Starting to freak out.

[martha]

Hello-

I had just about decided to go with a manufactured house thinking that would be the best way to go and get the most for our money. But now I am starting to freak out about all the problems I am reading about. We would be doing a top of the line, 2500 sf house on a permanent foundation. Probably from the Silvercrest (Manor line) factory in Or or CA or maybe a Hallmark from Loma Linda. I am wondering if a lot of the problems are due to being non permanent foundations, low end construction or if they are just shoddy construction across the board. I know that if I express these concerns to a dealer of MHs, I will get all the right answers but now I am wondering if they are just trying to make the sale. We will be working with Kerman home sales in Goshen, CA. If anyone knows anything about them. . .

I am so confused and we haven't even thought about all the upgrade decisions we will have to make that I have read about! And I don't mean carpet and cabinets. I mean the structural things. I am so afraid after reading many of these posts and those at other web sites about homes basically "falling apart".

Those of you who love/hate your homes I would be grateful for honest help here. Surely there are others out there who felt this way- What decision did you make and was it one you are still happy with? How long ago did you purchase your home? Has it been a satisactory experience? Would you do it again?

[rmurray]

Folks with problems are loud....generally there are over 200,000 new manufactured homes sold every year...some have problems....MANY do not...

There seem to be 2 real problem areas...dealers who do not set the home properly..and consumers who go about this purchase with no information...This business like every other sometimes has salespersons who are not truthful or knowledgeable themselves...

You are on tract to be a happy customer...you are taking the time to inform yourself...if you are well informed..a bad salesperson will be obvious..you will catch them in the lies...and move on..

Check out the dealer as best you can...ask for references...ask owners who have bought from them...

You might consider Randy Eaton's books available in the book store here..His actual experience is in OR and his books are particularly good in that area....

Consumer Reports has some very useful info for buying manufactured homes...Check out these links for some very good info..

http://www.consumersunion.org/video/mh/mhvideo.html ....Videos of the buying process

Index to all their articles.. http://www.consumersunion.org/other/mh/brochure.htm

THEN...one other thing...just so you know problems are not only manufactured home...BUT..all types of homes..Check out.

http://www.hadd.com/

Good Luck

[Art]

Hi Martha,

I live in Northern California and purchased a Silvercrest (out of Woodland) almost two years ago. I have had no major problems with my home. I think the only thing I would change if I had to do it again would be to get a larger home. I am retired and it is only myself and the wife but we have found that 1400 sf is too small for us.Other than that, we are happy with our home.

I used Randy's book as a guide and found it very helpful in my purchasing decision. Silvercrest is considered one of the better manufactuers in California and they tend to be a little pricey but it worth the extra money.

Do follow the advice from Murray and check the dealer out very carefully. They will be your main contact for after sells work and if they suck, you will become very unhappy very quickly.

Art

[jgn]

A lot of the problems you hear about are internet panic, happy people don't say so and unhappy people scream to anyone who will listen. The major problem I read about is with the dealer and the setup not being done correctly. Another problem is the inflated expectations of the homeowner, "I have had this home for three years and the wall developed a crack and the dealer will not fix it" that is being unreasonable.
I have a 1976 DW at a lake and have normal homeowner problems, windows going bad, plumbing leaking, etc but no more so than my primary house or any home I have owned, all of it is part of the homeownership experience.
Do your homework, buy quality not candy from a reputable dealer and keep up with the odds and ends that come up and you should have a nice home that will provide years of enjoyable service.

[jen]

Don't let the Dealer's fool you. They will tell you anything that you want to hear.
We are in the middle of a nightmare and I researched the home we purchased for a long time. If you experience problems, be ready to to experience the dealer & the manufacturer of the home play the "blame game".

[Elvira]

I purchased my home 11 years ago. I haven't experienced any major structural problems with the exception that some of my siding is buckled. The home was set up correctly. Although I went into the purchase blind, you should be okay since you are doing your research. Overall, my opinion of MH is they are inferior to mod & conventional homes but as an alternative home they are okay.

[JohnnyJ]

Like all of the rest have said... Learn all that you can about the product before
making a purchase. Randy's book(let) is a good place to start. It is crammed
full of information that will open your eyes.

Once you have learned by reading, you can then decide what type of home will
fit your budget. You will have a list of options, and construction upgrades when
you walk into the dealer's office. You will be able to comparison shop for similar
models at different dealers, and find the home you are looking for.

Just remember, quality is not necessarily the most expensive home you can buy.
There are many home builders that make very good homes. You need to compare
apples to apples as RM is always saying. As you are able to buy low end, mid
range, and high end automobiles, the same hold true for housing. You would not
compare a Chevy Malibu with a Corvette, if you get my drift. Also, different dealers
have different profit margins.

The list of things to look for is long, and you might take up to a year to find the
home you seek. During that time, ask a lot of questions of the folks here on this
forum. The only dumb question is the one you don't ask.

good luck

[jen]

I need to ammend & add to my reply a little.
I don't think that all homes are bad and I agree that you should research and that dealers can lie.
But I don't see what is wrong with "Folks with Problems are loud...." In fact, they should be. Maybe if more people realized that they don't have to be taken advantage of and that they have a right to be "loud" some of the dealers that lie might get with it.
Maybe if people were informed that sometimes being loud is what it takes to get the job done dealers might think a little more before they decide to mess with someone else's future.
However, I also agree with your point that there are allot of good homes sold & they deserve recognition too.
There are laws out there to protect the consumers and the retailers and I think that people should know more about those too. (for both of their protection)
I have been trying to work with our dealer, manufacturer,the BBB, DCED, our attorney & the Attorney General because of our home. I did research. Our home was destroyed more by the people who "trimmed" the inside & the lack of following through with the repairs that needed done.
We have been lied to & about but I won't back down because it's wrong that anyone should have to go through this.
I hope that I didn't offend anyone because that wasn't my intent. I just believe that things can happen even with research.
Jen

[martha]

I did read on the BBB web site that on of the silvercrest factories in CA was rated unsatisfactory. I have never been a name brand buyer- I mean Payless shoes are just fine. But when I see the difference between the Silvercrest Manor series which feels and looks so much like a site built I have to wonder if it really is worth it to "pay for the name". The dealer that we saw here used that phrase to compare skyline to silvercrest saying that they are essentially the same. I did like the skyline home- there were just a few differences as far as quaility of design that I noticed. This dealer by the way does sell both silvercreest and skyline so I have to wonder if he is telling the truth and really feels this way. And that he is not just bashing another dealers product.

[jgn]

Jen
I didn't see anyone who said not to be loud about problems it is just that there is a panic mode associated with the internet because out of the thousands of homes sold each year, a few problems are reported on the net. Given the choice where money is not an issue my choice would be build a site home from a reputable builder, $65-$125 psf, next would be a modular/panel $55-$90 psf, next a MH $30-$50psf.
All things being equal a MH should be as good, if not better, than a site built because it is built in a controlled environment by a crew that has built the same home hundreds of times and placed on a steel I beam frame. The problems arise when cost cutting methods are put into place and inferior material is used and than the home is trucked to your site. Damage in the transportation will happen in 100% of the cases most of it is minor (cracks in the drywall, doors need to be adjusted, etc) but some can be major and it is up to the setup crew to take care of it. Be sure to be onsite when the home arrives with a camera and a lot of film. Take before, during and after pictures, get to know the setup crew (buy them lunch/dinner) so they see you as a person instead of another setup job.
Unfortunatly the MH industry has a lot of the same caliber of salespeople as the car business. Seek out a manufacturer you have reasearched from a salesperson you trust and a dealer you have checked out. I have talked to people who spent more time looking at a toaster than researching a home. In the area where our lake home is there are a number of new MH from several manufacturers and no one has had major problems that weren't taken care of so it can be done.