A and J Home Improvement LLC is a reputable home improvement company located at 1311 Cottage St in Ashland, Ohio. They specialize in providing a wide range of services to residential clients, including roofer, general contractor, chimney sweep, and more. The company can be contacted via phone at 289-2926 for pricing and more information. Yelp is a fun and easy way to find, recommend, and talk about what’s great and not so great in Ashland and beyond.
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A and J Home Improvement LLC is a local business in Ashland, OH that specializes in providing home improvement services to residential clients. They offer roofing, general contractor, chimney sweep, and more. They have five followers on LinkedIn and are based in Ashland, Ohio.
The company is not licensed or insured, but they provide a variety of services, including additions and remodels in Ashland, OH. They are available to answer questions, show demos, and get you started.
📹 35 MOST INAPPROPRIATE MOMENTS IN SPORTS
35 MOST INAPPROPRIATE MOMENTS IN SPORTS Here are 35 MOST INAPPROPRIATE MOMENTS IN SPORTS. Please …
📹 The VERY COSTLY Differences Between Modular and Manufactured Homes
There is some confusion between modular and manufactured homes with that home buyers can be misinformed about which …
@1:21 – How dare you besmirch Roger Federer’s reputation. He would NEVER do something like that. That was Alexander Zverev smashing the umpire’s chair at the Mexican Open in 2022. Tells you all you need to know about this website which obviously doesn’t do any research, not to mention the terrible article title – I’d hardly call most of what was featured “innappropriate”
Tennis players are generally considered to be the biggest idiots in the professional sporting world, mainly due to their over-developed sense of self-entitlement. It’s probably because most of them grew up in country clubs surrounded by parents and handlers telling that they were absolutely perfect and incapable of making mistakes. Then, when confronted with other idiots who were raised the same way, the inevitable disappointment of reality hits them hard and they act out accordingly.
0:22 is not an athlete doing the long jump. He is Chris Jones, from the K.C. Chiefs running the 40 yard dash at the NFL Combine. He said he fell because his package slipped out of his shorts. If you look, you can see him reach under himself to adjust. 🤣 He is defensive beast on the field! Stone Cold Jones! 🔥
That’s a 40 dash at the nfl combin it’s on the screen no idea how got long jump out of that lol not trashing the article tho it’s pretty good I thought the 40 yd dash was funny when called long jump lol must not b a big American football fan n never really seen a long jump competition lol since there was no sand pit or whatever it is they use
There are several people in this article who need to repent and turn to Jesus Christ, especially those in the leggings and those half naked- shameful! And then share the Gospel and warn their parents. Including several shameful outfits! Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. Nobody goes to the Father but through Me.” (Jn 14:6) Jesus also said, whoever loves Him (or believes, follows, knows or keeps puts his “faith and trust” in Him, as they all mean the same thing!), will KNOW AND KEEP His commands. (Jn 14:21) And, whoever SAYS he knows Him but does not do what He commands, is a LIAR AND THERE IS NO TRUTH IN HIM! (1 Jn 2:4) And, your children will do what you and your godless partner do, not what you say! In Christ.
Speaking as a retired builder, some years ago I put a couple modular homes together for a client that were permanently attached to a concrete foundation and I would say they were stronger than a conventional stick-built house simply based on the fact these things have to travel down the road at high speeds in halves. They have multiple 2×8 ridge beams and extra internal bracing that when the halves are bolted together create a much stronger unit. As a builder I kind of hate to say that but it’s true!
I bought a new 30,000 dollar manufactured home in 1994, placed it on 3 acres in Florida and paid it off in about 9 years. So, from 2003 until present time I haven’t had to worry about monthly payments or rent. Just had to pay land taxes once a year which is low compared to other areas in the US. It made it through Hurricane Irma a couple of years ago and is still in pretty good shape. Even if I gave it away for free, I have still saved a ton of money.
I have had 4 homes and 3 of them were MH’s 2 sold for more than what I paid and am now in an MF-Home Court 55 and over and ready to sell and it”s worth far more then what I paid for it. Stick built homes are very costly and I find that Manufactured Home offers just as much comfort as any stick-built.
Great info Kristina. Nice to see someone with an understanding of manufactured homes and the fact that yes, they can appreciate in value. Location is definitely key. I always find it funny when the “gurus” say pad rent is the worst thing in the world but have no problem when people rent an apartment… or pay HOA fees in a condo 🤦♂️
Amazing article, A friend of mine referred me to a financial adviser sometime ago and we got talking about investment and money. I started investing with $120k and in the first 2 months, my portfolio was reading $274,800. Crazy right!, I decided to reinvest my profit and gets more interesting. For over a year we have been working together making consistent profit just bought my second home 2 weeks ago and care for my family.
My older brother purchased a manufactured home several years ago here in Quebec,( Canada) at the time, his friends thought that he was making a DUMB move. He paid the manufactured home off in a very short period of time and my brother always kept his manufactured home in tip top shape. He and his wife raised two children in that home. Today he has ZERO debts. Hence, I would change BANK ACCOUNTS with him any day. So, who gives a POS what type of home that you purchase as long as you have a ROOF over YOUR HEAD and that you are DEBT FREE !!! Cheers from Canada, snow country.
My husband and I currently live in a manufactured home and we love it. We downsized from a 3000 sq ft home and love the financial freedom we now have. I think manufactured homes get a bad rap because you always see the run down homes on the news with the toothless dude in a sleeveless shirt out front talking about how the hurricane took out his house. I live in Louisiana so I can say that. Manufactured homes are no different than a regular home, they require regular maintenance and upkeep. We have replaced our roof with a metal roof, replaced windows, doors, flooring all kinds of stuff. No different than a regular home. Our place is 23 years old and no one believes us. It looks great! DO YOUR MAINTENANCE!
We’re purchasing our first home. It’s a manufactured home built in 2014 and is on a fully-landscaped 6,670 sq/ft lot. The people who built and beautified it did an amazing job and it’s 5 times what it was worth 6 years ago. As long as we continue the legacy of beautification and maintenance, I have little doubt it’ll continue to grow in value. I love Dave Ramsey but he’s not always right on this. Final thought: Value is subjective and if you’re happy with your home, who cares what others think?
We are moving from a 1971 mobile home (on land we own, no foundation) to a manufactured home on a double lot with a permanent foundation, a few neighborhoods away, the house is almost twice the size. It’s an upgrade trust me. And even if it only sells later for what we are paying for it now, it’s still an upgrade, it’s what’s in our budget.
Often, people have unique situations & having a manufactured home might be a plus. What we did is to buy land in the country, & a well-kept used single wide for 10,000, & lived in it as we built the house, then remodeled the mobile home into a woodworking shop. Sometimes a person can use strategy to make things work.
I bought a 2900 ft. Manufactured home and it came in four sections interior walls are 11 feet tall and it’s on a permanent engineered foundation. I had the exterior of the house stuccoed with a smooth texture with a Spanish style roof. Added and oversize three car garage and large patio with outdoor kitchen It’s sitting on 3 acres and have enjoyed it for 12 years. It’s valued at just slightly over $800,000 now.👍🏻👍🏻
I am a single retired woman looking to get out of my horrible apartment when my lease is up in 6 months. I want to purchase a manufactured home to live out my retirement years and don’t care about resale value since this will be my first and my last home. Whatever happens to it after I’m gone doesn’t concern me.
I’m planning on buying a manufactured home and put it on at least and acre of land with a permanent foundation. I don’t plan on selling it unless I’m so old I need to be in a nursing home. Things could change but if I’m not too worried about making money off the house. Living in an apartment now, I won’t make any money when I move. Even if I “lose” money selling the house, I’m still better off than living in an apartment.
I’m so glad you were recommended. I’m in a situation right now trying to sell my manufactured home. Mine is attached to and acre of land. It’s very modular inside. I’m hope to gain a profit when selling. It’s a beautiful home and in good condition still after 10 years. It was a construction VA loan when purchased. According to my mortgage it is considered real property and cannot be moved. I’m thankful for this information.
I would like to give a minute to pre-owned homes. Some people have kept these up beautifully and made them much more than they began life as. If you would like me and pushing 60 and have the money to spend $53,000 say in a place where you will be happy that’s okay as long as the home makes you happy!
My ‘manufactured home’ built by a recognized high quality company was set in a recessed area on a block wall constructed permanent foundation. It has survived multiple earthquakes in my area in California, while many stick built on concrete slabs in my area suffered 5 and 6 digit damages. Much of which is not covered by insurance due to high premiums . Knock on wood, my house appears more resilient, perhaps because it had to be designed to survive a 55mph delivery process. Perhaps because attention to manufacturing detail in a factory environment. I sat through a 7.1 earthquake with my extended family in this home 2 years ago, many in the area with heavy tile roofs and inflexible concrete slabs suffered horribly. I lost a few trinkets
I’m in the process of purchasing a manufactured home and you’re right, the lender that was chosen for me has a ridiculous interest rate and fee. The manufactured home is $82,000 installed and the lender is tacking on as much as $17,000 and this is with a 20% down payment. Thank you for reminding me to shop around.🌹
this is a real home for me also. it’s not about resale value, this is the home we can afford and retire in. we dont want to be mortgaged up to the neck worried about the burden of paying that off on a limited retirement income. ours is going onto land we bought. in a nice quiet area, near a town we like and friends nearby. people forget that life is about living it now not “passing down” something that will have given you a financial headache while you are alive. appreciate the life you have.
Please get everything you do in writing from the city your putting the land own. My sister finally resolved her issue with the Town in Tx, they have to move their manufactured home off the land. Make sure you get it in writing if that City allows Manufactured homes, apparently the builder doesn’t have to, please do your own research on zoning, and talk to the people in the city 1st. .
Hi Christina, Great article. Modular may cose a little more, but in my neck of the woods they are the same or much better than a site built home. One example alone is on a modular home the Electric is done to the national electrical code (same as a site built) instead of the hud code. All my neighbors site built homes are 2″X4″ exterior walls (sometimes 24″ on center). My new Modular is 2″X6″ exterior walls (16″ on center) with better insulation. Site built homes are built by disgruntled employes doing substandard work in the rain and snow and heat. Modular homes are built in air conditioned factories with code inspectors on site. Site built homes are built on foundations, Modular homes are tied down to the foundation or footers. Here in Tennessee they go up in value just like a site built home. I could go on and on but I will take a modular home any day of the week.
One of the most important reasons for getting a modular home or manufactured home is the fact that you don’t have to deal with home damages when your looking for a home. You may run into minor issues, but the company usually fixes these things. Plus modular or manufactured home can withstand high winds. I prefer something new without tons of damage before you even buy the place. I believe that modular and manufactured homes are the best way to live and are much safer and energy efficient for everyone!
Enjoyed this article. My family is from rural Virginia and everyone has a manufactured home. We own the land. No one really sells they just get passed down. I plan to build a home on the land when l retire in 5-6 years and live their part time. It was thinking manufactured home. I will look into modular homes. I have been looking at tiny homes and shipping containers too as options.
I just saw your article. There is another factor with manufacturered homes. My wife and I are retired and moved from Florida to the Mountains of North Carolina. We bought 10 acres of beautiful land on top of a 3600 foot mountain with 360 degree views. We decided to go with a manufactured home because at the time 2 years ago COVID-19, hit and the mortgage loans were at their lowest. We choose a manufacturer who does a wide variety of options and will do custom requests as well. It’s a 2022 model, 3 bedroom, 2 Bath Farm house with gorgeous kitchen and master bedroom, fireplaces etc. We chose metal roof, upgraded exterior walls and studs, and floor joists. Maximum insulation everywhere and drywall through out the home. But the cost was lower than a modular equivalent. We intend to stay here until time ends for us. We are very happy with our plan and ours is yet another reason we chose the way we did. Our deck is 50 feet by 15 feet and the roof matches our home one piece. Whole house generator with 1000 gallon propane tank and gas appliances. It really depends on the purchaser plans and what fits. You did very well explaining the process. Unlike other experts who cut their nose off in spite of their faces
Some friends were lucky enough to have a house in the city and a lake front cottage in cottage country. When they retired, they demolished the 80 year old cottage, constructed a full basement foundation and had a modular home (3 sections) placed on the foundation. Sold the city home and moved into the new modular. It’s huge and beautifully constructed with quality materials and almost impossible to identify as a modular home. They now have the money to live their summers in their paradise location and spend 3 months of every Canadian winter travelling the world.
26 years ago my manufactured home cost $50,000 and the acre that I put it on cost $10,000 plus Septic and well. Today my property is worth over $130,000. Maybe more with everyone leaving New York. At the end of the day, “Location location location. I live 5 miles directly to the Atlantic ocean, so a Boat slip could cost $75,000. A Summer getaway of a 1956 toaster trailer on 1/4 acre could be worth $200,000 At the end of the day, I’m retired, I’ve lived on this same piece of property since 1987. This is what Home looks like.
what if you don’t want to re-sell? what if I just want to buy land and a mobile home and not spend $200,000+ to be in debt until i’m 70 yrs old? people told us “don’t buy a mobile home, the value goes down and you can’t resell it”… i’m not looking to resell. I’m looking to spend as little as possible and have 2-3 acres and a roof over my head. I could careless about value because I don’t want to resell it.
Sometimes it boils down to how old you are, if you are young and starting a family, and are either going to stay where you are, or sell and move on after a while, a manufactured or mobile home or double wide may not be a good investment, it may last 30 years then need replacement, and won’t be worth much and you may have to start over on a mortgage, and now you are older. Once you’ve paid 30 years you don’t want to start over. Obviously there are regions where they will last a life time, but you don’t really want to start over on a 30 year mortgage when you have paid once. But if you are older, and maybe it’s going to be your last home, and you don’t care about leaving an asset to kids or someone, then enjoy a manufactured/mobile home, some are pretty cool and they can go 30+ years if you take reasonable care and replace things as they break. They are ultimately cheaper and may be a better choice if you don’t care about the value appreciating. We only live once, its not always about about the money. Bless you Kristina for helping Vets.
Kristina, what about home owner insurance on manufactured homes? I bought one to keep relatives from being kicked out in winter by their lender and then found out that my insurance company wouldn’t insure a manufactured home over 5 years old; and this one was 6 years old. I suddenly found myself legally responsible for the actions of my alcoholic relatives. I transferred the title to those relatives for a loss to escape the liability and of course they never paid me back. No good deed goes unpunished. 🙂
I just wanna buy a piece of land and grow a garden. So I don’t plan on selling. Manufactured seems like a great idea for someone like me. Resale is irrelevant as long as I can stay employed in the area. The upfront investment is the lowest of the three. And they are simple designs that are very utilitarian, which I appreciate. I can live without all the accents on traditional homes. I’m trying to save money on a greenhouse for the backyard
Don’t listen to the realtor B.S.! A Modular home is the way to go. I purchased one in 2000. Simple facts: When a stick house is built, you realistically won’t set foot into that house for at least a year. That’s why crews have 5 to 10 houses they work on and rotate because of the inspections not being cleared. Another reason, these stick houses are left open, which leads to bugs & animals, and even kids partying & crawling all over your new house. You think the crew is wiping their feet all the time before the tile or carpet is installed–Haha. That doesn’t even account for lousy rainy weather. If you have request a basement, you are guaranteed it will flood, and it’s not uncommon to have 3-4 feet of water that will have to be pumped out. I could go on & on. The Modular can have many updates, and is build on a production line with absolute ideal building conditions, which is transferred to You, the homeowner with the BIGGEST investment you’ll ever make in your life!. And, it is up and closed within 2-4 hours usually. I don’t like to see people put to of work, but the lies about stick homes should be discussed also. Choose a reputable company, like Hekaman Homes, they have been in business since 1969. Modular homes are super popular in Hurricane states also, because each section is a compartment and can be easily replaced. Funny, when they say stick, i laugh, because my home is all wood too~~hahaha.
When my husband was terminally ill I needed to relocate to where I had help to care for him. My best friend and I own property so I ordered and paid for a manufactured home which was build locally. My reasoning was this could be built and installed quickly. It should have been but allegedly the “corporate” end of this business underpays and perhaps fails to pay those who do the on site set up. Allegedly they could not find anyone willing to put the house on the foundation. There were tragic consequences in this situation and very painful memories. My point of caution is, know the business you deal with from top to bottom. Find out if there are issues after the pieces of home are delivered. For us, those pieces were out in a field for far too long.
We bought a Commodore modular winter home burned to the ground. They pretty much dumped and took our money and ran. Half of the electric works we have no heat because the electric keeps blowing it we all got sick when all the plumbing leaked in the basement and we got black mold the list goes on. We need help they don’t respond I had an attorney but I’m not sure why I should pay 20,000 to sue for them to finish in to fix every problem and the list is very long. Do you have any suggestions help
Hello Ms. Smallhorn. I’ve been perusal your material for a while now. Have even commented on a few of your articles. I’ve finally found myself getting close to closing on a construction loan for a standard, brick home on my property here in Florida (panhandle area). Before that, I was actually looking at an on-frame, modular home model that a nearby retailer was going to be able to provide me. Would you believe that it is actually going to cost me LESS to build a brick home, of similar square footage and upgrades, versus the particular modular home model I was considering? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking manufactured or modular homes, since I was considering BOTH for the past year/year-and-a-half….and I STILL like looking at them and article tours of them online. But I suppose, at least in my area, I just got a much better loan rate and appraisal for the brick home I’m getting built here in the near future. So, just wanted to also share with others in the comment section…depending on where you are and your financial/personal situation….you could find yourself in a position where a site-built OR manufactured/modular home are equally viable.
My son is a disabled vet from Iraq war. Usual story girl with a kid says she loves him. Understands he is damaged.. gets him to adopt her kid.. then Tells him after he bought a house she wants a divorce. Of course she wants it all. I told him after the divorce get a camper then he can go wherever he wants buy the camper and you can go all over the country you stay in the campground or a park.
Thank you for this information. My husband and I would like to buy a modular or manufactured home eventually, but i am still trying to figure it all out. I especially love that you have a heart for our vets. My husband served for ten years and my father was a Vietnam vet so they are dear to me as well.
Hello Kristina. I’ve watched several of your articles and appreciate what you do for Veterans as I am a Marine veteran. I live in California and bought a manufactured home with 2.25 acres of land. I live in the high desert part of south east side of California in the beautiful city of Twentynine Palms. I’ve been trying, with no success, to get solar for my home. As soon as I mention that my home is a manufactured home, the companies end the calls very abruptly. Do you know and can you help me understand what the deal is with my type of home and not being able to install solar? Appreciate any assistance that you can provide. Mat D.
Here in the Northeast the final cost difference between a modular and on site stick built home is only about $20,000-$25,000. I have been a GC, and a RE Broker for over 20 years, and know that to be true. Some modulars are fine for their areas, but around here, a $25,000 difference over a 30 year period is a drop in the bucket and something I would gladly spend any day of the week. I would take my RE agents with me to any developement and pick out the modular homes from the on site stick built homes just by driving around. They were amazed and so were my clients. On site, Stick built for me only.
Through personal experience I think I trust both of these methods over stick built homes reason being is on construction sites some people just dont give a crap and take no pride in their work, you end up with crooked walls doors that dont shut properly improper trim cuts cock eyed and improper stairs and squeaky floors and so on. The times is money is all that matters to a lot of contractors.
Thanks for not sounding like Dave Ramsey who just sounded down right judgemental about a manufactured home. I have always liked Dave and have listened and watched his shows before and I have never seen him act like he was better than anyone until that clip. He is upfront and honest about making mistakes financially and wants the best for others. But that clip didn’t look good maybe it doesn’t seem as bad in the full context I don’t know. I’m not sure why this article popped up but it was very interesting. Thank you for the work you do to get our great Vets a place to live. I will be perusal to see what all you do to help. This is a cause every red blooded American should get behind. Count me in!
Thank you for your kindness and help. I have a Manufactured home. I just pd it off. I don’t have land because I couldn’t afford it at the time. But I wish I would’ve waited after I made the purchase. Buyer’s remorse? Maybe. Only because I didn’t have land. I wish I knew who to call to get a price on how much it would cost to move it. It’s a zone 5? I don’t know what that means. I did hve a high Interest rate. They called mine a chattel loan? Financed for 10 yrs. I’m really bummed out. I appreciate your wisdom and expertise on this. Ty. You are a God send.
This administration is putting so many families into difficult situations A lot of people are financially struggling to live, keep a roof over their heads and put food on the table, Anyone who is not investing now is missing a tremendous opportunity imagine I invested $ 1000 with a lady you recommended some time ago and got profits of $ 4,380 You’ve changed my whole life, Thanks so much Mrs. Allyson Breward.
Our first home was a moduler. We were young and that was the only home that we could afford then. We paid 40k and sold it for 165k. My neighbor was a builder and he stated that if a tornado is to come in our street all houses will be blown away except ours. It looked just like other homes and it even came with Anderson double pane windows.
Manufactured homes also different from typical single family homes in how you finance them as well. This is primarily because, like you point out in the article, you are typically not buying the land, you are just buying the home itself. It’s important to be aware of all the financing differences before you go down this route! Thanks for the helpful info, Kristina!
I am single and don’t make a ton of money. I want to buy a house so badly but I the houses in my price range are basically falling down or in an unsafe neighborhood. A good compromise for me would be a modular home but there is so much negativity about them. Some people don’t understand that some of us out there can’t afford to buy a nice stick built home. I wish people could be more understanding and less judgmental.
My father purchased a manufactured home in 2001, for $72,000 painted and updated it some and sold it in 2004 for $115,000-it’s an ok option if that’s the best thing you can comfortably afford. He’s never lived beyond his means, and has always been able to save money even on a modest salary-he’s retired now…
Here’s the deal with us, we bought a traditional house in 1988 for 130k just sold it 2 months ago for 625k. Bought a manufactured home, the next day for 245k cash, in a 55 community. The MH is 52’x 42’ it’s bigger than the house we sold. I pay no property tax, it’s a land lease, HOA isn’t bad. Beautifully landscaped, they cut the grass in the front and take care of my landscaping, I pay additional $100 for the summer months to cut the backyard grass. The best thing is living on one floor, no more stairs to climb. We love it.
My Wife and I decided we were gonna full time RV when our Grandson moved out. We needed a “home base” though. Note we had a 4000 Sqft house sitting on 4 acres of land. Upstairs, downstairs, 5 bedrooms, 4 baths, 800 Sqft Garage….WAY too big for the 2 of us. So we decided to go with a Mobile (Manufactured) home. We found 2 acres of land ahead of time and settled on a 1500 Sqft unit. 3/2. Pretty nice layout. Big Master BR. Open Kitchen. Then we yanked out all the cheap appliances and installed high end (SS)stainless stuff. Replaced the kitchen sink with SS modern farm style with restaurant style faucet. Pulled all the light fixtures and replaced with upgraded LED styles and also installed Ceiling fans with LED’s. Changed out water heater for high efficiency one. Then we added on a 450 Sgft 4 Season room with 8 sets of sliding glass doors. We spend most of our time out there! So long story short, less space to worry about cleaning, less yard work, less house maintenance, etc. Many would say we spent a bunch of money upgrading. Not really. This place cost us less than my Truck payment! And no…it’s not some fancy truck. Just a regular old Ram Tradesman. Payment is in low $600’s but I throw much more at it to get it paid off sooner. And we have a “home base” to come back to when we go off RV’ing. And also I’m not worried about selling this place off cause it will most likely be our last. But happy thing is it has already appreciated almost 40K in less than 2 years!
Just a note: when talking about a manufactured home that is “attached” to a property (especially when buying one thats already in place), they are all PHYSICALLY attached to the land with the strapping. The question is are they LEGALLY attached- meaning is the manufactured home DEEDED as REAL property (real-estate), or was it purchased and placed, but not deeded WITH the land, and therefore would be considered PERSONAL PROPERTY (like a vehicle or camper). This makes a big difference. Mostly seen in older homes. Just wanted to clarify what we ran into when trying to purchase manufactured homes early in my marriage.
I would prefer a modular but the ones in Oregon are spendy compared to manufactured since the companies are more swanky. The manufactured factory, like Clayton, etc, is not manufacturing IRC homes in Oregon, only HUD. Champion has IRC homes built in Idaho but shipping and stitch up is steep at $45,000 even on a $80,000 home. So, I am not panicking and I don’t think manufactured is the same as living in a RV, and definitely not a car.
Yea a manufactured home might not appreciate as much a module or as much as a site built home. My brand new 1800 sq ft manufactured home with R30 insulation, double pane windows, a 3.5 A/C cost about $70,000. A module home the same size would cost about 3 times that amount, and a site built home would be about 4 to 5 times that amount. Tour the manufactured home facturies and you’ll see that the side walls are made using 2X6 inch lumber, the side walls are 6 inches wide. Then walk through a construction site and look at the 2X4’s that the site-built homes are made with. look how flimsy they attach the side wall 2X4’s to the concrete slab. Look at how the manufactured homes are anchored into the ground with about twenty 4 foot anchors. The manufactured homes have one real benefit, they are usually raised about 3 feet above the ground. keeping flood water and bugs out.
I did a manufactured home and I am trying to refinance with these record low rates. I am finding that interest rates are higher even if you have great credit. Many lenders believe it is riskier even when it is permanently affixed to a foundation and title is eliminated. Also…they want to inspect every deck and get L&I and county permits for everything! Even if your county doesn’t require a permit. After sales tax on home/construction I think I could have done a stick built for the same price.
I am having issues with pricing looking at these homes. We went to a MH showroom in Chandler, AZ and the base price for the home we liked (Champion Homes “The Loft” model) was $125,000. On a website online I found that EXACT HOME (literally pictures of the model in Chandler, the same one we were standing in) for $108,000. When we go to purchase, should we be negotiating? Or simply just telling the company what we are willing to pay based on online prices? Thanks!
Appreciation isn’t the only issue! In some areas, there are no restrictions on property tax increases, and whatever increased appreciation that accrues is lost to the annual payment of increased property taxes. If a person is planning to stay for a decade, the difference could easily amount to be $30,000 or more. In my area, a person can get a used manufactured home, fix it up, and still have a very low tax rate. However, a modular home would have much higher taxes over the years than even a new mobile home. The property taxes on a stick-built home are almost like a second mortgage payment! Renters do not care whether the home is modular or manufactured, so it doesn’t affect rents.
A few details I wish I had seen in the article. Many factory floors are building modular and manufactured homes side by side. Using the same materials. The only difference being which code they build the home to. (If you are buying either option, ask if you can get a tour of the factory. It’s a neat place to check out.) The factories I know, every home gets multiple quality inspections before leaving the factory and a state inspector comes in like once a week so that they can see each house at some point in its production. In my area I believe it is illegal for the home retail center to recommend a lender. One of my job duties was to make sure our lender wall had information provided by any lenders who sent it, and we requested all customers to mark at least 2 lenders on the application so that they could get multiple offers.
I love perusal your articles because you are so smart and know exactly what you’re talking about. I’m looking for a permanent place to live (I’m tired of renting), and I watch as many of your articles as I can so I can learn as much as I can. Thank you for being such a great teacher!! Continue the great work you are doing, please!!!
I bought my 1980 “doublewide” manufactured home in 2017 in a mobile home park in Florida, and paid $110,000. Its zillow value today? $205,000, and local realtors tell me I could easily get more. How is this possible? Our park is condo; I own the lot it sets on. Out of nearly 600 homes in our community, only two are for sale as of today. When they do hit the market, they receive multiple offers within hours. Bottom line: EVERY building depreciates, it’s the land beneath it that appreciates.
My manufactured home is on its own land, built-in on a cement and block foundation (no skirting) permanently installed with many improvements (including permanent stairs to enter, patio, and pergola entrance with a ramp as well. Detached carport and many other extras. I understood this to be “personal property” but the insurer treats it as a mobile home (and a lower than realistic payout if totaled) and I don’t see a difference between my home and a “modular home.” I would like to get higher coverage on my insurance. Or is my thinking mess up?
Hi Kristine.. Something no one really talks about is the nightmare that some unsavory manufactured home dealers do to cut corners. Even after putting the home on a concrete footing.. If the home isn’t properly sealed underneath.. Animals like Pack rats will invade & bring with them .. Other vermin, even with a iron clad pest control contract. We found this out after building a home on a property in the city.. You would think that rural areas would be plagued with this. This was a city dwelling that within 8-years of development.. Had major issues. Sad to say.
I currently rent a single-and-a-half wide one bedroom manufactured park model home. I will be buying this from the owner for $7,000! Then only pay for lot rental and electric in a 55+ park. At this price I should be able to turn this unit anytime I need to. Can’t beat the price. Lot rent is about what the monthly association fee would be if I had a condo. This is superior.
You are so right about manufactured homes and their value being tied to their location. My husband bought a new manufactured home and had it delivered to a mobile home park. We did not know each other at the time. I bought a 1300 sq ft home in a middle-class neighborhood. After marrying several years later we decided to sell his home. We could not get any takers and started renting out the trailer. We did this for about five years. Most of the renters were considering buying the trailer and moving it to a piece of land near a lake. When a tornado went through a nearby community one of those renters left in the middle of the night because she became deathly afraid of living in a trailer and being killed. Can’t say I blame her. We finally sold to a renter who purchased an acre of land near a large lake. We were only able to sell for what remained on the loan. No appreciation whatsoever. Meanwhile, my home in the suburbs increased in value and we eventually sold it and moved to a larger home. I enjoy your articles. You are smart, well-informed and very amusing.
I bought a manufactured home in 1998. It’s on my own land. I paid it off in 14 years. My home is permanently attached to a foundation. It doesn’t have a skirt. I was told by 2 local banks to buy or rent a smaller home instead. From 2012 until now I haven’t had a house payment. The houses the bank wanted me to buy were flipped over into the road by a tornado in 2013. Mine has been through 7 tornadoes and it’s still intact. I only pay 200 a year in taxes. It was set up on a passive solar concept so my utility bills are very low. It’s in the country and a few of my neighbors can cause problems but not near the ones I had living in a major city.
Older articles help give us a sense of perspective once this twilight zone of a real estate market returns to normalcy. When you get a ton of new buyers and a ton of houses taken off the market, you get what we have. Look at any real estate site and see mobile homes built in the 60s and 70s going for up to 1000% of their original price. This is nuts.
Having worked construction, I would buy pre-made homes any day over built on site. The day-to-day compromises from just trying to get workers to show up transfers to quality and durability issues. Illegal labor, drug-addicted workers, etc. The only area being safe is the electrical and plumbing. They are solid. The rest can be done by inexperienced and flaky people.
You need to warn people about the upkeep on a manufactured or mobile home. A manufactured home has to be on a level slab even if not attached to the slab; otherwise you will develop cracks in the floor and the walls, and the walls will actually separate away from the floor. The roof needs to be kept painted with a particular kind of roofing paint (I use a thick white latex from Home Depot). It is not cheap and depending upon the weather in your area, it may need to be redone every other year. There is very little to know while insulation. The insulation underneath the floor needs to be checked every year as it is not covered underneath. Even with skirting around your trailer, the floor insulation will rot and need to be replaced every so many years. Doors are not standard size – only 28 in versus 32 in for a regular house, which may not be stocked at your local Home center. Plumbing also is not standard and you will pay a premium to any plumber who can order the right fixtures to fit. These are the main issues I have come across in living in manufactured homes for 27 years. It really is not as bad as it sounds; you don’t have to fix everything every year, it’s just regular maintenance for the most part. And that is why manufactured homes lose so much value over time – because people either don’t know how to maintain their home, can’t afford to do it, or just don’t care.
Dave Ramsey doesn’t know jack about a lot of things, especially housing options. I remember him telling people “don’t use credit cards”. And establishing credit with having no credit usage? I bought a manufactured home in an age restricted community in Feb. 2022 for $ 80,000. Put in a new AC unit and today, it’s worth at least $ 165,000 since the owner of the community is bringing in new homes selling for $ 187,500, which have specs that are sub-standard to my Palm Harbor home with 2×6 exterior walls and 5/8″ drywall throughout.
I bought a mfg. home a few yrs. back. It was 24 yrs old and needed some work. I had to re-roof it and will have to have a new HVAC maybe this year or next, but the selling price was so low and the location so good that I was happy to do all this. Main reasons for my decision was the location and the quality of the residents here. Still have to pay rent on land, but this is much less than any apartment/home in my urban area. Bought it directly from the REIT that owns the land. They made the offer, which was unbelievably low and offered no reason why they did it. I asked, but never got a real answer. Go figure. Always enjoy your website.
A modular home has a deed. A manufactured home has a title like an automobile. If you can at all possible find a location that allows you to put manufactured home on your own property. In a park the value will be iffy in time. In Ohio they have to be in a mobile home park. If you see one that is on ground, it was out there many years ago and you cannot move it out and put in a new one.
I just closed on my construction loan for a 2200 sq ft manufactured home to be built on my 25 acres. We’re a family of 6, and anything in that area with a similarly sized site built home on it was 3x-6x the cost of buying the land separately and building on it. Has it been a headache? Yes. Are there way more steps than buying a home that’s already built? Yes. Is it great being able to save all that money, have all the space we need, know that we will have it paid off before we retire, and be able to live on this land past retirement? Yes. With the money we are saving going this route we have the ability to pay off the mortgage early and build something for just me and my wife on the other side of the property once the kids are grown up. That manufactured home can become a rental property, guest house for family visiting, or a place for the kids to rent from us while in college.
All homes have 2×4’s since 1978,some builders build incredible mobile homes,you can live very comfortably in a mobile home,modular homes now days cost as much or more than a stick built home,I see the advantage in mobile homes when you’re young and waiting to build your dream home,I inspected mobile home plants for HUD for years,I know the dealer is more important than the manufacturer, an honest dealer is far more important than who actually built the home
Dave Ramsey is wrong with regard to his belief that “a mobile home’s value will not go up at all.” I bought a manufactured home along with the 2/3 acre lot it sits upon in 2017 for $135,000. Today it is valued at $235,000. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t a $100,000 gain in real estate value within three years pretty good?
Why would the appraiser value a manufactured home that’s tied to a foundation less(@ 7:36 )? Is there a real reason (something like manufactured homes cause foundations to degrade faster vs modular or something ) or is it perception? I’ve been trying to research what’s the actual physics/reason why they appraise less. I’ve been to plenty of stick build houses that are cheaper built that many manufactured homes.
The way I see it, worst to best, apt., condo, manufactured in park, manufactured on your own land, modular home, real stick built. I’m in my 2nd manufactured on my own land and it’s value has more than doubled. What I am seeing is that if it’s on your own land, it will appreciate at 2/3s the speed of a house in the same area. Manufactured in parks can go up depending on the area, but not by much. UPD: My manufactured home on my own property value has gone up from the $140,000 I paid for it to $430,000 due to the housing market crisis. I do expect it to go back down once new homes are being built at lower prices. Wood is way high right now thanks to corrupt demonrat shut downs.
I’ve been in construction my whole life, grew up in a construction family, and been on site learning since middle-school. Modular homes are better than manufactured homes, but they are NOT built as well as a stick built home has to be to pass local inspection. This is not speculation or bias. I have extensive experience remodeling both types of homes, and there are striking differences in the quality of lumber, how things are fastened, structural components (headers, beams, posts), and insulation. It’s a crime that modular homes can be used as comps for stick-built homes, and vice versa.
Most people are under the impression that your home is an investment. Talk to any investor and you will quickly realize the house you bought and live in is a liability…not an investment. If your home is a rental property, that is considered an investment. After you figure your mortgage (30 years for most people),taxes, repairs/upgrade, and interest, I assure you the money you spent will be far more then what you sell it for. NOT an investment in my book!
Oregon – Tuesday March 23, 2021 – i bought a used 1978 doublewide mobile/manufactured home in 2017 for $38,000 cash (plus my monthly park space rent) today – mine as well as the other 4 in my cul-de-sac – are all selling for over $77,500 each (mine is the least expensive of the 5) – my property tax assessment has increased as well from 2017/18 @ $31,215 (525.00 tax) to 2020/21 @ $64,835 (840.00 tax) – 4 years! . . . yes – i’m VERY happy! 🙂
Gotta LOVE the real estate experts who base their opinion on what happens when you sell your home, not allowing for even the possibility there are RESPONSIBLE people out here who bought a home, paid it off and will probably die there. Resale is only a consideration for those who by default or by design fall into the “I gotta ‘own’ multiple homes throughout my life”. If you bought a “starter home”, then had to buy a home to house the kids, then lost that one to a divorce and had to repeat steps #1 and #2, then as an empty nester bought a smaller place for your golden years, that’s on YOU. The “experts” don’t address this because RESPONSIBLE PEOPLE reduce their commission.
In general, if you buy a manufactured home in a rural area, and plan on moving in the next 10 years, you will probably not make money on your purchase, whereas with a modular or stick built you probably would have. Remember, manufactured homes can actually depreciate in value. Location matters a LOT. Dont listen to just the positive stories, there are way more instances of people NOT making money from manufactured homes than making money. -Real Estate Agent in NC
Mobile homes and trailers got a new name, manufactured homes. Your stigma of trailer trash remains though. I am experiencing it now, people treat you like dirt. I feel sorry for these people to be treated as a second class citizen, I heard about it but never experienced it. I just tell people I live in a trailer so they can just hang up on me or not call back as not to waste anymore of my time. Sad.
Manufactured homes do go up in value depending on the market and area. I live in the North East and the housing market is insanely high. 5 years ago I bought a 1100sqft manufactured home new out of the factory for $70k and it’s worth $250k if I want to sell it. People are even selling 1970s mobile homes for $150k+ around here.
Question please! Why do you say to never use the lender that the manufactured home offers first? I am going through this now, and they came in a couple points higher than Friday’s rates… I asked why and the woman says “Usually rates are higher on manufactured homes”. I just did not find that as a sufficient answer so I totally get where you come from and am in the process of finding a new lender other than theirs. With that being said, do you think they get paid by using a specific lender?
Hello Kristina! I’m a new subscriber. This article showed up in my feed and it was VERY helpful. 😊. Would love to know your opinion on a metal frame “contemporary” barndominium. I already have the land (in Iowa) and I’ve read good things about metal buildings such as low maintenance, ability to withstand tornadoes, energy efficient although insulation is key, etc. My plan is to have one custom built with a lot of upgrades. Single story but with a finished concrete basement. What are your thoughts as far as cost (versus a stick-built or modular home) and appreciation?
I have to call BS on a couple of things here… Manufactured homes CAN be permanently attached to a foundation. My manufactured home is permanently attached to my poured concrete walk out basement/foundation with large lag bolts… I also finished off the basement to make my home a 4 bed, 3 full bath, office, and even a real home theater. The statement about them going down in value, I bought my manufactured home 5 years ago for $150k and it is now worth around $300k… Granted our area (Northern Michigan) is hot right now I dont see myself loosing any money on it…
Anyone thinking of buying a mobile home / anything placed above the slab/ground that has side skirts etc… SECURE THE SIDES.. I lived in a doublewide in my mid 20s and the amount of stupid, annoying stuff I had to deal with was insane. From racoons getting under there and making noise.. to a woodchuck getting under there and digging around/messing up the foundation, a random cat getting under there and .giving birth to kittens somewhere under there… If I could go back to when I first received the home (inherited it) I’d cement block around the entire home and build one door to access the plumbing.
There shouldn’t be a single Vet in this country that’s homeless. They deserve far better than that. I pray that you find homes for each and every one. My Dad was a WWII Vet and there were several times in my life growing up that were found our family homeless. My Father worked tirelessly to find us a place of our own. I was 10 when he and my Mother were able to purchase a home of our own.