Opinions on manufactured homes

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Originally Posted by zzyzzx
Personally I would not buy any house that did not have a basement.

OP lives where I do. Basements aren't exactly common here.
 
Originally Posted by Ws6
Originally Posted by zzyzzx
Personally I would not buy any house that did not have a basement.

OP lives where I do. Basements aren't exactly common here.


My primary house has one. My secondary house is built into the side of the hill at a local lake. Might as well be a basement.

But I agree, most builders around here don't do it, because they don't know how to make one waterproof, or don't want to spend the money to do it. Basements are an invitation to water intrusion problems, problems are an invitation to enhanced scrutiny of the contractor, and many have issues they don't want scrutinized. So they don't do them.
 
Depreciating asset like a motorhome. Although modular homes are better than trailer homes they still appreciate at a slower rate than a stick built house and have more risk to lenders due to demographics. You will pay more for financing a modular than a construction loan converted to a mortgage than an origination for a modular.
 
Ive never seen a Mobil home that seemed as sound as a Regular built, from a concrete foundation house, you can notice the difference immediately. But that's why mobil homes are considerably cheaper.

and if you've ever lived in a Hurricane area, its pretty obvious on that.

The land value, would be the most important, especially if the land is in an area expected to appreciate, so you can burn the house and still make a profit.

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Wolf, 2x6 exterior, 16 on center has been MA code for at least 35 yrs.Mostly for R 19 insulation req. 16 OC for interior finish. 24 OC is too wavy for plaster. Went through college working as a house framer in 70s. Best crew, the boss was raised in a lumberyard. Jerry. The millman was an ex Seabee, 2 other young guys and me. Framed a 32x40 colonial in 4 days and roofed it on Friday. Maybe 3-4 rubbish barrels of sawdust and mill ends. Those houses are fetching 600 K + these days. Jerry learned to build a house down to the stick from a set of plans. I've watched my son's house go up out in W.Stockbridge. The house has to pass a pressure test before you move in these days
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The best houses are the ones built in the 50s-60s. That's why they're still standing rock solid today. Built out of real brick and real hardwood. None of that sheetrock and brick veneer crap.
 
I have owned and continue to own investment real estate. All have proven to be profitable, with the exception of two. One of the two that was not profitable involved moving a conventional house that burned down while being refurbished (uninsured). The other involved raw land that we moved a used mobile home onto as a rental.
True real estate is an appreciating asset. A mobile home is a depreciating asset. Maintenance costs have been much higher with our mobile home than with any stick built home I've owned by a factor of 3. And to call the tenants I've had poor white trash would be an insult to poor white trash everywhere.
In my opinion you are better off financing an Italian prince living in Nigeria, letting "Window's Division" have access to your computer and credit cards, and sending a Western Union moneygram to the IRS that has the police enroute to your house than you would be purchasing a mobile home.
 
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Originally Posted by Ws6
Originally Posted by zzyzzx
Personally I would not buy any house that did not have a basement.

OP lives where I do. Basements aren't exactly common here.
Basements with walk-outs are the bomb diggity. You are missing out big time!
 
Originally Posted by Win
I've never lived in one, but plenty of people call and want to do that, so it must not be that bad. The snootiness that some of these threads bring out is funny. I guess these guys that talk about living in trailerville USA and white trash are pretty classy guys. Probably drink their hot tea from a cup and saucer with their pinkie finger sticking out.


If you can't keep your comments constructive, please refrain from participating.
 
Originally Posted by A_Spruce
Originally Posted by Win
I've never lived in one, but plenty of people call and want to do that, so it must not be that bad. The snootiness that some of these threads bring out is funny. I guess these guys that talk about living in trailerville USA and white trash are pretty classy guys. Probably drink their hot tea from a cup and saucer with their pinkie finger sticking out.


If you can't keep your comments constructive, please refrain from participating.





A new moderator in training?
 
If the land is what you're after and you can live in the mobile home (which is what it sounds like) while building a more permanent structure then do it- and donate the mobile home to the local fire department afterwards to see why insurance companies hate them so much, tornadoes aside.
 
In WA state there is a law that a mobile/manufactured home that is over ten years old can no longer be moved. Not sure if the same law is in effect elsewhere.
 
Originally Posted by Win


I've never lived in one, but plenty of people call and want to do that, so it must not be that bad. The snootiness that some of these threads bring out is funny. I guess these guys that talk about living in trailerville USA and white trash are pretty classy guys. Probably drink their hot tea from a cup and saucer with their pinkie finger sticking out.

I grew up in trailers. I have family members that still live in trailers. Don't buy a trailer unless that's your only option or it's a super deal. It's not snootiness, it's facing reality. They'll never appreciate like a house. They are built as cheaply as possible usually with trailer only proprietary materials you can't get off the shelf at Lowe's. Insulation is normally garbage so expect a big light bill from the trailer only A/C unit with ductwork running on the dirt. Then you have the beautiful trailer wallpapered super thin wallboard with strips every 4 ft. I could go on and on.
 
Originally Posted by PimTac
In WA state there is a law that a mobile/manufactured home that is over ten years old can no longer be moved. Not sure if the same law is in effect elsewhere.

Not sure of the laws here. Not that it matters. A trailer over 10-20 years old doesn't have enough value to make it worthwhile to move.
 
Originally Posted by aquariuscsm
The best houses are the ones built in the 50s-60s. That's why they're still standing rock solid today. Built out of real brick and real hardwood. None of that sheetrock and brick veneer crap.


My wife and I bought a house on 5 acres of land which was built in the late 50's. The house was garbage. Sheetrock is a brand of drywall and drywall has been used in most every home built since the early 50's.
Cheap methods of building homes was figured out in the 50's and 60's.

Since the house was in the ideal spot on the land and needed tons of work, we let the local fire department burn it down for training. We had a 2900 square foot ranch built by a high end custom home builder.
There was an onsite manager to oversee the quality and most of the workers were Amish that took great pride in their craft.
Nothing cheap was used and energy efficiency was a priority. All plywood, no OSB, ceder used where needed so it wont rot anytime soon, 2X6 studs, Rockwool insulation, impact resistant windows, 10' deep basement, 210' feet of roller compacted concrete driveway.
My electric bill for June was $106 keeping the AC set to 75 degrees 24/7 on a 2900 square foot house.

I think most people would rather have a walkout patio or deck than a walkout basement. My wife loves being able to tan nude on our patio without being seen by neighbors
 
As some have suggested, if you have a broader plan, a trailer isn't the end of the world. If the land is really good and you intend to stick build something in the very near future, then purchasing a property with a trailer could be to your benefit, simply due to the lower valuation of a trailer. In some cases a trailer isn't even considered an "improvement".

A few other problems to be aware of:

Energy costs will be significantly higher, easily double in the summer (triple with AC), and worse if your power supplier raises rates during peak usage times like they do here.

Health risks. Trailers are notorious for high noxious chemical content, such as formaldehyde, because everything is made so cheaply. Mold and mildew are more of a problem, both what you can see throughout the trailer and what you can't see, inside the walls. Mold is a serious health concern that shouldn't be taken lightly. If you have allergies or other sensitivities, trailers will exacerbate those issues.
 
Originally Posted by aquariuscsm
The best houses are the ones built in the 50s-60s. That's why they're still standing rock solid today. Built out of real brick and real hardwood. None of that sheetrock and brick veneer crap.

Your correct on alot of points in what you said . Where those houses fall short is usually not enough or any insulation in walls , not enough ventilation for attics , if they haven't been updated galvanized water lines and galvanized waste lines on branches . Electric inadequacies for all the modern electric must haves of today . Of coarse if you get a good price on a house of that vintage or those items can be addressed bottom line don't buy a mobile home.
 
They depreciate like vehicles unlike conventional stick built homes that appreciate.

Financially they make little sense as home ownership is a large asset that builds personal wealth.

Unsolicited advice, don't purchase a home together till married unless you can afford the mortgage solo.
 
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