KARSTEN HOMES

[bayou316]

Hi everyone. Can anyone tell me about their Karsten home? Can anyone tell me about the Karsten company?

We are looking at a home with 1744 square feet. Total cost will be $59.52 per square foot for just the house. Our options are what is going to kill us. Currently we are up to almost $40,000 in options.

Anyway, any opinion on Karsten?

Thanks.

[David Oxhandler]

Karsten Homes is a top-of-the-line manufactured housing manufacturer, providing state of the art, quality homes all over the country. Like their products their prices are not low end. Some dealers may charge more than others for the options.

Under $60 per sqft sounds like a very reasonable price...but give yourself the peace of mind of knowing you got the best possable price. See if a better price is available, get a quote for the exact same home from a few more Karsten dealers.

To find the dealers nearest to you go to Karsten's web site. You can search their dealer base by entering your zip code at http://www.karstenhomes.com/findbuilder.cfm or you can use the Home Finder Search

If you want to get a clear idea of the best methods for negotiating price do a little reading The Manufactured Housing Book Store is running a Special 2 Book Offer on both of the best selling Grissim Manufactured Home Shopper's Guides

The Complete Buyer's Guide to Manufactured Homes and Land - Which will show you how to find a reputable dealer and negotiate a fair price.

AND

The Grissim Ratings Guide to Manufactured Homes - This book rates every Manufactured Housing Builder's products, price ranges, construction ratings & more


Get more details HERE

[gigi63]

The Karsten Company is now owned by Clayton Homes and both are owned by Berkshire-Hathaway (Warren Buffet).


We just bought a Karsten. It is top of the line, but the options can run you way over budget. Unfortunately the dealership, Homes Direct of Albuquerque, caused us more problems than I could possibly list here. When you get down to the contract and down-payment, you find out that the A/C is not included and will cost $3500 and of course there is sales tax. I had done lots of research and knew about site prep (which is all in addition to the cost of the house). It's interesting to note that Homes Direct never mentioned the site prep to us. It actually ran real close to $20K (septic tank & lines, water lines (we already had our well), electricity, foundation, grading). We paid for this out of pocket.

Be careful if they try to push their "special" on you. They play with the figures and are "giving" you options that you might not add on if you were choosing. Then when you add on options that you really want/need, the price zooms. It's very deceiving.

I hope this helps and will be glad to answer any questions you have.

[David Oxhandler]

gigi -   Sounds like your problems were with the dealership, rather than the home itself.  Home shoppers MUST be fully educated BEFORE hitting the streets to look for a home.  What ever your shopping for you better have a broad understanding of the product, the possible pitfalls during the sales phase and the post sales phase.   When shopping for a manufactured home you need to find a reputable dealership and understand just what you are buying from them.   Are you buying just the home, the transport, the install, the utilities and utility hookups?  What other expenses will you be forced into in order to move into your home???  Will you need permits will your local permit authority collect impact fees?  What other local building code requirements will cost you more money?  Are you required to skirt your home or put in a driveway before you can get a certificate of occupancy???   Here are a few tips that can help you become an educated consumer.    1 - Ask questions and dont be afraid that you might offend anyone... you are the buyer and entitled to answers prior to putting your money down.   2 - The Manufactured Home Owners Network Offers Shoppers Free Resources.  Buying a home may be the most expensive purchase you will ever make...take advantage of these great free resources you can find at MobileHOmeOwners.net3 - Read every single thing you can Find or buy about the process of purchasing a home and more particularly a manufactured home...  check out  The Manufactured Housing Book Store.   A few of the best seller there are   The Grissim Buyer's Guide to Manufactured Homes and Land            The Grissim Ratings Guide to Manufactured Homes             The Modular Home   by Andy Gianino       The Secrets of Manufactured Home Financing     4 - In order to avoid surprise expenses you MUST understand what will happen the day your home is delivered to your home site.  The book store has some excellent resources.      Manufactured Housing Site Preparation & Installation DVD Video      Manufactured Housing Installation and Repair - E-Book Edition  5 -Find out exactly How Much Can Your Afford to Spend On Your Next Home  Get  Pre-Approval for your home loan BEFORE you stat to shop.  Do you know exactly how much mortgage money can you qualify for?   You need to know so you can enjoy the advantage of shopping like a cash buyer and have the ability to negotiate the best price for you next home.  You can get pre-qualified at no cost here6 - Keep up with the latest new advances, product improvements, code modifications by subscribing to MH Update the free weekly newsletter written for MH Owners & Shoppers.

[bayou316]

Thanks to both of you for your information.

Gigi63, I fortunately knew about the cost for the land and the expenses associated with septic tanks, electric poles...etc. I am very sorry that was a shock to you.

Right now as I write this; the price with the options is $141,783. It includes a 13 Seer 4 ton A/C unit and hardilap skirting.

Has anyone ever heard of hardilap skirting? If so, is it an expensive item or is it similar to the old vinyl or whatever type skirting they used to "throw-in"?

Anyway, with all the options I put on the house; it made the cost per square foot $81.30. It is their 262 A or B I can't remember. The only difference is the utility room is either in the front or back of the house.

What do you guys think? Remember just the shell for a Karsten 1744 square foot house was $59.52 per square foot; but after all these options I added; it brought the per square footage to that $81.30.

I guess that's not too bad considering the cost per square foot to build.

Here in Louisiana a home would cost around $90 to $100 per square foot.

Do you folks think this home can last 30-35 year if I do the normal, expected maintenance to upkeep this home.

[rmurray]

2 questions of yours:

1) I have sold many homes with Hardi Board underpinning. I am guessing you have not seen Hardi board. It is a concrete fiber board which is fire, wind and hail proof.From the Hardi web site; Q. Can I use HardiePanel™ siding as skirting material on a mobile home?
A: Yes. However it needs to be installed in accordance with our written installation instructions for HardiePanel™ siding in regard to framing, joints, paint and installation above ground.

This link should take you to those instructions which are different in different parts of the country;

http://www.jameshardie.com/builder/prod ... jsnavLink4

2) The answer to your question about long term durabilty is easy. Your home will be built MUCH better built than that $100/ ft stick built home which is designed to last at least 60 years by which time you will probably be over the hill..

GO FOR IT Good Luck..

[gigi63]

As info, we did a "Pit Set" and the house is permanently set. We have the Hardi panel siding and a metal roof. Only a small area for "skirting" as the house sits much lower then most MH. Wish I could post a picture on here and you could see how it looks. Maybe someone could tell me how to do that?

The house is 1860 sq. ft. If I'm calculating correctly the cost would be around $65 per sq ft. We are in rural NM and stick built was going to run us $110 sq ft. Quite a difference.

I knew up front about the cost of site prep (I found other customers who were a big help). My point was that the dealership never ever mentioned site prep to us. Had we not known, it would have been a shock for sure.

[David Oxhandler]

Pit Sets can be very cool... Please Send your photo to [email protected] and Ill be happy to post it here

Don't assume that the retailer or the installer are watching out for your best interests. Some dealers are afraid to give buyers all the information because they are scared that the additional expenses will become a deal breaker.

Home buyer must take responsibility for their investment. An informed buyer is a power shopper. Read everything you can and ask, ask, ask every question of anyone who might be able to provide an answer. There are no foolish questions. especially when you are looking at a ten to thirty year pay off commitment . That can be an incredibly long time to suffer from poor judgment during the purchase phase.

DO YOUR HOME WORK.

We have dozens of free articles for home shoppers online

John Grissim's Best Selling Manufactured Home Shopper's Guides are comprehensive resource guides for consumers that explain just how the manufactured home industry operates, how to find a dealer worthy of your trust, how to make the right home selection, and, as important, how to be informed, empowered, and swindle-proof.

The most effective way to learn about the step by step process involved in properly installing a manufactured home is a great 2 hour long video series with George Porter, the industry's most respected installation specialist. Mr. Porter leads you through a two hour viewing experience that will prepare you for the numerous operations and complexities involved in the installation of the modern manufactured home.

Take the time to browse these forums We have been posting answers to manufactured home shopper and owner questions, here, since the beginning of internet time. You will find the real life experiences of thousands of real people that will give you the benefit of their (good and not so good) experiences.

[Portlandia]

I have a Karsten home we ordered in 2002 from the Stayton, OR plant. We are quite happy with it; it was well-built. The only things I would do differently would be to go with heavier roof (whatever load tranlates into 2x4 trusses), heavier floor joists (ours 2x6, I would go to 2x8 or 10), and make sure the three sections are properly leveled and roofed (we had leaks at the junction).
We had the home placed on a 42x50 concrete slab, with split-block skirting. We backfilled some soil in to make sure all stayed dry, but to get a bit of the "pit-set" look. I perform an annual inspection using a mechanic's creeper.

It's been six rainy years and all is well.
Cheers! Mac

[rmurray]

Most of the same site prep would have had to have been done for the locally built stick built as well. So it seems you saved about $45 per sq. ft..Great shopping..
Builders also do not always make that clear when giving early quotes..