Various brands and their ratings vs. friends opinions

[Celtlund]

My son and his wife bought a Palm Harbor modular home about 4 or 5 years ago and have experienced several problems with the house. Palm Harbor was not very helpful at all in resolving their problems.
My wife and I were going to purchase a PH, but because of what happened with our son, after extensive research, we purchased a Southern Energy Home. We feel the quality of the construction and the quality of the home is just as good as the PH. It was also less expensive than the PH. We have been in the home for a year now and have had outstanding service for our minor problems from both the dealership (Greg Tilley's Bossier Mobile Homes) and Palm Harbor in Culman, Alabama.

[raymon74]

Where can i find the VIN# and serail# on a mobile home.I have been looking for it for a while. Thanks!!!!

[David Oxhandler]

Raymon

See this earlier post that gives a detailed answer http://mfdhousing.com/phorum5/read.php? ... #msg-79937

[Celtlund]

Correction: "and from Southern Energy in Culman, Alabama."

[jtart51]

swaabby Wrote:
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> horton homes are as good as it gets,you can order
> what you like

I have a 97 Horton and it is solid, but on mine they used inferior material for trim..appears to be cardboard...around the doors..where moisture has caused them to swell. I also had two or three roof leaks along the facia...one even ran down inside the wall and caused the wallboard to get wet and deform...got the leak fixed but the wallboard is still sunk in. it dried and is hard now...but unsightly. I also despise the garden tub. It has no access panel built in so I have to go outside, remove the vinyl siding, unscrew and access panel in the OSB and then have two people to replace the constantly wearing out faucet. Poor design of the tub access and poor quality parts available for the faucet. On the good side..with all that OSB I can hardly ever hear it raining.

[jtart51]

swaabby Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> horton homes are as good as it gets,you can order
> what you like

I have a 97 Horton and it is solid, but on mine they used inferior material for trim..appears to be cardboard...around the doors..where moisture has caused them to swell. I also had two or three roof leaks along the facia...one even ran down inside the wall and caused the wallboard to get wet and deform...got the leak fixed but the wallboard is still sunk in. it dried and is hard now...but unsightly. I also despise the garden tub. It has no access panel built in so I have to go outside, remove the vinyl siding, unscrew and access panel in the OSB and then have two people to replace the constantly wearing out faucet. Poor design of the tub access and poor quality parts available for the faucet. On the good side..with all that OSB I can hardly ever hear it raining.

[Wilsonmobilehomes]

andrew3d Wrote:
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> I bought The Grissim Guides a few months ago, and
> want to ask here to see if others had thoughts
> regarding what I've found.
>
> I noticed that Solitaire homes had a lower quality
> rating than Palm Harbor. But several friends swear
> up and down about their Solitaire home and how
> pleased they are with theirs. I also liked the
> Fleetwood floor plans, but haven't gone to see any
> of them. A friend says stay away...they had
> problems with theirs. So just looking at the
> guides, I still have friends who have different
> opinions.
> I suppose any of these companies, Palm Harbor,
> Solitaire or Fleetwood would make
> a good reliable home after you get the initial
> setup bugs worked out and provided you keep them
> maintained? Even a stickbuilt house has to be
> maintained or it will deteriorate.
> Just wondering if anyone disregarded the ratings
> in the guides or took a different approach to
> finding their home?
>
> I am near Waco and Temple Texas.
>
> Thoughts?
> Suggestions or advice?

The rating of the Manufacture is not the only thing you need to think about when buying a new home. When shopping for a new home dont just settle in on who has the cheapest price, you also need to ask yourself if i have a problem is this dealer going to be there for me when i need them, will this dealer go the extra mile to help me obtain warranty work when i need it. Ask the dealer how long they have been there and how many homes have they sold. If they are a Skyline dealer ask them about there CSI Rating, 80 or better is what you are looking for.

[Roberto]

We are relocating to Eastern TEnnessee from Southern California. We're looking for a premium brand, such as Silvercrest or NOrris...but found the selection minimal in the Johnson City area. Question: How can we see a premium-quality manufactured home that can be easily located to Roan Mountain. Seems like Norris/Clayton show only the lower-quality models....am I missing something?

[trmimo]

You can't mention Norris and Silvercrest in the same breath. Norris does not produce something of the same nature as Silvercrest. Try R-Anell, Virginia, Ritzcraft. You may have to get a modular in that area to get a home comparable to a Silvercrest as R-anell builds few HUD homes, and Ritzcraft builds only modulars in the North Carolina factory. Virginia retailers can be hard to find.

[Karol67]

We bought a Solitaire home in Ardmore, Oklahoma. We were very lucky to have the manager, Mike show us the homes. He was very knowledgeable and showed us a mock up of the construction that was in the front office. At first I thought that he was going to be a nightmare "Salesman" to my surprise he was not pushy and answered all of the what if questions I had for him, and even after we told him that we were going to look at other MH lots he said that he was sure that we would be back to buy a Solitaire. At first I thought yeah right buddy, still after looking at Palm Harbor and Clayton we decided on a Solitaire. The home we looked at had a victorian tub, which was very girly and I loved it, but because most females look for the pretty stuff when house hunting, I immediately changed my way of thinking and felt that the Solitaire homes we looked at felt so well built and sturdy, whereas the others felt like a strong wind could blow the house over - and this is just my opinion. I think that it was his confidence in what he was selling that made us believe him. I really think that had he not shown us the mock up and answered every question in great detail we would of never looked at other brand homes as inspectors. We love our home. Oh and this past weekend I took my bestfriend and her husband to see the homes and found that the manager got transferred to OKC, so guess we are making a roadtrip. I would recommend a Solitaire home over any other, but do what we did and look around first because no one wants throw away their money. Like he said you will choose the Solitaire.