Manufactured home questions

[Mary]

I can't imagine anyone wanting to "gain knowledge" who is not willing to use books for this purpose.

Going to chat rooms and forums like this one is certainly one way to gain some insight into "real world" people's opinions, but that's all they are. A person who has written a book has done research himself/herself and has compiled this research into the book, with statistics and facts for you to ponder.

Get yourself a library card, if you are not willing to spend money on a book, and find out what your local library has available regarding manufactured homes. Try not to have such a closed mind about information. Your brain, after all, has the capacity to hold personal opinions as well as research.

John Grissam's generous offer was probably snapped up by your library. Go and read what his 18 months' worth of research produced. As Murray says, "Knowledge is power." Get as much as you can.

[jbrady]

Yes it can be done!! With delivery and setup! I have been researching this market and industry for about 7months in Florida. The first thing I did is buy 2 downloadable internet books,one by John Grissom. Eventually I bought his book on manufactures ratings.
After talking to four dealers where I got many opinions,some good information and some outright lies I realized that you cannot go into this market with the attitude that you know it all and that no one can teach you anything from a book. i learned tons of stuff from the books!!
You can definitly buy a 1500 sq. foot M/H for your figure of $60K but you will have to take the standard construction with no upgrades to speak of. You must decide for yourself if 2x6 sidewalls 16" o.c. are worth extra to you or a higher roof pitch or marble window sills,or bigger H/W heater,or tape and textured walls, plywood floors etc. ect. This is where the manufactures ratings book is invaluable because Grissom gives you his take on what to consider and what not to consider, various manufacturers use different systems and you must be able to differentiate between them,what is standard with one mfg. is either an upgrade or unavailable from another. The info in these books is priceless, the best $120..00 or so that I ever spent.
I eventually decided on a Skyline because they had the floorplan and the flexability I wanted in the construction.
I got totally frustrated with the dealers however,and eventually called the factory in Ocala Florida for a recommendation, they sent me to a very successful dealer with a 100% straightup system of doing business.The spread with the other dealers for the exact same specifications on a 1600 sq. ft. home was $ 74,350 to a high of $99,500. This dealer sold me the home for 66,700 delivered and set up. Including a pattented concrete tiedown system! Get smart do your homework and you won't get burned!

[samantha]

If youare going to purchase either a manufactured home or mdular home it is best too get a modular home due to the fact that it is hard to finance manufactured home verse modular. I am a mortgage broker and trust me their are fewer and fwer lenders doing manufactured homes

[eugene]

There are a lot of good manufacturers and retailers in Indiana, the trouble is there are a bunch of really bad ones there too. The State of Indiana is the worst state in the country in enforcing the housing laws.
But, if I were you, I would look into a modular home, built by
Hart
Patrtiot
Ritz Craft

[Nick]

I agree with Eugene!


The State of Indiana does nothing for their homeowners. Go modular, you'll be better off, especially if you live in Indiana.

[suebow]

I am also looking at skyline, would you mind sharing the name of the dealer in Ocala that you worked with? Did you get any prior references or just the factory recommendation? I would think that is a number one recommendation.............

thank you so much