manufactured homes (1 Viewer)

[ghostguy123]

Just bringing this up since i am house hunting and came across a very interesting property.

I was wondering who might know a lot about manufactured homes. I am looking at one and i like it, though i dont know much about their overall longterm quality. On zillow it says the construction quality is 6.0

It's definitely the nicest manufactured home i have seen and been in, though that might not be saying much. The house is about 2200 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 2.5 bath. It has a one car attached garage and a good size basement with the rest being a crawl space. Central air, fireplace.

I wouldnt generally bother with a manufactured home, but this one is on 5 nice acres with a pond in a location i like and has a giant 3000 square foot barn which is just absolutely incredible.

The house and barn were built in 2001.

Just wondering if anyone would have any input here as to why this would be a bad idea. The price is definitely right considering the house, location, acreage,and barn.

 

[Chemical X]

my first house in ny was i guess manufactured......built in 4 sections in a climate controlled environment. Also called modular. delivered and connected on site. bought in 2000, sold 2007 the house appreciated 80%. i dont think the quality or integrity of the structure has any stigma attached to it. its not a trailer, which some people tend to think. is this what you are looking at?

www.excelhomes.com

 

[ghostguy123]

Modular home yes.

 

[Cjw_55106]

I wouldnt put too much stock in Zillow's assesment. I would think an inspection would red flag any issues just as it would with a "regular" house.

 

[jon_mx]

There is nothing wrong with a good manufactured home. The worst thing is there are different rules for loans. You need a higher down payment and will probably have to pay a higher rate. Not all banks will do these loans. So even with the quality being good, the fact that it is a manufactured home makes it less valuable. It is not really fair.

 

[ghostguy123]

I wouldnt put too much stock in Zillow's assesment. I would think an inspection would red flag any issues just as it would with a "regular" house.

Right. I would obviously get a good inspection

 

[Chemical X]

Modular home yes.

imho, when we sold no one cared how it was built. heck, in my area homes are honestly built by crews of mexicans. that is the framing, roofing, etc. so does it matter where its framed? all trades are done on site no matter how built........we loved our house, 2420 sq ft and it appreciated like crazy. i dont see any flaws.......

 

[Chemical X]

I wouldnt put too much stock in Zillow's assesment. I would think an inspection would red flag any issues just as it would with a "regular" house.

 

[Treynwreck3]

About ten years ago, I was involved in a project to provide student housing at a nearby university. We bought 34 modular homes and set them on foundations. As mentioned before, they are built in climate controlled environs, with much more stringent regulation and supervision than a site built home. I was impressed with the quality and these things went together flawlessly. They each arrived on two semi-trailers and were set on the foundations by crane. Modular does not mean mobile. These are not trailers. I would have no problem buying a modular home. If you have ever had a home built or been around conventional construction, you would be appalled at what corners are cut and what "passes" inspection during the building process at a site built or even "custom" home.

 

[Chemical X]

About ten years ago, I was involved in a project to provide student housing at a nearby university. We bought 34 modular homes and set them on foundations. As mentioned before, they are built in climate controlled environs, with much more stringent regulation and supervision than a site built home. I was impressed with the quality and these things went together flawlessly. They each arrived on two semi-trailers and were set on the foundations by crane. Modular does not mean mobile. These are not trailers. I would have no problem buying a modular home. If you have ever had a home built or been around conventional construction, you would be appalled at what corners are cut and what "passes" inspection during the building process at a site built or even "custom" home.

 

[(HULK)]

Modular homes are great. I've never lived in one, but if I ever fell in love with a piece of land w/out a house on it, I'd be putting a modular home on it... or waiting for 3d home printing to spin up some more.

Site building homes is a waste of money at this point imo.

 

[Jayrok]

I am looking for a lake lot and wouldn't think twice about putting a modular home there. The wife and I like to walk through double/triple wide models. They've come a long way over the years. Floor plans are awesome in some of these things.

 

[ChiefD]

About ten years ago, I was involved in a project to provide student housing at a nearby university. We bought 34 modular homes and set them on foundations. As mentioned before, they are built in climate controlled environs, with much more stringent regulation and supervision than a site built home. I was impressed with the quality and these things went together flawlessly. They each arrived on two semi-trailers and were set on the foundations by crane. Modular does not mean mobile. These are not trailers. I would have no problem buying a modular home. If you have ever had a home built or been around conventional construction, you would be appalled at what corners are cut and what "passes" inspection during the building process at a site built or even "custom" home.

 

[Spanky267]

From the description it definitely sound like a modular home. Those are typically very well made. We have a manufacturer not far from where I live that builds them. They do traditional mobile homes and they have a seperate line for Modular homes. The differences are dramatic. While they make really nice mobile homes. Their modular homes rival many site built homes.

 

[Brony]

it's the Wrangler jeans of homes!

 

[ghostguy123]

Sounds like mostly (if not all) positive. I was mostly just concerned with the long term quality of the structure, but it sounds like they are pretty well made. With the crazy weather and temperature changes in northeast Ohio a well build home in a must.

One thing I wouldn't have thought of is the loan process, appraisals, a higher rate and/or a larger down payment required.

I will try and look this stuff up somewhere, but any idea what might typically be the difference there? Would 20% down be enough? How much higher would the interest rate be?

 

[ghostguy123]

Ok crap, now I am a little confused as to whether this is a manufactured home or a modular home.

On realtor.com is says "Mfd/Mobile Home"

 

[jon_mx]

Sounds like mostly (if not all) positive. I was mostly just concerned with the long term quality of the structure, but it sounds like they are pretty well made. With the crazy weather and temperature changes in northeast Ohio a well build home in a must.

One thing I wouldn't have thought of is the loan process, appraisals, a higher rate and/or a larger down payment required.

I will try and look this stuff up somewhere, but any idea what might typically be the difference there? Would 20% down be enough? How much higher would the interest rate be?

. 20 percent is probably ok. I think certain areas are approved for as low as 15 percent. You need to talk to a bank in the area and find out the down payment requirements and what kind of interest rate you qualify for. If it was conventional construction you could get by with 3 or 5 percent. If your credit is good, you might still get a decent rate.

 

[ghostguy123]

And, after reading up on the differences between modular and manufactured, I imagine this house has to be modular. Set on concrete, with basement seem to be obvious differences in the descriptions, plus the fireplace, central air, full kitchen and bathrooms.......................

Has to be modular.

 

[jon_mx]

Ok crap, now I am a little confused as to whether this is a manufactured home or a modular home.

On realtor.com is says "Mfd/Mobile Home"

They probably have a drop down menu with only a few choices, so don't put too much weight on that. You may want to ask the listing realtor specifics about who/when/how the house was constructed.

 

[ghostguy123]

20 percent is probably ok. I think certain areas are approved for as low as 15 percent. You need to talk to a bank in the area and find out the down payment requirements and what kind of interest rate you qualify for. If it was conventional construction you could get by with 3 or 5 percent. If your credit is good, you might still get a decent rate.
.

I am good putting down 20%, will have to check with the loan guy I have been talking to.

 

[eoMMan]

Ok crap, now I am a little confused as to whether this is a manufactured home or a modular home.

On realtor.com is says "Mfd/Mobile Home"

I'm not too familiar with manufactured homes but mobile homes will go down in value and are usually a horrible choice to put your money.

See if you can find a cheap built (or manufactured) home instead of a mobile home.

 

[Chemical X]

And, after reading up on the differences between modular and manufactured, I imagine this house has to be modular. Set on concrete, with basement seem to be obvious differences in the descriptions, plus the fireplace, central air, full kitchen and bathrooms.......................

Has to be modular.

bzzzzzz - reply sent. you can publish at will.

 

[mr roboto]

Yeah my grandparents bought a modular 1,800 sq ft ranch in Prescott AZ about 10 years ago. Vaulted ceilings. Beautiful and in no way was it obvious it was 'modular'.

My neighbor owned 2 lots and lived in an old ####ty house. He bought a 2 story 2,500 sq ft modular model and dug a basement and placed the modular on the basement. 11 ft ceilings on first floor. Hardi board siding. Low E casement windows. Custom kitchen. Wood floors, tile baths. Vaulted ceilings in 2nd floor master suite with 4 pieces master bath, 3 other bedrooms. It's the equivalent of a $400,000 site built home and took like 3 weeks to deliver and set up.

Now if I could force the ####er to tear his old home down (which is right next to me and looks like a meth house).

 

[cstu]

For people wondering about appraisals, it comes down to whether a modular home conforms to the neighborhood. If you plan to build one where they are common and can get comps for it then you shouldn't have trouble getting it appraised.

 

[SIDA!]

Very timely thread as I have been looking into these pretty aggressively the last few weeks.

In California, manufactured/modular homes are built to the codes/regulations required of stick built homes. While I am intrigued by the concept, I am not sure the modular homes are really being sold at the discount to stick built that I was expecting. The primary advantage of going with modular out here seems to be the efficiency (less wasted resources) and the shorter time span to build and move in. Which...can be a pretty big deal when you factor in carrying costs.

Another "term" or search phrase you might want to Google is "pre-fabricated", prefab, prefab steel home construction.

These aren't your grandpa's manufactured homes....

 

[ghostguy123]

And, after reading up on the differences between modular and manufactured, I imagine this house has to be modular. Set on concrete, with basement seem to be obvious differences in the descriptions, plus the fireplace, central air, full kitchen and bathrooms.......................

Has to be modular.

bzzzzzz - reply sent. you can publish at will.

So you say it is a mobile home. Damn it.

Nicest mobile home I ever saw

 

[El Floppo]

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