Things to consider when you want to buy a prefabricated or modular home

by Disha Bangera Sales

Prefabricated homes are usually made of steel, wood or some combination of the two. Prefabricated homes are built on site by skilled craftsmen using the standardized details of the building system. The materials used for prefab construction also make it more durable than mobile home construction.

What about the cost? Here are some things to consider when you want to buy a prefabricated or modular home:

1. Time - The time required to build a modular home varies according to how quickly a company can assemble them in a factory setting and how efficiently they can carry out these operations. It may take longer if there are delays in manufacturing or if there are mistakes or other problems in construction.

2. Cost - The cost of a modular home is significantly less than a site-built home. However, the amount of savings varies because the differences between a site-built home and a modular one are made up mostly of unseen costs that include site preparation, landscaping and finishing work.

3. Taxes - If you purchased a modular or prefabricated house from outside Alaska you may have to pay tax on the value of the property as it enters Alaska if it was purchased from out of state. This would apply to the value of the house as well as to items such as appliances or other fixtures purchased by you for your new home.

4. Unless the builder put on a very good show, you may not get to see many of the interior features or even some of the outside finishing touches until move-in day. This can be frustrating if you are hoping to make design changes during construction.

5. It is very important that you know whether or not your modular or prefabricated home comes with all of the vital systems that are required by local building codes. The house will have to comply with state and local building codes at time of sale, so it would be extremely important to know beforehand if they are included.

6. Wherever you live, there will have to be a zoning decision made before your home can be built. In some cases, these zoning decisions can take months to resolve.