Ceiling Cracks

[Ray Acardo]

I have a chance to buy a 2002 Southern Lifestyles 16x80 Manufactured Home, that is still on the dealers lot, never titled. It's 3 bedroom 2 bath with all appliances. They are willing to take $26,900 for the home including delivery and setup. The only problem I noticed is there are some cracks in the ceiling (it has the blown in type ceilings like you see in regular homes). The dealer said once set up on my lot that they will repair all of these cracks, and that it is a very minor repair. Is this a good deal considering the home has never been lived in ? Once repaired, do I run the risk of these ceiling cracks returning on this type of ceiling ?
Many of the 2005 models I have seen have these same type of cracks on the dealers lot. Is this common ?

[Tom]

Its not uncommon for cracks to appear during transport of the home. They can reappear later if not repaired properly.

There is alot of talk that demos are not a good bargain. I dont know all the reasons behind this, but what I do know is you should be bargaining much tougher on the unit. Make them a lower offer, even if they dont accept and you have to walk away from it. Price a new similar one, and compare the price. Im not familiar with this particular model/manufacturer so I cant give you a good or bad deal statement. Do your homework and it will put you in a position of being able to bargain more.

[Ray Acardo]

Southern Energy makes this particular home. In some of the newer homes I have looked at, they have done away with this type of ceiling altogether.In my area, most 3BR/2BA 16X80 manufactured homes,start at $29,995 (what I call plain jane, no bells or whistles, and very plain floorplan) and go up to $36,995. The Southern Energy home has a very nice floorplan and will include delivery, setup, and skirting in the price. The dealer pulled the invoice and showed me that invoice price was $25,900. The only other home I am seriously considering is a 2004 Fleetwood Anniversary model for a "discounted" price of $33,900 (my offer, they want $35,500) I could save $7,000 on the Southern Energy home, but it does have the blown in type ceiling with some stress cracks. As long as this ceiling crack issue is nothing of major concern, I feel like I may be getting a better deal on the 2002 lot model. Just checking for other's opinions so I don't get burnt.

[Jim Chesky]

In my opinion, the $26900. price of this home is a good deal, make sure that they put in writing that they will repair the stress cracks. To help to make sure that they don't reappear, have your home installed on cement footings. This will help to prevent the home from settling, check with the local building codes as this may be required. If you are in a northern climate the footing should be below the frost line. If the stress cracks are more than "hairline" then they should do more than just tape & re-spray them. Should put some support above the cracks screw the ceiling into this support (like paneling), tape and then spray. If this ceiling is the "popcorn type", it is a little harder to work with to get a good match in texture, and will be hard to maintain. This is a fairly common problem with manufactured homes on dealers lots, due to the way they are normally displayed. Even with other types of ceiling finish, and even on the higher quality homes. Then, even with all of these precautions, you still may have the cracks return.

[Elathia Tredo]

We purchased a Southern Energy Home two years ago, the home is horrible. Cracks everywhere. What state are you in, do you mind me asking?