FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Reader's Responses
Readers at Amazon and Barnes & Noble Give
Outstanding Reviews.
In the first six months after publication, every reviewer has awarded 5
Stars!!
A B&N Reviewer, October 7, 2005,
Best Book on Manufactured Homes Available
I have just received the 'Manufactured Home Buyer's Handbook' and found it to be
very helpful - it is a must for anyone even thinking of purchasing a manufactured
home - there are many many examples on what to look for - the author has done
much research besides personal experience and has passed in on to us. It is very
informative -especially for the walk through after you have received your new
home - thanks for all the great info ! Makes our work a lot easier ! !
A B&N Reviewer, October 24, 2005,
Informative Book
This is a handy reference book for anyone searching for a new home, whether
it is a manufactured home or not. Lots of practical information was given in
an easy to use format. I plan on taking this book with me when looking for a
home as it is easy to reference. This really makes home buying a
non-headache!
A B&N Reviewer, December 5, 2005,
5 Stars
This was a great book, well researched and easy to read. The author
obviously put a lot of thought into this, and it shows. Anyone looking for a
manufactured home definitely needs to read this book!
A B&N Reviewer, January 5, 2006,
Best Book on the Subject!
This was the best 'reference' style book I've ever read. It was easy to follow,
well illustrated and very entertaining. Without it, we wouldn't have even
realized all the available options we could order -- salespeople just wanted us
to order something off the lot that they wanted to get rid of. We ordered a
custom home that was much more beautiful and well-built than anything we saw at
the dealerships, and we still saved money over what we would have paid for one
of the cookie-cutter homes. This book paid for itself many times over. Pick up a
copy before you go shopping for a manufactured home and bring it with you!
An Amazon Reviewer, October 24, 2005,
Informative Read
This is a great book if you are looking for a manufactured house! This is
packed full of terrific tips and common sense solutions. In every chapter
you can find worthwhile information to utilize. This is a must have book!
An Amazon Reviewer, October 28, 2005,
By Far the Best Consumer Book on the Subject
I've read 3 books on how to purchase a manufactured home and browsed through
several more because I heard there were a number of tricks and problems you
needed to be aware of. This is the best book by far! We've been shopping for
our home for several weeks now, and have seen example after example from the
book come to life, only in many cases we wouldn't have recognized what was
really going on without the book. We'll save thousands of dollars on the
price of our home and on financing (I thought Burnside's book was worthless
in this regard). It's laid out logically, just as the customer goes through
the entire process, they can follow it in the book. It's also very well
researched and well illustrated. The chapter on the home's setup is a little
frightening, but we can't wait to check our new home against the potential
list of problems listed there in Chapter 10 to see if our home is really
built the way we were promised it would be. Apparently, frequently you don't
get what you pay for with manufactured housing. This book is worth its
weight in gold, don't buy a manufactured home without it!
An Amazon Reviewer, November 12, 2005,
Terrific Book
This was just a terrific book. Expected it to be boring because of the subject
matter, but it wasn't. It was actually very easy to read and often humorous. The
energy efficiency tips alone made the book worth reading. This book is filled
with great tips throughout, and has a lot of unexpected information! We think
we'll save a lot of money on our new home now.
An Amazon Reviewer, November 26, 2005,
Definitely a Must Read for Home Buyers
This was a very thorough and well organized book. It tells everything the
customers need to know, and everything the dealers don't want you to know. Don't
buy a mobile/manufactured home without it! Lots of information that really
surprised us, but it was borne out by our new "dream" home. This book saved us a
lot of misery.
An Amazon Reviewer, December 5, 2005,
The Best Investment You Can Make
If you're shopping for a manufactured home, The Manufactured Home Buyer's
Handbook is absolutely the best book investment you'll ever make in your life.
Don't set foot on a dealer's lot without it! It will walk you through the entire
process, and tells the real story behind the manufactured housing industry and
HUD. It also goes on in detail about how financing and insurance differs from
that offered by traditional housing. What you don't know really CAN hurt you!
Without this thorough and well written guide, my wife and I would have probably
made the biggest financial mistake of our lives. With it, we got a really great
deal on a good home. We estimate we saved over $15,000 on the price of our
double-wide, and by the time financing is considered (not only are we saving the
interest we would have had to pay on that $15,000, but because of the book we
also found a lower rate) we easily saved over $50,000 altogether. I can't
recommend The Manufactured Home Buyer's Handbook highly enough!
An Amazon Reviewer, December 27, 2005,
This Book Saved Our Bacon!
Saving our bacon is the nicest way I know to put it. This handbook told how to
check your marriage wall studs before your home is assembled, and we found our
support studs were broken in half! Our new home was seriously defective despite
all the promises about wonderful quality. Thanks to this book, we were able to
get a replacement home ordered! Without it, we wouldn't have even caught most of
our problems until it was too late.
An Amazon Reviewer, July 3, 2006,
Best Book for Your Money
This is a great book from someone whose "been there", and if you haven't
bought one of these homes before, you'd probably be shocked to learn some of the
dirty secrets of the trade. I read the chapter about warranty service, and the
comment below about it doesn't do this book justice. 90% of Johnson's book is
describing how to AVOID the need for warranty service, and then he tells you how
to have the contract worded and what to do if you have a problem anyway in his
warranty chapter. The warranty chapter is also the shortest one in Grissom's
book - but Grissim says its basically because quality is so great you don't need
one! If you believe that, you'll likely be taken to the cleaners when you buy
your new home, and you'll be paying for that mistake the next 20 or 30 years.
Listen to someone who has been there. This book is the most realistic and
complete guide I've ever seen for manufactured homes, and I highly recommend it!
An Amazon Reviewer, January 13, 2007,
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Good Book, Lots of Warnings!
This book does a good job of giving you a heads up to the potential
schemes, scams, and situations you can run into when purchasing a manufactured
home. The focus is on new homes . . . so if you're looking to buy new, this book
is a must read.
An Amazon Reviewer, June 22, 2007,
Best Manufactured Housing Book
I was very pleased with this
purchase. Of the other books I've bought on the subject (five so far),
this by far gave me the most important, relevant information. The author
uses his experience as a buyer to warn of the many possible ways to be "ripped
off" during and after the process of manufactured home buying. It can be a
little scary to know about so many possible pitfalls, but it's much better to be
aware and knowledgeable. When buying any kind of home, ignorance is NOT bliss.
Overstock.com, June 8, 2006,
Definitive Guide for
Manufactured Home Consumers
The Manufactured Home Buyer's Handbook is a must-read consumer's guide to
the intricacies of buying a manufactured home. Since over 25% of new homes being
sold in the US are manufactured in a factory, millions of people can use this
well-written handbook. Wes Johnson walks the buyer through the process of
purchasing a manufactured home from start to finish, highlighting potential
pitfalls along the way and how to avoid them. He covers every conceivable facet,
including selecting or custom ordering the home; finding a reputable dealer;
bargaining for the best price and protecting yourself in the contract; how
financing differs from that offered for site-built homes and how to save tens of
thousands in interest; supervising the construction and set-up of your new home;
and coping successfully with any problems that may arise along the way. In
addition, the reader learns some surprising facts about the industry, its
workers, and the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development which regulates it. The
rationale of the book is an informative and cautionary tale, and Mr. Johnson
succeeds with grace and humor. The result is a surprisingly enjoyable read given
the subject matter.
Two features definitely set The Manufactured Home Buyer's
Handbook apart from other books on the subject: it's perspective and its
thoroughness. While its predecessors have primarily been written by industry
insiders (often salesmen like Kevin Burnside or Randy Eaton), this book was
researched from the opposite end of the spectrum. Wes Johnson "shopped" at
dozens of dealerships from competing brands in multiple states, and then he
purchased and set up a new manufactured home while documenting everything. The
result is a frank discussion of the daunting obstacles consumers can face in
this process. Research confirms his sometimes discouraging experiences, but this
book goes on to show how someone can get a good price on a good home. It simply
takes resolve and knowledge, and The Manufactured Home Buyer's Handbook provides
the knowledge. Wes Johnson is a consumer advocate, and that truly sets this book
apart from the others.
The second distinguishing feature is The Manufactured Home
Buyer's Handbook thoroughness. Construction and installation issues have been
poorly covered previously, and The Manufactured Home Buyer's Handbook doesn't
make that mistake. For example, it reveals how to check for hidden problems in
your walls - an area where manufacturers have been known to short-change
customers in materials like insulation - while other authors have never even
broached this important issue. Energy efficiency is also a focus of the entire
book, not just a quickly added afterthought. The Manufactured Home Buyer's
Handbook concentrates on how to opt out your home for energy efficiency, and how
to enhance your home after the sale with Energy Star equipment to save even more
on your monthly bills.
For More Information Contact:
Wes Johnson
1183 Woodland Heights Road
York, SC 29745
Telephone: (803) 684-5344
E-Mail: Wes Johnson
