The Manufactured Housing Forums

We are looking at about 1300 sq ft (1500 max). Double wide. We have plenty of land, no problem with financing.
Two people, no children. We need that thing to last till we die, hopefully 25-30 years.

In south-central Virginia, it looks we have choice of: Clayton , Palm Harbor, Cardinal, Fleetwood & Commodore.

Maybe Skyline? no specs online, only plans & factory tour. Their "search" is a bad joke. Every plan for our region says "Skyline/Vermont" ??? The dealer's page in Ashland, VA .... says "Michigan" ????

We are more and more lost .... more and more discouraged....

From the Clayton dealer who had only 70' long or so MHs, sitting on shaky piles of blocks, all windows & doors tightly shut in the early Fall heat.
What we remember are all the moldings & seams, of course, coming apart. Tripping all over the place on the carpet, as no attempt had been made to "fake" joints. And gagging from the fumes.

Bad start.

Then, 50 miles away, the Palm Harbor salesman with all the "charm" of a used car salesman.
"Why should we buy a PH versus an other brand?" we asked. He gave us a 5mn parroted speech about the founder of the company. Very helpful.
[message to the Company: we don't care to know what a great guy the founder is].

But, at least, their MHs were set-up correctly.


More visits to various dealers. Everything is a blur. They cannot be clear about what is included in the price they quote, what is extra. What upgrades are available, ..... "Pocket doors and casement windows are NOT available with manuf H or modular H" ???? ... etc....

It is obvious that we are completely on our own and most salespeople don't know what they are talking about.

We have downloaded about everything we could find on several makers, about every pamphlet from HUD,...., years of discussions on various forums, ... & a lot lot more ,... for a total [to date] of 1896 files in about 5 months.

Here come some of the questions:

_ is there anything on line about Norris (plans, construction) ?

_ is it true about the lack of choice of windows & doors? are casement windows & pocket doors available as upgrade? [Cardinal Homes offer both]

_ Whenever possible, what are the advantages of dealing directly with the factory? Do we get better choices? better service? better prices?

_ how much can we expect to bargain down successfully?

With all those frustrations, do we really want to buy a MH ? We have been living since 1996 in an Airstream trailer, and , right now, it starts to look pretty good to me.

Cathie
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PS:

Just to save time - I have heard the following ad nauseam these past months:

..... the Manufactured Housing Multiple Listing Service. THANKS. done that for 5 months.

..... "Here are 3 best selling books for MH Shoppers that are now available in E-book Versions ..... blablabla ......
"A Complete Buyers Guide to Manufactured Homes and Land - E-Book Edition Purchasing ..... blablabla ...... a big challenge even to the smartest of home shoppers. ..... blablabla ......

........ "this guide contains much information that retailers, even the good guys, ..... blablabla ...... don't want you to know. DOWNLOAD HERE

"How To Buy A Manufactured Home And Save Thousands Of Dollars, ..... blablabla ...... , by Randy Eaton, will show you how to ..... blablabla ...... , the only e-published comparison study ..... blablabla ...... together at a seriously discounted price.. DOWNLOAD HERE

"Modular Home Buyers Guide E Book Considering A Modular Home? ..... blablabla ...... Author's Top Picks of Modular Home Builders in North America ..... blablabla ...... choosing a modular ..... blablabla ...... and panelized homes before you buy. Save time and money ..... blablabla ....... DOWNLOAD HERE "

Thanks.

Norris, built in Bean Station, Tn. is the top of the Clayton Homes line. Commodore, built in Danville, Va. and Cardinal Homes, Wylie, Va. All relatively close for transportation, and good dealer support in your area. You can not purchase direct from the manufacturer, but must purchase from a licensed dealer in the state of Virginia. Clayton has company retail lots, both under the Clayton name, and also the Luv Homes name in your area. They also now own Oakwood, with Schult being the top of that line. Fleetwood owns both Fleetwood Retail Corp, and Expression Homes in your area. Windows and doors are primarily made by only two venders, and while both have an array of doors, the choice is limited to what each produces. I would suggest you stop by the sales centers, and pick up copies of the latest floor plans that are available. The floor plans will also list the standard items, as well as upgrade options.

Thanks.

we avoided Oakwood, but they are in our area too.

We do not have any sales centers that close to home, so we try to find as much information as possible on line, before talking to a salesman.

We have already made 4 or 5 trips and brought back a lot of brochures, few of them answering all our questions, and too often conflicting with what the salesmen are telling us.

We read that we should check Skyline, but cannot even find if they make modural houses. We have plans, that's all.

Thanks for the info about having to purchase from a licensed dealer in VA.

You said that you have heard about the books that are available to answer your questions. Have you read any of them ?

Read everything you have...Apply for a job at some of the delaerships..Earn a good retirement income....Some dealers will discount homes to emplyees..

"Apply for a job at some of the dealerships..Earn a good retirement income....Some dealers will discount homes to employees."

I hope that this is a tongue in cheek answer. Rather work for a used car dealer, or better, a loan shark.

We are going to do mass mailing to various companies, stating our requirements, and the first one that gives us straight clear answers gets the sale.

Thanks.

You mention your frustrations, but what I am hearing is:

- Some dealers display their wares poorly
- Some salespeople are jerks, and don't know their product
- The array of features, options and possibilties is confusing

It's a situation that is about the same as dealing with stick-built home builders, buying a car, or shopping for new carpeting.

You're on the right path - educate yourself as much as possible, draw up a list of requirements, and shop it around. I wouldn't expect your "mass mailing" idea to be of much success. While RFPs (request for proposal) are the norm in the business-to-business world, I don't think you'll get very far with that approach in an old-line consumer industy like manufactured homes.

Likewise, don't depend too heavily on the web. The MH industry is getting better, but they are still far behind the times. Remember - their traditional customer base is retirees and below-median-income families; not the most wired segments of the population.

There are good dealers and salespeople out there - you just have to find them, and they will work with you. Don't give up.

LOL! Shoot me first please!

Just talked to a Clayton Homes dealer, the Norris seems like a good deal, they do allow upgrades, and also will let me buy my own appliances and let us finish the floors (with tile and bamboo ) also will remove walls, and make a 3 bedroom into a 2. Sounds pretty good, any things to look out for.? thanks. baalllen ps we are in Western NC, own our own land.

I was told that with the upgrades I asked for, that there is little difference between mod. and MH. (by the dealer, of course) Looking at a Norris, with 30 ys shingles, 2x6 walls, 4/12 pitch roof, drywall, and finishing my own floors and buying my own appliances, also adding a porch. what do you think?? we are in W. NC and have a Clayton dealer locally. Also have Palm Harbor but we were not as impressed. thanks BAllen