Whether to buy new or used

[julie]

How do you know whether it is better for the money to buy a good used mh or a new mh. We appear to have a reputable used home dealer. we also have talked to a cavalier home dealer. How do you know what to do? thanks for any wisdom julie

[rmurray]

There are 4 times as many used homes sold every year as opposed to new...Just like site built homes...

With used there are many compromises...You will never find exactly the home and colors you like...there will be NO warranty...so you will be on your own..this means you need to be very careful about condition..and dealer...No agency of government regulates anything to do with used homes..

Unfortunately seldom will you find truly high quality homes on a used home sales lot...most of these homes are repossessions and those buying high quality seldom have reposessions..Of course there are exceptions to the rule..

If you decide to think used..do not limit yourself to 1 dealer...check with homes available in your area from individuals as well....many of the better more well kept homes are sold this way...

Nobody can tell you which is better for you..new or used depends on you...local market..quality of used available...onj and on..Good Luck

[Terry Wilcox]

I bought an old MH in 1982. It was crappy when we bought it for 4000.00 and today its still crappy. saving has been much over renting. The MH had no insulation under the floor so I insulated skirting. If anyone does this LAY DOWN PLASTIC TO SET THE MH ON.. THIS KEEP MOSTURE FROM COMMING UP FROM THE GROUND. I DIDN'T DO THIS AND I HAVE A TERIFIC MOLD PROBLEM. IT HAS LEAD TO HEALTH PROBLEMS FOR MY FAMILY.

New home ver. used. My cousin bought a new home in 1995. She has replaced front door. floor in hallway and kids bedroom. she has replaced wall and insulation in kids bedroom also. She said the floor in the hallway felt soft after only about 3 years of ownership. Those darn floors are made of pressed saw dust.
they go bad fast. Yesterday her MH looked no better than our 1977 model. Today her MH looks good but at cost of most what we paid for out home in 1982. If you are going to get new MH try to get custom made. Specifie the use of 3/4 inch high grade plywood to be used in the floor. Most all homes have the pressed sawdust sheets for flooring and most high traffic areas get week in just a few years. We tore the floor out of our MH years ago and replaced with 3/4 inch plywood and today it is still good. It seems quality has gone down in last 20 years as my cousins new leaked, trim popped loose and front door rotted in about 8 years. After almost 30 years mine is just starting to leak some. OH watch for frost on wall if you live in cold climate. I found places on mine where wall frosted because insulation didn't go clear to the floor. I would bet that happenes a lot also. My thought for the day.... Buy a MH you can be happy with and save all you can for that stick built home

[Rita]

I'm a bit late here, so the original poster may not even see this. I would not, if you can help it, buy a used home from a dealer, cuz they do need to put some kind of markup on it, and you're going to pay that in your price. If you can, buy from a private individual, maybe someone you know (not a friend, though!), so that you can get a sense of how well the place was maintained. I am the second owner of my used home, and I know who the original owner was. I am confident that he took better-than-average care of this home (which is not to say that I expect perfection). Also, I had the luxury of not having to move right away, so I watched his asking price come down after a couple of months. I made him an offer that was $7500 less than his original price, because he was in a bigger hurry than I was. I had the interior painted and the carpets cleaned, had a dishwasher and garbage disposal installed, and moved in. Have your place checked out, too. Good luck.