So many questions...

<h1 id="internal-source-marker_0.12699794639675133" dir="ltr">Be an Educated Buyer when Choosing a Modular Home Dealer!  Ask questions!</h1><br/><ul><br/> <li>What does the modular home builder include in their base price?  We had a lengthy list of inclusions based on the floor plan we had chosen.</li><br/> <li>Are there any additional fees for modifying or drawing your own modular home floor plan? There were some charges for changes we made to our floor plan.  For instance there was a charge for us to "mirror" the floor plan.  And, I can’t tell you how many times we changed our “inclusions”, and had to have the price adjusted.  Sometimes we saved money, and sometimes we did not!  I <em>had</em> to have a certain kitchen island that was not included in our original price, and my husband <em>had</em> to have a certain layout to the bathroom that was not included. We spent more money on these particular options, but we saved some cash by choosing carpet instead of Pergo in our living room, and by .. uh, well, I guess we didn't save much money!</li><br/> <li>Does the modular home builder offer a "Turn Key" construction package? If so, what does it include, or do you have to find your own sub-contractors?  We did not want to deal with sub-contracting!  When we moved into our house, everything was done, all we had to do was “turn the key” to move in.  The carpets were down, the mirrors were up, the walls were primed.  One of the reasons we chose our dealer was because of the turn key service.</li><br/> <li>How much upfront or down payment cash is needed to receive blue-prints or to order the modular home? Is any part of the down payment refundable?</li><br/> <li>When looking at a modular home model, is the quoted cost "as shown" or is it the base price without options included?  The show homes we saw were quoted as shown.  However, because we had so many changes, the dealer ended up giving us a base price and provided us with a list of all the inclusions with prices.</li><br/> <li>How long have sub-contractors been with the builder?</li><br/> <li>Does the modular home builder have a field supervisor?  The field supervisor we met oversaw the house being set on the foundation, and he made sure the house was as we expected before we moved in.  In fact, I realized (much to my horror!) our kitchen island was made of the wrong wood when we had our walk through, and the supervisor had it delivered and changed that week.  Total freak-out averted!</li><br/> <li>Is the building site inspected for potential additional costs prior to signing a purchase agreement? Our site was inspected and we were warned about several additional costs, such as trees that needed to come down, which although it was more money, it was much better to have the warning than to be surprised!</li><br/> <li>Is the modular home builder quoting you allowances or actual costs? (example: lighting, cabinets, flooring - we chose all of this and were aware of the actual costs.)</li><br/> <li>Is a sump pump included in the package? (Our package did, but we chose not to have one, more on that later!)</li><br/> <li>Is there an additional delivery charge for the modular home, or extra cost for blueprints for basement or house?</li><br/> <li>Is there an additional charge for the crane used to place the modular home on the foundation?</li><br/> <li>Is trash removal included in the cost?  Is the modular home cleaned when construction is finished?  When we had our walk through of our newly set home, the house was very dusty, and there was a fair amount of trash, such as carpet remnants, inside. However, our house was spotless when we moved in.</li><br/> <li>How is the service and warranty work handled (by the company or sub- contractors?).  In our case, the warranty is all handled by our builder.</li><br/> <li>Is repairing drywall cracks included as part of the service warranty? After one year of living in our home, the builder returns to repair any drywall cracks.</li><br/></ul><br/>My hubby had A LOT of other questions, some regarding the plumbing and electrical work, which I will have to interrogate him about at a later date (because all I heard at the time was "blah, blah, blah, blah?  nah, nah, nah?" !  However, this list of questions should be a good starting point for now!<br/><br/>Our dealer, Key Homes, <a href="http://www.keymodularhomes.com">www.keymodularhomes.com</a> , has a lot of information on their website, including this list of questions.  Feel free to check them out!

So many questions...

Be an Educated Buyer when Choosing a Modular Home Dealer!  Ask questions! What does the modular home builder include in their base price? ...

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Check out the local modular home dealers!

Modular home manufacturers supply the home modules to your local builder, who then set your home on your chosen permanent foundation.  You will want to find a modular home builder or dealer in your area.  As I mentioned before, we found several modular home dealers by driving around our area and dropping into the various show home sites.  However, if you haven’t noticed any local modular home dealers in your area, go to the following websites to click on a map to find a list of dealers or builders for you to call.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.nahb.org/">www.nahb.org</a> Use this website to find modular home builders in your state.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.modularhousing.com">www.modularhousing.com</a> Use this website to find modular home builders in your area.<br/><br/>In our area, I’ve noticed many modular homes being set, and the builder will have a sign posted on the building site.  If your timing is right, you may be able to see someones house being set.  Alternatively, call your local builders and they should be happy to give you a list of people in your area who have built modular homes for you to drive by.  When we were building our home, many people stopped by our property to ask questions about our modular home building process and which dealer we used.<br/><br/>Just like I mentioned earlier, most importantly, choose a dealer you feel comfortable with.  This is one of the biggest events of your life and you don't want to be giving possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars to someone who makes you uncomfortable!

Check out the local modular home dealers!

Modular home manufacturers supply the home modules to your local builder, who then set your home on your chosen permanent foundation.  You w...

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What IS a Modular Home?

Modular homes should not be confused with manufactured homes (which are mobile homes or trailers). You cannot tell the difference between an off-site built (modular) home and a stick built (on-site) home, because they are exactly the same thing, just built in two different places!<br/><br/>A modular home is constructed of pre-made parts and unit modules. They are built in sections, in a factory where, most importantly, they are never subjected to weather. (Imagine! No delays or damage because of good old Mother Nature!)  Each module is built on a track that moves it through the factory, where quality control inspectors check them every step of the way. Wall units, trusses and other pre-fabricated parts of the house are then wrapped and transported to your building site on a flatbed truck.<br/><br/>When they arrive at the site, the modules are lifted by crane onto the load bearing, permanent foundation where they are then anchored.  Your modular home is set with bathrooms, cabinets and siding already in place.  Once on the foundation, the builders put the finishing touches on the home, such as installing carpets, and putting in screens.  When you move in, even the primer is on the walls, so for the most part, all you have to do is paint!<br/><br/>Modular homes must conform to local building codes, and more than often exceed those standards.  They are built to the same state building codes as conventional site builders.  In fact, it is believed that modular homes are stronger than traditional homes because, for example, in modular homes, nails are replaced with screws and glue is added to joints. Furthermore, modular homes are built with 10 to 20% more lumber than traditional stick-built homes.<br/><br/>Just like any traditionally built home, a buyer is able to customize their home: the floor plan, the amount of stories, bedrooms, ceiling height, add extra insulation, etc.<br/><br/>Additionally, modular homes are financed in exactly the same way as conventional built sites, and they appreciate at the same value as a conventional site-built home.<br/><br/>Back to that weather thing!  Recently I saw the following written about modular homes and thought it was fair to include it here:  Consider buying a new car.  You wouldn’t want a pile of parts delivered to your driveway and then put together outside!  So, why are we still building our homes outside, with rain, heat, cold, snow, ice, and mud compromising the construction materials and creating tons of work delays? We should be building our homes the way we build our cars – in highly controlled factory conditions with a strict quality assurance program and dozens of inspections (in addition to the mere handful of inspections required by the city) throughout the construction process.<br/><br/>And, that, is that!  In my humble opinion, modular homes are the same as traditionally built homes, only BETTER!

What IS a Modular Home?

Modular homes should not be confused with manufactured homes (which are mobile homes or trailers). You cannot tell the difference between an...

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