Suz

We looked into this several years ago and passed. The land purchase, clearing land, foundation, permits, drilling a well, septic system, running electricity, etc. cost almost as much as the home. Be sure to check this out.

VickyOH

Check out: www.unityhomes.com they had some nice floor plans.

reeskylr

Cindy, we live in a Manufactured home. It was built in 1997 and is still going strong. It is top of the line from Palm Harbor Homes. Hope that helps!

junipergal

On DIY this morning there was a show dedicated to modular homes. Go to DIY and search modular homes and you can watch the show.

tessagin

PreFab homes are built in climate controlled factories and they have come a long way. The timeline is also much shorter from purchase to installation. Depending on where a person lives the building of a home can take anywhere from 3 months to a year because of weather conditions. The cost may be a little more but one thing also is the labor. Workers show up more at a build when the weather is just right. My cousin worked in one of those factories and conditions were perfect. If it's too hot or too cold many contract workers always have some excuse not to work. Also remember they are not the same as a mobile home (an axle base).

linkd

Just another thing to consider. My husband and I were looking at a higher end modular as a guest house AKA MY SEWING ROOM and found out that there were some financing issues not only now but down the road. At least in this area, mobile homes are specialty loans and are usually not handled by traditional banks - there are lenders who do work with the dealers and money is available, just not from regular banks.

That was okay with us since we would not have needed the financing for long. BUT, it can negatively affect the ability of a subsequent buyer to obtain financing... Someone told us that one mobile/modular home had to be torn down in order to get standard financing on a property they wished to purchase. We decided to hold off and go for stick built.
Laws and zoning differ from place to place, but I'd sure check out the rules in your desired location, even if you are not planning on financing.

laurelkal

Here's a builder that services your area.
http://regenthomesbyberacah.com/welc...beracah-homes/

Pilgrim

My son and his family lived in one until they bought their farm. I was very nice, great floor plan and well built. If I were to move from our farm I would buy one. They are made indoors and aren't subject to weather when being built.

QuiltingWillie

Hi, We've lived in a Modular Home for over 25 years. Our manufacture is out of business now, but was one of the few that would offer modifications to the design. We got exactly what we wanted in a regular stick-built home, but for much less. The home has held up just great and we have never regretted buying it. It will be our retirement home! You may want to check zoning laws if you have property, requirements for loans; and especially insurance.

coopah

I should add that it's difficult to get insurance on manufactured home in FL due to storms. And yes, you need to factor in installing a septic system, water, phone lines, and all that if you're not buying a preexisting or in a park. Fortunately, we are on my parents' property and they paid these fees when installing their manufactured home. We did have to pay for a septic system just for our home, although my dad had one installed that would have easily taken care of both houses. Zoning changed. We enjoy our home and just didn't want more square footage to clean!