Various brands and their ratings vs. friends opinions

[andrew3d]

I bought The Grissim Guides a few months ago, and want to ask here to see if others had thoughts regarding what I've found.

I noticed that Solitaire homes had a lower quality rating than Palm Harbor. But several friends swear up and down about their Solitaire home and how pleased they are with theirs. I also liked the Fleetwood floor plans, but haven't gone to see any of them. A friend says stay away...they had problems with theirs. So just looking at the guides, I still have friends who have different opinions.
I suppose any of these companies, Palm Harbor, Solitaire or Fleetwood would make
a good reliable home after you get the initial setup bugs worked out and provided you keep them maintained? Even a stickbuilt house has to be maintained or it will deteriorate.
Just wondering if anyone disregarded the ratings in the guides or took a different approach to finding their home?

I am near Waco and Temple Texas.

Thoughts?
Suggestions or advice?

[John Grissim]

As the author of the Grissim Ratings Guide to Manufactured Homes, I, too, would be interested to hear what others may have to say, especially if their assessment of the construction ratings of the brands you mention vary from mine. Of course, the numerical 1-to-ten system is only meant to be a guide, not a scientific assessment. See Page 10 ' "How the construction ratings were determined," but it's always helpful to get input.
In my view, generally speaking, Palm Harbor and Solitaire are better than Fleetwood. I especially like Solitaire's beefed-up floor system. But bear in mind you can order upgrades to a Fleetwood (such as 2x6 ext. walls and tape and textured sheetrock walls) that will bring its rating up a click or two. Using the Construction Features & Specifications table to choose your upgrades is a straightforward way to ensure you're covering the bases when ordering a home from any manufacturer.
Good luck!
John Grissim

[jrouter]

I new and looking to buy a new manufactured home, I don`t have John Grissim`s book but I would like to know where does Deer Valley homes rank? I`m looking at them as a possibility.

[David Oxhandler]

Grissim's Ratings Guide is not just a simple rating number but an indepth look at every builders products. If you dont have The Grissim Ratings you can read free excerpts here to get a better understanding of how he disects the entire spectrum of what manufactured housing has to offer, from gorgeous high end dwellings indistinguishable from site-built homes to bare bones single section housing.

It is the first consumer ratings guide to every manufactured home builder ever published and well worth the look. Take a few minutes to browse the excerpts, it will be time well invested.

[andrew3d]

jrouter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I new and looking to buy a new manufactured home,
> I don`t have John Grissim`s book but I would like
> to know where does Deer Valley homes rank? I`m
> looking at them as a possibility.
My two cents....
I think you should buy the Grissim guides. Deer Valley Homes is discussed in the ratings guide. If someone just gives you the rank number, the bigger picture is missed. This was the reason I posted my original message, is there are many other factors...the company background and history...how long have they been in business, and what is their track record so far? In the Grissom ratings guide, the company phone number is given, and some valuable comments. So just giving their ranking to you won't help much at all.
One suggestion would be to find other people who are living in the home you like, and go talk to them. There is truly no better way to get first hand information about dealer service quality, and what their experiences with that model was. If a customer says they had to fight with the dealer to get them to fix something, then that should be a red flag. If they are happy, find out why. If they are unhappy, learn from their experience so you won't end up unhappy too.

[swaabby]

horton homes are as good as it gets,you can order what you like

[saraho]

Do you have information on Fall Creek from Elhart IN?

[DivaMom39]

"I noticed that Solitaire homes had a lower quality rating than Palm Harbor. But several friends swear up and down about their Solitaire home and how pleased they are with theirs."
***********************************************
My husband and I swear by our Solitaire!!!! Look at associated costs as well; for instance, how much to insure. Solitaire can be insured for the same price as a stick built home, if you go through Oklahoma Farm Bureau; they took the time to check out the building process at Solitaire and liked what they saw. We've had our double wide for 15 years or more now and have no regrets is choosing Solitaire. We do however have one small regret; we chose cement piers over solid slab, due to price difference at the time; DO NOT let price stand in the way of a solid slab!!!!!!!!!!!!! We had to deal with a few more settling issues we wouldn't have had otherwise. Solitaires a extremely solid and therefore bloody heavy!!!!!!!! I'm in process of trying to covince Perma Jack to do my home. They normally won't do mobiles, but we own the property outright and the home is over 50% paid for. We've also been on these lots for going on 20 years.

[gail woodman]

I am in a palm harbor modular less than a year, multiple problems with cabinets, and kitchen. I think the overall construction is probably sound, though I upgraded the kitchen when I bought. Everything is so cheap. The faucet is broken, The stove door will not open, the microwave does not work. The tiles are glued on, evidently with water soluable glue. The fiberboard cabinets (kitchen and bathroom) do not have veneer, there is a thick WALLPAPER. This has come off like wallpaper in several areas. Come on people; is this the top brand of modular? Sad for the industry. Each and every cabinet door has come off of the runner, though I have been careful after I knew they were "delicate", read cheap and poorly built. I was courted and woo-ed until they got their money. I will need to gut the kitchen before I can ever try to sell this thing. To think how happy with my new home I was just one year ago.

[David Oxhandler]

Have you requested any warranty service calls from the dealer or builder ? We do get a lot of bad news from buyers of some brands of homes... but almost never about Palm Harbor. They have always been service oriented and a leader in customer satisfaction. Contact the plant where your home was built NOW!