what is the best brand?

[Ginny]

I live in the mid-west and have looked at many brands of manufactured homes. Each dealer of course says theirs is the best. So far I have liked Medallion and Silvercrest. But how do you find out for sure that you are getting the best quality home.

[J. A.]

Your question is kinda hard to answer, but here goes (I'll try to be brief).

First we need a definition of "quality". Quality is nothing more than conformance to the standards. In manufactured housing the "standard" is the Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards (Part 3280). All manufactured homes must conform to these MINIMUM Standards. So no matter which home you buy you will get a "quality" home. Okay - that's the textbook answer, but we know that different companies use different manufacturing techniques and some facilities are not as state-of-the-art as others. Homes are built by people and people make mistakes. If company "A" has a higher turnover rate of employees that company "B" then company "B" will probably build a higher quality product. I guess another big difference between homes would be the "bells and whistles". The more upgrades you get the more it costs and the better it looks. But how are you going to know all that - right?

So...The straight dope on what you should do - Since you've got a couple of manufacturers in mind that you like, you should look up your State SAA (State Administrative Agency) and go and look at their consumer complaint log. See which of these companies has had more complaints. Be sure to pull the file and check the complaint because it might actually be a complaint on the dealer and not the manufacturer. Consider even calling a couple of the homeowners about their complaints. Get their input on the manufacturer's handling of their service work. Please understand that this will be a large chunk of money and you should do the research before jumping in. If you don't know your state's SAA try calling your State Operator or going to www.hud.gov/fha/mhs/mhshome.html

The most important thing is not going to be picking the right manufacturer, it will be making sure the home is installed properly. A properly installation is what will insure your home will last longer that the loan. Any home you purchase will come with an installation manual and a homeowner's manual. This is a federal requirement that you recieve these books. You should know what is required by that home's manufacturer before that home is delivered. It is imparitive that the site be prepared so water will not collect under the home. This will cause the home to settle, the anchoring system to fail, and will destroy the home. And that's just the beginning...there's testing of the soil to insure the footers are large enough, insuring the piers are properly located, insuring the units are properly connected (if it's a multi-section) (i.e., fasteners, crossovers, DWV system connections, electrical service, shingle installation, anchoring, etc.) Your SAA should have copies of any manual from any manufacturer that ships into your state. They can go through that manual with you and help you understand exactly what is required. And know that the salesman at the dealership is the last person you want to ask about these requirements. You can just about bet he/she doesn't have a clue. A sign of a good dealer is one that wants to look at your site before the home is sold so they can evaluate what will need to be done to get it ready to recieve a home.

I hope this helps.

[steve]

I have been around for 5 years in the industry. I'm located MI, where standards are high. I sell repo homes for banks. The problem i see is many consumers look for price and floor plan square footage and not quality. Many of the repos I encounter are only a few years old and falling apart. This has caused many consumers to walk away from their home and let it go repo. After looking at 1000's of homes, I have concluded that a HART HOME (HUD CODE) is the best for the price. HART doesn't make a low end brand like many manufacturers. Check out HART's website. It will be worth your time.

[Sandy]

Steve, tell us about some good brands in Georgia/Florida.

Thanks

[Ken Williams]

In my most humble opinion,Frankiln Homes by far are
the best on the market. They dont follow the competition and their product reflects this.
Give them a call and they will direct you to the
dealer nearest to your hometown. The number is (256) 332-4510.

[Curt]

I have a different opinion. I have looked at about every one out there and have found Crystal Valley to be the best. If I was to choose a second one it would be Hart though. Do yourself a favor and go through a Crystal Valley before making a decision.