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"Wes Johnson combines personal experience with extensive research in a powerful 'must read' for anyone considering buying a manufactured home or currently living in one. The Manufactured Home Buyer's Handbook really is a wealth of information." -- Peter Tabak, Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings Considering how interest rates are going to affect your bottom line? Financing is often the most important factor when you buy a new home, and financing for manufactured homes often differs radically from that offered for site built homes. The Manufactured Home Buyer's Handbook covers finance options and predatory lending more thoroughly than any other guide. Here's a handy little tool that can help you, too:
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Please go to our new, improved and permanent new home at www.manufacturedhomebuyers.com and set your bookmarks to the new address. The new site is on a much better server which fully supports advanced features like search and feedback, and has much more content (including some great multimedia content)! The Manufactured Home Buyer's Handbook is also on sale now at Amazon.com and Overstock.com -- click here to go straight to all the special offers, and thank you! Welcome to The Manufactured Home Buyer's Handbook Home Page. The Manufactured Home Buyer's Handbook is the ultimate consumer guide for manufactured home buyers who are searching for a quality home at a reasonable price. It's the one book the dealers and the manufacturers don't want you to read. At this web site you can learn more about The Manufactured Home Buyer's Handbook and how to obtain it. This Home Page describes The Manufactured Home Buyer's Handbook's Mission, tells a little about the Author, gives Contact Information, and provides links to the rest of the web site.
Our MissionThe Manufactured Home Buyer's Handbook grew out of a real requirement for consumers and personal experience. No matter how committed the observer, no one can fully appreciate the trials and tribulations associated with purchasing a manufactured home unless they've been through the process. I’ve spent the last four years investigating this topic. That research has encompassed the study of government, realty association, and manufacturer financial reports, as well as in-depth conversations with industry employees and customers. I became convinced that excellent manufactured homes are available, despite the literal treachery and horror stories I often encountered. Finally, I put my hypothesis to the ultimate test: I purchased a manufactured home myself. A sacrificial guinea pig, I documented quality problems using my notepad and camera throughout the process so others won’t have to learn by error. To appreciate the ordeal that Clayton Homes, Inc., put my wife and I through, please click here. Multiple consumer surveys consistently show that most manufactured home buyers encounter at least one major problem with their new home, and many have more. Consumers Union’s December 2002 survey of manufactured home buyers founds: (1) one third of respondents were more dissatisfied than satisfied with their new manufactured home, (2) 17% were completely dissatisfied, (3) a whopping 79% had experienced significant problems. What’s more, Consumers Union found 30% of homeowners were completely dissatisfied with warranty work on their new homes, and "largely ineffective regulation of the manufactured housing industry." (www.consumersunion.org/other/mh/paper-pr.htm) As Dirty Harry might say, "Are you feeling lucky?" There is nothing quite like taking on a 30 year mortgage, only to find your new home has a major deficiency . . . You don’t have to gamble on what may be the biggest financial decision of your life if you’ve done your homework and you take charge of the process as opposed to being conducted through it like a sacrificial lamb. At every stage of the process, there are financial pitfalls that can devastate the unwary consumer. Many of these traps are intentionally set by unscrupulous dealers who do everything they can to maximize profits at their customer’s expense. The result is that instead of saving money and realizing the American Dream dealers promise, numerous customers soon face foreclosure - which have soared to record levels in recent years. Part of the problem with manufactured homes results from the fact that parts of your home are permanently sealed from the scrutiny of the average customer. For instance, how do you know that you are getting the insulation you paid for in your roof cavity when it has no access to it -- when it's permanently sealed from your view? (For a potentially enlightening illustration of one example of hidden problems, click here and read about the missing insulation.) There is a way to level the playing field, however; you can get a good price on a great manufactured home. For every dirty secret and potential pitfall, there is a solution. This book has them, whether the consumer is shopping, negotiating contracts, arranging financing, or setting up their new home. The Manufactured Home Buyer's Handbook is the ultimate industry expose and a step by step buying guide for the millions of consumers who are exploring this option. Throughout the book, financial and economical alternatives will be stressed, and guidance will be offered on how to get the absolute best deal for your money. Quite frankly, buying a manufactured home without some sort of primer on the in and outs of the industry can be like playing Russian roulette with your life savings. If you are considering the manufactured home option, this book will save you thousands of dollars, and it will help to assure you purchase a well-made home. So now you know the bad news: if you go this route, and with the average price of a new home in the United States now reaching $250,000 many people almost have to if they want a new home, you are swimming with sharks, and they think you are their next meal. They don’t care about you or your needs – their one goal is to make as much money as possible. There is good news, though. For the first time, the major banks are offering traditional mortgages for manufactured homes at competitive rates. Furthermore, as I write interest rates for 30 year mortgages are near their lowest point in fifty years. Surplus factory capacity and a flourish of repossessed homes have also combined to suppress prices. The bottom line is that right now, you can get an exceptionally nice home for a very affordable price. More and more Americans are finding themselves considering – and buying – these homes once again. The economic climate is perfect for manufactured housing to soar back to its heyday, when over one in three of new homes sold were manufactured units. Because of the confluence of changes in this industry (increasing quality, more loan options, soaring site-built home prices, etcetera), manufactured homeowners are a reflection of society as a whole more than ever before. There is no stereotype that adequately fits this group of consumers. A very diverse array of people in many different regions have decided that manufactured housing makes sense for them. They include college graduates, professionals, and every other walk of life. The need for a consumer guide regarding manufactured housing has never been more intense. By far the most comprehensive book on the subject, The Manufactured Home Buyer's Handbook features thorough chapters on how to option out your home, what features to look for, energy efficiency options, making the deal, financing options, the home's physical set up, and what to do when things go wrong despite your best efforts. Sample checklists and website resources are liberally included, along with ample illustrations and contact information for all of the Manufactured Housing Board State Administrative Agencies.
Author ProfileWes Johnson lives in the scenic Piedmont area of South Carolina. Dr. Johnson served as a Contributing Editor to both the Charlotte Metro Computer News and the Palmetto Computer News, writing how-to articles and reviews (both book and software reviews) for each of these regional newspapers. Dr. Johnson also owns and operates a computer business in York, SC. AAA Computer Services is a Member of Rock Hill’s "Clean and Green" business community, and has worked for several Fortune 500 companies. Dr. Johnson has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology, Magna Cum Laude, from Winthrop University, and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, Summa Cum Laude, from Columbus University. He was presented with the Tillman Award, Winthrop’s highest academic honor. In addition to writing in the field of psychology, he also writes other non-fiction and poetry. In his spare time he volunteers at a psycho-social rehabilitation center and a children’s home. At one social rehabilitation center, Dr. Johnson trained group members in computer and newspaper skills which enabled patients to produce their own newsletter, thus enhancing both their social and job skills. Dr. Johnson also enjoys sharing his passion for motorcycles with his wife Amy.
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