Cycle Publishing
Van der Plas Publications
 

1282 7th Avenue
San Francisco
CA 94122, USA

Tel.: (415) 665-8214
 
 

Buying a Manufactured Home

How to Get the Most Bang for Your Buck in Today's Housing Market
by Kevin Burnside & Robert Bentley
NEW, 3rd Updated & Expanded Edition (2009)

Format: 6 x 9 inch trade paperback
Description: 184 pages with 75 black & white photographs and other illustrations
ISBN: 978-1-892495-58-7
Price: US$18.95
 

  • What is different in today’s manufactured homes

  • The way they are built

  • Choosing a brand and a dealer

  • Selecting the best floor plan for your needs

  • Finding a site and customizing your manufactured home

  • Listings of manufacturer  associations and state agencies

  • Checklists and comparison charts

  • How to finance your manufactured home

 

NOTE: Please do not be deceived by "internet bargains" offered elsewhere, because those are copies of an earlier edition. We only supply the latest, expanded and updated edition.
About the book

Manufactured homes have been improving in their quality and appeal to mainstream home buyers. They offer a way to affordable luxury at a price that is dramatically lower than can be achieved with site-built construction methods. But there is still a big gap in knowledge about these homes, even amongst realtors and others involved in selling these products.

This book was written to bring you "up to speed" on all subjects relating to the these homes. Written in an easy-to-follow style, it explains every aspect of the home construction and buying process — from selecting a suitable floor plan right up to placing the home on a suitable site and adding custom features.

At times, the author does not hesitate to warn the potential buyer with respect to questionable sales tactics still too often used by some dealers and manufacturers. This is a true consumer guide--firmly on the side of the buyer, in an effort to "level the playing field."

This expanded edition brings the book fully up-to-date and covers all aspects of the manufactured home buying and installation process.

About the authors

Kevin Burnside, who grew up in a "trailer home" himself, has been working in the manufactured home business for over 15 years. After first developing an interest in manufactured homes while working in real estate, he went on to become the top producing sales person for one of the largest Fleetwood dealers in the country and later became sales coordinator for a nationwide manufacturer. He lives in Oregon.

Robert Bentley is a California-based technical writer and editor who has has an active interest in the development of manufactured housing issues.
Table of Contents
 

1. Introduction

2. Today's Manufactured Homes

Manufactured Home Features
Types of Factory-Built Homes
About HUD and Codes
Basic Frame Construction
The Way They Are Built
Single, Double, Triple, and more...

3. Selecting a Floor Plan

Room-Specific Requirements
Single-Wide Floor Plans
Double-Wide Floor Plans
Triple-Wide and Bigger Floor Plans

4. Home Hunting

5. Financing: Shop for Money First

A Scenario For Paying Too Much
How to Get a Better Deal
A Road Map to Better Financing
Terms of the Loan
Variable Interest Rates
Graduated Interest Rates
Figuring What Your Payments Buy
Dealing With Points
Mortgage Types Compared
Figuring Out What You Can Afford
Calculating Your Mortgage Payment
Speeding up Your Loan Application Process
How Much Can You Borrow?
Financing and Loan Structure
Insurance
Appreciation and Resale Value

6. Finding a Good Dealer

The Best Time to Buy
Types of Manufactured Home Dealers
Truth in Advertising?
Modern Sales Systems

7. Shopping for a Home

Price
Shop Around

8. Finding a Home for Your Home

Comparing Pros and Cons
Manufactured Housing Communities
Moving Your Manufactured Home
Trading Houses
Land Improvements

9. Finding the Best Homse

Recommended Factory Options
Additional Recommended
Non-Factory Options
Unnecessary Factory Options
Optioning Methods
Other Details

10. Make it Look Like a Home

Outside Appearance
Interior Improvements

11. The Energy-Efficient Home

12. How to Be Your Own Contractor

Placing a Home in a Manufactured Home Community
Placing a Home on Your Own Land
A Note on Deposits

13. Materials and Construction

Roof
Exterior Walls
Interior Walls
Floor and Substructure
The Heating System
Condensation and Ventilation
Consumer Reports Survey

14. Customizing Your Home

Who'll Do the Work?

15. Worksheets and Option Lists

Land-Home Package Worksheet
Manufactured Home Community, Home-Only Worksheet
Essential Factory-Installed Options
Recommended Factory Options
Factory Options to Avoid

16. Flow Sheets

Home-Land Package Flow Sheet
Home-Only Flow Sheet

17. Warranties

Check List
General Maintenance Tips

18. More About Contracts

How to Shop and Be in Control
The Price to Pay
Quick Materials Checklist

Glossary of Terms

Appendix: State Administrative Agencies

Index

 
From the contents

A manufactured home built on a slope with partial basement floor and an elaborate deck


 

Two double-wide
floor plans