Thinking about buying a prefabricated home?
Are you wondering what you should expect?
Making the decision to buy a prefabricated home can be a wise one, but it’s important that you think about it thoroughly. There are both pros and cons to buying a prefab home and you’ll want to know about them all before you get started.
Below we’ll look at the 5 things that you need to know before buying a prefab home.
1. You’ll Save Money
One of the best things about buying a prefab home is that it can help you save money. Modular homes are usually much more cost-effective to build compared to a typical house.
Most of a prefabricated home will be put together before it is delivered to you and because of this, you won’t have to pay as much for it. While the home itself can cost less, a big part of the savings is due to the reduced labor costs that will be associated with building a prefab home.
However, remember that you will be paying more than just the base of the home you purchase. Extras can cost you quite a bit.
You’ll have to deal with the additional costs of utility hookups, furnishings, landscaping, a septic system, and more. On the other hand, some other things such as heating and cooling often cost less for prefab homes.
Despite being less expensive, however, prefab homes still offer more value to buyers than you probably realize. You may want to learn more about some of the ways prefab homes can exceed your expectations now.
2. Prefab Homes Can Be Built Faster
Another big advantage of buying a prefab home is that prefab homes can be built more quickly than other types of homes. Usually, it will take less than half of the time that building a traditional home would.
In some cases, you may be able to plan modular home builders and get moved in within 3 or 4 months. Building a home from scratch, on the other hand, will take at least 6 months to get move-in ready and likely much longer.
Because the construction of a prefabricated home is done at the factory before it is delivered to your site, the process can move much more quickly. For a more typical home build, laborers may face difficulties and delays due to inclement weather. This isn’t much of an issue with a prefab home.
Remember that aside from the building of the home itself, electricity, plumbing, landscaping, and inspections will take time as well. These things can extend the length of the process quite a bit, depending on how organized you are.
3. You Need to Be Prepared For Maintenance
While the maintenance of a prefab home isn’t remarkably different than that of more typical houses, you will want to think about the maintenance requirements extensively before you build one.
A majority of prefab homes are constructed from wood. Compared to concrete and other home materials, wood can require more maintenance to keep looking great. Wood panels should be taken care of properly and a general checkup should be done after every 5 years or so.
Additionally, you’ll also need to take the weather in your area into account. Adverse weather conditions can often wear away at a home and for prefab homes, particularly those made of wood, special care may be required.
4. There Are a Lot of Options
Before buying a prefabricated home you should think a lot about exactly what you’re looking for. There are many styles and materials to choose from when building your modular home.
Both the interior and exterior of your home can be customized to your specifications and you’ll likely be able to get just about anything you want out of a house even compared to those that aren’t prefabricated.
Additionally, it’s also important to realize that even if you purchase a prefab home you’ll still be able to do plenty of remodeling later on down the line. However, it’s important to let the builders know that your home is a prefab home so that they can plan accordingly and work well with the existing structure.
5. Selling May Take More Time
One issue that you need to be aware of when building a modular home is that it may be more difficult to sell than a traditional home. While prefab homes are just as strong and sturdy as typical houses, buyers don’t always realize this and often aren’t familiar with what the building process of these homes entail.
If you plan on selling your home later, you may want to be aware of the potential difficulty you’ll have selling it and then plan accordingly. Make sure that you’re prepared to walk potential buyers through the building process that the home went through.
You’ll want to be ready for what may be an uphill battle if you plan to sell it. While it can be difficult to sell any type of home, you should be aware of the potential difficulties of selling a prefab home and give yourself a bit more time for doing it just in case.
Deciding Whether Buying a Prefabricated Home is Right For You
While buying a prefabricated home comes with many pros and cons, only you can decide what’s right for you. Make sure that you consider all of your options thoroughly before rushing into anything and you’ll be much happier with your decision in the end.
Preparing for a move? Check out our tips for making your home move a stressfree experience.