Part 4 of 4 · Manufactured Homes on Land
Walk in with the list. Write down the answers.
Sixty-one questions, in the order I'd ask them. Read them here, or get the printable version with space to write beside every line and take it into the dealership with you.
How to use this
You are not being difficult. You are being thorough about a quarter-million-dollar decision, and any dealer worth buying from will respect that.
Two habits make this list work. First, write the answers down — memory is generous to salespeople. Second, when someone tells you how something will be handled, ask them to show you where it says that in the contract.
Work through it in order. The early questions establish what you're buying; the later ones establish who's responsible when something goes sideways.
The home and how it's built
Is this a manufactured home, a modular home, or a mobile home — and can you show me that in writing?
Who is the manufacturer, and where is this home actually built?
What year is this model, and has the plan changed recently?
Can I see the data plate and the HUD certification label information?
What roof-load and snow-load zone is this home built to?
What wind zone is it rated for?
Is that rating adequate for the specific address where I'm putting it?
What is the insulation package for the floor, walls, and ceiling?
What is the wall construction, and what's the drywall and finish?
What are the exact makes and model numbers of every appliance included?
What flooring, cabinet, and countertop products are included, room by room?
What size is the electrical service?
What furnace, air conditioner or heat pump, and water heater are included?
What plumbing materials are used throughout?
Can I have the complete specification sheet for this exact home?
What upgrades are shown in the model home that are not in this price?
Price and the contract
What exactly is included in the price you just quoted me?
What is not included that I will still have to pay for?
Is freight to my address included, and at what mileage?
Is installation included, and what does your definition of installation cover?
Are steps, decks, skirting, and gutters included?
Are utility connections included?
Is the foundation included?
What deposit do you require, and is any part of it refundable?
Under what circumstances do I lose my deposit?
Can the price change after I sign — are there material price escalation clauses?
How are change orders priced and approved?
What are the storage or redelivery fees if my site isn't ready on schedule?
What is the payment schedule, and what triggers each payment?
Do you work with my lender, and have you closed loans with them before?
Can I take the full contract home and read it before signing?
Delivery and installation
What is the realistic timeline from order to move-in, not the best case?
Who physically transports the home?
Who sets and levels it?
Who connects the sections and finishes the marriage line inside?
Who repairs drywall, trim, or flooring damaged in transport?
Who connects plumbing, power, and HVAC?
How far will you run each connection from the home — electrical, water, and sewer — before it becomes my responsibility to extend?
Who handles final anchoring?
Who pulls the permits — you or me?
Who schedules inspections and obtains the certificate of occupancy?
What access does the transport truck need, and will you come look at my road?
What happens if the home arrives and my site isn't approved yet?
Who is responsible if the home isn't level six months from now?
Land and site work
Have you delivered to my county before, and do you know its requirements?
Will you visit my parcel before we finalize anything?
Do you provide site work, or is that entirely on me?
What foundation type do you recommend for this parcel, and who certifies it?
Will this foundation qualify the home as real property for mortgage financing?
What has to be done before you'll schedule delivery?
Have you had projects fail because of the land? What went wrong?
Warranty and service after the sale
Can I read the entire warranty before I sign the purchase contract?
What is covered, for how long, and when does the coverage period start?
What specifically is excluded?
Is installation covered, and by whom?
Who performs warranty repairs, and where are they based?
Is there an authorized service technician within driving distance of my address?
How do I submit a claim, and what's your typical response time?
Tell me the five most common reasons you deny warranty claims.
Tell me the five most common warranty calls you get in the first year.
Can I speak with two buyers you delivered to in the last year?
Printable version
All 61 questions, with room to write.
Two pages, grouped the same way, with blank lines beside every question so you can record answers on the spot and compare dealers afterward.
Red flags
Not accusations. Just reasons to slow down.
Most dealers are straightforward operators who want a happy buyer and a clean delivery. But if you see several of these together, take a breath and get a second opinion before you sign anything.
Slow down if you see these
- ·Pressure to sign today because "this price won't hold."
- ·Reluctance to let you take the contract home and read it.
- ·Vague answers about what installation includes.
- ·"Don't worry, we always take care of that" instead of a written term.
- ·No willingness to look at your parcel.
- ·Discomfort when you ask about warranty denials.
- ·No local service technician, and no clear answer about who comes out.
- ·An estimate with no line items.
- ·A refusal to put a verbal promise into the contract.
- ·Any suggestion you don't need your own representation.
"Great — please show me where that's written in the contract."
That's the series
Manufactured homes on land can be a genuinely good decision.
Done in the right order — land first, then costs, then the contract, then the questions — this route puts families on acreage in Juab County for numbers that a site-built house can't touch. The failures almost always come from doing it in the wrong order, not from the homes themselves.
If you're weighing a parcel right now, send it to me before you write an offer. I'll tell you what I see, and if I think the project doesn't work, I'll say that too.
Send me the parcelQuestions people ask
About asking questions.
The rest of the series
Start at the beginning.
Buying
Buying Land for a Manufactured Home in Utah: The Checklist to Use Before You Offer
Water, septic, power, access, and zoning — the seventeen things to confirm on a Juab County parcel before you write an offer, and the red flags that should slow you down.
Read
Buying
What It Really Costs to Put a Manufactured Home on Land in Utah
Land plus home is not the project cost. The five buckets, the financing rules that decide your rate, appraisal risk, taxes and insurance, and a worked example.
Read
Buying
Buying a Manufactured Home in Utah: Know What You're Buying
Manufactured, mobile, or modular? What the quote should spell out, why delivery isn't installation, who's responsible when something fails, and reading the warranty first.
ReadThis guide is educational and is not legal, lending, engineering, zoning, or construction advice. Contract terms, warranty coverage, and installation requirements vary by manufacturer, retailer, installer, and jurisdiction. Read your own documents and verify requirements independently. Dana Hoyt is a licensed Realtor® in Utah with Summit Keys Real Estate and Real Brokerage, LLC — The Perry Group. Reach out anytime.
