Any advice, tips, or stories on building your own house/buying modular homes?

Question

We want to buy a chunk of land and get a custom/modular home built on it.. Does anybody have any suggestions, tips, websites to look at, or just plain person stories of your own experience with doing this? Anything would be helpful. Thanks.

Oh, and, insight on the expected costs would be helpful as well.

Answer 1

ok if you are considering what is the best options for you ill give you my expirance. own a stick buildt home after some considerable water damage from a hurricane and the fact i wanted to add on i went with the modular home choice.

i had sold modular some years ago and loved how well buildt they where. now understand i have been in the construction bussiness in Pa. for many years and to be honest homes are not buildt one 2x4 at a time anymore most custome homes are drawn out and constructed off site in panels and once the fountation is down and the first floor they are brought in and assembled.

modular homes are assembled to travel down the road! and are much more strurdy. i bought a 2700 sq ft home and have been very happy in it for over 10 years no home is without issues and the worse thing i havve had to fix is a water heater.

now advise for someone buy a modular make sure its 2x6 construction and go with the better appliances and countertops and cabnets. for the money if you compared the modular and the custom home with same amenities the modular would be much cheaper. oh yea and the fact that once you have a foundation your can move in after a few days is a huge plus
here is s link for info for financing i like

here is a source for financing they where great

Answer 2

I would stay away from the modular houses. They are cheaper in the beginning, but the ones I've seen start having problems after 5-10 years. The maintenance will get more expensive as time goes by.

If you want to get a custom built house, you can always talk to builders in your area. Some have stock plans that they build, or they can work with your plan. You can always find books of house plans in any home improvement store like Lowe's, Home Depot, or Menard's. Any good bookstore will have them, too. You can look through them, find several you like, talk to the builder, and order the plans. If you really want custom, you can work with an architect to get a plan drawn just for you. This will be an extra fee, however. We had a 400 square foot addition done on our house, and the architect's fee was about $500. A whole house will be much more, I'm sure.

In any case, talk with several builders, talk with several architects, get recommendations from people who have dealt with these people before you sign ANYTHING, check them out with the BBB, investigate however you can before you sign. Many are great, but some are awful, and the only way you can figure this out is to talk to them and investigate thoroughly.

Answer 3

Are you sold on building this type home on your land? There are many other avenues you might consider that would raise the value of your land and make the property more valuable, over a longer period of time. You would also be able to secure a construction loan on the project that would convert to a permanent mortgage upon completion. I suggest you consider speaking with a construction company that would build a frame house, modular or other type house on your property. Once you have obtained the information about other structures and type houses you might be able to build, you would then be able to make an intelligent decision as to which is better financially in the long run for you. Owning the land free and clear is an asset and would work in your favor in applying for and being approved for a construction loan. It would not affect the construction loan and the amount you would be able to qualify and borrow. I hope this has been of some benefit to you, good luck. "FIGHT ON"

Answer 4

modular by far

own 1500 sq ft for 60k new second home this year! my other i gave my son! it is 15 years old

Answer 5

The buyer needs lots of money.