resident-owned, there is no profit motive, so the maintenance fees are low. As a shareholder you also elect the Board of Directors, who run the operation. Another advantage is that the property cannot be sold out from under you. This has become a problem as privately owned parks are selling out for big bucks to developers. If that happens you have to pay big bucks to get your MH sold and moved. In this co-op I believe 97% of the residents have to agree to sell the land. There is a monthly HOA (Homeowners Association) fee for maintenance of the clubhouse, the pool area, the streets, and the lawns.  A couple of the reasons we picked Golden Gate was the low HOA fee per month, the great maintenance of the park, and the pride taken in the homes. In many parks, like the one we just left in Avon Park, if you have a mobile home you have to pay rent, put in sprinklers, take care of your own lawn yourself, and hire someone to do it when you aren't there.  The HOA fee is due every month year-round whereas you only pay for water, sewer, and trash for the months you are staying in the park. Electricity has to be kept on year-round to provide AC in the summer to remove humidity to prevent mold and mildew. Time will tell how the costs wash out compared to ever-increasing RV park rent in the winter months.

Hope you followed the explanation.