Debbie B., I appreciate you more every day...

Who is the dealer? That's the one you need to investigate fully.

Thank you for responding to my question. We are planning to build one in a new 55+ community. The developer of this community has provided multiple Fairmont homes to pick from. I would like to get information from people that have a Fairmont home....?quality...are they happy....ect.

All the homes will meet the HUD standard. In general, you get what you pay for; a $40k base price home is not going to have wallboard walls and a flat wallboard ceiling. It will have the stereotypical MH walls with visible batten strips and sloped ceilings.

But as Christopher_H and I both point out every time somebody asks, which is regularly, the most critical factor is your dealer. Read the threads here, and see how many horror stories begin with a faulty setup. Choose a dealer that stands behind their setup crew, and warrants the setup work. Choose a dealer that gives you a full year after setup to find flaws and get them repaired. If the roof is not properly shingled at setup, if the siding is not properly installed, if the two halves of the home are not positioned close enough together leaving a large gap - these issues can go unnoticed for over a year and destroy your home with water leaks and moisture infiltration.

Modular is different than manufactured. Modulars must meet FHA minimums and are actually the same as a site built home. Modulars also must meet the LOCAL building codes, not just the codes where they were manufactured. They don't have a metal frame or an ID tag or things like that. They are trailered to the site and then lifted with a crane onto a permanent foundation, and when they are finished, they are appraised and property tax assessed just like a site built home.

I take it the community developer will be the general contractor and the price of the home will of course reflect that. So I would Google the community for possible reviews.

What is your impression of the community? Do the homes look well built? You will of course have a 10 year HOW warranty with the home should anything go wrong. You may need some small things done like doors or windows sticking, but the manufacturer or the builder will of course fix them as they are minor adjustments. Those were the only problems we have with our Muncy home and they were adjusted by a rep and they took all of about 2 hours total. That was in 2002.

Thank you so much! I so appreciate the info, Your home is lovely. We have looked at the Sea Island home by Fairmont....we have seen one and it looks well built. We are still considering our options. You have given me some great information and some things to think about. Again, thank you.

Hi Cathy and Debbie...thank you also for the info! This is so nice...I am really grateful for the assistance and thoughtful comments. So much food for thought! I think I am going in the right direction, with your help!!!!

No worries! We're always happy to help!

Just for clarification, are you getting a modular or a manufactured home? The reason I ask is that you stated it's a "Fairmont modular." I know there is a Fairmont brand manufactured home, but am not aware of a Fairmont modular. That being said, I know very little about names or manufacturers of modular homes, so I'm probably ignorant about Fairmont.

The advice given will really fit either situation. In fact, it fits any home being built, including site built. You get what you pay for, you need the best general contractor you can find and whom you trust, and you should educate yourself as much as possible so you can see when something's not right. Have a good homeowner's warranty, and USE it!

Christopher-H, I don't think I've seen a picture of your home before. It's lovely! What a serene environment! One thing Joy and I like about our little manufactured home is the quiet and lack of city lights. It's in a very small park, 38 houses all in a row on one side of the street, the other side being woodlands. Most folks here have been here for decades and are aging in place. No troublemakers. We are literally surrounded by farms! (I've never seen a "tractor crossing" or "watch for cattle" sign before!) At night, it's perfectly quiet--no cars, or any human sounds. Just the coyotes howling. And the stars!!! They are SO beautiful here without city lights interfering. I hope you and your DW are still loving it there in your Vermont retreat! Truly lovely! :-)

The image is not my home, but the style of my home. Mine is in the middle of the woods and is surrounded by lots of trees. It's at the end of a classic Vermont dirt road. No street lights, no sidewalks etc. We built in 2002 and there was no cable so we have DirecTV. We didn't get cell phone service here until about 4 years ago.

In winter just about everybody has a woodstove so when I take my dog for an evening walk I can smell woodsmoke in the air and know families are warm at home. There are no malls within an hour's drive and the closest "downtown" is about 10 miles away. We don't have a local police as the last violent crime in my town was 2 years ago when a wife went after her husband with the classic rolling pin when she found he was cheating on her.

Hi Massachusettsgal, did you end up getting a fairmont home? We are considering them for a delivery in Ontario and wondering what you thought?

Hi Mike, Yes, we did purchase the Fairmount home....and we love it! We had a couple of glitches, but, the company was very good about getting things taken care of. We really love our home. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Mike, as Cathyyg and another pointed out above, the dealer/retailer is the most important. I also live in Ontario and we met with two Fairmont dealers in January. Decided to go with a Candian manufacturer instead.

A neighbour is currently having a nightmare with an Ontario dealer for Fairmont and has a house that has been sitting on the side of the road in two pieces since December!!

Heather, I also live in Ontario and have been looking at Fairmont homes. We can't decide between Fairmont and Maple Leaf. You said you went with a CDN manufacturer - was it Maple Leaf? Have you been pleased with your selection?

Hi Heather and HU-81751396 can you let me know finally which manufactured did you choose . Im again contemplating. any advxie would be highly appreciated. thanks

Sorry that I didn’t see your question HU-81751396 but I’ll reply you both you and Parenting Kids.

there is a Maple Leaf home just down the road from me. we almost went with them quality wise but their Ontario dealer caused all kinds of issues and are no longer listed as an authorized dealer for them.

We ended up going with Kent Homes out of New Brunswick. Our dealer is also no longer an authorized dealer with them but luckily at the time we had an amazing general contractor who got us in the house on time.

We have been in the house since Oct 2018 (4 1/2 years). i am very happy with the house. it is well built and very energy efficient.

The successof the build will depend on the dealer, who is your contact with the actual builder, and the trades you hire to complete once delivered.

Thanks for your informationand help Heather!