Negotiate - is that OK

[Katie]

We are in the process of looking for either a modular home or a manafactured home. We have about 110,000 to spend on the project and already own the land. It does not seem like the dealers are into working with the price of the home. How do you handle negotiation with the dealers? Is this acceptable in the industry? How do you know if you are getting a decent price?

[jgn]

When you say they won't work on the price of a home are you talking about them shooting you a ball park estimate and "what will you come off". If that is the case I can't say I blame them. A dealer is not going to show their hand unless they know you are serious and ready to buy. They get tire kickers all the time who are just shopping for price and really don't know what they want. Pick a dealer you like, a floorplan you like, have a detailed quote written up and work from there. It is easier to get them to add upgrades than chop their price. After the quote is presented see if they will upgrade the insullation, carpet, bigger water heater, include poured footers, etc for that price. There is no factory list price on MH so you really need to shop around and see what is fair but make sure you are comparing apples to apples.There is a book you can order on how to negotiate on a MH and that would be worth the price.
A dealer needs to make a profit in order to provide you with a service. He has to floorplan models, pay crews for setup and salesman but I am sure most of them can afford to negotiate to some degeree

[Gil Davis]

Negotiation is fine with us, IF you are committed to our brand and a floor plan. We do see "tire-kickers" every day who are looking for big discounts up front. Then they will typically go to another dealer and quote your price as a way of getting the next dealer down.

We currently have a triple wide waiting to go on a lot and you can't imagine how many people stop by to see if it's an "orphan" or if it could be a distress sale.

So, find your dealer, a good floor plan, make a commitment, then see what can be done on options, etc.