Part of the problem might be???????

[RuthieG]

I understand that there is certainly a different quality in different manufacturered homes but after reading nearly every post on the bulletin boards on this site, I am wondering if part of the problem is with the dealers themselves. I keep seeing one person happy with a particular company and another terribly unhappy so I am wondering if a big part of the problem is at the dealer level in that they don't handle the setup properly and/or follow through on repairs or adjustments etc.

My husband and I have 10 acres in Florida that we purchased with the idea of putting a home on it and have seriously considered a manufactured home for several reasons...but the biggie was basically to avoid the headaches of building. I am trying to research manufactured homes and it makes me very nervous because of all the negativity. I have known people that seemed to be happy with their homes and want to persue this avenue but am getting a bit scared off. We are senior citizens or close to it and do not want or have the ability to handle more than minor maintenance.

Is there any one out there that can offer encouragement?

[Dan O'Flaherty]

You are very right one of the biggest problems can be at the retailer level.
Many retailers are in the business for the long run and care about making customers happy. But, it is sad to say, some retailers use the cheapest sub-contractors or help they can hire to set and service homes.
I don't care what kind of home you purchase, and I am not just talking about Manufactured Homes, if it is not on a good foundation and set correctly everything that can go wrong will.
Check with the local BBB-state Att. Generals offices and the Fla. Manufactured Housing Association for information on good retailers.

good luck

[cynthia]

When my parents built a pre-fab cabin in the Berkshires in the 1950's, they were trying to save money and only had a crawl space blasted out of the shale bedrock. Thirteen years later, my dad and I spent a whole summer trying to jackhammer another few cubic feet of crawl space for storage. Forty years later, my husband and I had to have the perimeter trenched to create better drainage, since the foundation was pushing in from the weight of the water and soil, and since the foundation had NOT BEEN TIED IN AS WELL AS IT COULD HAVE BEEN, parts of the foundation were going out of alignment. The moisture coming up from the ground was causing the floor to rot and we had to replace a lot of it. The house always has a bit of the smell of a cellar because the earth is so close underneath. If we are able to add on with a modular addition, I will be very eager to have a good, deep, sound foundation under the whole structure. Friends of ours are purchasing a stick built home in the process of construction and will be paying an extra $4000 on a base price of between $250k and $300k just to add, an extra foot of depth to their basement so that it really has a generous ceiling when it is finished off, so I know that foundations are costly. If you know or can introduce yourselves to folks in the area who built recently, perhaps they will let you sniff their basements and give you the name of their foundation digger if they were happy with them. We have not yet found out who would sell us an addition in the upstate New York or western Mass area.

[Jon]

RuthieG:
No matter what you buy, or who you buy it from, sensible research should always be conducted before making a large purchase. This is especially true with the process of buying a home.
In your post you mentioned the high degree of negativity in this forum and that retailers may possibly be the cause of some of the expressed problems. Certainly, there are some retailers who only have an interest in making a quick dollar, and there are manufacturers who cut corners on quality. There are also stick builders who are only interested in a quick buck, and lumber companies that sell second-rate material. As a consumer you must try to determine which retailers/builders and which manufacturers/building suppliers make an honest effort to satisfy their customers. Participating in a forum like this is a good start. But more should be done, such as getting referrals, seeing previous projects, even speaking with past customers. Ask your retailer for these then check them out.
As for the negativity: Unfortunately forums like this almost always attract folks who are unhappy with their home selection for one reason or another. It gives them a place to "vent." Human nature being what it is, most contented folks simply aren't motivated to seek out a forum in which to express their pleasure. Of course, some do ... but the overwhelming majority do not. So it is not surprising to read the many negative comments, which leads to my next point: The customers themselves.
It never ceases to amaze me that so many otherwise intelligent people will seemingly purchase a manufactured home with their eyes closed. The only question a retailer can count on hearing is "How much will the monthly payment be?" Customers often don't inquire about home specifications. They seldom ask about the quality of materials used. They almost never inquire about retailer service after the sale or the experience of the retailer. Our staff takes the time to point out many of these things, yet the eyes of most folks just seem to glaze over. Very likely many of the folks who register their displeasure did not do the research or ask the questions a retailer should answer. Of course, there will always be a few who did the right things but still got "taken to the cleaners." However, in most cases they probably will not have. Although the buyer should always be reasonably cautious, the folks who complain may not have done their homework.
So whatever direction you follow in getting a home, any home, keep your eyes open, ask plenty of questions--especially the kind of questions mentioned above--and keep track of the answers and information you receive. Once you've compiled your data analyze it to determine which manufacturer/building supplier and which retailer/builder are most compatible with your budget and your circumstances.
While there can be no guarantees as to retailer/builder reliability, if you run across one who won't obtain answers to your questions, or if the answers are not to your liking, you should move on.
Good luck.

[RuthieG]

Thanks Jon for your reply........I am certainly in the process of following your advice. I have learned so much in the last month that I have been researching this. I do feel comfortable that a manufactured home is right for us and I am determined to get all the info to make an informed decision. Thanks for adding to my information.