Ok so.......manufactured house or home?

[Tiamat]

So we are back to our house delima. We did finally get approved for a $115,000 home but with a sizeable down payment and chances are it will be in a sub division which is diametrically opposed to what Steve wants. He doesn't like the fact that the sub division houses are one on top of the other. And after living in the house we thought we wanted for the last 6 months well........you do tend to see everything that's wrong with the house. We were lucky, we got to try it on for size first and it didn't fit. His big thing is he wants land. He doesn't care where he lives he could live in a tent for all he cares it's all about the land for him.

Just for grins today I went and checked out a manufactured house and was actually quite surprised at the size and all the amenities. Ceramic tile, tape and textured walls just like a house, garden tub with a jacuzzi and room for two( a girl could get used to that, island in the kitchen, etc. Lots of extra's that frankly you would expect to find in a house and that I was not expecting. I think I had this illusion of Jerry Springer in my head and "trailer trash" kept flashing through my brain. But the kicker here is that we can get this 1525 sq.ft. home along with 5 to 10 acres of land and if approved which it looks like we might be with no money down. And we get to pick the land.

I just don't know if doing that would be better then getting a home. I know that the resale on a manufactured house won't be as great as a site bulit home but, again I was really surprised at how nice it was. I also kept thinking what was my father going to say and steve's family etc. To which Steve in his infinate tact and wisdom says.......fuc* them. It would be our choice, they don't have to live there.

So would you do a manufactured home or a house?

[JohnT]

House. Keep looking. Trust me. Attached houses generally don't come with depreciation schedules.

My wife and I bought a 3-br, 2 bath house in the Knoxville suburbs on March, 2000 and the thing has appreciated to an eye-popping $137,000 as of last month. This house was a foreclosure home, and Laura found it after many weeks and months of diligently searching on the Internet. It's 7 years old and all the attachments were clean and in working order - except it was missing the oven. The government had it up for $94k, we countered with $92k and that was accepted.

Try this site: http://www.foreclosurefreesearch.com...te=TX&rsp=1575

[Tiamat]

cool thanks. I've always been a house person but I don't think we can get the land along with it. That would be Steve's big sticking point.

[JohnT]

You can as long as you don't mind not getting a new home nor having instant access to the city. If you can live with an older home, even a "fix me up" 'er, you can find plenty of attached homes with acres of land in the country.

[Tiamat]

That's what were in now. It was built in 74 and has alot of problems. I think what I'm up against is Steve wants it now, you now the instant gratification thing as well as he's tired of paying someone else without getting anything out of it. But I've been dragging my feet on the manufactured house issue.

[OldWarrior_42]

Trailer home... not the same as a Manufactured home. Just to let you keep that Jerry Springer Trailer Trash picture in your head.

You are quite right though, about the resale value of the home.

Many mortgage companies and other companies that do refinancing (which you may consider doing down the road) do not take applications for Trailers or Manufactured homes. Even companies that may do refinishing work, such as replace roofing, windows, walls... or any addons.. do not accept those in Trailers or Man. Homes. These are only some considerations for you that may or may not take place in the relative future. But just some things to consider.

Reasons for Manufactured homes being cheaper and letting you afford more amenities you may not get from an onsite built home.... Quicker mass production of walls , roofing systems, trusses, etc... in a enclosed plant type atmosphere. No lost time building, due to weather constraints. Easier to put down on a site with just some more simpler underpinning and a smaller block foundation (crawlspace, I imagine) as opposed to setting larger footers... block walls, matbe even a basement... etc.

Faster production equals less in cost. There are some more reasons they are cheaper but that would entail a much longer and more detailed post. You can probably get better and more info from the Home Builders Association of your State.

As far as which is better.... I prefer a built on site home... but more so because I did alot of the work on my home by myself... so I know what I was getting and everything got done my way. More control for me as to what went into the job. Plus I saved about 20 grand easy by doing alot of the work... so that brought the cost down to equal or better than a Manufactured home.... I also have about 1.1 acres. Not alot, but enough for me.

They are also a little more sturdy in case of Tornados or Hurricanes or other extreme weather conditions... Providing that they are built well and not skimped on the materials. That is a big if.... if you know what I mean.

But Manufactured homes have come a long way in their sturdiness... cost effectiveness, energy efficiency etc.

What it boils down to is if you don't have the cash to have someone build it for you, or you aren't handy enough to do some of the work and save enough money to make it cost effective for you, then a Manufactured home with 5 acres is a very good deal. They are decent homes and sometimes, when done right, you cannot even tell the difference between the two.

Go for it if it gives you what you want and/or need.

Good luck and happy hometime.

[JohnT]

Good advice.

Another thing Tia, don't rush this. Don't get worried about an extra 2-6 months rent to find the right house and purchased in the proper manner.

How much land is he wanting?

[Tiamat]

Thank you. Yes trailer house is different and again I was surprised at how much like a house it was they also had a modular home which looked just like a site built house but I think it was because of the pitched roof. But on the inside you could not tell the difference. It's going to be just for us anyway, the girls are grown up expcept for the youngest (15 going on 40) so the reality is that it's just going to have to be something we like.

I did some research the home is by Palm Harbor which from what I've read seems to be the "cadilac" of manufactured homes.

[OldWarrior_42]

And I say to go for it, only because of what I read about what your husband wants and the instant gratification part.

As far as I am concerned, if it were me... I'd build. But I understand your considerations and financial situation and can see where your husband is coming from.

But try to talk him into building or as JohnT said... even get a fixer upper. As long as your husband is handy in that fashion. Otherwise the cost can become a burden to start fixing things and sometime may become a hassle due to time etc.... as well. Your choice , but I recomend built on site as my number one choice.

[Tiamat]

Hell he'd take 100 acres if we could get it but really what do two old farts need with that much land? He want's at least 5 would love 10 but would go ga ga over 20. For him it really is about the land. His opinion is that if we got the manufactured home and got it set up septic, sewer, etc...that eventually we could get rid of the manufactured home and build our own since everything would already be there and installed. But how easy would it be to get rid of it. I see all kinds of manufactured housing in the paper with people trying to get rid of it.

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by OldWarrior_42
And I say to go for it, only because of what I read about what your husband wants and the instant gratification part.

As far as I am concerned, if it were me... I'd build. But I understand your considerations and financial situation and can see where your husband is coming from.

But try to talk him into building or as JohnT said... even get a fixer upper. As long as your husband is handy in that fashion. Otherwise the cost can become a burden to start fixing things and sometime may become a hassle due to time etc.... as well. Your choice , but I recomend built on site as my number one choice.

He is a fixer upper but with our lifestyle it really comes down to more of a time constraint issue. Steve works nights so he sleeps until at least 2 to 4 in the afternoon and leaves for work at 6:00 so that doesn't give much time. And on Saturday well.......we both like to sleep in. Fixing up was the issue in the home we are in now. We would have had to put out alot of out of pocket so much so that he's taken to calling it the "money pit".

[Kidlicious]

I would say buy the home. If you're going to live in a trailer, mobile home, manufactured home, whatever, you might as well rent it.

[OldWarrior_42]

Septic tank should mean no sewer. Septic tanks are what is used in rural or county property, where the cities do not extend the sewer lines to.

At least here in NC anyway.

He is right about you possibly building later on, but I feel that you may be just wasteing alot of money in the present on the Man. home if the thought is to dump it down the road and start over again.

You never can tell what the market will be like for Man. homes in the future. If the cost keeps going donw to build these things... who would want to buy a used one if they can get a brand new one?

Someone will want to, but you may not get your price that you need in the future. It bugs me that these homes and some of the larger Trailer homes... doublewides to be precise, lose value as opposed to gaining value. But that is what happens. More so to Trailers almost exclusively, but alot to Modular/Manufactured homes as well.

I know onsite homes lose value at times as well... but usually due to poor maintenance, or depreciation of neighborhood.

For the most part, you almost can always be sure they will rise in value. That is a time proven fact.

These are all things to look into and you are best to talk to professionals in your state... as I referred above... The Home Builders association.... Good advice from John or anyone that has been down this road, take your time, research and study and ask questions. No need to go too fast, less you get burned.

Goodnight and good luck, again.

[Tiamat]

Thanks for the advice. The one we were looking at is a double wide with the pitch roof and we live in the country right now so I can't see where that's going to change much since that's what Steve wants is land away from the city but close enough for us to drive to.

[JohnT]

Weighing in all your desires, I'd say get a manufactured home on a plot of land and cross your fingers.