Correcting Problems on New Home

[Art Rigsby]

We have purchased a new Silvercrest Woodland series home for placement on our property in Lake County, California. I already have a number of issues that I would like to get resolved but am uncertain what avenue I should use to get them corrected.

When we visited the factory in Woodland, CA, out home was sitting on the their lot and we were able to tour it. During the tour, we found the following:

1. Options were installed that we did not order. How can we determine if we were charged for the options? The home was built on 11/8 and on 11/3 the seller sent a new quote with a price increase of approx. $900.00. The details of the price increase reflected a increase of the price of ordered options and did not list any of the extra options installed.

2. The pantry doors are not square. The pantry has 3 sets of 2 doors. When the top two doors are opened, the adjacent door will also come open because the doors touch when closed. The bottom set of doors is way out of square. The bottom of the doors touch while at the top there is a considerable gap. We reported this problem to the seller and he said he would have the factory correct. This week we visted our property and the unassembled home was sitting there. I was able to look in the kitchen window and could see no effort was made to correct the pantry doors.

My questions is what procedure should I use to resolve the issues? As indicated in #2, I talked to the seller yet nothing was done. Now I need to know how do I put the heat on the to get it done?


Thank you.

[Ron Ambler]

1.) All optional items you purchased should be listed on the bill of sale or purchase order (those which you ordered and those you did not) when you closed the deal. The price increase may be valid on the options you ordered, you would have to read your contract papers to find out. Sometimes there is a clause which provides for price changes. I am assuming the options you did NOT ask for were not charged to you, but were in the home when delivered. Additional options should help the resale value of your MH, long term.


2.) "The pantry doors are not square". The manufacturer, rightly or wrongly, probably (my opinion only) did not make adjustments to the pantry doors understanding that during transport of the MH to your site, it was very likely they would be out of square from the trip. You should note this problem on the walk through you do before accepting the home. Hopefully, your MH dealer rep will walk through the home with you to make a punch list of things to correct. The MH dealer should have his/her maintenance person make the necessary adjustments.

"The above is not legal advice and if you feel your problem(s) are not resolved to your satisfaction, you may want to seek legal advice."

[Jon]

Art:
Have you closed on the purchase of the home? If so, you should have received an order confirmation sheet that lists all the features and options in your home. If not, you may be asked for more money (to cover the cost of the "unlisted" options) when you do close. Also, if you financed the purchase of the home you may need to discuss the situation with your lender. You should seek the advice of a qualified attorney.
In answer to your question regarding an entity you may contact: Usually the first place to seek assistance is your state manufactured home association. In California you should contact the following.
California Manufactured Housing Institute
10630 Town Center Drive, Suite 120
Rancho Cuamonga, CA 91730
909-989-0434
Best regards, Jon.

[Art Rigsby]

Ron and Jon,

Thanks for the replies.

I checked the price increase of the options against the original order to make sure only the options I ordered were involved. The contract does provide for price increases and the seller had advised me ahead of time that it can and does happen.

It doesn't appear they will ask for more money as the deal was suppose to close last week but, because of the weather, they were unable to deliver the MH to my site. I am paying all cash and the escrow has been fully funded. Will watch for the order confirmation sheet when it does close.


Art