I've been reading a lot about these homes lately and am finding them offering a surprising number of floor plans, sizes, and options. They are now classed by Wind Zones. Zone 3 and Wind Zone 2 are the safest if you are on the Gulf Coast, followed by Wind Zone 1, which I think means you have no upgraded protection from the wind over and above what the average home has. Wind Zone 3 (and maybe 2) homes require more interior walls, judging from the floor plans. Tie downs are very important. Here is some interesting info on that subject.

http://www.mygreathome.com/fix-it_guide/tiedowns.htm#tiedowns

These homes generally start about $30,000 in my area (small single wide) but end up costing a lot more because of the upgrades. One popular upgrade is a Thermal Zone 3, offering 2 X 6 walls, allowing more insulation to get an R-19 rating. The roof has R-30. Now that is a cosy home for these parts. These homes are made in a factory controlled environment under strict specifications. It's not like a stick built where all the wood is open to the elements during the framing process. These manufactured home factories have skilled crews, and the inspectors and supervisors make sure everything is caulked and fastened and put together very well before they get an okay on them. All this information is very general and comes from reading a lot of these internet sites that stress that manufactured and modular homes are assembled under much more strict conditions than stick built homes. I did read that one in three manufactured home owners complains of leaks in the first few years. That's not good since the pipes (actually, it is the more flexible PEX tubing) are in the floor with the floor insulation. All I know for sure is that they can be moved if it is absolutely necessary, but to untie one and then move it and tie it back down again will be a big deal and very costly. However, it can be done. I know some people in this area have been trying to sell their homes for well over a year. With a manufactured home, if you have the ability to pay for it, you can uproot and take your home with you. You will have to move everything out of it first...but it can be done.

One interesting note...the 533 SF (1 bedroom, 1 bath) costs almost the same as the 900 SF home.

With a higher number of home owners losing their homes to foreclosure or having to short sale, I wonder if those numbers will fuel the manufactured home market.

If you are going to check out any of the manufactured housing sites, be sure and check out Cavco Park Models. If you want a home on wheels that is 400 SF and a loft, this is a good place to start. They are gorgeous inside.

Nice link... I'm an architecture / building dork and enjoy looking at construction drawings. Have had zero experience with the tie downs, so nice little page to illustrate it.

Thx,

Ken

I download the park model home floor plans off different web sites and then open them in the Paint program and start moving the walls and fridge and adding windows...sometimes I end up with a plan that looks just like what I started with, but at least I entertained myself for an hour. At first I thought all the manufacturers of these park models were stealing their floor plan idea from each other until I realized that CAVCO sells units to other manufacturers who finish them out inside and sell them under their own name. Before I learned how to use the Paint program, I went through a lot of graph paper.

I did like those tie down drawings and finally got a clear idea of how it worked.

Here's something interesting on the modular home front. Stick built homes may start to feel the squeeze soon. These folks will even locate land for you, apparently. I'm going to take a second look.

http://newworldhome.com/#/theProcess

Here's a site you need to read if you are going to buy a new or used mobile home. I found it an eye opener. This is just another great example of how to save youself a lot of money and misery by reading up on the product before making a purchase. Very interesting piece.

http://lowellsnotes.hubpages.com/hub/Before-You-Buy-a-Manufactured-Mobile-Home

This article is an interestig insite on how the economy has impacted the manufactured home industry, especially the retailers. The article calls this industry the fastest dying industry in the US. Still, if mobile home manufacturers...those that are still around...listen to the call of the tiny home movement, and react with better insulated and smaller SF luxury homes, some may survive. I have seen photos of interiors of new mobile homes that were so unappealing and outdated that one might only wonder if their technical employees were also incompetent and out of ideas. If the design is cheap, adding more of the cheap look does not help. The park model home people have certainly snatched some of the downsizing buyers away from the mobile home industry by offering what appears to be more quality and just good taste in design. My fault with the park model homes is that they put big refrigerators and stoves in the homes...and the appliances stick out in the narrow hallway...but they will come around eventually and add the counter depth appliances.

I think if home prices ever go back to the overpriced market we had before the dip, mobile homes will again start looking like the only option for many Americans.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/arch...s/73336/#slide6

That Article seems to miss the importance and damage done by of the almost complete exodus of PMI Carriers from the market place; making the resale of these Units virtually impossible except to Cash Buyers . . . . at least that's the case here.

Prospective Buyers who happen to be equipped with a 20% Down Payment usually don't want to live in a trailer, tube or tin can; and they don't need to. And without PMI, the market for these Mobiles among First-Time-Buyers has dried up.

I find that most of the older mobile homes that have sold have been to Cash Buyers who only want the land and site improvements . . . . they simply remove the trailer and send it off to the scrap metal yard and erect a new stick built house on the site re-cycling same well, septic, driveway, transformer, and possibly, the landscaping. That usually eliminates a lot of permitting issues at the same time.

I say that the sum of the parts is greater than the whole; but that doesn't help the Sellers of those mobiles where the value of the Unit itself still constitutes the bulk of their equity . . . . and now they can't sell it for much of anything

Very good point with the PMI...of lack of PMI, I should say. It seems like it is always something with mobile homes. So many issues need to be checked out.

I do feel many look at older mobiles when they have a large down payment but can't make large monthly payments. Sometimes that large down payment will be enough to buy an older, outdated mobile they can rehab. Of course, we live in entirely different areas. Maybe they retired and took a lump sum and just want to make sure they have a home they don't have to worry about losing. Problem is...they still need a lot of their own or else pay lot rent.

If they buy an older home and it is in a park, they need to take a good look at the park because their new home may not survive a move or it may be too old to legally be moved...but if they buy it and the park goes bad, then they are stuck. They may just have to sell their problem at a loss.

Next door to my RV park is the old single wide mobile of our former owner, who passed away last year...a man everyone loved in this area. While his lot and our RV park are beautiful with well manicured trees, flowers, shrubs, and bird houses everywhere, his older mobile was a little out of date when he left this world. His family sold it and the new owners remodeled it. People drive by now just to see what a showcase the little vintage home has become. Whoever did the work knew their colors and they knew their landscaping. It is just a dream to look at now. Around the corner was an ugly double wide with weeds that hadn't been cut in years. Can't believe the city let them go that long. I always wondered what I might be able to do with it. One day, people looking for cheap and roomy housing bought it. I can only imagine how many spiders were in the home and how many snakes were in the bushes. I love both these homes now. They are both an example of what people can do with a little vision.

Still, if people want large SF and new appliances, they should consider getting a lot of advice on what to do from people whose opinions they respect. It may be best for them to find a Realtor and go house hunting. Without a lot of knowledge about the way these mobiles are financed, sold and resold, they may end up losing a lot of money and not have a home they can be proud of.

Not everyone wants to live in an unrestricted area for obvious reasons we have talked about on this forum before...junk, junk and more junk. I'm not nuts about it either. Still, when folks are on limited budgets, are good with their carpentry skills, and don't want to be in debt all their life, rehabbing one of these mobile homes and giving it another fifteen years is admirable. Plus, there is something to be said about keeping stuff out of the garbage dump.

What people need to think about is...will my efforts to remodel be worth the money AND how will I dispose of this home later and for what price.

There are so many angles and options to buying into the mobile home market but one thing I know for sure...with the cost to get in one of the large, new mobiles hovering around the price of a new townhome or small older but updated SFD, people need to back away and think what they are doing with their money...and equally important, where they are doing it. Spending $125,000 on one may not be smart without getting all the facts.