Customer Reviews

The Complete Buyer's Guide to Manufactured Homes and Land: How to Find a Reputable Dealer and Negotiate a Fair Price on the Best Kept Secret in American Housing

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The short answer is yes. If you buy this book and it doesn't help you to save thousands, then you either didn't buy a manufactured home or you didn't read the book.

When we began our search for a Manufactured Home, we had design and purchase requirements which were slightly different than the mass market niche at which most manufactured homes and their sales are aimed. Further, we realized that we didn't have enough knowledge or information to make informed and knowledgeable decisions. So-- How to get that knowledge? There's got to be information on the internet- right? Lengthy searching on the internet brought us to a site that promised to rate the top 25 manufacturers. We gleaned as much free information as we could from the website, but it wasn't enough. We decided to spend (invest) the few dollars for the book "The Complete buyers Guide to Manufactured Homes and Land", by John Grissim that promised to give us the unbiased information that would allow us to navigate safely through the minefields of manufactured home purchase. When the book arrived, we were surprised at the clarity and extent of information it presented. The book reaffirmed that a manufactured home purchase would be a good move for us. As it turns out, we did not buy our new home from one of the top 25 (25 biggest) manufacturers, but the book made passing reference to several smaller high quality manufacturers. After interviewing and visiting various of those manufacturers, we found one whose materials, structure, fit and finish seemed a notch above the rest, and most importantly, who was willing to work with us and our design to build us a custom home that does satisfy some our special requirements. We are vastly pleased with the home that we were able to design, have built and installed on our property. Without John's book, we would not have known how to conduct our search, nor been aware of some "unpleasant" dealer practices which we were able to avoid because we were forewarned. John even answered some off-the-wall questions which we had posed to him via e-mail.
So-- Was the purchase of the book a good investment? Definitely, decidedly, absolutely, entirely! Because of John's book, we were able to buy the right house at the right price and avoid almost all the pitfalls that await the unwary or uninformed. I cannot recommend John's book too highly.

My copy of Grissim's guide is pretty dog-eared and beat-up from being carried around while checking out home models, but the book has proved itself invaluable. I trust it. A couple of times when I had it with me, I got different reactions from sales people. One guy noticed it and winced uncomfortably, the other said "Oh, yeah, that's a good book." It figures. Dealers vary. Reputable ones are OK with knowledgeable customers, the cheesey ones hate the book because they can't pull any of their old tricks on you. Bottom line: this book puts the home buyer first, and in control, every step of the way. It's made me confident and swindle-proof and helped me find a dealer I can work with. Five stars.

The other reviews tell you what's in this book. All I will add is this: I have read the book, AND I am using it! Works like a charm. I am in the middle of buying land for a manufactured home, and so far I have followed Grissim's advice nearly to the letter. I am very thankful that I came across this book before I started shopping. When my land deal is done and it's time to buy my home, I will open this wonderful guide again and follow it like a road map. That's the best way to describe this book. While it is full of interesting history about manufactured homes, its most valuable content is in the step-by-step instructions: turn here, go there, look out for that trap! This book has helped me enjoy an exciting but sometimes confusing process without getting hurt or lost. My only hesitation about this book before I bought it was that $24 seemed like a lot for a 240-page paperback. However, now that I have read it, I can say without a doubt that it has saved me countless times its price. You are getting invaluable knowledge here, and if you are thinking about spending tens of thousands on a new house, this book may be the best dollar-for-dallar investment you ever make. The only reason I rate it four stars instead of five is that I wish it had more color photos of various manufactured homes.

If John Grissim's fine and thorough book on the manufactured housing industry had only been written when I went through my own personal manufactured home horror story, I would have been saved plenty of heartache and lots of precious time. Grissim's "The Complete Guide to Manufactured Homes and Land" is exactly what the odd subculture of manufactured housing needs: it's an encyclopedic look at this growing business, a detailed roadmap on how to avoid the cheesy hustlers, and a step-by-step guide for those of us who realize a manufactured home is an opportunity to live the American dream, not a deadend introduction to the world of trailers [poorly built]....

John Grissm knows that world of the manufactured home hucksters. But what he makes clear in "The Complete Buyer's Guide to Manufactured Homes and Land" is that the industry is changing fast. He takes the prospective manufactured home buyer by the hand and point by point shows how to avoid the [dishonest] artists and instead take advantage of the fact that today's manufactured home can be every bit as elegant and well built as an on site constructed dwelling.

The book helps the American dreamer choose a reputable manufactured home dealer, figure out the often-confusing world of manufactured home financing, and find appropriate home sites.

... all these details can be ponderous. But "The Complete Buyer's Guide to Manufactured Homes and Land" will undoubtedly be used by future authors as a model for the next generation of how to books becauseit is so easy to navigate, and at times even fun to read. John Grissim was a writer long before he became a manufactured home expert (he bases his book on his own experiences relocating to his dream house in rural Washington state). You may well have encountered Grissim's adventure journalism and fine writing over the last thirty years in publications ... His previous books include "Country Music: White Man's Blues" and "The Lost Treasure of the Concepcion." In "The Complete Buyer's Guide to Manufactured Homes and Land" I particularly enjoyed the chapter "Great Product, Checkered Past . . ." The stories of old trailer parks and the archival photographs of canvas-roofed travel trailers from the forties are satisfying pieces of Americana.

"Forget everthing you've thought about mobile homes," Grissim advises his readers as he takes them into his new-found version of the American dream. I'd like to extend his advice: If you're in the market for a new home, forget everything you've thought about homes and do not make your next housing decision without considering the manufactured home alternative and without reading John Grissim's "The Complete Buyer's Guide to Manufactured Homes and Land."

This indispensable guide is packed with useful insights I've never seen compiled in any book previously. I wish this book had been available when I was recently involved in considerable research on manufactured homes for a nonprofit educational institute. Given the rising popularity of manufactured homes, this industry has been in great need of this no-nonsense, honest viewpoint by someone who has been though the essential ins and outs of choosing a manufactured home. He explains buying land, land-leasing, financing, warranty problems, building permits and building inspectors, how to find a reputable dealer and a wealth of other valuable information one needs to know about the world of manufactured homes. Grissim's book explains this ever popular way of life in a good and honest light. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to buy a home.

This is the best book I have found on manufactured homes. I tried to learn on my own and thought I knew plenty until I read this book. Learn about the shady dealings and the pitfalls of the many dealerships out there. This will save you thousands of dollars and.Learn how to find a reputable dealer.Great descriptions of the top 25 Manufacturers and how to contact them.This will save you endless hours searching the web.I consider this the "Bible". Don't buy land and build a house until you read this book unless you have time and money to waste.Learn from someone who not only has done it but has taken the time to thoroughly research every aspect of the endeavor.

From locating a reputable dealer and negotiating a fair price to understanding the pros and cons of the manufactured home, The Complete Buyer's Guide To Manufactured Homes & Land packs in ratings of top manufacturers, insights on the importance of trustworthy dealers, and guidelines for checking out models, land, and construction loans. Everything you need to buy and build one of these homes is here in one handy place.

I've just moved to a nwe state and I had never thought of buying a manufactured home. That was until I started to look through some of them at a few of the dealers here. I was impressed at the affordability and quality of the units. The problem was I didn't know where to begin. I had so many questions, what are the options that are available, what must you be prepared to do to develop the site, who does what and when, what to look for in choosing a reputable company and salesperson, etc., etc. I was a little overwhelmed at all there was to do and to know. That was until I read John Grissim's book "The Complete Buyers Guide to Manufactured Homes and Land". Extremely well organized and easy to read and understand. This book was just what the doctor ordered. The book is not just read once but after reading to use as a reference and guide throughout the process. I can now, with cofidence, move forward with the project of finding a parcelof land and placing a new manufactured home on it. A project I was totally ill equipped to tackle before I read John Grissim's book.
I should add here that Grissim has written a companion book "The
Grissim Ratings Guide to Manufactured Homes" that is an overview of the pros and cons of manufactures, types of products each produces and a table of features and specs with ratings. These books complement each other and in my opinion you should have both of them.

Thanks to Consumer's Union for directing us to this book . We're almost retired and wanted to get a manufactured home. We knew that there are some pretty cheap-o models out there which we wanted to avoid. Consumer's Union hit the nail on the head . This book is "comprehensive," "with more meat than other buying guides"and "for the reader wants to know it all." Grissim'g guide saved us a lot of time and mistakes.

RTPhillips, Richmond, Virginia

I'm 2 weeks away from the close of escrow with a MH on some acreage and this book was an excellent reference for each progressive step in the process. Having no previous experience in this arena, I used this book to talk credibly with contractors, manufacturers, lenders and many others along the way.

This book made me aware of the many pitfalls and provided ways to avoid serious problems. Although I'm unable to put a dollar amount on the time and money savings, believe me, it would be significant in both categories.

I thought I would find this sort of information boring, but Mr. Grissim did a fabulous job of writing and I found I actually couldn't put it down!

I highly recommend this book!