Horton Homes?? 1st time buyer

[Chris]

Yes I'm 32 years old and am considering buying a home for the first time. I've been approved for $91,000.00 with a FHA loan @ 6.75% ? My credit isnt perfect so is this pretty good?
Also the company I went to sell's Horton Homes? Are these good homes?? Has anyone had any dealing's with Horton Homes??
Do you have any suggestion's for a first time buyer?
Also this price I've been approved for is for a land home package.

[rmurray]

From a post I posted in a newsgroup.. alt.mobilehome

In interest of full disclosure...The dealer I work for is a Horton
dealer...You can find a lot of info on our web site about Horton at
www.MelvinWilliams.com ...

For your info..
Horton Homes is a privately owned company that started to build manufactured
homes in 1969...Their only manufacturering facility is in Eatonton,
GA...about 40 miles from Atlanta..This facility can build 50 double section
homes a day when business is there...The complex is the biggest in the
industry and when in full production employs nearly 3000 people...

The President of the company is Dudley Horton...his family is involved in
many areas of the company...The Hortons own a frame company, wheel and axle
company, a molding factory that sells molding to almost all manufacturers in
the SE, a sheetrock factory that sells finished sheetrock to many
manufacturers, a cabinet plant that sells to other quality manufactures and
also to Home Depot and Lowe's, a modular home plant, a mortgage company, a
transportation company, a furniture manufacturing plant, a furniture
wholesale company....even some Chevy auto dealerships and a horse trailer
manufacturing plant...Dudley Horton himself and most of his family live in
manufacture homes built in their own factories...

Horton build nothing but extremely well built homes...2x4 exterior AND
interior walls..ALL on 16 inch centers (inside and outside)....2x6 or 2x8
floor joists..transverse to the frame all on 16 inch centers,..all roof
rafters are on 16 inch centers...All homes have a 30lb snow load rating..(20
lb is required in the SE and most homes are no more than that..the stronger
roof is required in the North)..He uses a 25 year warranty fiberglass 3 tab
shingle (most use the 20 yr 2 tab..3 tab shingles are much less likely to
blow off)...Since March all homes have had architectural shingles as
standard..All homes have 20 lb felt under the shingles (not required and
sadly missing on many homes in the SE)...Although not required in the
SE..all homes have an ice dam built into the roofs...few in the South even
offer this as an option..

All electrical wires are in the roof....no wires run through the wall
studs...this is very uncommon in the industry..others will cut the wall
studs weakening them and negating the advantage of using 2x4's...Horton is
the only one in the industry that uses a Seimans electrical box that is ALL
copper inside..even the busbar is copper..The unusual quality features list
goes on and on and on...

Mr. Horton hates to lay off folks...so in the last few months to keep the
work force busy..he has offered the dealers a large number of specials..No
doubt some of the homes that your local dealer is advertising at such low
prices...The sale prices really are low...

Disadvantages if any....Horton is still standard with NovoDeck
floor..pressboard..our dealership has none in stock and will not sell
it..OSB is only a $300 option and in most models when built...Until
recently..decor was pretty plain in relation to some other homes...many
homes in the low to middle price range use a lot of eye candy and cut costs
in construction..Horton refuses to do this...The money is in quality
construction...then he offers eye candy as an option...there are many
options available......Mr. Horton often points out that his family name is
on the house..if folks insist on buy pretty but inferior quality
homes...they can buy someone else's home...He is very aware most consumers
are financing 30 years..and want to build only homes that will be here in 30
years..

If you are dealing with a quality dealer...you cannot go wrong with a Horton
Home..Good Luck

[jgn]

but they are not available in Oklahoma unless you deliver!

[rmurray]

Too far for us...but there are dealer in LA and MS..both about 400 miles away..some dealers would consider this kind of delivery..

Horton Prudhomme Mobile Homes 3992 I-49 North Opelousas LA 70570 337-942-2092

Dynasty Roland Ross Home Center 317 Jake's Trail NW Brookhaven MS 39601 601-833-6401 [email protected]

Horton Horton Homes of Columbus 406 Wilkins Wise Rd. Columbus MS 39701 662-244-5501
[email protected]

Horton Oak Mannor Homes 13038 Hwy. 49 Gulfport MS 39503 228-539-2800 [email protected]

Horton Horton Homes of Gulfport 13038 Hwy. 49 Gulfport MS 39503 228-539-2800

[Nicole]

I have to tell you after almost 2 years of shopping and trying to make a decision on to build stick built and find a quality MFG home....

Horton is the way to go....
(btw I am not a dealer or salesperson!)

other homes simply do not compare when you look at dollar amounts for quality construction....I have to say I giggled at a few homes where they even throw in a big screen TV to tempt people....but have shabby framing and overall poor construction compared to Horton.....wonder if that TV will help keep the rain out in a few years LOL!!

We looked at the following homes.....and compared compared compared.
fleetwood......tinny cheap construction..kinda like pretty gift wrap on a lump of coal.
clayton....oh nice on the eye but does not compare price and quality....
oakwood....they sure make them sound good until you get down to the price of upgrading to quality construction....humm quality is an upgrade these days?
cavalier..... pretty wrapping paper with a great big shiny bow.

we compared cost for insulation upgrades, bath upgrades, options like drywall, fireplaces ect......Horton by far beat out every other manufacturer. Their standard construction was considered upgrades by many of the other manufacturers.

Now sales people ....well we went to 6 Horton dealers....prices for the exact home were as high as $14,000 more, then once you add the foundation, decks, and our wanted options even higher....even had a sales person offer a $500 cheaper price than our final deal with a upfront and honest salesperson......at the start this salesperson quoted nearly $10,000 more for the same home....that we are purchasing from a honest horton dealer....funny after I told him our new homes price suddenly his dropped $500 below our current deal.....I told him if he was honest he would have offered it at that price to start knowing our situation that the home is actually to serve also as a volunteer center for our organization.

Now its not worth $500 to me to get involved with a man that tried to pull the wool over my eyes the first time around....even when I went in with exact needs, price range and budget.....still tried to push us into a house that he knew was beyond our wanted monthly payment......and would pull money from the organization we support...knowing our mission comes first...luxury spending last. SHAME ON HIM!
wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him....that $500 discount would surely disappear once the papers were signed ....i have no doubt.

So shop shop shop dealers once you know exactly what you want....
weed out the slickies....cuz they are out there!

Be upfront with your sales person....and do not let them try to talk you into spending more than you want or can..educate yourself ....I think I ended up knowing more about MFG homes than some of these sales people. Point blank caught many of them in bold face lies.....I admit I enjoyed bringing it to their attention that I knew they were full of it before I left the sales office.....How dare some stranger attempt to steal from me by telling me lies....I deserve better.

Anyway my hat off to Mr. Murray and Melvin Williams Homes!!
He did not approach me for a sale .....I approached him.....I watched the posts on this forum for 3 months....saw the answers he gave and thought how odd he was for indeed telling the truth....LOL! after dealing with every sort of slicky I was shocked to find someone was honest out there selling homes....and after a few conversations I knew we finally found our Horton dealer...

To let you all know, I am posting this on my own....Mr. Murray/ Melvin Williams/Horton has not offered one thing for me to do this...I think honesty is the most admirable trait anyone can have, and it should not go unnoticed.


Now just have to sign those loan papers! and do a little packing too.....

Nicole
www.hollowcreekfarm.org

[rmurray]

Your up early...Thank You...

By the way...your home came in late yesterday...I will check it out today and call you..

[David Oliver]

Murray,
You sound like an honest man. I have looked at several MH dealerships in the past few months and have managed to find some nice homes. However, I have not managed to find a dealer that I feel like I can really trust. Yes, I expect them to make money. That's what they're in business for. But I somehow feel that they are not being quite above board with me. Hard to put a finger on it. Can you give me the name of a trustworthy dealer in West Texas, Southern New Mexico or Southeastern Arizona?

[rmurray]

Sorry...I just cannot help you..