For those of you that have bought Modulars and/or Doublewides or live in them... (Casper: for sale, modular homes)

[Kristynwy]

What brand is yours?

Can you give me any pointers?

What made you decide with the particular company you chose?

What kind of tap fees did you pay to hook up water, sewer, ect?


Has anyone purchased a home from Iseman homes out of Gillette in the Sheridan, Buffalo, or Gillette area?

We are going to visit them in a few weeks and I wanted any advice or opinions before we went....

Thanks in advance

[jakeandkristalhoof]

Well I am not living over there yet but have been looking into the different companies ect.

You might already know this but here is what I have found.
Look at the R values some of them are trying to sell homes that would just never heat up in the winter.

Also when I call Iseman home place they qouted me $20,000 to $30,000 on a well. But today I was able to talk to a well driller and he qouted me $12,000 to $15,000.

Are you putting your possible house in town or out of town?

I was going to get on here and post something like this so maybe we can continue to compare notes?

[NoMoBull]

Kristy, I don't own a mod. or man. home, but I used to sell them. As in the advice that you have been given- there can be a huge variance in quality when comparing brands.

*Only buy from a reputable dealer! Ask around. Who stands behind their word? Will you get service, and in a timely manner?

*Bells and whistles are great, but go for quality construction, not flashy business that falls apart and goes out of style. Ask how it's built. Are the floors on 16" centers or 24"? Look under the sinks. How's the plumbing? Press on the walls. Is it flimsy papered paneling or sheetrock? What's the R-factor in the walls, ceiling & floors? What's the siding? (Hail!) Does it have a warranty. You can tell cheap from quality. Check out the windows and doors. Any breezes coming in? What kind of roof pitch and roofing materials does it have? What is best for the snowfall, hail, wind, etc. in your area? Get the most for your money in good sound construction.

*Don't finance too much/ too long /too high int. rate. Down the road you don't want to owe more on this home than it is worth. Your life may shift gears and you want or need to change. Why would someone want to buy a used home when they can get a brand new one for about the same price. Financing for a used home is a little more tricky than new. Most of the time these homes don't appreciate like a stick built. Maybe if it's on a foundation/basement on private property.

Good luck!

[shadowwalker]

Two very big "do's". Do make sure of the foundation the doublewide is on. Whether set on foundation or along I beams. Make sure this won't sag into the ground with time.And make sure they put and tighten all the bolts in hholes along the main beam along the top of the home. This will help insure that they might not sag later on.
Some things that have bit me are:
If ordering the trailer custom. Make sure of the outside connections and EXACTLY where they are. Won't do to find them in bad spots when all set up.
Can you add to the electric box such as additions later on.
Exactly what is covered on warranty and how long.
Who arranges for stuff like electrician,plumber,does it need a building inspector before any of these are needed,during? ect.
If you can get them to give you a exact discription of what is needed by you for the setup. OR if you can get them to inspect it before the house gets there. Believe me there are alot of things that stop the whole show.
If there are covanents for the land does this house meet them?
If you can get high R value insulation in walls and foam insulation o water pipes and maybe electric heater cord on them before the install is completed. IT should have this inside a separated sheeting under the house but........
AS soon as you set it up and get or before you get moved in keep checking for leaks. These mysteriously come and go ..... really.
Is there a need for a pole or underground hookup for electric?
During your walk through at the dealer. Make double sure you like where everything is. Stuff like a washer sticking out in the hallway a few inches or maybe the fridge door opens the wrong way, ect. Will make things not so good when you have been in it a few years. Check where the heat vents are, are they convient to put fruniture around without covering it? Just some things to think on.

[Kristynwy]

Thanks for all of your advice...

I agree about trying to find a reputable dealer...
Iseman has their homes on display, and the salesman that emailed me told me their meet the R values for this area, I asked about roofing and snow load ect as well as thermal zone. But we want to do a walk through to see with our own eyes.... and I told them up front we are comparing right now also...

my husband for a short time worked for a manufactured home company that I won't name, and they are one of the worst... he said the quality was horrible and he swears to this day to never buy one from this particular company... so he has an idea as far as studs and spacing ect... plus I found a nice checklist online to specify those things ect...

As far as a lot, I would love to look for a place in the country... just not sure we can afford it. So we have kept our search to lots that already have water, sewer, electric ect in town aka Buffalo. We do not want to buy a lot in the Shiloh addition, because they have a home owners association, which my husband and I do not like at all...

And we are buying brand new, not used... We think we may have to go with a modular, because a lot of lots in town do not want HUD homes, only UBC Modulars.

Kristal I would really love to stay in touch with you... we could help each other out... Are you interested in Iseman? I can tell you what I find out when we visit there...

I am also in touch with a Liberty Homes Dealer, that was very nice and honest so far... and I may give him a call again...

Where you wanting to build at Kristal? If you come across a good dealer/manufacturer please let me know and I will do the same...

Great points on financing also... that is one thing I am very nervous about and want to do very carefully, so we are not in a mess in the end and end up paying more that the home is worth...

[Dangerous Dave]

Unfortunately, the best manufactured homes I've seen aren't for sale in WY. Palm Harbor had a factory in my old town, and they were pretty good quality. Too bad the closest dealer is in Idaho somewhere.

[NoMoBull]

Have you checked out the Fuqua Homes dealership there in Sheridan? They were a good home for a fair price once upon a time. Don't know anything about the dealership though.

What other dealers might there be not too far over state lines? (Don't want to go too far. Want to be sure to get good service.)

[jdavid93225]

Kristy,
When I was in Casper last summer, I stopped by a dealer (Eastside Homes) selling modular homes. Some of these were even two story homes, though I didn't care much for those floorplans. There were a couple other dealers there, too, as I recall. Since it's just a short trip down I-25, you might want to consider visiting the dealers there, and make a long day or weekend out of the trip. Before you do that, try Googling dealers in the area with search terms such as "casper, wy manufactured housing" or something similar. I just tried that and found Fairground Homes as an example. The Magnolia products they offer look promising, but I haven't yet seen them for myself.

There were also some dealers of modular homes up in the Billings, MT area. Since this is just a little north of you, you may want to take a trip up that way, too. You can Google dealers in that area, too, to get an idea of what's available in the area. I think you will find lots of options in the areas surrounding Sheridan/Buffalo.

Besides modular homes, I've also considered log homes, which have some distinct advantages, as well as some disadvantages. I haven't started to build anything on my property yet, but want to explore all the options before I decide what I'm going to do. This is why I've visited several of these dealers in my travels. Whichever area you visit, be sure to ask about building in your area. I'm pretty sure most of them can build homes in your area, but it's possible that some of them can't, for whatever reason. Most of the dealers will cover a fairly large area, so I don't think you'll have much trouble at all finding a dealer that can get something to your site. I think the hardest thing you're facing right now is finding the right site on which to build your new home. I'm wishing you the best!

[jakeandkristalhoof]

Yes Iseman is the company that so far has a house in our price range, with the R values we want, sq ft is good, 2x6 outer walls ect. So please let me know what you find there!!!! I have also called The Home Place in Sheriad, but for small sq ft they want $88,000!!! We can't do that, we are looking at HUD though. We have animals so we need to have land, and HUD is cheaper.

This has been some great advice everyone!! Thanks for posting it so everyone can benifit from it!!!!!!!!!

[jakeandkristalhoof]

The Grissim Ratings Guide to Manufactured Homes

This book was just recommend to me, might be really worth it!!

We are also intrested in the Liberty homes, have you been talking to the Millennium Homes for the Liberty? If you go there also let me know what you think.