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OP the model you have chosen says it is a manufactured home, not a modular home. It says:
This manufactured home is built to the federal (HUD) building code for manufactured housing.
There are two building standards, that homes are required to meet. The ones that are built to HUD manufactured housing specs, are what was formerly known as Trailer Houses. The stick built and modular homes are built to the UBC (Uniform Building Code), building code, which is altogether different.
You were asked if you wanted the home to be set up as a manufactured or as a modular home. This just means to you want it set on blocks and a skirt (manufactured/mobile home) so it could be moved later as desired and saves a few thousand dollars, OR on a permanent foundation same as a stick built home (modular home). Putting it on a foundation, does not make it a modular home.
It depends on which building standard it is built to, to it being a manufactured, or a modular home.
As you state, if a new manufactured home is put on a permanent foundation the same as a stick built home, it can be financed the same as a stick built home, and it is taxed the same as a stick built home in most parts of the country.
The manufactured home can last and with proper maintenance be a good solid home for a long time. It will appreciate in value, but not quite as fast as a stick built home. Appreciation will not raise the price above, what it would cost to replace the same home on the same foundation, while a stick built or modular home may appreciate somewhat faster at times.
My daughter bought an upgrade manufactured home that was a V.A. Repo. about 20 years ago in a development of large lots and all well kept manufactured homes. She paid $17,500. She sharpened it up and 3 years later I did the marketing for her and sold it for $82,500 when she moved from the area for a big step in her career. Not a bad profit for 3 years. I did not do the sale, but offered it to all local offices that the selling agent, would get a one party listing and the full 6% commission for their office. It took less than 3 weeks to sell it. In fact it was bought by a long time real estate broker for a personal residence.
Here is a town that has become a haven for retirees in Oregon. They have two huge developments of homes with all of them manufactured homes right on the Oregon Coast for 55+ retirees.
Here is one, 17 years old in 450 or so manufactured home community.
Notice they are in excellent condition, and look nice. You will find homes as old as 35 years old just in as good condition.
If one maintains a manufactured home it will hold up and look nice. The same for stick built homes.
On the Oregon Coast you can get bad storms for several months a year, so homes take a beating.
One of my sons is a coast businessman, and he and his wife live in Florence. I know the area well, and have been there many times over the last 50 years. My mothers family moved to Oregon on a wagon train in the 1800s.
Modern manufactured homes on permanent foundations, have proven to be very good homes if they are well maintained, and cared for for a long time now.
Malwarebytes didn't like that link so I only had it open for a couple of seconds (it may just have malicious ads on it, and those are what Malwarebytes blocked), but it was still long enough to see "manufactured home" -- which is what USED to be called "mobile homes."
Modular homes, at least where I live, are not typically called "manufactured" any more simply because the mobile home industry seems to have latched onto that term. Modular homes are simply built in a factory, then assembled (pretty quickly) on site; in my area it would be on a basement. Again, where I live they would be appraised the same as a stick-built home. I have seem some modular homes and you could not tell that's what they are; they look just like the other homes on the street in terms of build quality, etc. You can't say that about mobile homes/manufactured homes.
OP, part of the confusion was that you called it a "modular" home in the title, but then included a link that called it a "manufactured home" AKA mobile home (and it looks like a mobile home too). I have been in some really beautiful mobile homes where you couldn't tell from the inside that that's what they were (my mom used to live in one) so I am not meaning to "slam" them! But they are very different from modular homes.
And that makes me wonder: OP, your builder can really make it "either" a mobile/manufactured home OR a modular home? I have never heard of that. In addition, making it a modular home is CHEAPER than making it a mobile/manufactured home? Something is off as that makes no sense at all -- modular homes are typically only a little less expensive than stick-built homes, while mobile/manufactured homes are WAY cheaper.
Could you please clarify?
I was confused too at first.
This is the construction company's email (they have the blueprints for the designs):
"Ok, the original model New Moon A-46026 pictured is a mobile home. But as I mentioned, we can produce the exact house as a modular, which will be the same design, but it will be brought in on flat beds and placed with a crane and not on a steel frame with axles. Any of these models that are shown as a mobile can be made into modular. They are offered to accomodate different clients. Some are preferring mobiles due to where they are going.
These homes are very similar but you have to remember mobiles are built on steel frames, which will be a little more in the cost."
That looks like what my uncle built back in the 70's. 20 years later my aunt was nearly killed when the tub she was bathing in crashed through the floor. My cousin then bought what is supposed to be a better quality model as a replacement but here we are again where she is faced with having to replace it because it is falling apart. She has not even paid off that one. Not sure what she is going to do.
My father always said "You get what you pay for" and he was referring to my uncles house. It is cheap for a reason and stick built homes are more expensive for a reason and that reason is quality and longevity. JMHO. Jay
So, this is because there weren't nearly as many requirements then. Now, they're required to be much more sturdy than in the past, and have to AT LEAST meet stick built house codes.
As a home inspector I see a lot of homes up close, often old ones. 95% of the modulars I see simply do not stand up to daily living, to wind, nor to hail. If you can get your home placed on a foundation on land with roads and utilities to it for $100K, it's highly unlikely it's in the top 5% that'll match custom stick-built homes.
My sister and her husband purchased a modular for their farm home a decade or two ago. Money wasn't too important to them, as they've been very successful farmers for decades, but they wanted the home placed where the original one stood, so timing was important. He had spent many winters working construction and understood how a home should be built. He shopped and shopped and finally picked the best he could find, and it is indeed a well-built home.
I've inspected many modulars that were set up in rather remote areas, where stick-built homes are very costly to build due to travel times. A handful of these approach custom homes in their overall quality, even though they still "look" like the modulars they are. But they'll always be modulars. Always. Even with good foundations, quality siding and roofing, adequate framing and custom woodwork throughout, They'll always have that "stigma" of being a modular.
If you want a modular, I'd suggest one of these. They won't be as inexpensive, but you'll still have a nice home after some weather and use. A GOOD FOUNDATION IS ESSENTIAL.
The cheap ones? Cheap shingles that blow off, cheap vinyl siding that blows off, wrinkles from heat and is destroyed by 1" hail, thin interior walls that move when you lean on them, and cheap doors that don't stand up to years of use. They also have furnaces that were designed more to save space than to heat a home. Floor coverings simply don't stand up to extended use.
I wish I could be more positive. The premise of modular homes makes sense -- building inside in a controlled environment should produce quality at a savings. For whatever reason, probably driven by buyers who need to save money, they very seldom come with quality even approaching a custom home.
There was a time, in my early 20s when I wanted a home of my own buy couldn't afford one, that I considered buying a mobile home. I don't believe I'd ever consider it again. Think this over carefully, and if you still want a modular, find a professional builder to help you shop for one. Good luck!
The government requires them to build to stick built standards or better, and they're built in a factory, so it's much easier for the business inspectors to make sure they're building them correctly. We are buying one that is in the $150,000+ range, and the construction company has great reviews - they're the maker of these in my area. We aren't going for tiny and cheap, we're going for quality and comfortability.
We will be getting it put on a foundation, and have a wrap put around that. We will be adding a covered front porch, a deck, and shrubbery around it. Did you check out the design of the home I posted? It's pretty nice looking externally. Thank you for your comment!
A MOBILE or manufactured home is built in a factory and has a permanent metal trailer frame underneath it, and comes with a TITLE just like your car. It is built to national HUD standards, which might look nice, but is typically much cheaper quality. Wheels are installed on each section, and then it's trailered to the site where it is put on blocks, or a foundation. It's harder to find an insurance company that will insured it, and it's nearly impossible to get a mortgage for one once it hits the magic 30 year old point.
A MODULAR home is built in modular sections in a factory, but does NOT have a permanent metal trailer frame under it, does NOT have a title, and it's built to LOCAL standards for the site and state it's going to be put in. It's cheaper to insure than a mobile home, and it's treated as a stick-built home. You will not have any problems getting a mortgage for it beyond the 30 year old stage.
The mobile home companies (and many RE agents) have a vested interest in clouding the issue of what's what when it comes it these mobile homes.
Once they hit 30 years old, they are considered worthless by the banks.
I've owned TWO of them over the years, and I'm not likely to ever buy another as they don't last, and have many maintenance issues that regular houses do not have.
IF it comes with a permanent metal frame, it IS a TRAILER, period.
It's not coming with a metal frame.
A trailer is pre 1975. After 1975, is considered a manufactured.
The builder said it can be built either modular or manufactured, we chose modular.
A trailer is pre 1975. After 1975, is considered a manufactured.
The builder said it can be built either modular or manufactured, we chose modular.
That's not correct. If it comes with a title- it's a mobile home. Pre-'75 means squat.
15 years ago when I was doing residential lending the only way to consider a mobile home as FHA qualified was to have it permanently set on a foundation and the wheels and tongue removed. Then you could convert it too deeded property, and even then it was pretty well scrutinized.
A modular home was a factory built, frame house that had to be set on a permanent foundation. No wheels, no tongue. It was hauled on trailers and craned into place on the foundation. It is a standard home- just built in an enclosed factory type setting.
This is the construction company's email (they have the blueprints for the designs):
"Ok, the original model New Moon A-46026 pictured is a mobile home. But as I mentioned, we can produce the exact house as a modular, which will be the same design, but it will be brought in on flat beds and placed with a crane and not on a steel frame with axles. Any of these models that are shown as a mobile can be made into modular. They are offered to accomodate different clients. Some are preferring mobiles due to where they are going.
These homes are very similar but you have to remember mobiles are built on steel frames, which will be a little more in the cost."
No the steel frames have nothing to do if it is a modular or mobile home. What determines which it is, the building codes they build it under. If built under HUD code, it is a manufactured (mobile) home. If it is built under UBC code it is a modular home, built to the same standards as a site built home.
It sounds like what they are offering you, is a manufactured home, with out the metal frame. A home built to modular specifications costs more than a manufactured home with or without the metal frame. When they say they are going to build a manufactured home without the metal frame and it will cost less than one with the steel frame, this is the big giveaway as to which it is. Building to UBC code (modular) it simply costs more than building a manufactured home with or without the steel frame.
The construction guy asked us if we wanted to have it as a modular or mobile, we said modular - modular is stick built that is still built in the factory (manufactured/mobile are built in factory as well, but differently than modular), rather than on site. So when we add the foundation and the wrap around the foundation, it should look pretty good!
OP, I have lived in custom homes and apartments during my life. For my retirement home, I chose to purchase a double-wide mobile home on about a half-acre of land on a lake. It is a 3-bedroom, 2 bathroom nicely sized home with a porch and a deck and attached garage. And, I LOVE it. Plus, it's paid for which lends itself nicely to my retirement needs and plans.
This home was built in 1988 and it is still sturdy and beautiful. Just like anything else, upkeep is important. I will be making some cosmetic changes as I can just to suit my preference, but a well-taken care of good mobile home is far from what some people here classify as "trailer"...the inference being "less than"....
I think what you have chosen, if it is what you want and like, is a great idea for a first home. Just be sure to keep up maintenance and take care of it. Congratulations on getting everything you want in your first home!
Last edited by MagnoliaThunder; 08-20-2017 at 10:36 PM..
No the steel frames have nothing to do if it is a modular or mobile home. What determines which it is, the building codes they build it under. If built under HUD code, it is a manufactured (mobile) home. If it is built under UBC code it is a modular home, built to the same standards as a site built home.
It sounds like what they are offering you, is a manufactured home, with out the metal frame. A home built to modular specifications costs more than a manufactured home with or without the metal frame. When they say they are going to build a manufactured home without the metal frame and it will cost less than one with the steel frame, this is the big giveaway as to which it is. Building to UBC code (modular) it simply costs more than building a manufactured home with or without the steel frame.
You're correct about the building code being the key difference between versions of a home, however, you can build a "state code" home with a steel frame - so that's not a deciding factor.
Further, there is no "standard" for what should be included in the base price for a "state code" or "modular" home - so homes built to state codes may not (usually don't) include things like water heaters, furnaces, carpets, doorbells, etc. the drywall might not be fully finished in a state code home - just taped & mudded. No insulation under the floor, because it's designed to sit on a real foundation or basement. The plumbing & drains were stubbed through the floor, but not connected to anything. A hud-code home has those all run & ready to connect to stubs at the park.
a "hud code" home, designed to sit on a slab in a park will include a furnace, water heater, etc & should be ready to plug in & move into. It'll have "finished" drywall, even if the "finish" is just plastic wallpaper & batten strips. It'll have insulation under the floor, because you don't get a basement in a trailer park.
My parents purchased a "boca" or "state code" code modular (which I believe was a forerunner to the ubc code) about 20 years ago & it didn't include a furnace, ductwork, water heater & a few other things - like the drywall was finished but not painted. Other "state code" builders we investigated didn't include carpet, or appliances. The builder my parents chose built to *both* codes & there wasn't a huge difference in price, because they weren't giving you a few things they would include in a park model. They had different brochures for hud & state code homes because of slight differences between the models - I think the park models were slightly narrower & longer because the "standard" 28' wide measurement for them included eave overhangs & the state code measured the width of the foundation..
Overall a state (ubc) code home will cost more than a hud-code home, but the extra cost might be buried in the "site prep" add-ons - like the furnace, water heater, finished flooring, painting, steps, etc.
After seeing how well the parent's place has held up, I'd totally buy a state/ubc code modular myself. It's super tight & energy efficient & you can get a complete, finished house in just a couple months for an extremely good price if you know what you're looking at.
That said, you're still "building a house", even if the house is delivered pretty much complete & you'll need to be heavily involved in the "finishing" process to make sure important corners aren't cut - the "basement guy" the home-sales place recommended for my parent's place was a half-wit who charged way too much & did substandard work. The furnace guy they recommended wanted $10k for a $1500 furnace & he was dead-set on setting the a/c condenser right outside the master-bedroom window. The cable guy, electrician & gas company all wanted to wrap the house with meters, pipes & wires & do super cheesy installs that would have made the brand-new house look like crap.
On my parent's place, we pretty much told them all to just go away & did nearly all of the "details" ourselves, because they all wanted big piles of cash for cheesy-work.
Not sure if a first-time buyer would have the wherewithal or the knowledge to boot the bad guys before they borked their new home up.
Last edited by Zippyman; 08-21-2017 at 08:47 AM..
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