What is the difference and pros,& cons regarding mobile, modular, and factory homes?
Modular Home Questions July 2nd, 2009Please don’t send me links to sites explaining the differences, cause it all says the same thing. If your living in one of these kinds of homes, or have lived in them, owned them, then your answer would help greatly. What is sidturbing when we see the showroom of modular and factory homes, the walls are tissue thin, all the updated new walls, are made poorly, also there plumbing and electric has either no warranty on it, or a small warranty on it. My question is with this, if there so good, why don’t they have a warranty on important things like plumbing, and electric? Also I noticed that many property lots won’t allow factory homes on it, why is that? How long do mobile, modular, and factory homes last? Prefer answers from homeowners who have actually owned these types of homes, and have a first hand knowledge of them, from their own experiences.
July 2nd, 2009 at 6:03 am
Mobile homes factory homes: the best are very good: that said there are a lot of bad ones out there, yes lived in a few. The wall are thin (I lived in a 16 wide) the appliances weren’t the best. But you buy it and in most cases in less then a week you’re living in it. A lot of community only allow mobile / factory homes in certain places.
Modular: the house is generally built in two or more sections, with wood floor joists, similar to a site built house, only which arrives by truck and is sometimes lifted into place. Having set several of these up, after they are put on a foundation, there is still some finish work to be done, in the case of two of the modular homes I helped set up, the heating and cooling systems had to be connected to units installed in the basement.
Again the best are very good; some are mobile / factory homes with wood joists to get around community laws against mobile / factory homes.
I have found the mobile / factory homes deprecate over time same the cheap modular homes IE mobile / factory homes that were modified so they could be call modular homes.
The better modular homes generally hold their value just like a stick built house.
I’ve told people to go the factory and really check them out, see how the house is built, if the company doesn’t want you to take a tour then run fast. After all you’re getting ready to spend thousands of dollars on something you’re going to have to live with for years. They should be PROUD of the way their homes are built.
I have also found that you spend almost as much, for a good modular house as a stick build house, maybe more if you want something unique, the up side is that a modular house is faster to build, especially if you stick close (yes I know they can build to your specifications but every modular home builder I’ve ever seen had their stock house plans and I’ve found the more time someone has built a home the better they get) to their house plans. It’s generally built inside out of the rain and is closed up on the building site, sometimes in less then a day. Then a few weeks of finish work and you could be moving in.
As far as warranty I would demand the same or better then you would get on a stick built house.
Just my opinion.
July 2nd, 2009 at 6:03 am
All cons: The main thing is resale value. Eveything in those homes are cheaper and smaller. As a appraiser we stay away from appraising these homes. RESALE VALUE SUCKS!!