New to forum and saying hello

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Moderators: Greg, Mark, JD

Dakota1783
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Mar 09, 2007 3:07 pm
Location: Dallas Tx

Hi to all,

I live in Dallas Tx and my DH and I are looking to buy a modular or manufactured house and land. Right now my head is spinning with all the choices there are and the realization of how much I need to learn before making a purchase. I'm still in the dropped jaw WOW stage! Looking forward to meeting all of you and hope you won't mind a million or so questions.

Dakota
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Harry
Posts: 1249
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 7:45 pm
Location: Citrus county Florida

Hi

Lots of good members with lots of good info here.

Harry
Aside from the roof leak, soft floors, rats, mice and bursted plumbing ........ how do you like it?
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JD
Site Admin
Posts: 2696
Joined: Sun Feb 25, 2007 11:57 pm
Location: Fresno, CA
Contact:

Hi and welcome Dakota and DH. Good luck with finding your new home. Have you narrowed down to a certain manufacturer or model?

JD
☯JD♫
Today is PERFECT!

All information and advice given is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The person doing the work is solely responsible to insure that their work complies with their local building code and OSHA safety regulations.
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Greg
Moderator
Posts: 5696
Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:01 pm
Location: Weedsport, NY

Dakota, Hi & welcome. You have found THE BEST place for information and support anywhere in the world. Take some time and look around, there is a lot of information here. Unfortunately we just changed the forum section over to the new format and we are all still learning how to navigate it. The old site had a HUGE photo album that the hackers gaind access to so at least for now it is locked up.
We are all like family here, not too formal, but this is a family site and we do have "language" limitations and NO SPAM is allowed, any post with it will be deleted.
That said, feel free to ask all the questions you need answers to and someone will have an answer for you (usually more than one person). Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
flgmtech

Hello Dakota, and welcome!

I have been here a very short time, but better people can not be found anywhere else!

Everyone is friendly and helpful. It is informative and welcoming, I know you will find whatever your looking for.

Once again, Welcome.

Tim
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Yanita
Moderator
Posts: 3369
Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:16 pm
Location: Eastern N. Carolina

Hi Dakota and Hubby!

Again Welcome to the site!

Here's my take on buying the new home...forget the pretty stuff! Go for bigger floor joist, studs and plywood flooring! What type of plumbing does the home have, windows/doors and roof! For roofs I prefer shingles and make sure you have an overhang. Get the absolute best upgrades you can get now. Trust us all in this, it is either now or latter!

As Greg said we just went live with this new forum, sooo please bear with us in giving you help navigating it. To do some research you can also check out the archives, I think they are in yellow type for each forum.

Please feel free to ask as many questions as you need to, we would much rather help you purchase new than repair latter. Once you get your home please make sure to complete a profile, this will enable everyone to help answer any questions you may have latter.

Please read the sticky's posted at the top of each forum.

Again Welcome to our family of MH owners! :wink:

Look forward to your future post.

~Yanita~
The difference between success and failure is who gives up first!
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Maureen
Moderator
Posts: 489
Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:35 pm
Location: Sun Valley, Nevada

Hi Dakota and hubby! Welcome to the forum, and family!

Ditto what everyone else has mentioned, especially Yanita!

It's basically been my mantra for years here! Solid structure first, pretty later! All structural upgrades are first and foremost! You can make everything pretty over time.

Maureen 8)
Dakota1783
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Mar 09, 2007 3:07 pm
Location: Dallas Tx

Hi and thank you all for such a warm welcome, sometimes these forums are not so welcoming to newcomers but you all are very gracious and I already feel comfortable and at home.

Greg, I hate spam but I think I must clarify what you mean by spam for I do tend to link to other sites if someone is asking for information and to illustrate what I’m talking about, is that permissible? Spam to me are those postings about free this and that, buy XYZ product etc or visit some porn site and multiple postings of such. I truly despise the nasty people who have nothing better to do with their time than cruise forums and deliberately post in an offensive manner. I was so hoping there would be lots of pictures but since you’ve had to start the forum over from scratch I’ll try to be patient waiting for people to get their pictures posted! I’ll not post any links until I hear from you on what your policy is on this. I looked but could not find the forum rules for posting. I shall also try to find my way back to my profile and try to add a bit more info.

Flgmtech and Harry (love your pic), thank you both for the welcome and the endorsement of the forum. Do you both own or are you like me in the looking stage?

JD, Yanita, and Maureen thank you for the welcome and the already good advice. We have looked at Manufactured homes off and on since we’ve been married but after the last time some fifteen years ago DH’s job required extensive travel so we decided to stay in town and get the kids thru school, finally not only are the kids on their own but the travel is over for his job thank goodness! One year he was out of town forty-three weeks of the year. We are hoping to retire in a few years and both of us would like to be out of town preferably close to a real hot bass lake and have some land to garden and roam around with the dogs.

We have only been to one dealer and that was Palmharbor and I am absolutely amazed at what they offer. Our list of musts are the 2by6 walls, the best insulation we can get, the five star energy windows and the best we can get in air conditioner and heating as well as the roof. We are also very concerned with just how the house is tied down and what is the best way to do so, wind is one element of Mother Nature Texans take deadly serious. At the dealer they showed a permanent foundation that both of us really liked. Any advice you all can give on the best way to do this will be very much appreciated.

Palmharbor was our second choice since Silvercreek (my first choice after internet looking) is not sold in Texas. ON the Palmharbor website we came across their modular home called Discovery. Well wouldn’t you just know it but the models we liked are not sold in TX so we allowed the salesman to show us the Americana model and the Gotham. Now I’m here to tell you I’d have bought either one of them on the spot but DH, while very impressed, recovered his sanity and drug me out kicking and screaming to think it over and told the salesman we would in all probability be back but we were just starting our search and on top of the home needed to find a spot of earth to put it on. We have an appointment with a real estate agent this weekend to start looking for a home site and there again I have a list of what we hope for and what is absolutely necessary, like utilities and taxes so wish me luck!

If anyone can give me any info on Palmharbor good or bad we would appreciate it and would love to hear what brand you all have and the pros and cons you have with them. We are in the beginning stages and welcome all advice.

Thanks again to all of you for such a kind welcome and making me feel at home.

Dakota
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Harry
Posts: 1249
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 7:45 pm
Location: Citrus county Florida

Hi Dakota

I own...see my profile.

Palm Harbor has a good reputation around here.

On buying a home many buyers just want to know how much down and how much a month.

My favorite upgrade suggestion is plywood floors.

Here's a great article by Mark Bower re: buying a home:

http://www.mobilehomerepair.com/article4.htm

Harry
Aside from the roof leak, soft floors, rats, mice and bursted plumbing ........ how do you like it?
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Greg
Moderator
Posts: 5696
Joined: Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:01 pm
Location: Weedsport, NY

Dakota, We have no problems with links that are relitive to the topic or post. We have been hit by spammers that just post links to their sites, (Drugs, porn, etc). Usually as soon as one of the moderators sees it it's history, and the member is deleted.
We are a family site here, as long as everyone keeps that in mind there are no problems. Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
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Yanita
Moderator
Posts: 3369
Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:16 pm
Location: Eastern N. Carolina

Hi Dakota!

I mentioned it in an earlier response, you may have missed it...plywood floors! Water and our homes do not mix. I know these upgrades can be costly but it will cost alot more latter on if they need repair or replacement, most MH come with particle board or OSB. Another biggie is the windows, try to get a home that has house type windows are ask about that upgrade.

LOL, you know the difference between between a good link and spam, go ahead with your links, we all do it! many of us have a favorites file that is just MH related so in a flash we can put up a link.

About the only rules we have is, be friendly and courteous, even if you disagree. No foul language, we are a family site. Of course no spam, we all have a low tolerance to that.

Please try to post questions in different threads, in other words if I make a thread about a roof, and your problem is similar, please start your own thread, we live in different areas and sometimes that alone to mean a slightly different fix.

Good luck in the purchase of your home, and looking for the land.

Glad to have you here!

~Yanita!~
The difference between success and failure is who gives up first!
Dakota1783
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Mar 09, 2007 3:07 pm
Location: Dallas Tx

Yanita, I shall 'link' away and it's funny but my DH asked me to ask if it was possible to have the plywood floors so that is definitely on our list. Thank you for the great advice and your helpfulness. We have started our check list of upgrades that are a necessity. I get excited about the pretties but when it comes to shelling out the money I go very practical, quality over quantity is my mantra. I understand about posting a new topic and will do so.

Harry thank you for the insight on Palmharbor and I will learn to use the profile before asking stupid questions. I see you are Florida so you know about wind as as well as those of us in tornado alley if not better. Heres hoping this will be no hurricane year.

Greg thanks for the prompt reply and I shall keep it 'family'.

Dakota
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Maureen
Moderator
Posts: 489
Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:35 pm
Location: Sun Valley, Nevada

Hi Dakota,

One thing that you have to remember here is that the only stupid, or dumb questions, are those that are not asked!

We all still ask questions, pros, mods and experienced users of the site!

I haven't seen a stupid question yet!

Maureen 8)
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Yanita
Moderator
Posts: 3369
Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:16 pm
Location: Eastern N. Carolina

Hi Dakota,

Here's one of my favorite links...since you are new and wanting to purchase a MH this will help you and Hubby understand how these homes are built.

Also as Harry said read Mark's article about new homes.

http://www.mygreathome.com

~Yanita~
The difference between success and failure is who gives up first!
Dakota1783
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Mar 09, 2007 3:07 pm
Location: Dallas Tx

Yanita, I've read Mark's article and in fact am using it to get my list of questions ready for the dealers along with all the other suggestions I've received on the forum. Hubby and I were working on it last night and there is a lot to cover. We've are trying to figure out the best way to organize the questions so we do not forget something very important. When we are further along I'll start a thread with what we've come up with and ask everyone to critique it and tell us what we've missed.

I'm beginning to think the first logical step will be to purchase the land then move on to the actual house. We will also have to sell the house we have now and if luck is with me and careful planning I can move from here to our new place without a stay in a rental.

Dakota
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