Meet Dave!

Dave Smith is a graduate of Westmont High School in Cambell, CA, with further education at West Valley and Cabrillo Colleges in Constructional Technology.

Dave is a journeyman carpenter, a licensed general carpenter, and a licensed Realtor.

He was introduced into customer service/warranty capacity of the manufactured housing industry in 1998, where he worked with new home buyers and became familiar with all of the different Mobile Home Manufacturers.

In 2010, Dave worked closely with the residents of Oakridge Mobile Home Park that lost their homes, along with the rest of their many belongings in the Sylmar Fire.  He was able to help them get their lives back with brand new custom designed homes.

Dave has called the Central Coast home since 1984.  He lives there with his wife and two children and manages the Alliance Manufactured Home office in Sunny Soquel.

To get to know Dave, or any one of our many friendly agents better, please click here.

How is the HUD Code Beneficiary to Manufactured Homes?

For those of you who do not know what an HUD is, let us tell you, HUD is Housing and Urban Development Code. HUD code refers to the federal code that applies to factory-constructed manufactured homes. The HUD mandate has created a standard of excellence in affordable housing, which provides American with their only opportunity to achieve the goal of quality and affordable home-ownership. Today, manufactured homes provide the safest and most affordable code-certified housing in America.

The HUD code had built lender confidence, which then qualifies more people for home-ownership, especially for first-time home buyers, young families and retirees. Since the lenders are more confident on manufactured homes, they are willing to extend favorable financing with rates and conditions. Financing of HUD certified home is the most favorable home financing available, since there is an aggressively competitive retail financing, lower down payment and few or no closing costs. Due to the affordable prices and financing, more homeowners are able to support the lifestyle they want. With the easy ability to afford a manufactured home, many families can maintain their quality of life on even one income, allowing the other partner to stay home and take care of their children or other dependents.

The quality of today’s manufactured homes, HUD code assurance, and affordable financing make manufactured homes a sound investment with a solid resale value. Manufactured homes appeal to every segment of society, since these homes are energy efficient and come in great range of sizes, styles,options and floor plans to meet the different needs of the consumers.

Another Definition of Manufactured Homes

The answer may surprise you.

A manufactured home is a single-family house constructed entirely in a controlled factory environment, built to the federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards – better known as the HUD Code.

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Factory-Built Homes

Many types of structures are built in the factory and designed for long-term residential use. In the case of manufactured and modular homes, units are built in a factory, transported to the site and installed. In panelized and pre-cut homes, essentially flat subassemblies (factory-built panels or factory-cut building materials) are transported to the site and assembled. The different types of factory-built housing can be summarized as follows:

Manufactured Homes: These are homes built entirely in the factory under a federal building code administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The HUD Code went into effect June 15, 1976. Manufactured homes may be single- or multi-section and are transported to the site and installed. The federal standards regulate manufactured housing design and construction, strength and durability, transportability, fire resistance, energy efficiency and quality. The HUD Code also sets performance standards for the heating, plumbing, air conditioning, thermal and electrical systems. It is the only federally-regulated national building code. On-site additions, such as garages, decks and porches, often add to the attractiveness of manufactured homes and must be built to local, state or regional building codes.

Modular Homes: These factory-built homes are built to the state, local or regional code where the home will be located. Modules are transported to the site and installed.

Panelized Homes: These are factory-built homes in which panels -a whole wall with windows, doors, wiring and outside siding – are transported to the site and assembled. The homes must meet state or local building codes where they are sited.

Pre-Cut Homes: This is the name for factory-built housing in which building materials are factory-cut to design specifications, transported to the site and assembled. Pre-cut homes include kit, log and dome homes. These homes must meet local, state or regional building codes.

Mobile Homes: This is the term used for manufactured homes produced prior to June 15, 1976, when the HUD Code went into effect. By 1970, these homes were built to voluntary industry standards that were eventually enforced by 45 of the 48 contiguous states.

Source: Manufactured Housing Institute

It is Possible to Get a Nice Home Even in this Tough Economy!

The current recession has been the worst one since the Great Depression and the housing market has been one of the hardest hit sectors. The Manufactured housing industry has not been immune to these market conditions and lower new home sales have caused factories to be shut down and companies to declare bankruptcy.

However, there are positive developments worth noting. The fact is that manufactured homes provide the greatest combination of quality of living and value of any type of residence on the market. As a manufactured home retailer, we have strongly performed this past year, and we are always striving to improve and we are very excited about our ability to serve your needs.

Click on the image to see open houses!

As a company, we look for the same things in our suppliers as you do: the best quality product, the best quality service, the best value, and stability moving forward. That is why we have partnered with Karsten Home and Skyline Homes to bring you the best homes available.

Additionally, times of economic turbulence tend to be times of innovation and you need to look no further than the Alliance Designer Series of homes for a prime example of the benefits such times can bring to the consumer. With features such as nine foot flat ceilings, crown molding throughout, extensive beech wood cabinetry, and granite or corian countertops, these homes are truly in a class of their own and represent the future of manufactured homes.

During the tough economic times, the cream rises to the top as people value their hard earned dollars more and do more research before making their purchasing decisions. Buying a house is the biggest purchasing decision of all, and we are happy to say that we are now the #1 retailer in Santa Clara County after opening our doors three years ago. The eight partners at Alliance Homes have a combined 146 years of experience in the manufactured housing industry, so it is safe to say that we have both seen and thrived in all sorts of markets and are here to stay.

What is a Manufactured Home?

Manufactured housing (also known as prefabricated housing) is a type of housing unit that is largely assembled in factories and then transported to sites of use.

In the United States, the term manufactured housing specifically refers to a house built entirely in a protected environment under a federal code set by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The term mobile home describes factory-built homes produced prior to the 1976 HUD Code enactment.

The original focus of this form of housing was its mobility. Units were initially marketed primarily to people whose lifestyle required mobility. However, beginning in the 1950s, these homes began to be marketed primarily as an inexpensive form of housing designed to be set up and left in a location for long periods of time, or even permanently installed with a masonry foundation. Previously, units had been eight feet or less in width, but in 1956, the 10-foot (3.0 m) wide home was introduced. This helped solidify the line between mobile and house/travel trailers, since the smaller units could be moved simply with an automobile, but the larger, wider units required the services of a professional trucking company. In the 1960s and ’70s, the homes became even longer and wider, making the mobility of the units more difficult. Today, when a factory-built home is moved to a location, it is usually kept there permanently.

Both types of homes – manufactured and modular – are commonly referred to as factory built housing, but they are not identical. Modular homes are transported on flatbed trucks rather than beingtowed, and lack axles and an automotive-type frame. However, some modular houses are towed behind a semi-truck or toter on a frame similar to that of a trailer. The house is usually in two pieces and is hauled by two separate trucks. Each frame has five or more axles, depending on the size of the house. Once the house has reached its location, the axles and the tongue of the frame are then removed, and the house is set on a concrete foundation by a large crane. Most modern modular homes, once fully assembled, are indistinguishable from site-built homes. Their roofs are usually transported as separate units, eradicating the telltale roof line of the factory built home.

Source: Wikipedia