Clayton - the good, the bad and the ugly?

harvestmoonfarm · #1 01/04/13, 10:38 PM

Can anyone give me some HONEST feedback on Clayton Homes, please?

We lost our home to foreclosure (a BoA loan modification lie) 3.5 years ago, moved to a rental and stayed 2 years (which the owner then lost to foreclosure), and have to be out of our current rental by the end of March (it's being put on the market). We have a chance to once again have our own place, but I need to know what we're getting into here. I'm so very sick of moving and of stressing whether I'm going to get to keep my homestead, including my animals, so this is like a dream come true - I just don't want it to become a nightmare.

I've read reviews online, and I know that Vanderbilt is a pain to deal with, but I want some honest input from the folks here. Thanks!

mnn2501 · #2 01/04/13, 11:16 PM

We owned a Clayton Homes mobile home once- I liked the home itself, however the park, also owned by Clayton, while fairly nice when we moved in was not really kept up, lots of turnover and very run down looking by the time we sold about 4 years later.

harvestmoonfarm · #3 01/04/13, 11:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mnn2501

We owned a Clayton Homes mobile home once- I liked the home itself, however the park, also owned by Clayton, while fairly nice when we moved in was not really kept up, lots of turnover and very run down looking by the time we sold about 4 years later.

Thanks. We'd be going with a land package deal (approximately 8 acres).

mnn2501 · #4 01/05/13, 09:48 AM

Then I'd say you're ok, that's what I wish we had done instead of the park, but new city, new job, not much time.......

Harry Chickpea · #5 01/05/13, 10:00 AM

Clayton doesn't have a great reputation. There is a plant near here and a neighbor worked at it for a while. A few errors get covered up, but remember that there is a HUD inspector who keeps these companies more or less honest.

Rather than buying new, you might save yourself thousands by buying a USED manufactured home. You would want to inspect it carefully, and allocate a couple thousand above other costs for repairs. You also wouldn't take the giant hit on depreciation if you had to sell.

FWIW, we went with a heavyweight Deer Valley. Proper site work and sealed CONCRETE BLOCK skirting is important if you want to minimize problems later on. Mice and rats LOVE the undersides of manufactured homes.

nc_mtn · #6 01/05/13, 10:19 AM

Look into the extra up front cost of doing a "permanent" foundation. We poured a 12" thick pad (I was able to dig it out with a skidsteer that I was borrowing, therefore didn't rent a backhoe). For me the cost was pretty much even but I've benefited with house insurance and things because the county considered it different on their books. Not to mention it's easier to get under the house to work/store some stuff

hurryiml8 · #7 01/05/13, 08:41 PM

We have a Clayton. We bought it new 18 years ago. It's paid for and I like it alright. It was cheaply made and we have made it more like a house inside as we have repaired things. Don't get any skylights. Those things leaked no matter what we did, so we put a metal roof over the original. We like our land, so the Clayton is fine.