Why do MH have such a bad rap?

[Amy]

I am trying to find out the truth about MH. If I am understanding this correctly, my MH is built with 2X6's it has Dry wall through out the installation is upgraded to the same as my neighbors stick built, I have double hung windows, Vinyl siding, the only difference between the stick built houses and mine is the steal under my house. I am on a full basement with 10' high walls and a 3 car attached garage.
My house is a 2004 and the houses on my street are smaller with out a basement and without a garage and they appraise for 200,000 and my only for 147,000.00. This really frustrates me. What makes a hud home so different that it appraises for so much less? It can't be location so what is it? By the way the homes are 3 years old and mine is brand new.

[Annaz]

I consider us manuf home buyers "smarter" as we didn't waste at least $50,000+ on a site-built home that contains the same or better qualities! Especially when we upgraded to 2x6 walls, 2x8 floors, good insulation, etc, etc. I personally would rather not be in debt for moocho buckaroos just because of the stigma. The heck w/everyone else. Although this didn't help you much did it? Heehee.

[Martha]

My dad is an appraiser down south and what he told me about this question a few months ago when I asked something similar is that MHs appraise slightly lower because they were lower cost to begin with. He said that they appreciate at the same rate if they are taken care of but that since the initial cost was less they appraise at less.

so I guess if you paid $100,000 for a stick built 10 years ago and prices in area have gone up 50% your house would be worth 150,000. Likewise same with a MH paid, 60,000 prices have gone up 50% now house = 90,000.

I don't know if this is exactly right but that is what I understood him to say. Although it sounds kind of weird if your house is that much newer and bigger that it didn't appraise for more. Maybe he couldn't find any comps to use to prove a higher price.

[Mark]

MH's aren't built to the same standards as a site built. The fixtures are different, the plumbing is different, the construction is different and they aren't considered real property (like a house), they are considered personal property (like a car).

While these details may seem minor, they decrease the value when compared to a home that was built using higher standards and better fixtures, etc.

Upgrade to a modular (especially off-frame), and you will see the value of the home more inline with other site builts in your area.

Mark
www.thehomeforums.com

[Art]

Mark,

You need to go back to the drawing board. I have a MH that is on a foundation , on private property and it is taxed as real property. Perhaps you statement would apply if you are in a MH park.

My MH came with Moen fixtures and I upgraded a number of other items using everyday items from Home Depot. Would you mine giving the name of the "better fixture"?

In my area of the country, MHs and stick built are equals when it comes to resale.

Art

[Eugene]

You can look at alot of things;
Rood trusses in a MH are generally made from 2 x 2's spaced 24" apart.
the floor decking is partical board, once it gets wet, forget it!
The dry wall is often 5/16" thinck, not 1/2"
Durabilty is the biggest issue. Mobile homes don't last as long.
And as long as the MH industry keeps screwing purchasers, that happens more then you might expect, they will remain as sub-standard housing.

[jgn]

The biggest problem with MH is the stigma attached to them. They are built just as well as a site built home and in many cases better because they are built in a controlled environment by crews who build the same model over and over so less mistakes. You run into trouble after the home leaves the plant because you have have damage in the transport and have to rely on a setup crew to do a good job installing a home that was not built to take into consideration the area it is placed, some do a great job and some do not.
In many parts of the country MH are considered a home where in other parts they are "trailors" regardless of when they were built or how much they cost. MH's where we have a lake house appraise for the same psf as site built but the buying market is less because there are a number of people who don't want to look at a "trailor". Mortgage companies charge a little higher interest rate for MH and a number of areas have zoning laws against them which make them 2nd class citizens.

[Mark]

You need to define 'foundation', all structures are on a foundation of some sort.
Cinder block piers are considered a foundation for MH's, others wouldn't consider anything less than a solid concrete slab to be a foundation (which I have never seen a mobile home on, if you have, please provide pictures, and a slab with piers doesn't count).

Perhaps I should have stated the obvious "in most cases", a mobile home is treated as personal property. Even the one I live in now is considered real property. I don't remember what hoops we had to jump through to get it tagged as such, but it certainly wasn't automatic.

Fixtures don't just mean the faucets. Bathtubs, sinks and the like are mobile home specific. A MH bathtub is only 52" a 'standard' tub is 60". A MH sink is only 19", a 'standard' sink is 22". Many use mobile home specific outlets and switches, smaller wiring (14/2 vice 12/2), smaller electrical panels. Drywall (when used) is usually 3/8" on the walls and 1/2" on the ceiling where site builts get 1/2" on walls and 5/8" on ceiling, etc. Taken individually, they are minor, but when encased in an entire home, it adds up.

Construction has greatly improved over the past, but they still have a way to go to be equal to site built. That being said, they are a good option for getting the most house for the least amount of money.

[mac]

Mark, besides having a clear bias, your information applies generally only to the lowest-end homes. Mine has the stick-built fixtures you mention, and it didn't get rained on for months while being built, either. And yes, I saved tremendously, compared with the quotes I got from the stick builders. I would rather pay my mortgage off and retire, rather than paying all that interest. My place will outlast me, at least, probably far longer, as I'm picky about maintenance.

[Bill Fry]

While all you say can be true in some MH homes it certainly does not hold true for any of the better MH builders that are out there today.There is virtually no difference in fixtures, wiring;drywall thickness and texturing, etc in better built MH's then there is in stick built.You can even get 7/12 or up roof pitchs if you desire.As far a being built directly off a slab,of course its not. but its not designed as such either.It would be rather difficult to transport as such.Many modulars have steel frames underneth too these days.
If your home is deeded with the land its on its real property,period.Theres not a lot of hoops to jump thru.unless its a single wide ,in which cases morgtages are hard to come by. I'm in new construction stick builts every day and believe me there getting cheaper and cheaper with the stuff their using to build them.If you shop right and get a good builder MH'ing is the best deal out there.
I live in a MH and don't really have too,I chose it as I know what stick builts are getting built like these days and they still seem to want a premium price.The choice is yours in the end however.As the old saying goes,its your money!