North Dakota Manufactured
Housing Association
PO Box 2681
Bismarck, North Dakota 58502
Phone & Fax # 701-223-5390

PLACEMENT & SELECTION OF YOUR MANUFACTURED HOME

Manufactured homes offer a wide variety of styles and prices. There is a manufactured home to fit almost every pocketbook. Some models are designed for those whose budget limits them to a lower-cost home. Other models have such higher-priced features as cathedral ceilings, formal dining rooms, and wood burning fireplaces. The home can be a single-section unit or a larger multi-section unit. Multi-section homes come from the factory in two or more parts that are joined at the site. A single-section home comes from the factory as one complete unit. With more than 150 companies building manufactured homes in more than 400 factories, and with manufactured home sales centers located throughout the United States, you have an opportunity to choose from a wide variety of home styles.

INDEX OF THIS PAGE

• Placing Your Manufactured Home
• Placing Your Home on Your Own Land
• Placing Your Home in a Rental Community
• Choosing a Manufactured Home
• Buying a Manufactured Home

• PLACING YOUR MANUFACTURED HOME
  Before you select and buy your home, you should decide where it will be located. There are three basic options you can consider. First, you could plan to place your manufactured home on land you own or intend to buy. If you choose this option, you must consider zoning laws, restrictive covenants, and hookup regulations. Such restrictions may prevent you from placing a manufactured home on a particular piece of land. Second, you could plan to place your manufactured home on a leased home site in a manufactured housing development, in which case the company managing the development will normally take care of these considerations. Third, you could decide to buy a home already on a home site in a planned community. Then, of course, you would not be faced with the typical placement concerns.
  
  
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• PLACING YOUR HOME ON YOUR OWN LAND
  If you own or plan to buy land for your manufactured home, there are several matters you should consider.
• Zoning
  
  • In cities and suburban areas, and in some semi rural areas, you may face zoning requirements that must be met. In certain areas, there may be a prohibition against manufactured homes, or certain requirements regarding their size and exterior appearance. You can find out if there are any restrictions or requirements by contacting the local community's planning and land use department. Consult your local telephone directory for the office nearest you.
• Restrictive Covenants
  
  • Restrictive covenants are limitations in property deeds that control how you can use the land. These may include a requirement that homes be a certain size or a prohibition that lands not be used for certain purposes. The title search, conducted when you buy the land, may reveal information about such restrictions. Sometimes, however, the restrictions are described in ways that are difficult to understand. You may want to check with an experienced real estate attorney to see if there are any restrictive covenants that would keep you from placing your home on the land you are considering.
• Utilities
  
  • Although a manufactured home comes complete with plumbing, electrical, and heating systems, it must, like all homes, be connected to electrical, water, and sewerage facilities. If your site is in a well-developed area, all necessary utilities may be available, subject to connection charges. Find out exactly what utilities are available and how much it will cost to connect your home to all utility sources. Contact your local public utilities division for information about utility services in your area.
    Make sure the the applicable zoning laws and the deed on your land will allow a manufactured home to be placed there.
    There are a number of important questions to consider when placing your manufactured home in a rental community.

   

  • Electrical Facilities
    Electricity is usually available in all areas. But if the area where you plan to live does not have ready access to electric power, connection could be quite expensive. Check with the local power company to find out whether electricity is readily accessible.

   

  • Water Facilities
    In many locations, there may not be local government-supplied water lines. If there is no water, you may have to drill a well. Do not assume that all drilling will provide water. Check with a local well-drilling company about costs and whether success is guaranteed. Also, check with local health authorities to make certain there are no problems with the quality of the water in the area.

   

  • Sewerage Facilities
    Many areas still rely on septic tank systems instead of a city or county sanitary sewerage system. If you cannot connect your home to a sewerage system, you must check with local authorities about installing a septic tank. Properly installed septic systems can work quite well. But sometimes they cannot be used; for example, where the soft is not able to absorb the discharged waste. For more information, contact the local health department or the office responsible for granting building permits.

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• PLACING YOUR HOME IN A RENTAL COMMUNITY
  You may want to place your home on a leased site in a community especially planned for manufactured housing. Placing your home in such a community usually involves fewer practical problems.

  If you are interested in a rental community, visit the ones in the area where you wish to live. In addition, some manufactured home retailers may operate their own rental communities, so you may wish to ask the retailer for information and advice about them. Find out what each community offers and the differences among them, including the financial aspects, such as rental and installation costs and any miscellaneous service charges.

  There also are several questions you will want to ask before deciding upon a particular rental community.

• Is a written lease required and, if so, for how long?
• What are the charges for utility connections or other services?
• Do the community's rules require that it be responsible for installing your home, or can you let your retailer do the job?
• What charges will be made for installation? Who will be responsible for ground maintenance, snow removal, refuse collection, street maintenance, and mail?
• What are the community's rules and regulations? For example, are pets prohibited? Can you accept and live with such rules?
• Are there any special requirements or restrictions when you sell your home?
• Are there any provisions to protect you if the owner of the manufactured home community where you lease your home site sells the property for another purpose? If you must move because of a sale, will the owner help with relocation expenses, or is private or public assistance available?
  
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• CHOOSING A MANUFACTURED HOME
  There are several matters you may want to consider when choosing a home.

  How do I want my home to look? You may select from a variety of exterior designs, depending upon your taste and your budget. External siding options come in a variety of colors and materials including metal, vinyl, wood, or hardboard. You also may select such outside design features as a bay window, a gable front, or a pitched roof with shingles. Awnings, enclosures around the crawl space, patio covers, decks, and steps also are available.

  What size home and floor plan do I want or need? Manufactured homes are available in a variety of floor plans that include spacious living rooms, dining rooms, fully equipped kitchens, one or more bedrooms, family rooms, and utility rooms. Depending upon your needs and the size of your lot, you can choose a single-section home plan or a larger multi-section design. Homes range in size from 400 to 2500 square feet.

  Check state laws; they may limit the movement of your home after installation.

  Can I move my home to another location or even another state? If there is a chance that you might relocate your home to another state, find out about state laws covering transportation of manufactured homes. Some states, particularly eastern states, have certain regulations, such as weight, size, or width limitations, that may prevent you from moving your home. Before you purchase, check with the appropriate authorities in the states through which you may want to transport your home.

  Of course, if you do move your home you will be faced with extra expenses. Besides transporting costs, which include licensing fees to take your home through a state, you again will have the cost of foundation construction, installation, and utility hookups.

  What interior options and features are available? Manufactured homes have many options and features for a variety of floor plans. You also can choose color and quality options for carpets and wall coverings; and you can choose other features such as custom cabinets, window designs, and wood-burning fireplaces. Some home models and manufacturers offer more custom options than others. Ask your retailer what options are offered on homes he sells.

  What appliance packages are available? Most manufactured homes are sold with a refrigerator and range. But some appliance packages may include microwave oven, trash compactor, garbage disposal, washer/dryer, and built-in indoor grill. Central air conditioning also is an option.

  Be sure your energy package is designed for the climate zone where your home is located.

  What energy-efficiency options are available? The National Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards require separate energy efficiency levels for the three different temperature zones of the United States. However, you may wish to increase your home's energy efficiency. There are a variety of optional energy packages available, such as increased insulation, double- and triple-glazed windows, sheathing products, self-storing storm windows, and "high-efficiency" water heaters, furnaces, refrigerators, and air conditioners. Ask your retailer about available energy-saving features and their costs. You especially should note the "heating certificate," which specifies the temperature zone for which the home is designed, and the "comfort cooling certificate," which specifies the appropriate central air conditioning system for the home. Both certificates are located on the inside of the home. You should not place your home in a climate zone for which it was not designed.

  What written warranty coverage is offered on the home, its transportation, and its installation on the home site? Nearly all manufacturers offer a written warranty on the home itself. There are, however, important differences among warranties. For example, manufacturers' warranties may exclude coverage of installation and transportation (although reliable retailers or contractors usually offer written warranties on these services). Although you may never need such warranty services, it is a good idea to check the coverage of any warranties that are offered before you buy.
  
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• BUYING A MANUFACTURED HOME
  Most likely you will buy your home from a retail sales center, although today, in some states, you also could buy your manufactured home from a real estate agent if the home is already located in a community. Some retail sales centers are owned and operated by a home manufacturing company, but most retail businesses are independently owned and operated. They sell homes built by several manufacturers.

  You should use as much care in choosing your retailer as you do in choosing your home and its features. This is because the retailer will help you choose your home and, if you wish, custom order it from the factory. In addition, the retailer usually will be the one responsible for having your home delivered and installed. The retailer also may arrange for financing and insurance for your home. Finally, after you move into your home, your retailer often will be the person you contact for warranty service.

  One of the best ways to find a reputable retailer is to talk with friends who live in manufactured homes and get their recommendations. You also might ask them to recommend a home manufacturer. You may wish to contact your local Better Business Bureau to find out if a particular retailer or manufacturer has a record of unsettled or unresolved complaints on file. You also may wish to contact your state manufactured home association and request the names and addresses of manufacturers or retailers in your area.

  Compare warranties offered by various manufacturers and retailers.
  
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