Are you considering purchasing a tiny home? Are you wondering what life is like in a tiny house community or tiny home resort?

Whether you're a social butterfly or an introvert, your community will shape your life in more ways than one. It will provide the daily interactions that make your life meaningful and enrich your thoughts and actions.

Your tiny home community can make your happiness level in your dwelling. If you're considering purchasing a tiny home, the location you choose can make or break your success.

Here's what you need to know about communities for tiny homes.

Why Tiny Homes?

Tiny homes seem to be trending again lately, and photos of adorable gingerbread mini-cottages dotted with tasteful landscaping pop up on magazine and lifestyle sites. They beacon us to a simpler lifestyle. Yet what is drawing homeowners to smaller spaces?

As with many important decisions, the cost is an important factor. In many cases, you don't even need a mortgage for a tiny home. You may be able to purchase an entire dwelling for less than the cost of a downpayment on most houses.

Your monthly costs will be lower for other reasons, too. You'll be paying less for utilities such as food, water, and gas. A tiny house is also easier and less expensive to maintain.

Tiny houses also bring with them the promise of a less cluttered lifestyle. Without the room for extra clothes, papers, and other clutter, your life will immediately become consolidated. And you'll be encouraged to spend more time outdoors to expand your space.

Because of the decreased energy and materials required to maintain tiny homes, it's also an environmentally friendly option. Those who care about their carbon footprint are also drawn to tiny home communities and resorts.

Will I Know My Neighbors?

Unlike in other types of neighborhoods, you won't only be seeing your neighbors as you walk in and out of your house. Because of the small homes and close-knit layouts, you'll have a community just outside your door that you'll have the opportunity to be interacting with regularly.

Because rooms in tiny homes are smaller, much of your life starts to get lived outdoors when possible. Barbeques, outdoor offices, and nature-friendly play-spaces will help you to spread out and make the most out of your surroundings.

In addition, folks may be using spaces like outdoor gardens and fire pits to grow and prepare their own food. Folks may read, exercise, or walk pets so much that they spend more time outdoors than in. This is a lifestyle that many have been building their lives around for centuries.

With so many people carrying on their chores, work, and living outside, it makes chatting or catching up with your neighbors all the more natural and enjoyable. You may discover common interests or just start discussing daily events with those who live close by. Many lifelong friendships have stemmed from just being neighbors and in a tight knit community that is all the more true.

Your neighbors will become more than acquaintances. They will be friends, confidantes, and those you begin to "do life" with. If you're excited about being in close community with those who live nearby, a tiny home you can bring and live in a tiny house community could be a wonderful investment.

What Kinds of Events Happen in a Tiny House Community?

Enjoying conversations and friendships around the table is a common bonding activity. In communities with tiny homes shared meals may happen weekly or even daily.

Your neighbor may be grilling steaks and notice you're in the process of picking tomatoes for a killer salad. If you're missing any condiments or just feeling extra social, you may invite a few more folks to join you to round out the meal.

Neighbors may use social media and casual interactions to let you know when they want to share their cooking or have extra take-out. Impromptu dinner parties are also a great excuse for folks to have someone to talk to.

Walks, yoga sessions, or movie nights are not uncommon in communities where you share your life together on a regular basis. If you're looking for simple opportunities to share family-like experiences, tiny house communities can serve to round out your social life.

What Amenities Should I Be Looking for in a Tiny House Community?

Every tiny house is a customized living space. While every home should have a shower, toilet, and bed, you can get creative with your little luxuries. Shelving, stairs, and lofts are all unique to the user and their family.

Yet you'll want to choose your tiny house community carefully to make sure you're happy and comfortable in your new dwelling. Some tiny house communities will offer amenities like pools, walking trails, and waterfalls. If you're a nature-loving individual or family, you'll want to choose a community that will give you access to the types of activities you'll spend most of your days enjoying.

Before choosing a tiny home location, you'll need to know about things like water, power, and sewer connections. If you work from home, Internet access will be particularly important.

Some communities will also have full laundry services available. You could be looking for a fishing pond, fitness center, or dog park.

Take some time to walk around prospective communities and talk to folks who already live there. Ask them about their favorite parts of the community.

Remember that you should be comfortable with your tiny house community neighbors. They're likely to become an important part of your life!

Some communities also invest heavily into common spaces like community centers that can play a wonderful role in creating a good vibe. It's also a great place to get a little more space. Often times you can schedule when you'd like to use the community center so you have a private place to throw a party or host a larger dinner party that your tiny home may not accommodate.

Also look for communities that have spare bedrooms in their community centers that you can schedule and rent for guests when they come in town!

How much does it cost to live in a Tiny House Community?

One of the top questions we get regarding community but it's so hard to pin down a solid answer. And we get the question asked from both sides of the equation - as a landowner developing a community and as a tiny house owner looking for a place to park their home in a nice community.

As Loretta Cak, Tiny House Community Pro, put it so well "The answers will vary based on where you are located and what you are offering.  That isn't very helpful though, is it?!". She goes on to say that as a owner of a piece of land or community, you get to decide what the rates are, what's included, and what the community guidelines are. The important part here is that you're relatively competitive for your area both in communities near by and the housing market in general.

From a tiny home owner, Loretta is definitely a good source as she has two tiny homes and rents the land they are parked on. Her costs range from $600 a month to close to $900 a month. The big difference in price is due almost entirely to location. One is in Virginia and one is Pennsylvania. Further, one is in a popular area that is a tourist destination which has more demand hence the higher price.

Many tiny home owners also look for situations where they can trade a skill set and/or take on responsibility to offset some or all of the land rent. This of course can be a very good solution to both the owner of the land and the tiny home owner however it does complicate things a bit. So make sure you have clear expectations set in place and an agreement that spells out what the exact arrangements are and what happens if one of the parties does not make good on their end of the deal.

Tiny House Community Cost

After talking with countless tiny home owners and land owners, we've gathered that the average cost for renting land for your tiny house falls between $400-$750 depending on location, what utilities are included, and if it's a year long lease or month-to-month agreement.

This will hopefully get you a rough ball park that can help you dial in your budget.

The Tiny Advantage

Life in a tiny house community is about so much more than four walls and reliable Internet. A more outdoor living style means that you'll develop a real community with those who live and work just outside your door. If you're looking for an active lifestyle for lower costs, a tiny home community could be just the change you're looking for!

Don't stop learning about tiny homes now For more information about the tiny house lifestyle, read our blog today.

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