One of the drawbacks for modular home builders is a residual from the early mobile home days when mobile homes were sold like cars. For every little noise and squeak in their new home, the customer called the dealer and expected a service crew to come and fix it. This would last sometimes for months, until the dealer refused and the customer got angry. So from the beginning the mobile home industry has had a bad service reputation, and the...

Modular housing that complies with state construction standards must be allowed in all zones where single family residences are allowed. That sounds pretty cut and dried, doesn’t it? So, why are there always zoning issues cropping up? There are several areas where the rules might get confusing. First, there are differences between manufactured housing (previously referred to as mobile homes) and modular housing. In some cases that means...

A contract is a binding agreement which is legally enforceable. There are a lot of gray areas in construction projects, so a good contract is particularly important. Make sure your construction contract covers at least the following areas: It should be written on company letterhead. It should contain the company’s name, address and phone number. It should contain the consumer’s name, address (where the work is to be...

New construction and contingency funds, a confusing mix. There are different kinds of contingency funding that your lender may build into your loan. There can be a contractor’s contingency, available to the contractor to cover cost overrun of the contract price. These funds may be unconditionally available to the contractor. There may also be a lender’s contingency that is available to the borrower, to cover any unplanned expenses...

“The Ultimate Home Value with Quality, Durability and Flexibility in Design”, this is the promise from Eagle River Homes in Leola, PA. Eagle River is a new manufacturing facility based on an old idea – affordable housing. The management team at Eagle River is a conglomeration of some of the best in the business. “Walt Young is the proud founding ‘father’ of the plant with an extended family that will make...