Silvercrest Westwood in San Diego

[Abi]

My husband and I are considering buying a Silvercrest Westwood model 60 from Ideal Homes in San Diego Ca. we are trying to find land on our own. the price range for land is between $50,000-$90,0000, depending on the size and how much work needs to be done. the dealer is selling the home for about $65,000 base , $7,000 for delivery/setup . we will probably take another $7000 in options. the dealer says the costs to prepare the land will be about $30,000 , again depending on the lot we buy. all-inall, we are hoping to spend less than $200,000 which is still $100,000 less than the median home price in our area. Does anyone have any advice or experience they can share with me, i am new to this and it seems like a lot of work, but it will be worth it if my figures are correct.

[Art Rigsby]

My wife and I just had a Silvercrest Westwood placed on some property we own in Lake County (No. Calif). Here's a breakout of what we paid less home and land cost:

Permits and Fees: $9,918.00
Site Development (This included the garage, driveway, sidewalk, septic, foundation,
grading, hookups, etc.) $34,870.00
Delivery and Finish: $11,616.00
Misc.: $700.00

I am not sure what the dealer means about "prepare the land". Does it include the cost I have indicated above? A septic system can be a killer if the soil doesn't perk right. Our dealer did provide us with a Cost Estimate Worksheet before we signed on the dotted line. His estimate turned out to be $2030.00 too high!

Here's some upgrade you should consider:

Upgrade ALL the sinks. Even the stainless steel kitchen sink. Metal is too thin.
If you are handy, take the standard faucets and replace with your own from Home Depot, Lowes, etc.
Same for the interior lights.
They don't wire the phone and cable outlets. You have to do it yourself or have someone do it. It is easy to do as they leave a fish wire in each outlet.
Carpet.
Kitchen cabinets.
Water heater. (Standard 30 gal may be OK if just you and husband.)

I would say at this point we are happy with our purchase and looking forward to an early retirement this summer.

I think the important thing is to make sure your cover all the bases before you sign on the dotted line.

[Art Rigsby]

I just took a looked at my Silvercrest catalog and our dealer quoted $59,800 for the model 60. That was in Sept. Check other dealers in your area and see what kind of pricing you get. We did that and found our dealer was on the high side so we went back to him and got a much lower price.

[Abi]

Thank you Art, I will take this information with me this weekend, we are trying to find land that already has had a perc test, so that the septic wont be too much of a problem.