Manufactured housing has been a staple of jokes for years, but it is no laughing matter to the estimated 22 million Americans, many of them 55 and older, who live in more than 10 million factory-built homes.
The houses, still called trailers or mobile homes by many, are an alternative for buyers with an immediate need for affordable, single-story living–advantages underscored by the large orders the federal government placed to house those displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
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Though the weather-related devastation in Louisiana and Mississippi likely will pump up 2005 and 2006 sales, 130,000 to 135,000 factory-built new homes have been sold annually in recent years, said a representative of the Manufactured Housing Institute, a trade group.
Double-, triple- and even quadruple-wide units are now possible, with elaborate interiors. That means most new manufactured homes, once installed, are pretty much permanent. Most have small yards, an attraction for those who are downsizing but are loath to give up gardening and ground-level outdoor access.
Remington Woods in southwestsuburban Channahon is one such development. Geared to buyers 55 and older, it is one of about 2,000 Illinois manufactured housing communities with 400,000 residents, about 60 percent of whom are seniors, said Terry Nelson, president of the Mobile Home Owners Association of Illinois.
The development is reached via a frontage road with a light commercial strip and is tucked behind woods that buffer the homes from most of the sights and sounds of the nearby expressway.
The centerpiece is a clubhouse with a large community room with a fireplace and sofas for relaxing and a kitchen area where a pot of hot coffee awaited the day I visited.
The sales office is in one room of the community center. In contrast to the tales of high-pressure tactics similar to those of used-car salesmen, 28-year-old sales manager David Goldstein was so laid back that I had to hunt him up.
Two models were open on the day of my visit–the taupe-toned Emma with 1,600 square feet for $124,000 and the larger Hamilton for $139,900 and 1,813 square feet.
The homes come with a concrete driveway, two-car garage, central air conditioning and a lawn with modest landscaping. Upgrades in the size of the garage, which may also be used for storage because the units are on slabs and have no basements, are possible and printed on the price list handed to visitors.
Despite demand from the federal government for housing in the Gulf Coast region, Goldstein said a buyer could get delivery of a home in Channahon in four to six weeks.
It is important to note that the price does not include the land, and homeowners pay a monthly rental for the property. More about that later.
The front door of the three-bedroom, two-bath Emma opens directly into the living room at the center of the unit. The living room is large enough to accommodate a wide-screen television and home entertainment center with room for comfortable seating; it has a small coat closet.
The living room opens to a dining room that could seat six to eight people as long as the sideboard isn’t large, and a spacious kitchen with separate breakfast room.
The dining room is opposite the front door so the vista when entering the home creates a sense of openness. A window-size cutout in one wall looks into the kitchen. This opening provides more light and openness and allows a resident in the kitchen to keep an eye on who is coming in the front door.
The kitchen was my favorite room in both models, offering an indication of the efforts manufacturers are making to appeal to modern buyers.
The Emma kitchen, to the left of the dining room, is as large or larger than many kitchens in site-built starter homes or condominiums. Oak cabinets and countertops line two sides of the room.
It is furnished with GE appliances, and there is a small center island. The space is utilitarian and, while the cabinetry looks like basic quality, it has been dressed up with a narrow decorative crown molding, a miniature version of what might be found in more expensive housing.
A laundry room with a back door to the outside is next to the breakfast room. A door from the laundry opens to a sizable master bath with an oversize shower stall, a tub and two sinks.
A second door in the bath opens to the master bedroom between the bath and the living room. Two small bedrooms and a second bath are off the dining room at the other end of the dwelling.
I liked the larger Hamilton even more. The front door opens into the living room with two bedrooms and a bath to the right and a dining room to the left.
Behind the dining room is the kitchen, nicely appointed with cabinets and appliances. This is not an eat-in kitchen, but there is an adjacent sunny nook that might be used for a cafe table with two chairs.
This small space opens to the family room. Opposite the kitchen across a hall is the laundry room, with a door to the outside. At the end of the hall is the master bedroom with a private bath.
I was surprised and pleased at the attention to universal design principles in the homes. Entrances are one or two steps off the ground, at most.
The no-slip pattern in the concrete front step of the Emma is a practical and decorative touch given that the homes are targeted to older buyers, as are the lever handles on interior doors, waist-high light switches and oversize showers.
But these are homes with limited closets and storage. The arrangement of the homes and garages was sometimes awkward. The front door of the Hamilton, for example, is a few feet from the wall of a neighbor’s garage. That doesn’t afford much of a view from the picture window. The carpet, cabinetry and bath fixtures appear to be basic quality.
Of concern especially in Channahon is the town’s proximity to the site of several devastating tornadoes a decade ago. Goldstein noted the units in the development are only a step or two from the ground “and are tied down every six to eight feet, not sitting up high so that wind could circulate underneath.”
“I lived in Plainfield and was in a tornado when I was younger,” he recalled.
In five years of selling “we’ve had some bad weather and I’ve never had one house shift,” he said.
In addition, the community has a clubhouse with a 2,400-square-foot basement which “is always open for those who are nervous about weather and in case of storms,” he said.
There are other differences from conventional site-built housing that first-timers should consider.
Loans for manufactured housing are personal loans more akin to car loans than standard mortgages. A local bank works with Remington Woods and provides personal loans of up to 20 years, though at slightly higher rates than conventional mortgages.
Not all banks offer financing for manufactured housing so rates can vary widely. Shop around, advised Nelson of the Mobile Home Owners Association. She also urged any buyer to ask for a “disclosure,” which is the development’s rent history, before making any buying decision.
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Remington Woods
$119,900 to $169,900
FACTS AND FIGURES
One-level living with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, landscaped lot
Square feet: 1,100 to 2,300
Price range: $119,900 to $169,900 (prices as of Oct. 21)
Monthly assessment: $350
Developer: Barr Group Development
Phone: 815-467-1188
AMENITIES
Main floor: Carpeting in living, dining and bedrooms.
Kitchen: All appliances, oak cabinets with crown molding, laminate countertops.
Other features: Cement driveway and two-car garage, central air conditioning,
Master bath: 60-inch walk-in shower, whirlpool tub and, in some models, dual sinks.
GETTING THERE
From I-55, exit U.S. Hwy. 6 East, turn north on Frontage Rd. Continue north one mile to Remington Woods.
22600 Remington Drive, Channahon
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