This site is wonderful. It is great that it provides the base cost of each home and an estimated actual predicted cost once the house is up and completed. I would like to know how accurate these estimates are? Say if someone were to get upgrades, how much money would that add to the actual end cost? As a potential homebuyer, we are budgeting very carefully and we especially want to make sure that there are no major 'hidden fees' i.e., that a project we expect to cost $250,000 doesn't end up costing $400,000. How can we best be sure to stay within our budget when looking for a modular home? Thank you
Shayna, Glad you're finding the site useful! The estimated costs are ballpark figures that assume that you will want to make upgrades and customize your home. If you're going for a standard home on an agreeable piece of land, your costs will likely be much lower than our estimated price. The estimated price in our database is the "Finished Price" that we talk about in our guide to Modular Home Prices. If you don't want to watch the whole thing, here's what the Finished Price includes: the cost of manufacturing the home, non-standard customizations, site work (including foundation costs), set up, buttoning up, home completion... in short, everything but the cost of land, taxes, and fees. Depending on where you live, the cost of land, taxes, and fees can be substantial. An experienced local builder will be able to give you an accurate quote for those costs. The most important thing to remember when trying to stay under budget is to ask questions. Ask questions of you builder, of your real estate agent, and of the manufacturer. Don't be shy or worry that you're wasting their time, it's their job to answer every question you have, no matter how silly it may seem. Additionally, you should check out this guide to staying under budget.
