Weve been buying a lot of Legacy homes over the last year and have been happy with their financing program and quality of the homes. Ive had a few investors telling me that TRU homes are quite a bit cheaper. I know they are 14 wides as compared to the 16 wides we are getting from Legacy but if the price is right, we would switch. My question is… whats the quality of these homes like. Does anyone have experience of what a tru home looks like after a couple of years of tenant abuse. Do they hold up? It wouldnt be worth it if we saved in the front end but then the home falls apart after a few years. Also, does Tru offer any financing like Legacy. Right now were doing 15% down when we buy 10 at a time.
15% down and what’s the APR or terms on the remainder?
I have a lot of experience with tru products so I would be happy to field any questions you might have.
The park owners in my area love them because they’re cheaply priced and they are a great alternative to purchasing repossessed or used homes. You can purchase a 3 bed/2 bath 14x66 box for under $19K delivered within 3 hours of the plant. A 2 bedroom/1 bath can be had for under $16k. That price will include Vinyl windows, Vinyl Siding, Shingle Roof, Zone 3 insulation, House type door w/ storm door, and a dishwasher. Your going to have ABS (plastic) 3 piece tubs and surrounds, and cheap but functional faucets and fixtures, and short laminate scab cabinets. Floor Joists are spanned to a little over 19 inches to save on lumber.
From my experience they seem to be holding up just fine, and retail home buyers are quite happy with the products because they are getting a lot of bang for the buck. Many park operators feel the same.
The cheapest Legacy Home is going to run you about $8-10K more from what I can see. Yes it’s a much nicer home, but if you are leasing them won’t each sustain the same types of damages like holes in the walls, destroyed floor coverings, smokers that have yellowed everything?
Would love to hear some other opinions as well.
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Hi Ernest, thanks for the info in your post. How exactly do you have this experience with Tru homes products and know all the pricing? Are you a sales rep for Tru homes?
Hi Steven, I found your old post and curious what you found out about the quality of Tru Homes. I too am considering investing in Tru Homes but agree with you that I don’t want to save on the front end only to pay for it later!
Did you find a good impartial source for their quality and how they hold up? Have you purchased any yet and if so what do you think?
Thanks!
I am the GM of a manufactured home center and we carry that product.
Here’s another suggestion. Purchase a few homes from a manufacturer and see how they perform, before purchasing ten or 20 homes. Transport, installation and service probably matter more than the actual construction quality.
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Thanks for the suggestion Kurt but it would take too long of a time to “test” various manufacturers over time. If I waited 3 years or 5 years, that is a lot of lost revenue. That’s why I’m hoping to get some opinions of people that have owned Tru homes for a few years…
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I bought one Tru home 2 years ago (and two more a year ago)
My sample size is small but so far they’ve worked out quite well. A few thoughts:
-The exterior doesn’t have shutters. We had our handyman bolt shutters onto the front windows. Not a big deal, but just a reminder that these homes are as bare bones as you can get
-On one home we had our handyman go through and staple some of the trim more tightly as it at had shaken loose during the move. Not a big deal, but once again, they’re cheap homes.
-We’ve had no significant complaints yet on the homes from the residents
-We had the kitchen go out on the fan on one of the homes this week. The homes have a one year warranty (from date of occupancy, not date of delivery). Tru was great on our service request, and responded the same day to get the ball rolling.
I’d be curious to hear how others have fared with Tru and other manufacturers.
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I’ve found these houses perform extremely well for the $$ spent. Not only that, the customers we sell them to are very happy with them. They understand they are getting a “no frills” home. The good news is they have OSB strandboard flooring, vinyl siding, shingled roofs, and can be equip with a good insulation.
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Ernest: Where is your home center? I am in eastern Indiana, and if close, would like to discuss further.
Thanks.
Hi Ernest, can I get a contact number or email? Thanks.
We are located in Walton, KY and service the Greater Cincinnati Metro which includes Northern Kentucky, South Eastern Indiana.