Buying a new home is an exciting time. You get to decide what your future looks like and get to pursue exactly what you want and need. However, if you’re a first-time homebuyer or it’s your first time looking for a manufactured home, you may not be sure where to start. Not to worry! We’ll go over step-by-step what you need to consider when buying a manufactured home.
How Do You Buy a New Manufactured Home?
Very similar to the process of buying a site-built home, there are several steps you’ll want to take before putting pen to paper. We’ll walk through each step to take to ensure you find the best manufactured home for you and your family.
Researching Manufactured Homes
The first step is always going to be research. There are several questions you should ask yourself to help narrow down your search. Some questions are standard for all home shoppers, such as price point, the number of bedrooms, or the home’s location. However, there are some unique questions to research for manufactured homes. These questions include:
- Do you want a manufactured home or a modular home?
- Are you planning to live a community or place it on private land?
- What land is best for your new manufactured home?
- Do you want a pre-built model or do you want to custom-design your new home?
- What local regulations and laws are in place for manufactured homes where you live or want to live?
Once you can answer these questions, you’ll have a better idea of what type of manufactured home you’re looking for, where you want it, and what’s allowed.
Visiting Dealerships and Model Homes
During your research, you should also begin noting the local manufactured home dealerships near you. Visiting these dealerships will allow you to do a few things: compare and contrast prices, walkthrough model homes to see what works best for you, and speak to a representative to answer any more questions you may have.
We recommend you visit several home centers in your area if that’s available. This will give you a better understanding of what options you have to choose from. Not all home centers will have model homes, so make sure to call and ask if they don’t have that information listed on their website. If you’re in Florida, make sure to add Prestige to your list and check out our model centers near you!
Customizing Your Manufactured Home
Once you’ve decided what dealership you want to go with, it’s time for the exciting part: customizing your new home! While this isn’t a required step if you opt for a model this is already built, all of the features will be visible to you. If you have your home custom built, Prestige offers customization to all of our customers to best suit their needs and their vision of their dream home. Whether you need accessibility accommodations or you want specific, luxury design items in your home, customization will allow you to truly make your house a home.
Securing Financing and Insurance
One of the many benefits of manufactured homes is that their average cost is cheaper than site-built homes. However, you may still need financing and insurance options. Luckily, there are many different home loans available for manufactured homes. Some of these loans can be used to cover the land and land improvements for your home and some cover only your home itself.
The different loans available account for lower credit scores, offer 0% or a low percentage down payment, and will vary on whether they are fixed or adjustable interest rate. Prestige also offers financing and insurance options for anyone who buys a home with us.
Delivery of Your New Home
Once your home has been designed, financed, and built, it’ll be time to deliver your home to its new location. Oftentimes, the company you purchased your home from will help you prepare your land for your manufactured home as the delivery date gets closer. During this time, you’ll want to make sure all permits are issued prior to delivery and the connections for utilities are ready to be installed.
Setting Up and Moving In
And here you are! Moving day is an exciting but exhausting time. For moving in, you may want to consider hiring professional movers to help set up your furniture and belongings. Depending on what company you went with, you may also want to hire a general contractor to install any utility connections.
After all the logistics are taken care of, it’s time to relax and enjoy your new, manufactured home. Welcome to your new home!
Find Your New Dream Home with Prestige
With full customization options and a dedication to quality, Prestige is the dealership for you if you’re looking for a manufactured home. We have over twenty pages of floor plans for you to choose from and customize to your liking. If you’re ready to find your dream home, get in touch with us today!