Why is it some hard to find prices on the net?

[Ken Seager]

I am a recently married first time buyer facing the prospect of being homless in 3 1/2 months, due to my upcoming discharge. My wife is looking for a home while I am in Iraq. There is not much on the market in the area and I am looking into placing a manufactured home on private land. I am getting the feeling that the MH industry is a giant hornswaggle! I can find pricing information on any other manufactered good on the web, why not homes? The wife went to a MH dealer a couple of days ago and before they would talk specific prices, wanted her to go to a lender the they use because: 1) said lender is friendlier to vetrans than others in the area and 2) they wanted to see how much we could qualify for through them. Why does the amount we qualify for have any bearing on how much the climate controlled, quality controlled, we buy materials in vast quanitties and pass the savings on to you home cost? By the way, I am in Helena, MT and there is not an active duty military branch in town, so the large miliary predators found outside AD installions aren't here.

[Ray]

Unfortunately the net covers too wide an area to make individual home model pricing relevant to that great an area. Costs vary too much across regions. However, dealers that service your area should be able to give you realistic pricing for an installed product. Also, do not shop on price alone. Go for the best dealer/ installer that you can find. Seek out reputation and references #1. That being said, I think any dealer should be able to give you a price sheet of his base model pricing so you can see if you are even in the ball park. Site development costs are going to be similar for any home (plans, permits, septic, water, utilities, foundation, driveway, etc.) so that really is the starting point to determine your budget- land and development costs then see how much is left over for home. A competent dealer should be able to ball park your completed costs fairly closely if he/she knows the area where home is to be placed. Obviously delivery, foundation and set up will be more for a three section than a two section. This will take some face to face time so it may be a little more difficult for you, but maybe a local dealer can get you info and get a dialogue started via email to help speed things up. Good luck!

[David Oxhandler]

Here are a few places you can click thru to find homes for sale in your area with prices.Gather the information you need to start the purchase of your manufactured home here and NOW! You can know before you leave home which local sellers have the homes, locations and even finance programs that best suit your needs. If you’re a serious buyer just fill out the form you will find HERE
Manufactured Housing Multiple Listing Servicehas emerged as the web's number one most popular destination for buyers searching for a manufactured home You can get a very good picture of the prices for various homes in your area. The MLS includes listings BY OWNER, BY DEALER, BY BUILDER and BY FINANCE COMPANIES Listings are searchable by city, state, number of bedrooms and baths, manufacturer, year built and price. Each listing also auto-interfaces with Yahoo Maps. There is a MAP link included each listings individual page. Almost like magic, When clicked it will auto-generate a map of the location of the home for sale and the surrounding area.

[jgn]

What they are saying is we want to make sure you can buy a house before we spend any time with you. I would not even consider doing business with anyone who treated me that way and would tell them I will look elsewhere.
Now for pricing on the internet, not to be had. There are some places that list the price of the home for all to see inside the home, unfortunatly there aren't many of these locations. To some degree I agree with them because there are so many variables with the home and the setup but the dealers should list the price of the home as it sits with normal setup.
Before I consider a home I want an option list and the sales person to do a cost workup with the options I want. If they are unwilling to do that without any credit check, application, down payment or any commitment on my part than they do not want me consider them as a viable seller.

[Gil Davis]

The hard cold facts are that there are too many variables. We are dealers and we insist on our customer (and us) knowing what they can afford. Too many times we see people who had a bankruptcy last year or last week that would like to buy a manufactured home.
We don't require a downpayment but we also don't want to waste our time with people who can't buy.
We have tried quoting "normal setup" only to have a customer decide that a helicopter set is "normal". We do quote prices FOB our lot. Since we have many interlocking options, giving a client an options list is like loading their gun for a fast round of russian roulette.
Ray has the right slant on things, we almost always start out with clients on the net and work with them until both of us are seeing that a personal visit is going to be needed and right.

[robert]

In the September 2005 Consumers Report, The Consumer Union (publishers of Consumers Report) in their Viewpoint section on page 61 calls on the Federal Government to mandate a sticker price on mobile homes just like the government did on cars in the late 1950's. This would make shopping around much easier. Consumers Report also states that "inflated dealer prices can turn into quick depreciation once the home is installed. Consumers who pay too much for a home can end up with "negative equity", owing more on their loan than the home is worth. In the last decade alone, that has led to repossession and financial failure for hundres of thousands of families". Again this is from page 61 of the September 2005 Consumers Report. Look it up yourself.

Also Consumer Reports article mentions their website for more information related to manufactured housing - www.ConsumersUnion.org/mh If your thinking about a manufactured home you need to do your homework yourself. This site might help.

[jgn]

I guess the approach to use is keep the customer in the dark and don't let them see you picking their pocket. Your whole approach to selling is what has given the industry a bad rap. "giving a client an options list is like loading their gun for a fast round of russian roulette". that statement sums up the regard you hold for your customers because I guess they are to stupid to know what they want and if it is that difficult to understand than I guess that is better for you.

"We have tried quoting "normal setup" only to have a customer decide that a helicopter set is "normal". Seems like you need to do a better job of explaining what you mean.

"we also don't want to waste our time with people who can't buy" I don't sell MH but I am a sales professional and I now realize I have been doing it all wrong. I really need to find out if someone is going to buy before I waste my time on them, thanks for the tip.

[Eric]

Ken,
I am just a manufactured home owner. But for what its worth...
Be aware that dealers and financers can be in bed together. I have excellent credit and the BEST rate that the dealer's bank offered me was about 3 percent higher than the regular loan market. I f you are placing on land that you own or are buying go to your regular bank and compare the financing terms.
Also, I made the mistake of not checking the dealership out thouroughly. They had a reputation for poor work that still haunts me three years later. I got a lot of home for my money, but the dealership didnt do things right for me...they are now shut down and bankrupt.
Good luck Brother
Come home safe...I did Afghanistan last year at this time
Eric

[Linda]

Quality Wholesale Homes lists all their home prices but that does not include shipping and set up or other options. But if you find a home you like made in one of the factories close to you, shipping won't be so much. The only show room is in St George, Utah. Do not finance thru the dealer, it can get pricey

[Gil Davis]

At the risk of catching more "heat" from jgn, we pre-qualify buyers so that THEY don't waste their time with homes they can't afford. We give price lists all the time to our clients. Those price lists are meaningless to anyone outside our area.
So far as "option lists" these are fairly complicated and can easily lead to mis-understandings. Some options are dependent on others, etc.
We do quote normal setup, then visit the actual site to ensure there are no giant problems and that we can actually get the home on site without special equipment. Since we are located in the Sierra foothills there can be serious problems.
All of our financing is initiated by our clients. We recommend lenders, but do not insist on any lender. There are a few lenders that we DO NOT use nor recommend because of past problems.
I have no idea what jgn sells, but I'll bet he/she doesn't approach the homeless folks with his/her product or service.
David's advice was good, but just now there were no listings in Montana.

Ken, I would try major mfgs like Kit, Palm Harbor, Guerdon, Champion in that area. Most of the major mfgs have a website that can direct you to dealers in the desired area. Ask the dealer/s that carry the kind of home you are looking for for prices, setup costs, etc. I think most will be quite responsive.