when do I give dealer the title?

[D Fiske]

This is the same process in my area. We must show that we own the land or have it leased and have permission to build. I thought along the same lines as Murray and felt construction should start within a week of close but to the contrary. We closed on Sept. 16th and still do not have permits to start. It is the dealer slacking off but all I can do is sit on my hands dince he has the 1/3 of the price of the home, he requested from the finance company (for a down). Once the home is comlete then I have some bargaining power to make a case about the length of this process because it will then be his money we are sitting on. I think the Dealer can make or break a the experience of a sale.

[Lynne S]

Not sure how possible it is for you, but I got all the permits myself and gave them to the dealer when needed. I found anything I didn't directly handle got down at a snail's pace and everything I did went like a snap. The only time we needed the dealer to do anyhing was to provide us with contracto's numbers/liscenses, other then that we didn't need them for anything related to permits.

[JoAnne]

Our dealer has a contractor that pulls all the permits, sets up jobs.... Yeah, it cost us about $1,400 for this contractor, and yeah, I'm a real tight wad, but that was the best $1,400 I've ever spent. The permits had been pulled all at once in the spring, We had the septic & drive put in in the spring, then later found out we have "seasonal wetlands" so had to have a culvert put in the drive. Due to glitches selling our old house, we could not order our new home or anything until we closed out of the old home, so we lived in a pop-up camper for 2 months. Our home was built 10/8/01, delivered 10/16/01 and in that time frame the excavator cleared the land, foundation put in and insulated, everything ready to go. As soon as the house was set the set-up man came in and laid the carpet... patched the drywall (we have 8' walls, all drywall throughout) and did all his work, we were right behind him with the paint cans, well put down, electrical (all the good stuff) and we moved in the first week of November.
The contractor was about 35 miles away from us, so we were in constant communications with them letting them know what was done and needed to be done, and they were johnny on the spot. All in all, we are quite pleased.