Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Is it possible to have a home on a private lot of my own choosing rather than set up in a park?

A. Yes. That's completely up to the purchaser. We install homes on private sites.

Q. How do Manufactured Homes stand up to natural disasters like strong winds, earthquake and flood?

A. They are as safe as conventional homes. In fact, when you think about it, every Manufactured Home is tested by winds in excess of 65 mph! All are towed at freeway speeds (pulled by trucks) and are often subjected to stiff cross winds. We know they're tough.

Q. What heating, cooling, insulation and plumbing are available!

A. As in any other home, you have a choice of electric or gas. Plumbing is equal to, or exceeds Code. Insulation is blown-in Thermaflex for the ceiling, fiberglass in walls and floors. These can be upgraded. And, WAUSAU-built homes come with a 1-year manufacturer's warranty on the actual home itself. All components carry the manufacturers warranty of the individual component .

Q. Is air conditioning standard?

A. Air conditioning can be installed in any of our homes provided the home has 100 amp electrical service.

Q. What is the standard down payment?

A. There is no "standard" down payment. Depending on your credit, job, and income history, anywhere from 5% to 20% is normal. Naturally, as with any other home, the greater the down payment, the lower the monthly upkeep.

Q. Are there any costs associated with Manufactured Homes beyond those of conventional homes?

A. No. In fact, they're actually much cheaper to maintain.

Q. Are Manufactured Homes safe?

A. Emphatically Yes! All Wausau Homes are built to meet or exceed the Michigan BOCA code, with each home going through a rigorous inspection process before being certified and sold.

It can generally be acknowledged that a building code is only as good as the enforcement system that accompanies it. The manufactured home building standards as set forth by the State of Michigan and BOCA program is a thorough and efficient system. It has specific applications for the factory production environment. Because the factory pace differs from that of the construction site, the manufactured home enforcement system is necessarily different, too. The goal in both cases, however, is the same -- to insure the highest degree of safety in the design and construction of the home.

The inspections take place in the factory, during each phase of construction, and follow behind the manufacturer's own in-plant inspection and quality assurance teams. This allows for more thoroughness, since time is spent inspecting homes rather than traveling to inspection sites. Efficiency is increased because travel time is limited and necessary paperwork is minimized. Consistency is maintained because fewer people inspect more homes. The enforcement procedure is much less susceptible to individual interpretations, as would be the case with on-site inspections in every jurisdiction across the country.

Inspection Starts Before Production Starts! the builder has received: approval of the engineering design of the home; approval of the manufacturer's quality assurance manual for its plant; and coordination with the any additional inspections required.

Three interesting notes:

1. Every home is inspected during at least one stage of production.

2. In the course of each plant visit, the inspectors shall make a complete inspection of every phase of production and every visible part of each home in production.

3. When a new plant is opened by the manufacturer, the first home built according to approved plans is inspected 100% - every step in the building process undergoes close scrutiny by the inspection agency. Along with this, inspection teams conduct representative inspections as a check on the performance of the third party inspection agents and the manufacturer.

Keep in mind that all this is in addition to the inspections carried out by the manufacturer's own foremen and its quality assurance inspectors. Certification assures the Homebuyer that before leaving the factory, each home must pass many, many rigorous inspections. This certifies to the homebuyer that the home has been inspected in accordance with Michigan's Manufactured Home Standards as established and overseen by Michigan and BOCA. Only when all inspection parties are satisfied that the home complies with the code will the certification label be affixed to the home. A consumer seeing the home for the first time will have the assurance that the home has been thoroughly tested and inspected from the design stage through final construction and found to be built according to the approved design.

Q. What kind of people am I likely to have as neighbors?

A. With more than eight million Manufactured Homes in the country, you have a real cross-section of people, many of whom are likely to share your family's interests. Recent purchasers tend to be younger, more affluent and have attained a higher level of education. There are also a large percentage of retired persons.

Manufactured homes are primary residences for 85 percent of owners. Among those who do not use their manufactured home as a primary residence, usage is segmented into small groups: · Four percent use their home as a summer or winter home, four percent for weekend getaways, and three percent for vacations. · Four percent rent their manufactured home out to others. Over half of the manufactured home owners continue to live on private property. Thirty-seven percent of the people we surveyed live in a park and six percent in subdivisions. Fifty-six percent of all manufactured home residents live on private property. Median park rent reported in a 1996 study is $200 per month. In 1993 it was $180 per month, and in 1990 it was $155 per month. Parks with less than 100 spaces are home to 38 percent of the park residents, while parks of 300 or more spaces make up 25 percent of the park market.

Household equipment popular with owners of manufactured homes includes touch-tone phones (84 percent), video cassette recorders (81 percent) and air conditioners (79 percent). There's also a substantial growing interest in personal computers. Dealer sales account for 48 percent of all home sales. Private party sales account for another 35 percent. Sixty-four percent of all buyers financed their home at the time of purchase.

Q. Are there tax advantages to owning a Manufactured Home?

A. Yes! The mortgage interest is deductible. See your accountant or tax preparer for details. Sixty-four percent of all buyers finance their home at the time of purchase.

Q. Are people happy with their Manufactured Homes?

A. A recent insurance company survey found a 93% satisfaction rate with 85% planning to continue living in a Manufactured Home.

Q. What size homes are available?

A. Sizes range from 400 to 3,000 square feet and more.

Q. In dollars and cents, what's the bottom-line difference between a conventional home and a Manufactured Home?

A. You can save as much as 50% per square foot and get a home that has every feature you could possibly imagine from vaulted ceilings to formal dining rooms with your choice of draperies and wall-to-wall carpeting.

Q. How does living in a Manufactured Home compare with what I would get from renting an apartment?

A. Generally speaking, for the same rent as a 2-bedroom, l-bath apartment, you could have a 3-bedrdom, 2-bath home that's brand new and packed with amenities.

Q. How long does it take to move into a home?

A. Approximately 10 weeks from when the order is confirmed.