Buying a Manufactured Home: How to Get the Most Bang for Your Buck in Today's Housing Market (Home Resources Book)

Rating:
Summary: A Must Buy!
Review: Aloha,If you are in the market for a manufactured home you *must* get this book. He tells all the ins and outs of the manufactured home buying process written from the perspective of a guy who is simply trying to tell you the truth. He is sincere and *very* knowledgeable and will save you significant money and hassle.As one reviewer noted, this is not the best editing job. There are a number of grammatical errors, careless things like a missing pro-noun or mispelled words. But you don't buy a book like this looking for pulitzer prize level literature. You buy it to arm yourself with information. Mr. Burnside does a very good job of doing just that, arming you, and does so in an easy to read/understand fashion. I read the whole thing in about 4 hours.He gives tips on all aspects of buying a manufactured home and setting it up on your property. But the primary focus is how to handle the home dealers and how to get the best deal with the right options. In that light it would be wise to have this book as but one book in your home buying collection. A great book that covers other important areas like finding and buying land (etc) in a more comprehensive way than Mr. Burnside's book is "Finding and Buying Your Place in the Country" by Scher & Scher (husband wife team). This is also a *must* have book. Do not as much as set foot inside a manufactured home dealer without reading this book.Good Luck! It is a best seller for a reason.

Rating:
Summary: A Must Buy!
Review: Aloha,If you are in the market for a manufactured home you *must* get this book. He tells all the ins and outs of the manufactured home buying process written from the perspective of a guy who is simply trying to tell you the truth. He is sincere and *very* knowledgeable and will save you significant money and hassle.As one reviewer noted, this is not the best editing job. There are a number of grammatical errors, careless things like a missing pro-noun or mispelled words. But you don't buy a book like this looking for pulitzer prize level literature. You buy it to arm yourself with information. Mr. Burnside does a very good job of doing just that, arming you, and does so in an easy to read/understand fashion. I read the whole thing in about 4 hours.He gives tips on all aspects of buying a manufactured home and setting it up on your property. But the primary focus is how to handle the home dealers and how to get the best deal with the right options. In that light it would be wise to have this book as but one book in your home buying collection. A great book that covers other important areas like finding and buying land (etc) in a more comprehensive way than Mr. Burnside's book is "Finding and Buying Your Place in the Country" by Scher & Scher (husband wife team). This is also a *must* have book. Do not as much as set foot inside a manufactured home dealer without reading this book.Good Luck! It is a best seller for a reason.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing at best....
Review: Kevin Burnside does a good job of covering the comprehensive subject of "Manufactured Housing"; what we used to call mobile homes. He reveals the secrets of the dealers and arms the buyer with the tools needed to make a good deal and avoid the scams of high pressure salesmen. The author also details the best options and features to order along with those features to decline. He reveals the type of construction that is desired and the type of contruction that is not desired. He includes real life dollar figures to guide the prospective buyer and provides the needed help particularily for first time home buyers who lack the knowledge and experience to distinguish between a good price and a bad price. This book is long overdue and brings the author's expertise to the table. There has been much written on car values and how to get a good deal on a new car. This book is one of the few written for mobile home/manufactured home buyers. I recommend this book to anyone looking to buy a new factory built home. I would have liked to seen the "Consumer Reports" article reprinted in the book instead of merely mentioned; and I would have liked some attention to used or older homes not just new homes. Perhaps that will be Mr. Burnside's next book?

Rating:
Summary: Insider reveals Secrets of Manufactured Home Dealers
Review: Kevin Burnside does a good job of covering the comprehensive subject of "Manufactured Housing"; what we used to call mobile homes. He reveals the secrets of the dealers and arms the buyer with the tools needed to make a good deal and avoid the scams of high pressure salesmen. The author also details the best options and features to order along with those features to decline. He reveals the type of construction that is desired and the type of contruction that is not desired. He includes real life dollar figures to guide the prospective buyer and provides the needed help particularily for first time home buyers who lack the knowledge and experience to distinguish between a good price and a bad price. This book is long overdue and brings the author's expertise to the table. There has been much written on car values and how to get a good deal on a new car. This book is one of the few written for mobile home/manufactured home buyers. I recommend this book to anyone looking to buy a new factory built home. I would have liked to seen the "Consumer Reports" article reprinted in the book instead of merely mentioned; and I would have liked some attention to used or older homes not just new homes. Perhaps that will be Mr. Burnside's next book?

Rating:
Summary: Don't sign your name to a 30 year mortgage w/o reading this!
Review: Please, please, PLEASE read this book before you buy a manufactured home! It will save you thousands on the price of the home, the financing and other extremely important items such as insurance and set-up. I have put many, many homes in the field and have learned the best way to option your home, how to set it up and how to deal with the dealer and the sales staff. It can be a huge undertaking, so don't do it alone. This book has illustrations of foundation plans, what manufactured homes look like at various stages of the construction process, and warnings for you to contemplate during your buying experience. Understand that the dealer is out to maximize his profit and you need to know the whole story of this commodity before you sign on the bottom line. A manufactured home isn't what it use to be (it's much better) and can be wonderful housing for you to consider but get educated first!

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing at best....
Review: This book did a good job of explaining the sales office process, but skipped over the really scary things, like buying the lot, lot upgrades, working with contractors, water, sewer, septic, etc...If Mr. Burnsides wanted to be really thorough, he would have given us better statistics, like the Consumer Guide info he refers to, but does not elaborate on nearly enough. A manufacturer list or customer service survey of manufacturers would be nice too. Last but not least, the author's credibility was not helped by all the mis-spellings and errors. Didn't anyone edit this book for him?

Rating:
Summary: How did he know about the salesman I just spoke with?
Review: This book is amazing! I picked it up and opened to the middle, where the story of 'Travis and Tara' sounded way too much like the encounters my wife and I have had over the past few weeks. Same salesmen, same variety of attitudes, same approach to calculating how much money they can get from you. The information on construction and recommended options is excellent too. We haven't bought our home yet, but when we do, this book will have made a difference.

Rating:
Summary: I hate thinking up titles
Review: This book should be required reading for anyone considering a manufactured home. A few evenings spent with this book will not only save you thousands of dollars it will result in you getting a much better home. Be sure to make notes and take them with you when you visit the dealers and the manufactured home factory (something you really must consider doing before you sign). Buying a manufactured home isn't like buying a car - so don't treat it that way.

Rating:
Summary: Manufactured Home Buying Required Reading
Review: This book should be required reading for anyone considering a manufactured home. A few evenings spent with this book will not only save you thousands of dollars it will result in you getting a much better home. Be sure to make notes and take them with you when you visit the dealers and the manufactured home factory (something you really must consider doing before you sign). Buying a manufactured home isn't like buying a car - so don't treat it that way.

Rating:
Summary: a definite "BUY"
Review: This book was delivered just as I was going out the door to visit a dealer. What a God send!

I read a few chapters while my wife drove... I could not believe the details involved. It opened my eyes.

Some info is common sense. Other is insider information that you can use.

I definitly recommend this book.... Can't wait to read the rest!