Has anyone done business with manufactured home sellers?

[DisneyClown]

We're looking to purchase a new home next year, and I've been looking at possibly having a manufactured home built. Are they any cheaper than just buying a home that's already built? Can you get more home for your money doing it this way? From what I've been reading, they are just as good as a "stick built" home, but what is the incentive to buy one of these manufactured homes over any other? My thought is if I could get a bigger or nicer home for the amount of money I'm spending, it would be worth it, but I'm not sure I'm willing to contact any of these manufacturers yet. Anyone have experience with this?

 

[karice2]

I have considered doing this too. i have a great plot of land but the house needs so much work, I would rather rebuild.

I did some research and found that you can get all kinds of amenities added. They prep the land, you pick all the finishes and they deliver it in pieces. I saw one being done on the news and it was ginormous.

It looked really good.

Let me know if you decide to do it. I want to do it soon too.

 

[Darcy03231]

I think what you're looking for is a modular home. A manufactured home is a fancy name for a mobile home or trailer. If you do a search on modular homes a lot will come up in different areas of the country. Keep in mind the closer to your location the more you'll save in shipping costs.

DH and I own land that we plan to build on and have already decided on a modular home.

 

[aunties]

Three years ago I replaced my childhood home with a modular home. The house company and the contractors I used were highly recommended and I did quite a bit of research as well. I did find that the modular homes are usually better built. My roof structure and outer walls are sturdier than stick built because they need to withstand the strain of being transported at 65 mph. My specs guarentee that my house is built to 1/16" of being perfectly square. And we found this to be true when my brother-in-law dropped the pepper mill. Those pepper corns did not roll into a corner!

It was far cheaper than stick built. Plus, because I was replacing a house, I needed to find another place to live. Stick built was estimated at 6 months (and everyone I talked to warned me to double that time). I was "homeless" for just under two months and the reason it took that long is that we had to wait 3 weeks for the electric company to take down the wires from the old house.

My options were only limited by my budget. I could select one of their standard designs (probably 50 or 60 standard options - ranches, capes, split entries, colonials, etc.) or bring them my own plans. You can have garages attached. Every decision you can make on a stick built house you can make with a modular. I chose my cabinets, flooring, counter tops, exterior siding, etc. I chose my heating source and added central air. My windows are upgraded as well (thanks to an awesome contractor who made a special deal with the house manufacturer).

You cannot tell from the outside that my house is a modular. The only way to tell from the inside is to look at the doorways along the center wall. My house was delivered in two pieces - front and back. The doorways along the center wall are a bit thicker than a standard doorway.

When I signed off on the construction loan, the guy at the bank told me that I chose well, not only by going modular but by selecting the manufacturer and contractors I did. They had been dealing with both groups for years and had never had a complaint.

 

[punkin]

my neighbors put on a modular addition. It took 2 days to install and looks amazing. They are happy with it.

I will also second the poster who said that modular is not technically manufactured, which is used for trailers.

 

[kellydizfan]

We havea Modular Home. We went to a builder of Modular Homes. Ours came from PA. The big difference is that a Mod is built inside and delivered in pieces - it is protected from the elements while being built where as a house being built isn't protected. The other thing is it is quicker to get into it. We put ours up 10 years ago. We purchased the land in January/February. THe land was then cleared. We ordered our house end of February. It was delivered the beginning of April and we were in the 1st week in May. Just make sure you have a repetable (sp?) builder who will handle everything for you. There are some out there that you can take tours of them to get an idea of what you are looking for. Ours didn't offer that when we put ours up. It is really neat seeing the crane lift the house up and put it on the foundation. We have superior wall foundation also. Any questions please let me know. Do some research before you purchase.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

My father lives in one in Florida.

It's nicer then my home! He purchased his after the hurricanes a few years ago because the homes built by this "builder" did better then "traditionally" built homes. (I seem to recall it had to do with the way the roof is attached, but I don't really recall)

I will consider one when I finally get to retire to Florida A lot of the retirement communities have them. (HIs is replacing the "motor home" type with the new type as the units turn over. You casn't bring in the "motor home" type anymore and they lost a LOT of them to hurricane/flooding a few years ago)

 

[gracie1]

Modular homes are nice. I bought a house 4 years ago and went with a manufactured vs a modular. I looked for months and months, and manufactured homes are built so much better now than they were years ago. Years ago they just put the aluminum siding around it and that was it. Mine is on a block foundation, just like a modular home, and it is classified as a manufactured home, not a trailer.
If I were you, do your research and look at both.

 

[MandM-Mom]

We have an Excel Brand Cape style Modular, I would suggest not getting a modular with dormers, we know several people with dormers on there modular homes and we all have had the same problems with leaks on the seams where the dormers are set ontop after initial build leaving gaps and easily covered with shingles to the naked eye but lots of trouble later on.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

We put 1 up on our property for my mom. It is level and plum, quick and easy!

 

[disneymarie]

I am looking into this option for my son, mainly the time is short and cost lower then stick.
The one thing I noticed is you are in Illinois, and if the winters are bitter, make sure you have the standards for the North, and not south....2 X 6 walls NOT the 2 X 4"Walls. The insulation factors etc.

There are so many manufactures in our area, there is a real pick. Price and quality of the interior will decide. Some are over the top stylish..some basic needs.

 

[DisneyClown]

Thanks to everyone for the replies and advice! I've already learned some things I hadn't thought about! I'm definitely doing as much research as possible on this before I jump in and the people on this board are already helping with that!

I have considered doing this too. i have a great plot of land but the house needs so much work, I would rather rebuild.

I did some research and found that you can get all kinds of amenities added. They prep the land, you pick all the finishes and they deliver it in pieces. I saw one being done on the news and it was ginormous.

It looked really good.

Let me know if you decide to do it. I want to do it soon too.

If I do decide to go with this option, it will be next summer or fall. I will let you know. If you go with this option, I'd be interested as well in your experience with the process.

We havea Modular Home. We went to a builder of Modular Homes. Ours came from PA. The big difference is that a Mod is built inside and delivered in pieces - it is protected from the elements while being built where as a house being built isn't protected. The other thing is it is quicker to get into it. We put ours up 10 years ago. We purchased the land in January/February. THe land was then cleared. We ordered our house end of February. It was delivered the beginning of April and we were in the 1st week in May. Just make sure you have a repetable (sp?) builder who will handle everything for you. There are some out there that you can take tours of them to get an idea of what you are looking for. Ours didn't offer that when we put ours up. It is really neat seeing the crane lift the house up and put it on the foundation. We have superior wall foundation also. Any questions please let me know. Do some research before you purchase.

I'm curious about how you decided which company to go with. Word of mouth? Just alot of internet research? Thanks for taking the time to provide me with the info. you've given me!

We have an Excel Brand Cape style Modular, I would suggest not getting a modular with dormers, we know several people with dormers on there modular homes and we all have had the same problems with leaks on the seams where the dormers are set ontop after initial build leaving gaps and easily covered with shingles to the naked eye but lots of trouble later on.

Thanks for the great tip!

I am looking into this option for my son, mainly the time is short and cost lower then stick.
The one thing I noticed is you are in Illinois, and if the winters are bitter, make sure you have the standards for the North, and not south....2 X 6 walls NOT the 2 X 4"Walls. The insulation factors etc.

There are so many manufactures in our area, there is a real pick. Price and quality of the interior will decide. Some are over the top stylish..some basic needs.

Thanks for the advice about the wall thickness!

Three years ago I replaced my childhood home with a modular home. The house company and the contractors I used were highly recommended and I did quite a bit of research as well. I did find that the modular homes are usually better built. My roof structure and outer walls are sturdier than stick built because they need to withstand the strain of being transported at 65 mph. My specs guarentee that my house is built to 1/16" of being perfectly square. And we found this to be true when my brother-in-law dropped the pepper mill. Those pepper corns did not roll into a corner!

It was far cheaper than stick built. Plus, because I was replacing a house, I needed to find another place to live. Stick built was estimated at 6 months (and everyone I talked to warned me to double that time). I was "homeless" for just under two months and the reason it took that long is that we had to wait 3 weeks for the electric company to take down the wires from the old house.

My options were only limited by my budget. I could select one of their standard designs (probably 50 or 60 standard options - ranches, capes, split entries, colonials, etc.) or bring them my own plans. You can have garages attached. Every decision you can make on a stick built house you can make with a modular. I chose my cabinets, flooring, counter tops, exterior siding, etc. I chose my heating source and added central air. My windows are upgraded as well (thanks to an awesome contractor who made a special deal with the house manufacturer).

You cannot tell from the outside that my house is a modular. The only way to tell from the inside is to look at the doorways along the center wall. My house was delivered in two pieces - front and back. The doorways along the center wall are a bit thicker than a standard doorway.

When I signed off on the construction loan, the guy at the bank told me that I chose well, not only by going modular but by selecting the manufacturer and contractors I did. They had been dealing with both groups for years and had never had a complaint.

Thanks for taking the time to provide me with this information!

 

[disneyofcourse]

A close friend of mine recently bought a home like this. He got to pick every upgrade in it and they brought it to his land. He say's its the best thing he's done and was the best choice. Honestly he got a really great deal for the square footage and upgrades he was able to get because of the lower price.

 

[skysmom99]

We spent a couple of years looking at modulars and manufactured homes. However, we ended up finding a builder instead. We found many lenders unwilling to finance a non-stick built house. We also found that in our area the resale value of a manufactured or modular is much less than a stick built.

 

[DisneyClown]

Honestly he got a really great deal for the square footage and upgrades he was able to get because of the lower price.

This is exactly what I'm hoping for!

We found many lenders unwilling to finance a non-stick built house. We also found that in our area the resale value of a manufactured or modular is much less than a stick built.

This is exactly what I'm hoping against!

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

Check with your towns building dept. Ours only allows stick built. No modular's allowed or manuf. either.

 

[Shleedogg]

We have an Excel Brand Cape style Modular, I would suggest not getting a modular with dormers, we know several people with dormers on there modular homes and we all have had the same problems with leaks on the seams where the dormers are set ontop after initial build leaving gaps and easily covered with shingles to the naked eye but lots of trouble later on.

I see you're in Upstate NY too. If you don't mind my asking, what company did you use? The only one we found near us was Key. We haven't gotten too serious about looking yet, but would love some recommendations!

 

[DisneyClown]

Check with your towns buiding dept. Ours only allows stick built. No modular's allowed or manuf. either.

I didn't know they could actually forbid you to build a modular if that's what you wanted! I know in our town there is a small "community" of modulars where you can purchase and live but I want to build on a lot of my choosing. Will definitely have to look into this before I go any further. Thanks for the tip!

 

[aunties]

I think there is still a lot of confusion about modular vs. manufactured homes. A modular home is basically the exact same as a stick built home only it is built in a factory. My house is not on blocks. I have a full basement.

The bank I used for my mortgage actually prefers the modular homes vs. stick builts. The process is much faster and fewer things can go wrong. A couple of banks did not want to work with me because they did not like to work with construction loans which would be an issue with stick built houses as well.

As for the town laws, I had to get the exact same permits as a contractor who was building on site. The building inspector did all the same inspections as if the house were stick built. The building specs used to build my home were above the specs required by my state law. The company I used delivers throughout New England. Each state has different building codes so the house company builds all their homes to meet or exceed the codes of the strictest state. In other words, most of CTs building laws are the strictest in New England so all homes are built to CT standards or better.

A friend of mine is a realtor and when the neighbors sold their modular I asked her if it affected the value. She said the resale values around here are the same as stick built homes with the same features. There is no way to tell that my house is a modular unless I tell you exactly what to look for.

No matter what type of house you build, you just have to do your research on local/state laws, good/bad contractors, etc. Fortunately, I was very lucky and had amazing contractors who made the process of replacing my house easier than buying a car.

 

[chrissyb2411]

We live in a manufactured (or mobile) home. Manufactured and modular are differant (though sometimes done by the same company). You can find a difficult time financing manufactured, but modular you should not.

My husbands family owns the park we live in. We had the opportunity after we were married to take over an empty lot. We ordered our house brand new and added just about every upgrade. It was way cheaper, and just as nice as any ranch home I have seen. A few years down the road we plan to find a plot of land and do a modular on it.

Another thing about manufactured / modular is they are more environmentally friendly. Because the build conditions are so controlled, there is a lot less waste. Also a reason they may be priced better.