Best new brands

[Spectramac]

So who are the best builders now. So far we've looked at Clayton, Palm Harbor, Fleetwood, and I've liked Marlette for a while. The Palm Harbor guy has a deal on a new Skyline design that we are thinking about pulling the trigger on. Just curious what we're missing?

[rmurray]

You are missing a trip to the bookstore here. You should consider purchasing the 2 books by Grissim. They ARE the definitive research info on the industry. Also you might want to search these forums with the search function above for the brands you mentioned. Be sure to look at posts for at least the last year. You will find a few good threads on Skyline..

[David Oxhandler]

The books store has a Special 2 Book Offer from John Grissim Capture both best selling Manufactured Home Shopper's Guides and Save $15.90!...

[Celtlund]

I agree with Murray and David about the books. I studied them and am glad I did. We finally purchased a Southern Energy home that was built in Alabama. The Southern Estate homes are ok but not as well built as the Southern Energy homes. The Southern of Texas are entry level homes and not as well built as the other two.

[bbarasa]

These books were published early in 2006, which means they were written at least 5 years ago. In addition to basic info on negotiating with dealers and all, I am mainly interested in energy efficient construction practices/options. These have changed fast in the building trades, and I would assume in MH production. Is there a good resource for more current info on that by brand? It would probably have to be online to keep up with improvements. The few dealers I've spoken with say they have energystar packages available, but that is not very specific.

[Spectramac]

We looked over the flyers for Fleetwood and Skyline and the "energy star" optional features you had to pay extra for on the Fleetwoods are standard on the Skylines. Makes you wonder what they are trying to pull, huh?

[David Oxhandler]

Skyline has a wonderful reputation for both quality and customer satisfaction. Some buyers are only interested in the lowest price they can find. Others want all the options. Skylights, fireplace, jumbo tubs energy features, etc.

Compare apples and apples. Price out the same size home with the exact same features from both builders to get as true picture. Even if the Skyline was a bit more, unless price is your only goal, I would go with the Skyline.

Fleetwood recently declared bankruptcy. Prior to that event their customer service was not the best. Search the internet and you will see for yourself. The reorganized company has no real track record. Do you really want to invest in a new organization with no idea of how they honor their warranty commitments?

On the other hand Skyline is a stable well run outfit. They are one of the few builders to come thru the latest economic storm whole. They have been an industry leader in customer satisfaction for over thirty years.

Your choice....

[shasty]

Please stay away from Palm Harbor. We bought a discontinued model 5 years ago. The insulation is moderate, the so-called wood moulding is pressboard covered with plastic. Ours had to be replaced after the first year in our laundry room, guest bathroom, by our front door and our back sliding door. The carpeting is the cheapest type. The blower in the fireplace does not blow air, just makes noise. I contacted Palm Harbor a number of times on these issues without any response. Very, very unhappy with my FIRST home.

[lbrammer]

If you're looking for a quality home in the Southwest, and price is not your only driver, you should take a look at Hallmark-Southwest. Hallmark has also survived the latest economic storm and done it while remaining a small family run business. I work with Hallmark and one of the advantages customers talk about is dealing with a person on the other end of the table/ phone instead of a huge national corporation. You can take a look at the energy efficient pacakages being offered as well including Net-Zero (no electricity bills potentially).

Luca
http://hallmarksouthwest.com/energy-eff ... -net-zero/