How to tell a true Modular?

[HEF]

I have been researching Modular homes. I have purchased a doublewide in the past, but I was not pleased with the structure quality and the loss of value. I have heard that a true modular is considered the same as a stick built by mortgage companies and insurance companies. One house appraiser told us the major difference between a modular and manufactured(doublewide) is the modular will have a deed (like a stick built home) and the mobile home will have a title. The appraiser also commented on the hud sticker and metal frame. Here are my questions.

1. How do I make sure I will get a deed on my home?

2. Is anyone familiar with quality modular builders in the Columbia, SC area?
I have considered the PH Discovery homes or Lexington Custom Builders which deals with EXCEL Homes. I am looking for cost savings, but I also want quality.

3. Do you have a guess on price per sq. foot? I am looking at about 2000sft with good features and the cape package to get extra room on the second floor.

[rmurray]

1) In SC you could have retired the title to your manufactured home and included it in the dee....The deed is actually for the real estate and all permanent improvements on that real estate...Modulars do NOT have titles and becomes part of your real estate as soon as it is built on your land..Your land deed will be your ownership documents...

2) The Palm Harbor dealer in Lexington is your best bet...They are very experienced in modular construction in your area..Palm harbor sells the home, builds the home and Palm Harbor construction installs the home and does what ever property improvements you agree you need. After you buy your home you will be assigned a personal construction manager who works for Palm harbor Construction. His job will be to over see all aspects of your job and communicate daily with you about progress..The great part for you is the 1 stop shop..The other builders only sell the home and it is built by others..they may or may not do site prep and instalation..This segmentation of the process leads to finger pointing when something goes wrong...Something WILL go wrong...The worse problem with Palm harbor is time...It will take 3 to 6 or more months beginning to end..Their plants are backlogged and SC is strange..The plant cannot start to build the home until permits are had and permits cannot be had until final SC approved blueprints are avaialble..If you make even the smallest change in the stock floor plan, this approval and permit process can easily take 3 months in SC alone then build time an installation time of about 3 months.

3) In the floor plan you are looking for..The Cinci Cape is it...It has 1800 sq ft on the ground and 1100 unfinished feet upstairs..At least it is standard with a staircase and floor in upstairs Its base price with good features will be about
$140,000 plus site prep...Site prep can be all over the map in price..It will take a visit to the land by the conduction manager to get the exact figures.

Other highly experienced modular builders in your area of SC would be Oasis Homes in Augusta. They handle the Manis Home, Clayton and Cavalier..You can find them here..

http://www.oasisfactorybuilthomes.com/index.shtml

If you call or go by ask for Mike Ritz and tell him Bob Murray sent you..These homes are probably slightly lower priced than PH..

The only factory in SC is Mascot..They have been building SC mods for longer than anyone eles...The factory web site is here...They have factory stores in your area..

http://www.mascothomesinc.com/mascot/index.html


Good luck in your quest..