Dbl wides are great but...

[Robert]

Really enjoyed learning about manufactured housing on these forums. Very informative and a great resource! A note to Murry - you're great - thank you for helping so many people.

While double wides are beautiful, does anybody buy singlewides anymore? I am single and don't 1,500 sq ft of space or more, nor the larger price tags. It's seems like the dealers I visited seem more intrested in selling doublewides than single wides. Do dealers make more profit on a doublewide? Is financing just as available for purchasing singlewides as doublewides? Same with insurance? Are there advantages to a doublewide over a singlewide besides the additional square footage?

Finally, does anybody know anything about a Clayton singlewide model called WINGATEXXX? It has a nice floor plan and is about the right size, but I never read many comments about singlewides? Am I missing something?

Any imput is appreciated.

Thank you,
Robert

[Nancy]

I'm just a home owner but wanted to comment on your post.
I live in a single wide Clayton home. A 2001 Texan model. The model you mentioned is almost identical to what I am in. My kitchen and dining areas are in the reverse position. I fell in love with the floor plan, nice and open feeling. Wide hallway and it had all the earthtone colors I wanted (greens and browns) We are currently having trouble with our home but I don't think it reflects the company as a whole. My father in law also lives in a Clayton singlewide and he hasn't experienced any trouble. They were both built at the same plant.

Anyhow, we are out growing ours, however before we had our son it was plenty big. The inlaws think their's is fine as well.

Clayton did our financing. 10 year note. Insurance through just about any company for us (texas) is about $750 a year. But I know that all varies.

We did not need the huge square footage when we bought the home also we did not have the funds for a double wide.

Good luck with your house hunting.

Nancy

[Wendy]

Hi~

Our lot at Oakwood Homes in Redmond Oregon sells brand new single wides.
One of our models is 2 bdrm, 1 bath and 756 sq ft, and it is called ' Bayview.'
The other single wide we manufacture is called the 'Claremont' and is 891 sq ft, 3 bdrm, 2 bth.They are both built with the same standards as our more expensive homes.

If you would like anymore information I would be happy to fax you a floor plan.

Have a great day!

Wendy
Oakwood Homes
(541) 548-3221

[jgn]

It seems that most manufacturers build singles but few have models ontheir lots. The demand is for multi sections because most people want the size and it looks more like a house than a "trailor" plus resale is better. Not being in the industry I would have to assume the dealer makes more on a D/W because they cost more so even if the percentage is the same the amount will be more. If you settle on a single you can probably drive a hard bargain on one a dealer has had for awile.

[Greg]

From someone in the industry believe me when I tell you I would much rather sell a single wide than a double wide. I can complete the process in 10-20 days vs 75-100 days and my sales people can earn their paychecks faster as well. Profit wise there is usually a small difference but not a substantial one between double and single.

The reason many sales centers don't carry new singlewides is really 3 fold

1. People want to live in a home that looks like a home

2. There are thousands of repossessed single wides on the market that limit our profitability and limit the ability of you the consumer to re-sell your house for a reasonable amount.

3. Financing is generally easier on doublewides than on singlewides. Interest rates are lower and loan terms can be longer. A traditional mortgage loan or an FHA loan will only require 3%-5% down while it takes at least 5% down to purchase a single wide and substantially more to get a good interest rate.

In my opinion as the number of repossessed homes on the market decreases. The attractiveness of singlewides will increase.

[David]

As an independent dealer in Texas I too agree with Greg. Too many singles in the repo market, poor resale, and some communities here will not allow a single in their neigborhood. Best of luck on your decision...

[Cahney]

I have had a bit of trouble finding less tha 1000 sq ft too. Could you fax me a floor plan too?

[Wendy]

I can fax you 2 different single wide floor plans, both less than 1000 sq ft.
You can email me at [email protected]

Have a wonderful week!

[rmurray]

Thank You for the compliment..sorry I was so long responding..It seems that there have been many others to respond..all with good observations..

The single vs double thing is interesting...First...it is very hard to mortgage a single with land...This means that you will pay much higher interest rates on a single purchase...Some doubles are closing right now with land at about 5 3/4%...but the best I know of for a single with land to be about 10%...(this varies with credit score and downpayment)...

Few folks are putting homes into rental communities except in areas with no land available..or where the communities are VERY nice...Singles placed into most parks are very hard to sell in the future...If resale is important..even 5 to 10 years from now...I would be very careful....I always just point out that dealers only carry inventory that folks are looking for..they seldom have singles only because singles are not selling...All of us who have been in the business for a long time would love to go back to the days that 80% of business were singles...life would be much easier..but..I do not see that happening..This means when you need to sell..you could be sunk..

All that said...if resale is not important because you will keep very long..or this is your last home...AND..interest rates do not matter because you have cash or very large downpayments..AND...you have a location that will allow single and you like....GO FOR IT..

[Robert]

Thanks to everyone for their intresting comments. I had no idea about the difference in finance rates between singlewides and doublewides. Two of our local dealers did have smaller doublewides that I will have to take a second look at.

The dealers in our area have Clayton, Fleetwood, and Karsten models on their lots. If anyone knows of smaller size models from any of these manufacturers, any information would be appreciated.

Thanks again!