Cycle Publishing/
Van der Plas Publications
 

1282 7th Avenue
San Francisco
CA 94122, USA

Tel.: (415) 665-8214
Fax: (415) 753-8572
 
 

Buying a Manufactured Home

How to Get the Most Bang for Your Buck in Today's Housing Market
by Kevin Burnside

Quantity:

Format: 6 x 9 inch trade paperback
Description: 168 pages with 75 black & white photographs and other illustrations
ISBN: 1-892495-36-8
Price: US$14.95
 

  • What is different in today’s manufactured homes

  • The way they are built

  • Choosing a brand and a dealer

  • Selecting the best floor plan for your needs

  • Finding a site and customizing your manufactured home

  • Listings of manufacturer  associations and state agencies

  • Checklists and comparison charts

  • How to finance your manufactured home

 

This book shows you how not to get burned when buying a new manufactured home
About the book

Manufactured homes have been improving in their quality and appeal to mainstream home buyers. They offer a way to affordable luxury at a price that is dramatically lower than can be achieved with site-built construction methods. But there is still a big gap in knowledge about these homes, even amongst realtors and others involved in selling these products.

This book was written to bring you "up to speed" on all subjects relating to the these homes. Written in an easy-to-follow style, it explains every aspect of the home construction and buying process — from selecting a suitable floorplan right up to placing the home on a suitable site and adding custom features.

At times, the author does not hesitate to warn the potential buyer with respect to questionable sales tactics still too often used by some dealers and manufacturers. This is a true consumer guide--firmly on the side of the buyer, in an effort to "level the playing field."

About the author

Kevin Burnside, who grew up in a "trailer home" himself, has been working in the manufactured home business for over 15 years. After first developing an interest in manufactured homes while working in real estate, he went on to become the top producing sales person for one of the largest Fleetwood dealers in the country and later became sales coordinator for a nationwide manufacturer. He lives in Idaho.
 
Table of Contents
 

1. Introduction

2. Looking at Manufactured Homes

Today’s Manufactured Homes

Frame Construction

Types of Factory-Built Homes

About HUD and Codes

The Way lt’s Built

3. Home Hunting

4. Financing: Shop for Money First

A Scenario For Paying Too Much

How to Get a Better Deal

A Road Map to Better Financing

Terms of the Loan

Variable Interest Rates

Graduated Interest Rates

Figuring What Your Payments Buy

Dealing with Points

Mortgage Types Compared

Figuring Out What You Can Afford

Calculating Your Mortgage Payment

Speeding up Your Loan Application Process

How Much Can You Borrow?

Financing and Loan Structure

Insurance

Appreciation and Resale Value

5. Finding a Good Dealer

The Best Time to Buy

Types of Manufactured Home Dealers

Truth in Advertising?

Modern Sales Systems

6. Shopping for a Home

Price

Shop Around

7. Finding a Home for Your Home

Comparing Pros and Cons

Manufactured Housing Communities

Moving Your Manufactured Home

Trading Homes

Land Improvements

8. Finding the Best House

Recommended Factory Options

Other Options

Unnecessary Factory Options

Option Types

Other "Bits and Pieces"

9. The Energy-Efficient Home

10. Be Your Own Contractor

Putting a Home in a Manufactured Home Community

Putting a Home on Your Own Land

A Note on Deposits

11. Materials and Construction

Roof

Exterior Walls

Interior Walls

Floor and Substructure

The Heating System

Condensation and Ventilation

Consumer Reports Survey

12. Worksheets and Option Lists

Land-Home Package Worksheet

Manufactured Home Community, Home-Only Worksheet

Essential Factory-Installed Options

Recommended Factory Options

Factory Options to Avoid

13. Flow Sheets

Home-Land Package Flow Sheet

Home-Only Flow Sheet

14. Warranties

Check List

General Maintenance Tips

15. Contracts

How to Shop and Be in Control

The Price to Pay

Quick Materials Checklist

Glossary of Terms

Appendix: State Administrative Agencies

Index

 
From the contents

A manufactured home built on a slope with partial basement floor and an elaborate deck


 

Two double-wide
floorplans