Homes Direct makes the process of owning a home a simple and easy as possible.
We break down the process and explain every step.
MONTHS
Securing A Home Location
Choose A Home!
Arrange Financing, Permits, & Site Preparation
Order Home
Install Home
Choose A Home!
The next step is probably the most fun part, and also the most difficult. Selecting a home can be daunting but also the most fun as you personalize it and add all the custom options you desire.
1. Find a floorplan (or customize your own).
2. Pick options/colors and make changes.
3. Make sure the home is the correct dimensions/square footage for the site the home will be located at.
1. At this stage, Homes Direct requires a fully refundable deposit to lock in the price of the home and demonstrate your intent to move forward with the process. The money will be placed in an escrow or trust account.
2. Homes Direct will help arrange financing for our customers if necessary and ensure that the home selected is within the customer’s budget. Different lenders can work better for different customers based on where a home is going, what type of foundation is used, credit rating and how big of a down payment, and if permits and site prep are going to be included in the loan or not.
3. Homes Direct can also help with obtaining permits. Getting permits can vary in difficulty and expense by state and in some cases can be time consuming and frustrating.
4. The site where the home will be placed will need to be ready before the home arrives at the location. Any utilities that need to be run, any foundations that need to be built, and all requirements for obtaining the permit need to be finished before the home can be ordered from the factory.
Order Home
Once all the paperwork is done, its time to order your new home and wait as it is being built at one of our manufactorer’s factory floor.
1. Make sure all the financing, permits, and site preparation are ready.
Review the home in detail to make sure every option and change is exactly how the customer wants it.
2. Review the home in detail to make sure every option and change is exactly how the customer wants it.
3. Homes Direct will work with the factory to make sure they build the home exactly as the customer wants it.
4. Once the home is ordered, it generally takes 60-75 days for the home to be move-in ready.
Install Home
Once the home is finished, its time to pack it up and ship it to your location. We’ll be there with you to make sure the installation and finish is up to par and that you are 100% satisfied with your new home.
1. Once the Home is completed, it will be delivered to the site, placed on its foundation and joined together.
2. After it’s joined together, the utilities will be connected, the tape and texture inside will be finished, the carpet/flooring will be laid down.
3. A walkthrough with the customer will take place and any issues that might arise will be fixed right then. Our technician will have the customer initial on a checklist each item that needs to be gone over to ensure it’s to the customer’s standards.
4. Once everything signed off by the customer, a final inspection will be ordered from the city/county. When the home passes inspection, Homes Direct gets funded through the escrow/trust and the customer gets their keys and is allowed to move into their new home.
How Much Does It Cost to Build a New Manufactured Home?
Manufactured homes provide the highest quality at prices 10 to 30 percent less per square foot than site-built homes. The average square foot price for manufactured homes is $50 versus $94 for a conventional site-built home.
The prices of new manufactured homes in the Western region as of January 2016 – April 2017 are:
For more information on this topic follow: Average Cost of a Manufactured Home
Title Search
Always have a title search done on the property. The title search will tell you if the owner has the sole right to sell the property. It has happened when the current owner bought the property from someone who did not have the right to sell it. Any condition that prohibits you from obtaining a clear title to the land free of any problem will be found during a title search.
Setting Up your Manufactured Home
Set-up instructions are provided to the installer by the manufacturer and are approved by federal statutes. The guidelines must also comply with published requirements of state and local jurisdictions. All materials used to install the manufactured home must conform to their listing by the manufacturer and approved by state housing agencies.
A properly prepared site is essential to the installation quality and appearance of the home.
The land must be capable of sustaining the weight of the home and a cement foundation if one is poured. Homes Direct Inc. will provide the weight of the home and the distribution of the weight by each section of the home.
A cement foundation is the best for setting a manufactured home on. The local building code may require that footings be created. This would mean that the earth must be capable of easily installing footings.
The ground must be stable enough to accommodate the delivery equipment. While ground stability is also important for setting the manufactured home, it is essential that the delivery equipment has easy access to the site.
Property sometimes has deed restrictions, covenants or easements that determine what you can put on the property and where. The county office should be able to tell you if there are easements. If the county does not have this information, then ask who does.
It is preferred that your set-up company is also a site preparation contractor. One company performing both functions can result in a seamlessly coordinated effort rather than two separate entities working on the project.
For more information on this topic follow: How to Select the Site for Setting the Manufactured Home When Searching for Land, and see a step 5 of our process
How to Prepare Land to Set Up a Manufactured Home on It?
A properly prepared site is essential to the installation quality and appearance of the home. The following information will provide you with some important information that will help you to prepare your land for home set up.
Good drainage is important. The property must have good drainage to prevent problems with the foundation or the earth that the manufactured home is installed on. It may be necessary to have a soil test done to ascertain the drainage capability of the ground.
Select the right spot. A slightly elevated spot would be the best because water that cannot be absorbed would drain away. If the manufactured home is to be installed on the earth, then the Model Manufactured Home Installation Standards should be followed.
The earth around the slab foundation should be sloped away from the foundation to enable water to drain away. Otherwise, water will travel under the slab and cause the earth to shift when the soil expands and contracts.
The land must be accessible to the transport vehicles that will bring the home to the land for installation.
Check with manufacturer for the installation instructions. The manufacturer may have specific instructions regarding the site preparation for the installing the home on either earth or a cement slab.
SET-UP
Set-up instructions are provided to the installer by the manufacturer and are approved by federal statutes. The guidelines must also comply with published requirements of state and local jurisdictions. All materials used to install the manufactured home must conform to their listing by the manufacturer and approved by state housing agencies. Materials supplied by installers other than those listed above are strictly forbidden.
For more information on this topic follow: How To Prepare your Land For Setting A Manufactured Home
Why Should I Consider a Manufactured Home?
If you’re looking to get the most out of your “housing dollar,” you need to consider a manufactured home. Depending on the region of the country, construction costs per square foot for a new manufactured home average anywhere from 10 to 35 percent less than a comparable site-built home, excluding the cost of land. Today’s manufactured homes offer the quality construction, modern amenities and livability you are seeking…at a price that fits your lifestyle and your budget!
How Can I Be Sure that a Manufactured Home Is a Quality-Built Home?
Today’s manufactured homes are built with the same building materials as site-built homes, but in a controlled factory environment where quality of construction is invariably superior to what can be done outdoors.
The HUD Code regulates and monitors the manufactured home’s design and construction, strength and durability, transportability, fire resistance, energy efficiency and overall quality. It also sets standards for the heating, plumbing, air-conditioning, thermal and electrical systems. The HUD Code also ensures compliance with these standards with a thorough inspection system that takes place at each step as the home is being constructed in the factory.
There are major benefits to having your home built in a factory:
– All aspects of the construction process are quality controlled.
– The weather doesn’t interfere with construction, cause costly delays and warp or damage building materials.
– All technicians, craftsmen and assemblers are on the same team and professionally supervised.
– Inventory is better controlled and materials are protected from theft and weather-related damage.
– All construction materials, as well as interior features and appliances, are purchased in volume for additional savings.
– All aspects of construction are continually inspected by not one, but several, inspectors.
Can I Customize a Manufactured Home to Meet My Particular Needs/Wants?
Today’s manufactured homes come with “standard” features that you would find in a site-built home. Many floor plans are available that range from basic models to more elaborate designs that feature vaulted ceilings, drywall, fully equipped modern kitchens, comfortable bedrooms with walk-in closets, and bathrooms with recessed bathtubs and whirlpools. You may also select from a variety of exterior designs and siding materials, including wood, hardboard, or vinyl siding.
With all of Homes Direct’s manufacturers now using the latest in computer-assisted design, you have the flexibility of customizing your home’s floor plans, interior finishes, and exterior designs. Your lifestyle and your budget are the only limitations to the options available to you.
All of Homes Direct’s manufacturers also provide homes that are “accessible” for those with special needs. If you are interested in such a home, work with your retailer to order a home with accessible features, such as extra-wide halls and doorways, accessible counters and appliances, and specially equipped bathrooms.
To see our custom options follow: Customization
Are Manufactured Homes More Susceptible to Fire than Site-Built Homes?
Manufactured homes are no more prone to fire than homes built on-site. As a matter of fact, a national fire safety study by the Foremost Insurance Company showed that site-built homes are more than twice as likely to experience a fire as manufactured homes.
Fire resistance provisions of the HUD Code include strict standards for fire retardation and smoke generation in materials, large windows in all bedrooms, smoke alarms, and at least two exterior doors which must be separate from each other and reachable without having to pass through other doors that can be locked. Site-built homes are required to have only one exterior door and no “reachability” requirement.
What is the Difference between a Mobile, a Manufactured, and a Modular Home?
Mobile homes also known as trailers are homes on wheels that prior to 1976 were mass produced with little building regulation and control from the government. They mostly looked like modern day campers with an exposed trailer coupler and wheels that make the home easily movable.
Manufactured homes are homes built entirely in the factory under a federal building code administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD code). They may be single- or multi-section. The underneath steel frame stays on the house and the home can be set on both a concrete foundation or on blocks and tie downs.
Modular homes are homes built off-site. A modular home is sectional prefabricated home that consists of multiple sections called modules. It is built to local building codes, the steel frame underneath comes off and it has to be put on a permanent concrete foundation.
Modular Homes cost more than a Manufactured Homes and the building process takes several months more due to modular plans having to be approved by the state and an engineer whereas Manufactured Homes don’t require that. The benefit to Modular Homes is that they are appraised against site-built homes so in areas where there are appraisal issues you can get a loan and their resale value can be higher.
For more information on this topic follow: Mobile vs Manufactured vs Modular vs Park Homes
How Manufactured Homes are Built and What Materials are Used?
Manufactured homes are built entirely inside the specialized factories. There is a tightly controlled manufacturing environment. Manufacturing is not disrupted by bad weather, theft, and vandalism. The manufactured home factory employees are well trained and managed efficiently. They use assembly line techniques to build manufactured homes.
The manufacturing housing industry employs skilled designers to create homes that are efficient to build without sacrificing quality or safety. The designers work to create structural components that are efficient to manufacture and assemble. They work with the latest building materials to ensure that every manufactured home design has all of the innovations that have been made in the industry.
The entire process is done under the guidance and supervision of HUD regulations and inspectors.
How Far Can I Deliver My Manufactured Home for Free?
Most manufacturers include delivery from the factory to the site if the site is within a fixed radius of miles, which in most instances is 100 miles. The purchaser is responsible for the expense of the additional miles beyond the radius of 100 miles as well as additional expenses necessary to deliver the home. These expenses include additional equipment and manpower required to access the installation site and place the home on the site.
For more information about delivery follow: The Delivery Process of your Manufactured Home
Why Manufactured Homes/Housing is Cheaper?
The greater affordability of manufactured housing results from the efficiencies achieved in the factory-building process. The tightly controlled manufacturing environment and the use of assembly line techniques under the guidance and supervision of HUD employees preclude many problems that are found in the site-built home construction. The manufactured home factory employees are better trained and managed more efficiently than the contract labor utilized by the site-built industry. Manufactured homes are also lower in price because the companies benefit from the economies of scale which arise from purchasing large quantities of materials, appliances and other products. Site-built homes may not have the same employees working on each home, but the manufactured home industry has the same employees working under the watchful eye of the HUD inspectors. Another cost benefit of manufactured homes is the property taxes are usually lower than they are on site built homes.
For more information on this topic follow: The Cost Benefits of a Manufactured Home, Why Manufactured Homes Are So Much Less Expensive than Site Built Homes
Why Do We Price Our Homes without Delivery and Setup Online?
We don’t include delivery and setup in our online prices because those costs (along with sales tax) can vary pretty widely depending on which state the home is going to and how far the proposed home location is from the factory that is building the house. Contact a Homes Direct office for a quote on delivery, setup, and sales tax.
How Is a Manufactured Home Different from a Site-Built Home?
A manufactured home is constructed entirely in a controlled factory environment, built to the federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards (better known as the HUD Code). A site-built home is built “on-site” using traditional building techniques that meet either a local or state building code.
Starting in 1976, the HUD Code established a stringent series of construction and safety standards that ensure that today’s manufactured homes are superior to “mobile homes,” the term used for factory-built homes produced prior to the introduction of the HUD Code. Today’s manufactured homes are dramatically different in appearance from the “mobile homes” of yesterday…with estimates that more than 90 percent of today’s manufactured homes never move from their original site. Manufactured homes, like site-built homes, are now available in a variety of designs, floor plans, and amenities. Today’s manufactured homes are indistinguishable from site-built homes and are fully compatible with any neighborhood architectural style.
Is the HUD-Code Less Stringent than State or Local Building Codes?
No. While there are some differences between the codes, this difference has more to do with how the codes are intended to operate. While state or local building codes are basically prescriptive, meaning that they prescribe what type of lumber or what type of electric wire must be used in the construction of a home, the HUD-Code is more focused on performance, allowing the manufacturer to use products that are most compatible with the factory-building process as long as these products perform according to the guidelines established in the HUD Code.
Independent analyses comparing the state or local building codes with the HUD Code have found that “on balance, the codes are comparable” and “the net cumulative effect of the differences between the two codes is more likely on the order of hundreds of dollars, rather than thousands of dollars per unit.” In some cases, the local or state codes are more restrictive, while the HUD Code is the more restrictive in other situations such as ventilation, flame spread, and structural loads.
What Kinds of Financing Are Available for Manufactured Homes?
Just as there are choices when you buy a site-built home, there are a variety of financing options when you buy a manufactured home. Down payments and loan terms are similar – 5 to 10 percent of the manufactured home’s sales price, and loan terms of 15 to 30 years.
If you are buying the home and land together, or plan to place the home on land you already own, some financial institutions offer traditional real estate mortgages with similar interest rates. Should you be purchasing the manufactured home separately from the land on which it will be located, the home will probably be financed as a personal property manufactured home loan, usually with a somewhat higher interest rate.
FHA-insured and Department of Veterans Affairs-guaranteed (called FHA and VA) loans are available to manufactured home buyers. These types of loans may offer lower interest rates or lower down payment requirements if available in your area. They require more paperwork during the credit application and approval process and, therefore, may take longer for approval than a conventional loan.
For more information on this topic follow: Top 6 Manufactured Home Loans, 18 Manufactured Home Mortgage Terms you Have to Know
Things to Consider When You Decide to Move a Manufactured Home?
While, theoretically, a manufactured home can be moved after its initial placement, it is neither common nor advisable to do so. If you relocate, make sure you use a professional transporter; never try to move the home yourself. Cost is another consideration in moving the home. Besides transport expenses, which include licensing fees to take your home through a state, you’ll have to pay for a new foundation, installation, and utility hook-ups.
Where Can I Go to View a Model in Person?
Click on Locations and find the nearest Homes Direct location to you!
Homes Direct does business differently than most manufactured and modular home dealers.
We help you through the process of obtaining permits, finding affordable lenders, picking your options/changes, and help with the site preparations as well.
Homes Direct