FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Spotlight Review
by Kelly Garbato
1/24/2006
A Must Read Guide for Manufactured Home Consumers!
THE MANUFACTURED HOME BUYER’S HANDBOOK by Wes Johnson is a must-read consumer’s
guide to the ins and outs of buying a manufactured home. The author outlines the
process of purchasing a manufactured home from start to finish. He covers every
facet imaginable, including shopping around for the right home; selecting a
reputable dealer; customizing your home to order; bargaining for the best price;
financing your purchase; overseeing the construction and setup of your home; and
dealing with any problems that may arise along the way. Throughout the book, Mr.
Johnson maintains a good-natured but cautionary tone, resulting in an
informative and enjoyable read.
Unlike many other home buying guides, THE MANUFACTURED HOME BUYER’S HANDBOOK is
written for consumers, by a fellow consumer. Wes Johnson doesn’t work in
construction, nor is he a salesperson for a manufactured home dealership.
Rather, his knowledge of the industry comes from his experiences shopping for
and purchasing his own home. As a result, he doesn’t sugarcoat the shortcomings
of the manufactured home industry. Not all of his experiences were pleasant, and
Mr. Johnson is frank and open about the obstacles he faced - as well as the ways
in which he triumphed over dishonest salespeople, sub par construction, and
careless setup crews. While some of the information in THE MANUFACTURED HOME
BUYER’S HANDBOOK might discourage consumers from investing in a manufactured
home, this is a good thing - manufactured homes aren’t for everyone. Instead of
trying to push a particular product on readers, the author offers ALL the facts,
good and bad, to help you make the choice that’s right for you. This is perhaps
the book’s biggest strength - Wes Johnson is an advocate for you, the consumer,
as opposed to home manufacturers or dealers.
While many of the issues raised in THE MANUFACTURED HOME BUYER’S HANDBOOK are
common to most home buying guides, I was happy to see that the author also talks
about a few oft-neglected topics. For example, he devotes a good deal of
attention to energy efficiency. While consumers may opt to “go green” primarily
for environment reasons, building an energy efficient home isn’t just the
eco-conscious thing to do - it’s also easy on the bank account! An energy
efficient home, while more expensive to build up front, will also save you money
in the long run, a point that Wes Johnson covers in detail. Since this is an
issue that, too often, is glossed over in home buying guides, I was delighted to
see the author point out the many benefits of energy efficient planning and
materials throughout the book.
Along this vein, Wes Johnson also spends a good deal of time explaining how to
examine your new home and determine whether you really did get what you paid
for. For example, he advises climbing up on your home’s roof and checking to see
if the manufacturer provided the correct amount of insulation in the ceiling, as
this is one of the many corners manufacturers have been known to cut when
building new homes. This can only be done before the home’s marriage walls are
joined together, so it’s crucial that you do so when you have the chance. Ditto
for checking the wall insulation, the laying of the home’s foundation, and the
studs in the marriage walls. The chapters outlining the walk-through,
foundation, and setup are well worth the price of the book on their own; it’s
impossible to underestimate their money- and headache-saving potential!
Whether you’re just thinking about buying a manufactured home or you’re already
negotiating with a dealer, THE MANUFACTURED HOME BUYER’S HANDBOOK is well worth
your time and money. It is, by far, the most helpful book available on the
subject!
You can order a copy of THE MANUFACTURED HOME BUYER’S HANDBOOK directly from
McFarland & Company, either on the web at
www.mcfarlandpub.com, or using their order line (800-253-2187).
- Kelly Garbato
Here's what Ms. Garbato thought of the competition,
Kevin Burnside's Buying a Manufactured Home:
Embarrassingly Awful!
After years of renting, my fiancé and I are thinking about
relocating to another part of the country and purchasing our own home. Since
location is of the utmost importance to us - we'd rather have a large plot of
land and a modest house than a mansion set on a tiny lot - we came up with the
idea of purchasing raw land and putting a small but nice manufactured home on it
while we slowly save up to build a larger home. Eventually, the manufactured
home will become a guest house or even home office. At least that's one option!
In the course of investigating this possibility, I visited my local library and
checked out every book I could find on manufactured, prefabricated, and modular
homes. "Buying a Manufactured Home" was the only guide I could find that is
specific to manufactured homes. [Note: This review was written on
October 3rd, 2005 -- the day The Manufactured Home Buyer's Handbook was
first released by McFarland -- so it was not yet in circulation.]
Unfortunately, the book is embarrassingly awful, plain and simple. Author Kevin
Burnside, a salesman for a manufactured home dealer, clearly lacks both writing
experience and ability. Additionally, it doesn't appear as though his manuscript
was edited - or even proofread - before it went to print. The text is rife with
errors: many of the sentences are poorly structured, words are misspelled or
misused, and punctuation is spotty. The reader literally can't pass through a
page or two without spying some sort of mistake.
Two common errors include using "your" and "you're" interchangeably, and
omitting one set of quotation marks in a pair, so that the reader's left to
guess where a direct quotation begins and/or ends. I wouldn't even expect my
younger brother - a senior in high school - to make such basic mistakes.
However, it isn't just the presentation of the book that's flawed; the content
is lacking as well. "Buying a Manufactured Home" is organized into 16 chapters:
Introduction; Looking at Manufactured Homes; Home Hunting; Financing: Shop for
Money First; Finding a Good Dealer; Shopping for a Home; Finding a Home for Your
Home; Finding the Best House; The Energy-Efficient Home; Be Your Own Contractor;
Materials and Construction; Worksheets and Option Lists; Flow Sheets;
Warranties; Contracts; and Arm Yourself.
Overall, I thought that Burnside did an adequate job of discussing financing and
contract negotiation. Nonetheless, these issues are not specific to manufactured
homes; rather, buyers must be concerned with financing and negotiations in any
home purchase. Since I picked up this book to learn about the unique aspects of
buying manufactured homes, I thought it was largely a waste of time to discuss
more general issues, particularly since the book was so brief. Given the short
length of the book, I really feel as though the author should have concentrated
on the issues specific to manufactured homes, issues of which the average
homebuyer would not be aware.
For instance, the sections on "Finding the Best House" and "Materials and
Construction" were frustratingly vague and truncated. Burnside commonly lists
different options that are available without explaining the pros and cons of
each. Additionally, he occasionally advises which option is preferable but
doesn't explain why.
An excellent example of this is his "Quick Materials Checklist" on pages
146-148. The checklist is essentially a line-by-line list of questions to ask of
any home you're looking at. In theory, this is a helpful tool to carry with you
while shopping. In reality, it's almost useless, as Burnside does not describe
the various answers and explain which are more desirable and why.
For example, here is a short excerpt from his checklist, quoted word for word:
"Are shingles 20, 25, or 30 year warranty?"
"Are they held down with nails or staples?"
"How many nails per shingle?"
"Is felt used on the roof decking?"
"What size are the trusses?"
"How is the attic cavity vented?"
The only thing these questions tell me is that I should be concerned with the
issues they raise. However, even if the manufacturer were to address each of
these in-depth, his or her answers wouldn't help much since I don't know what
the "right" answers are! I know to ask about the size of the trusses, but I have
no idea what size the trusses SHOULD be!
The bottom line is that "Buying a Manufactured Home" is poorly organized, poorly
researched, poorly written, and poorly edited. It's awful. I'd be embarrassed to
have such a train wreck distributed with my real name stamped on the cover for
all to see. Do yourself a favor and pass this one up - I sure wish I had! It was
a waste of an afternoon, and I still find myself flabbergasted that Burnside was
able to find someone to publish such a gawd-awful manuscript.
- Kelly Garbato
For More Information Contact:
Wes Johnson
1183 Woodland Heights Road
York, SC 29745
Telephone: (803) 684-5344
E-Mail: Wes Johnson
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