Expanding the house search... manufacturered?

Ok, I'm getting frustrated with the home search here in Harrisburg PA. I have $60k cash to play with and a tiny income, so from my other thread you might recall that I'm trying to keep it cheap. I don't mind financing a 100k house putting down $30k and having money to build a garage, but I thought I'd look into buying land and building. Just exploring an option.

Looking for home manufacturers that don't suck. For instance, I don't want a double wide that will just lose value. I'm looking for either a modular setup where they build (attach two halves together) or I build. The I-build option needs to be relatively simple since it will be me, dad, and a handful of handy guys and gals, not professionals. I do have a licensed electrician in the group, but the rest are just beer-drinking buddies.

I have a feeling this won't go anywhere, but I wanted to research it in case it turns out to be a good idea for me.

If you go with the "they build" option, research them! A friend of my mom is now in worse shape with her 5 year old home that wasn't put together properly than she was with the ancient house it replaced. Leaking basement, leaky roof, totally berked wiring. Make sure if you go that route they are a reputable place and not some fly by night builder outfit.

It's something I've been thinking about lately as well, but I'm having trouble just finding land for sale.

My folks have a modular, and so do I. I have no issues with either construction. Ours was built by Crestline homes. Dont remember who built the folks.

• All manufactured homes decrease in value.

• All modern manufactured homes are better constructed than people give them credit.

• Manufactured homes are an acceptable form of housing in some parts of the country (like where I live), but Harrisburg PA wasn't one of them (from when I lived there 30 years ago). Local acceptance of them is what determines the value.

• If I could do it again, I'd live in a manufactured home.

One of the houses I looked at buying before my current one was manufactured. Ryland I think?

When we entered it I really couldn't tell until I looked at the plans the owner left. There were a couple of cues which were more obvious after seeing the drawings but right off the bat I wouldn't have thought it was.

It was seriously nice compared to other traditional constructions I looked at in the same price range. Sold before I could put in an offer.

Edit: Sorry manufactured not modular. I was thinking the ones you see traveling down the road in pieces.

I can add .02¢ here.

A good friend of mine had a (full time, good paying) job repairing all the stuff that contractors didn't do right in new McMansions and high end town houses in VA before the ression.

He bought a newish double wide because he liked the property it was on, and could pay cash. He had planned to build his own house on the property, but wound up liking it just like it was. It was the Hyundai of houses. Cheap, trouble free, and much better than a lot of people give them credit for.

I'm not to proud to live in one

Look for modular home builders. I toured the Unibilt homes factory in the Dayton, Oh area a few years ago and was really impressed with the quality and workmanship. All 2x6" walls (for strength during transport) and the quality of materials used was equal to many of the stick built homes. Only downfall I saw was limited floor plans.

I looked into some of the pre-fab kits.They had GREAT R values for insulation. They were quite expensive, aesthetically beautiful,and, in short, very cool

Couple of caveats. No one wants to lend money to build them, nor do they want to lend the future buyers money when you are ready to sell. Banks think pre-fab =trailer. If you don't have to borrow, this may not be a problem. Maybe borrow to buy the land, and squeak by buying a kit, and assembling with friends?

If you could make it work, there are some sweet designs out there if you like modern style Have you considered a tiny home? Will codes allow it? Shipping container home?

Building my own house was the single smartest thing that I have ever done, and it has enabled me to do many other fun (car) things that I would not have been able to afford otherwise.

If I were doing it again, and I was ready to accept a small and simple design, I would absolutely choose a manufactured home from one of the reputable companies.

One thing that is important to consider if you are renting is the amount that you can save in rent from start to finish by going modular. It's just a short term thing, but I probably would have saved $10,000 in rent by going with a modular rather than building it muyself.

How about a log cabin kit?

We've done literally hundreds of loans on manufactured homes (vs. hundreds of thousands of regular homes), to the person everyone had issues when it was time to sell and they lost money. Most lost a lot!

There's a very high percentage of foreclosures because people can't sell them. Financing is much tougher than for a traditionally built home so that also limits your buyers.

Except in areas where manufactured is the norm (and there are a few places like that around the country) you'd be better off renting because that at least only costs you a monthly payment and doesn't have the chance of ruining your credit too.

BTW I grew up in a trailer and have friends who live in one now.

My grandpa put one up on his vacation property. It was probably 15 years before your ears stopped popping when the door closed from the change in pressure. I remember that any time I did any "work" on that house, everything was actually square unlike any house I've seen since. Poor kitchen layout, but that wasn't something impossible to fix.

Add dormer windows and a custom built porch and it makes it hard to tell it isn't stick built. Not sure that that will help the resale or not.

SVreX wrote: - All manufactured homes decrease in value. - All modern manufactured homes are better constructed than people give them credit. - Manufactured homes are an acceptable form of housing in some parts of the country (like where I live), but Harrisburg PA wasn't one of them (from when I lived there 30 years ago). Local acceptance of them is what determines the value. - If I could do it again, I'd live in a manufactured home.

Agreed on 1 and 2. Manufactured homes aren't so much an investment as decent housing. You won't buy one to flip for a profit

I've always had this crazy thought: Land > Utilities > RV/Trailer > Shop/man-cave > Real house.

I've seen a couple of modular homes built on a large garage/basement foundation. Looked like a nice idea to me.

In reply to carguy123:

Are you talking about trailer type stuff or does that include companies like Westchester Modular? I don't see why something like this would be hard to sell or finance.

In reply to wheelsmithy:

Building codes do not allow Tiny Homes anywhere in this country (that's why they are on wheels. They are not technically "homes", they are technically "RV's")

And Tiny Homes will most certainly decrease in value. Probably at a faster rate than manufactured (They appeal to a narrower clientele).

MDJeepGuy wrote: How about a log cabin kit?

I have built a couple of these.

They are very deceptive in how they are marketed. They are awesome houses, but definitely not cheap. Log kit prices generally do not include foundations, electric, plumbing, interior walls, fixtures, cabinetry, appliances, etc. The advertised prices are for the log kit ONLY. Actual finished prices of a log kit structure are very expensive, and most of the mechanical trades will be much more expensive in a log home (because it is really hard to run wiring in logs, no chase areas for ductwork, etc)

2010, Clover SC: a buddy of mine bought a used single-wide, furnished, for Challenge money, and had it moved to a decent lot in a decent trailer park, and lived there while he found a lot and had his "real" house built. Is that an option?

In reply to curtis73:

Curtis, what is your priority?

If you are looking for cheap housing, cash purchase, no financing, not too concerned with quality, but just need a roof over your head, manufactured housing is an excellent choice.

If you are looking for something that preserves value and can later be resold at a gain, you need to buy what other people want, which would mean the simple "normal" house that can be sold later for about what you've got in it would make more sense.

Knowing what I know about you, I think the best option would be something a little different. Assuming you are content in Harrisburg PA and intend to stay there forever, I would suggest buying a piece of land that is rural enough to not be hindered by zoning and code enforcement. Put a basic clean single wide on it for a place to sleep. Then bring all your drinking buddies together to build a killer Garage Mahal, including man cave space. Pour all the money you have into it, and enjoy it 'till you die. This option will be limited in resale value, but who cares if you intend to stay put?

SVreX wrote: In reply to curtis73: Curtis, what is your priority?

This is a very good question. Resale is always a requirement for a guy like me. I have a great job that I love, but I'm actually not a big fan of Harrisburg. I was shopping for new towns when I landed this job, so its the big thing holding me here. I can bloom where I'm planted, but I see no need to choose THIS soil if I don't have to.

I'm not looking to buy and flip. As much as a big profit would be great, its not my main goal. My purpose in buying a house is to have a roof of my own, avoid paying disposable rent to live by someone else's rules, and be able to sell for par or somewhere near it. I don't mind losing a little money if I sell. I would just justify it as "well, it was cheaper than rent and it was mine."

If I buy a traditional house, I would expect a modest profit around here; or at least enough gain to cover the interest I paid on any possible loan I might have, and that would be fine. If the market tanks and I lose $5000 in 5 years, I won't lose sleep over it.

See my next post for a little more clarification.

In response to Wheelsmithy and Ian:

Those modern houses are very much my style. I love them. I can accomplish that feeling by adding modern architectural touches to an old house, but its unlikely that I would take the time and money to do it, especially given that those touches might make it a "specialty" house and limit resale to a smaller population. But building something like that wouldn't be out of the question.

Ian: Not sure if you remember, but your land/man cave/RV is exactly what I had initially wanted. My dream home is a tractor-trailer converted to a tiny home/RV and put it inside a 60x100 warehouse. That ticks all the right boxes. Big shop/man cave for the car addiction, and if I want to go somewhere I just hitch up the truck, flip off the breakers, and leave. My only real fly in the ointment is; what do I do if I want to relocate? Who wants to buy a residential-zoned barn? What are my chances of finding a similar property where I decide to live? I have a feeling that would be a project for whenever I find a forever home. I would be limiting my resale value to a small population of people like me, which (thank goodness) there aren't very many of.

Best of all worlds: home and garage in one? I may have talked SWMBO into this...

AngryCorvair wrote: 2010, Clover SC: a buddy of mine bought a used single-wide, furnished, for Challenge money, and had it moved to a decent lot in a decent trailer park, and lived there while he found a lot and had his "real" house built. Is that an option?

I had looked into it and it is an option for me. I went to look at a property on Yellow Breeches creek that had an old, crusty shed on it that someone had used as a fishing camp. It was a tear-down. My thought was to buy a cheap RV and park on it while I built a house.

Using an RV around here is incredibly taboo. You can park a single-wide (which is basically titled as an RV) and live in it, but a travel trailer is immoral, illegal, and rips a hole in the space-time continuum evidently. For instance, Middlesex township where I currently am has a law that doesn't allow you to sleep overnight in an RV on your own property. We've been questioned about it. When we're packing the trailer for a trip and have it plugged in in the driveway, we often get someone stop by to make sure we're not living in it.

Ed Higginbotham wrote: Best of all worlds: home and garage in one? I may have talked SWMBO into this...

YES. I love it. I think I can accomplish this with an existing structure. If I could find a big space and build a small living area in one end, or partially loft some of it, I would be so happy.

curtis73 wrote: Using an RV around here is incredibly taboo.

Well that's annoying... although conversely, one of my day-dreams is also a large enough barn where the RV could be parked inside, hook-ups and all. Out of sight, out of mind. Plus, I imagine an RV that isn't directly exposed to the weather would be easier to heat and cool.

I've thought about a small RV that I could park in my driveway to live in while I renovated my house, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are similar restrictions where I live.

That barnpro building looks perfect for my back yard. Garage/shop below, wood shop up top. Unfortunately, 16' maximum outbuilding height where I am.

Damn Codes and ordinances...