I am about to order 5-10 homes for our park in MN. I am having trouble figuring out what to look for in a new home or if any of the upgrades they throw at me are worth it. The 2 manufacturer/models I’m working with are Clayton Freedom Series and Schult Lifestyle Series. If you have any experience with these or have any recommendations on if any of the “upgrades” are worth it, I’d love to hear from you! Thanks!
I’m far from a housing expert, but I think the answer to your question really depends on what kind of a park you have. My parks are average to ‘lower end’ so for me no - beyond really basic stuff like a dishwasher and a gas furnace I go for no upgrades beyond legally necessary items such as thermal zone upgrades. We’ve never received complaints about the home ‘lacking’ anything in particular.
A few other thoughts:
-Perhaps go to one of the large home shows, such as Louisville. Walk some of the homes, and talk with the sales reps. You’re doing enough volume a trip such as this would likely be worth it. One thing I was struck by was how well some builders were able to use good design to not look as ‘cheap’ as the home actually was.
-Perhaps start with a smaller order, see how you like it and how the home is received by your customers, then place a larger follow up order.
-Talk with installers in the area doing high volume, and ask their opinion on the two model lines. Some factories have surprisingly poor quality control, and installers will be well attuned to these issues.
I would definitely be curious to hear thoughts from people more knowledgeable than me.
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I ordered homes for our two parks in NJ. One of the two parks was more of a standard mobile home community. Based on the feedback of our customers for that park, I ordered the following upgrades: “wood look” vinyl flooring in LR and kitchen; farm sink or some alternative to double bowl sink; porcelain vanities; better faucets in bathrooms and kitchen sink; 40 g water heater (gas if possible); washer / dryer; LED can lights in the kitchen; higher load for the roof; sheathing; better insulation.
Basically, I tried to shore up the home a bit (sheathing, roof, insulation), add a few sales points (washer / dryer), and add a few design items (LED lights, wood (vinyl) flooring.
I phased these in once I got to know the customer base so I definitely echo Noel_S’ advice. Also, compare the standard features of the Clayton Freedom series against the Schult Lifestyle and see if one offers more for your money. Then talk to crews that set the homes and find out which homes give them the most problems.
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Before you order 5-10 homes, you might consider ordering 1 or 2 with slightly different features and seeing what sells best in your area and your specific MHP. It would suck to get stuck with 5-10 homes that aren’t going to sell.
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Thanks Noel_S. We went to the Tunica show before, but all the homes looked great so I didn’t really know what to look for to be more discerning.
Agree we might just order a smaller order and see how it goes from there.
Thanks Ippo. Where in NJ? I grew up near Rutgers.
Thanks for the feedback. I’ll look into those upgrades and cost it out. I think the 40g gas heater was the biggest addon. Also agree that given the norther climates, we are looking for insulation to protect the home against harsh/cold weather. Is there any specific type of sheathing/insulation that you upgraded?
Thanks Jaydub. I agree, maybe we start off with a smaller order first. The only thing is that setup costs are wildly high in MN (~15k for SW/25k for DW) so if we order 5-10 we can save significantly on those. But agree we might lose more on the homes sitting there than the savings on the setup costs.
We just closed a park in Northern MN and plan on bringing in homes. Why so much for set up?
That’s a lot more than what we’re paying in Michigan.
Think it’s mainly due to the frost footing that needs to be drilled.
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Ah okay, I’ll have to do some research.
I sent you a PM.
@SteamChasing , as per your post:
- “Ordering Homes (MN)”
- “…or have any recommendations on if any of the ‘upgrades’ are worth it”
We have not ordered any New Mobile Homes.
However, we have renovated lots of Old Mobile Homes.
For MN you would probably required to have higher standards for the following:
- Roof Load
- Thermal Zone
For upgrades I agree with @Ippo on many of their suggestions.
Below is a list of upgrades:
- Higher Grade Flooring - “Wood Look” Vinyl
- Better Insulation Values
- Exterior House Wrap
- Higher Roof Pitch
- 30 Year Architectural Shingles
- Upgraded Exterior Doors
- Upgraded Windows
- Upgraded Light Fixtures
- Upgraded Plumbing Fixtures
IF you might NOT sell these Homes and you become the Landlord, I would NOT get:
- Dishwasher
- Washer & Dryer
- We actually remove or give away any working Dishwasher or Washer & Dryer. IF you provide these additional Appliances (even as an extra bonus…as is), Tenants will expect you to replace them once they no longer work. We purchase NEW Refrigerators and NEW Ranges from Home Depot. However, even these NEW Refrigerators and NEW Ranges do not last long. Thus, adding additional Appliances just adds to additional maintenance/money IF the Mobile Home becomes a Rental.
We wish you the very best!
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Excellent call on the “added” appliances.
Thank you Kristin for the input. Very insightful!
Agree we’d start off with a higher pitch/roof load. In terms of thermal zone, how do you exactly upgrade the insulation? There are so many options to check off, I’m not sure which one is which!
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For MN you need a ‘thermal zone 3’ insulation package. The factory should be able to advise you on all of this, and shouldn’t even sell you a home that doesn’t have the necessary insulation.
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@SteamChasing , you are very welcome!
In terms of Upgrading New Mobile Homes below is an interesting article:
As per the above article here is some information on Insulation:
- "…If I had to choose just one upgrade for my new manufactured home it would probably be the insulation (which would require thicker studs so I’d be cheating a bit, I guess).
There are three important areas of insulation in a manufactured home: roof, sidewall, and flooring. Flooring and roofing insulation will have a higher R-value than your sidewalls.
Low-end model homes will have sidewall insulation with an R-value of 11, maybe 13, standard. Upgrade to the highest you can afford (22+).
Better insulation is especially smart upgrades for your new manufactured home if you live in an area with extreme temperatures (really cold or really hot)…"
We are located in the South East, so our big “Requirement” is “Wind Zone”.
The Factory should be able to advise you on your specific “Requirements” for MN (as @Noel_S stated).
Below is an IBTS “Manufactured Home Performance Verification Certificate” which states Wind Zone & Roof Load Zone & Thermal Zone for a specific Mobile Home.
We use the IBTS “Manufactured Home Performance Verification Certificate” or HUD Compliance Certificate (placed in Mobile Home by Manufacturer) as proof to verify to the City that our newly moved & setup Mobile Home meets the “Wind Zone” for our area.
The Maps on the IBTS “Manufactured Home Performance Verification Certificate” show what areas need upgraded Wind Zone & Roof Load Zone & Thermal Zone.
However, I would verify that these Maps are up-to-date (as this IBTS “Manufactured Home Performance Verification Certificate” was for an 80’s Mobile Home).
We wish you the very best!
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R-19 Insulation is a common upgrade that I do for my park in MN. Just speak with the sales rep and they will point you in the right direction. The setup costs you were quoted are higher than what I pay and we do the frost free footing piers as well as new skirting install and even a central A/C unit thrown into the price. In Minnesota people like gas appliances, furnace, and water heaters if possible to save money on energy in the winter. Something I will never upgrade to again is Drywall. I purchased a brand new MidCountry Home (Owned by Commodore) out of Wisconsin and they look great and are built solid but the home had over 36 drywall cracks on arrival, some major. I got a few repair estimates and it came in between $3,500 - $5,000. MidCountry will not send someone out to repair nor will they help with cost of repair and basically told me tough luck. I have ordered Clayton homes since and they send a check out immediately for anything wrong. Will never go with MidCountry again nor drywall. Is the Clayton Freedom Series higher end or lower than the Pulse series do you know?
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