The A B C’s of buying a mobile home

The
A B C’s of buying a mobile home now available online

AUSTIN, TX — Consumers looking to purchase a manufactured home will have a
new valuable resource at their fingertips on issues ranging from sales practices
to financing, and plumbing to warranties as a result of Consumers Union’s new
"Tips on Mobile Homes," now available online.

The buying guide is a comprehensive
update of CU’s highly popular, nationally distributed 1997 brochure. The brochure
can be downloaded from https://web.archive.org/web/20100315053643/http://www.consumersunion.org/other/mh/tips.htm.
A Spanish version will also be available online in a few days at https://web.archive.org/web/20100315053643/http://www.consumersunion.org/mh/espanol.htm”.

"Our research indicates that
manufactured homes can be a good investment for consumers, but only if the consumer
carefully considers every aspect of the deal," said Kevin Jewell, policy
associate with CU’s manufactured housing project. "We attempt to cut to
the chase in this guide by offering clear advice that takes prospective owners
from planning for and buying a home through post-purchase home maintenance."

Readers will also note an emphasis
on home quality issues. "The quality of the structural components of a
house has everything to do with ultimate owner satisfaction," Jewell said.
"A good manufactured home sits on a solid foundation built on a proper
lot, complemented by quality plumbing, heating and air-conditioning, and electrical
systems. Our guide shows consumers what to look for."

Consumers Union also announced the
release of two separate online publications for nonprofit housing practitioners.
"Raising the Roof, Raising the Floor: Raising our Expectations for Manufactured
Housing" guides developers, lenders, counselors and general housing advocates
through the problems faced by consumers who purchase manufactured homes and
offers advice on how to improve industry practices. "Manufactured Housing
Appreciation: Stereotypes and Data" is a technical report adding data to
the debate over the appreciation of manufactured homes over time.

These reports are available at http://www.consumersunion.org/other/mh/policy.htm.

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Consumers Union, publisher of
Consumer Reports, is an independent, nonprofit testing and information organization
serving only the consumer. We are a comprehensive source of unbiased advice
about products and services, personal finance, health nutrition, and other consumer
concerns. Since 1936, our mission has been to test products, inform the public,
and protect consumers.