Just a few days ago, Google, Images underwent some good improvements. To get there, go to the regular google page and click on "Images" in the upper left corner. I use the “Images” “News” and “Videos” search tabs of Google to look at manufactured homes, and lots of other things too. For videos, it's better than the YOUTUBE search, since that limits you to YOUTUBE videos only.
Using the Google Image search allows you to see the product up front, and perhaps discover a smaller, high quality company, because the hierarchy in the regular Google web search is dominated by industry giants like Clayton.
So, once in the Google, Images search, I did the following search:
Manufactured Homes Colorado
The very first picture shows a cute home with some wood beams in the ceiling.
By clicking on the image it takes you to a page where you can just click in the upper right on “Website for this Image” and be taken to the page of the company, which in this case is Colorado Factory Modulars.
The specs on their homes look top of-the-line, and reasonably priced too, so this company is one to check out if you are in their distribution area of Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, New Mexico, North & South Dakota, Utah, and Montana.
The biggest improvement in Google Image is the ability to scroll down and see hundreds of images without having to press the “page down” key.
After checking out any company’s site which looks interesting, get back to the wall of images on Google, just use the regular BACK button in your browser.
Using Google image search doesn’t guarantee every link is even what it says it is. There will be some dead ends.
I know your article on the Karsten SF50 is 7 years old but I was really intrigued and wanted to look at it but I can't find it or the SF-51 anywhere! I even looked on the Albuquerque website even though I live closer to Sacramento.
ReplyDeleteDo you think they've discontinued it?
Are there any other single wides you think are really well made by Karsten or other manufacturers?
I called the Karsten "factory" today (Clayton Homes of West Sacramento)to ask about a different model and she refused to quote a base price. I asked her three times for the base price and couldn't get it out of her. All she would say is that they range from $75-$105/sqft depending on the features. That seems quite high to me but if I ever do find the SF-50 model, I won't be buying it from them.
https://www.thehomesdirect.com/homes/karsten-homes/k1676h2
ReplyDeleteI think they've changed their model numbering. No more SF50. Check out the one above, which has a base price of $52,000. It's in Albuquerque. That wouldn't include things like the transom windows (small windows above regular windows) which add quite a lot.
Yes, refusing to quote a base price is annoying. I understand, all you want is an idea for a starting point.
http://www.karstensacramento.com/SacramentoKarsten/index.cfm/floor-plans/
Down at the bottom of this page there are a couple of singlewide Karstens in Sacramento. They just don't have photos of them. Do a Google "image" search for the model names and you might find them.
Since you are near a Karsten/Clayton factory in Sacramento, just find another salesperson to talk to, or get over the frustration and do some comparison. (I understand your frustration though.) The closer you are to a factory, the better deal a home can be, and the better it is that it doesn't have to travel hundreds of miles to get to your site.
Plus, when shopping for a home it would be good to be considering Skyline vs. some Clayton brand like Karsten, because then they might throw in some extras or give you a discount to go with their homes.
Skyline has a good reputation. I'm not familiar with their singlewides because they don't sell them here.
Any other questions, don't hesitate. It's nice to get real questions. I get a lot of people posting ads for things not of interest to readers.
I will definitely check the K1676H2 out. Thank you for the links.
ReplyDeleteActually that link brings up a really important question for me. I called the Homes Direct office in Salida and was quoted $10-$15,000 for a 60 mile delivery of a single wide,which I think is a scam. I also saw a really bad review of Homes Direct but it didn't say which office.
Between the bad reviews of the dealers and the horrible reviews of manufacturers on consumeraffairs.com, I am wondering if it wouldn't be better to buy a used mobile home instead...? At least then, I could have it inspected before I bought a lemon.
Some of the reviews on consumeraffairs are really tragic. Even the people that have spent over $100k and paid for better structural features, get stuck with lemons. It just shows that they are not just lackadaisical with the "cheaper" models, they have shoddy standards across the board.
If you're open to buying a used home it can be a big bargain. They depreciate fast.
ReplyDeleteMultiple complaints about a dealer you were considering buying from are worth taking into consideration. Reading the complaints of brands and dealers can induce a lot of anxiety. The last time I did it, all I thought was I'm glad I'm not looking for a home.
Beware of non-specific complaints though. Some people are so frustrated that they can't get the home they want because of bad credit, it is humiliating for them and they take it out on the dealer.
I'll give you an example. There's a complaint a person had that when it rained, rain came in under the front door. It was a new Clayton Home, and they thought this shouldn't happen. That's true, but that can be fixed with a $10 thing you screw onto the bottom of the door to stop that from happening.
The kind of complaints that are scary are the ones with water leaking through the canned lighting, and the dealer not wanting to fix it, or carpet bunching up all over, or the plumbing leaking through the walls or whatever.
Even higher-end stick built home developments can have problems.
Look for a dealer which has a good reputation for what you want -- a quality home, but if there are a few little problems, the dealer is responsive to fixing them.
hah! I read that complaint! I agree (if its not much water) but I can't blame them for being upset about a defect in a product made in a factory that does nothing but build homes and has 50+ years of experience, you'd think they wouldn't forget to screw in a rubber seal.
ReplyDeleteIf they are forgetting something as simple as that, it must mean they don't have a good quality control system so I would expect that they regularly miss other (harder to see) problems. that must be why Clayton has a bad reputation.
Where do you look for used mobile homes except Craigslist and Ebay and MHBay? The ones I've seen for sale are ridiculously expensive considering their age. Pre- 1976 and over $20k. I wouldn't even be allowed to put a pre-1976 home on my land in Contra Costa County.
I look at used mobile homes on YouTube. I have a regular search set up filtered by week, so I see all the ones for sale each week. I don't look at all of them but I have looked at thousands over the years. My search criteria is: singlewide manufactured home.
ReplyDeleteIf I were actually looking to buy one, I'd probably look at Craigslist and Ebay, so you're looking in the right places.
Most used homes are going to come with land or a spot in a park. Of course, many of them in parks can be moved but a lot of people set up elaborate porches or things that are fit for the park.
When a home is used, even if it is perfectly leveled and set up, it has still settled into its spot, and the best thing is to leave it there.
I had no idea you could set up a Youtube search alert. How do you do that?
ReplyDelete