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Manufactured Home Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I find the value of my home?
Ideally, hire an independent appraiser familiar with both the local
real estate market and manufactured
housing.
A less expensive, but probably also less accurate source, is the "blue
book"
(its actually yellow) of manufactured housing resale values published
by NADA. This guide is
available at many public libraries. However, many things
impact the value of your home, including location, condition, and the
local real estate market. Tables of aggregated values such as the
NADA guide provide an excellent starting point and should be reviewed
before you begin to negotiate a price, but are not the final word on
your homes' value.
How can I find the serial number (or HUD label) of my home?
Manufactured homes typically come with two identifying numbers: a
serial number (given by the manufacturer) and a HUD Label number
(which certifies the home meets the standards of the United States
Department of Housing and Urban Affairs (HUD). The HUD label
number is a more generally usefull identifier, but pre-1976 homes will
lack such an identifier.
The HUD label is always located on the outside of the home, about a
foot in from the back left hand corner. Each home
section has its own label. Thus, a doublewide home has two
labels, each on the back (i.e. opposite of the towbar) corner of
the section.
If this label is removed, the number can also be found on the dataplate.
IBTS reports "The Data Plate is affixed in a permanent manner near the
main electrical panel or other readily accessible and visible
location. Other common locations include behind the master
bedroom closet door, utility or laundry room door, inside a kitchen
cabinets or on the backside of a cabinet door."
Serial number locations vary by manufacturer, but are generally stamped
on the tow bar or the steel frame under the home where the tow bar was
attached for transport.
As a last resort, loan and title documentation also often contains
references to both the HUD certification label and the serial
number associated with a home.
Why don't you just rate homes like you rate automobiles in Consumer
Reports?
(a.k.a Which home should I buy?)
To retain our independence, Consumers Union buys all the items we test
on the open market. Unfortunately, it would be cost prohibitive
(and take up a great deal of space) to purchase and test a range of
manufactured homes.
Instead, we strive to put information in your hands to help you
evaluate the quality of the homes available to you. We have done
so through the development of our buyers
guide and checklist. You can use this information to choose
the home and financing that best meets both your needs and your budget.
In an effort to get even more information in the hands of the consumers
who need it most, we also strongly encourage state regulatory agencies
to publish "complaint ratios" about companies in the manufactured
housing industry. Most states currently collect information on
complaints against manufacturers and dealers, but the information is
not easily accessible by consumers. We believe that information
about the past complaint history of manufacturers and dealers would be
very useful for consumers selecting a home, and that making this
information public and accessible will give companies additional
incentive to satisfy their customers.
I have a problem. Can you help me?
Unfortunately, we don't have the resources to respond to individual
consumers. However, we do want to hear your story. Click here to share your
story with us. We'll use it to better understand how to make
manufactured housing work for consumers. If you are willing to
let
us share your story with others, be sure to let us know.
You may wish to look through our resources
page for links to state and federal agencies as well as legal
aid and tenant organizations that may be able to help you directly.
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