Working as a manufactured home installer is a rewarding career, but it often comes with responsibilities that go far beyond transporting and setting up homes. Clients will generally look to you as their trusted source of information, especially if they are buying a manufactured home for the first time.
They want reassurance that they are making the right decision, and so they will hope you can provide clear, honest answers before, during, and even after the installation. Here’s what you should know about that.
Why Do Clients Ask So Many Questions?
You already know that, unlike traditional, site-built homes, manufactured homes are delivered to a property after being built in a controlled factory environment. Many buyers are unfamiliar with this process.
As a manufacturer, however, you have already educated yourself about these homes. Thanks to online manufactured home installer courses from top providers like RocketCert, you’ve even come to know that there exists a manufactured home registration renewal process, depending on one’s jurisdiction.
The buyers, in comparison, have heard outdated information from friends, confusing advice online, or myths that have circulated for a long time now. So, every conversation you have with these clients is an opportunity to educate them while also demonstrating your professionalism.
Top Questions to Expect
1. What Exactly’s a Manufactured Home?
This question comes up a lot because many people still confuse manufactured homes with modular or older mobile homes. Manufactured homes are built entirely in a factory under the federal HUD code, which has governed construction standards since June 15, 1976. The standards regulate structural design, fire safety, plumbing, electrical systems, energy efficiency, and transportation requirements.
Your clients might also benefit from knowing that manufactured homes are built on a permanent steel chassis. They are also significantly different from the pre-1976 mobile homes. Helping your clients understand the distinction between mobile homes and manufactured homes may not look like a great deal, but it definitely goes a long way.
2. Why Does the Site Need That Much Preparation
It’s not uncommon for many first-time buyers to believe that the home can simply be delivered onto any empty piece of land. The truth, however, is that it takes some serious site preparation to have the installation go smoothly. You should help your clients understand that proper site preparation will include activities like soil evaluation, grading, foundation construction, drainage improvements, and more.
It’s worth mentioning that delivery trucks and cranes often require more room than the home’s final footprint. Not only that, but trees, fences, overhead utility lines, and even retaining walls all affect installation logistics. By explaining these details clearly, you will help your clients understand why site inspections and other preparation tasks happen well before delivery day.
3. How Long Does Installation Take?
Clients often assume that installation just involves placing the home on the land. What they probably aren’t prepared for is the fact that the installation must follow a series of carefully coordinated steps. For this reason, the timeline will depend on a range of factors, including weather, site preparation, utility availability, local inspections, and even the type of foundation.
It’s also important for you, as the installer, to explain to your clients that the physical placement of the home will be the quickest part of the project. So, whenever delays happen, they will likely come from factors like permitting, excavation, utility scheduling, inspections, and other similar issues rather than the installation crew.
4. Can a Manufactured Home Handle Severe Weather?
Many buyers will have this concern, particularly in states that experience extreme weather conditions like hurricanes, heavy snow, or tornadoes. And while it’s important to reassure buyers that their homes will be safe even during severe weather, make sure also to explain why.
That’s in consideration that manufactured homes are engineered according to HUD standards that include different wind zones depending on where the home will be installed. Make it clear that proper anchoring and installation are crucial, and that you will do everything to ensure that the home reaches its maximum strength and durability.
It also helps a lot to help your customers understand that today’s manufactured homes, unlike older generations, have improved incredibly, so they aren’t subject to many of the negative stereotypes.
Ready to Answer All Tough Questions?
The reality about serving your clients as a manufactured home installer is that your expertise must inspire confidence. But you can’t become an expert if you don’t really understand what you are doing, which is where your training comes in.
With RocketCert’s manufactured home installer courses, you can understand much better what this field is all about and become better positioned to answer all lingering questions. Ready to take on this challenge? Head over to rocketcert.com today to get started.
