Top 3 Manufactured Homes/Worst 3 Manufactured Homes

[Mario]

Ok, I'm looking at buying a 4-5 bedroom Manufactured Home. It seems to me that no one seems to have the courage to tell me which home manufacturer is the best in terms of Quality of construction or which manufacturer(s) I should stay away from. So, I'll provide and easy way out, can anyone tell me the 3 Best companies to buy from and the 3 worst to stay away from. Someone? Anyone have the courage to name names?

-Thank you

[John]

A question that everyone asks and no one answers! There are so many opinions to your question that a true answer is very hard to find.Is an Explorer as good as a Navigator, they will both get you there but at what price? I am going through the same search and trying to narrow down what my requirements are. I want 1700+ sq feet, everyone makes those, I want 2x6 exterior walls, most can do that, I want 8' side walls, few have that, I want 2x4 interior walls, even fewer have that and I want all this for $35 per foot, need to change my requirements. I have a 1976 double, that I want to replace, that has held up very well and it is not good quality so how good is good enough? I have found that most manufacturers have different quality of homes depending on what you want to spend. What I will have to spend to get what I want is very close to a site built home so I need to adjust my wants.
I have gone from the best home, to a home that will meet my needs at a reasonable price.
My biggest consideration now is choosing a dealer because that is as important as the home. To me the dealer makes the difference in a good or bad purchase, and even though I am a salesman by profession, I feel like I am swimming with the sharks.

[Randy Eaton]

Hello Mario,

Check out my comparison guide which rates 40 of the most popular manufacturers in the U.S. Go to the main page and click on book store, you'll see it there.

Randall Eaton

[chris]

I really wish you would just answer these questions instead of trying to sell your book at every chance . This is a forum for people to exchange information and ideas, not a Randall Eaton promotion.
Randy, buy some advertising on the website. If you own the site or have a vested financial interest in the site, you should have banner ads promoting your book everywhere. But to continuously try to push your book on people who are on a website looking for help, not a commercial, makes me think your about as trustworthy as a used car salesman.

I have been visiting this site for over 3 months and have learned a lot from the people who post here. I have recently bought a home and think I did well because of what I learned here and I can proudly say I never bought your book.
I also have much respect for Mr. Murray and Mr. Bonney who very rarely mention the businesses they work for/own and ONLY provide information and tips to the questions that are posed to them.

Mr. Eaton you have a lot to learn about class and tact..you are one of the reasons why people who live in MH's still carry the stigma of living in trailers and being trailer trash.

[Art Rigsby]

Chris,

I think your comments regarding Randy are a little out of line. Last year, my wife and I decided on the spare of the moment to retire. We also decided that a MH would best fit our needs. We didn't have months to visit different web sites to find out all we could about buying a MH, we were working with weeks. We purchased Randy's book and ended up saving thousands of dollars just on the purchase price as well as knowing what options to buy that added structual strength to a MH.

Randy's book is not the Bible on buying a MH but it certainly helps you avoid walking into the dealer like a sheep ready to be fleeced.

Art

[Randy Eaton]

Hello Chris,

Hopefully you learned a few things from my posts as well since you have been visiting this site for so long. I wish you well and I am sorry if I offended you by trying to point you to my books.

Randall Eaton

[rmurray]

The reason knowledgable folks do not answer this question...Is that there really is no answer for it on a national basis...

Some of the highest quality manufactured homes are built by small local specialty companies that do not have a national presence...An example might be in the SE..Jacobson Homes, Mascot Homes and even Adrian...All single plant locally owned manufacturers who build on the upper end of the scale...If you are outside the SE..these will do you no good...and there are probably others who will..

Some of the larger companies also build top of the line in some of their plants..

Large national companies..Fleetwood, Oakwood, Champion, Skyline, Liberty, Palm Harbor..and others...All build different homes in each of their plants...As an example..Champion has 45 plants each building about 3 models...that is over 125 different products..all with different specs and different service reputation...

In our area..SE..Champion has Homes of Merit...one of the best..and Redman..only an OK house...

[Peggy]

Chris, suppose I asked you - Who builds the best car? what would you say? BMW? But when you might have to pay $800 for a replacement muffler, is it still the best?. Ford? But they have (or used to have) a problem with the front-end alignment. Plymouth Neon? But you might not like its tiny size. Cadillac? But it's pricey, too.

The same with manufactured homes. Some of the postings on here praise Fleetwood to the skies - other posters trash them. Palm Harbor is supposed to be great - but you pay more for options you might not want.

It's an impossible question to answer. I've bought Randy's book and it IS very helpful, and he's very knowlegeable. As for the "trailer trash" stigma, I think it's quite comical to blame Randy for this! What contributes to the "trailer trash" image is the fact that a lot of MH owners just stick their house out in a field and do no landscaping, no tree-planting, no beautification whatsodamnever. Then they put a swing-set, a trampoline and 3 birdbaths in the front yard and Ma (weighing 200 pounds and attired in a thin cotton muu-muu) stands in the open front door with a cigarette dangling from her lips bellowing at her rug rats. THAT is the problem - - - - not Randy's book!

[Gayle]

Wow..theres a mental picture! We did buy both of Randy's books and have learned a great deal from them and I thank him for putting that information together. What is really fun and something I may continue to do even after closing the sale on our home is going to MH dealers with the books in hand and asking them questions about their homes! I probably sold a few for you Randy in Central Kentucky...these guys were VERY interested in how their make and model rated. Keep them on their toes! Gayle

[Randy Eaton]

Hello Peggy,

That's too funny. Maybe you should be the moderator of this site. I had my wife read your post and she's still laughing. Thanks for the support.

Randall Eaton