For various reasons, modular homes are popular in New England (more than 10 percent of all new homes in the northeast U.S. are modular). Even new homeowners in upscale areas like Martha’s Vineyard are taking notice of the benefits of modular construction.

Martha’s Vineyard Magazine did a feature on the rise of modular homes in the island community for its spring/summer 2008 issue. The modules for the home at the center of the story were pulled across Vineyard Haven’s harbor on a barge and transported by police-escorted flatbed trucks to their final destination.

The article discusses the many benefits of modular construction, including the financial perks that have led so many Vineyarders to go modular:

What makes the Vineyard a hungrier modular market than most? Follow the money: Certainly, modular customers everywhere benefit from the economies of scale realized by big factories that purchase basic materials, from drywall to grout, in bulk. For Islanders, the resounding cost differential is labor. “Sixty dollars an hour is what I have to charge for labor here versus fifteen to twenty dollars off-Island,” says builder Ray Maciel, one of several Vineyard contractors whose business today is all modular all the time. After adding the expense of shipping boxes across land and water, and renting a crane to move them into place, Vineyard homeowners report shaving a quarter to nearly a half off the budget for an equivalent stick-built home.

It’s a long article, but one of the best we’ve seen about the modular housing boom. Check it out on the Martha’s Vineyard Magazine website and don’t miss the mention of Excel Homes/Avis America and the helpful how-to section at the end.

In this multi-part entry, we’ll walk you through the modular home buying process from beginning to end. Like any major purchase, that process starts with research.

Most of us do at least a little homework (some more than others) before making any significant purchase. We research the best digital cameras, the most economical and safe cars, and which televisions deliver the most pixels for your buck. Buying a modular home should be no different.

Usually, the research process starts online. Thankfully, there are a multitude of websites out there that offer plenty of information about modular homes, including this blog! The following are also good resources (among the many others listed in the links section of this blog):

• Modular Today – We like this site for many reasons, but mainly because it’s simple, straightforward and easy to use. Don’t miss the section on “Modular Myths” or the “Modular Article Knowledge Base.”
• Home Buying Institute – This site bills itself as “the Internet’s largest library of home buying tips and advice.” Spend a few minutes on it and we think you might agree.

Throughout your research efforts, ask yourself which modular home options are right for you. Are you happy with a pre-designed model or do you have a lot of customization requests. Either is fine. Also think about your schedule. Do you need a home relatively soon or is time on your side?

It might also help to talk to a modular home builder in your area. Just like asking a car dealer about different vehicle options, you don’t have to agree to purchase your home from that builder (choosing the right builder for you comes later in the process), but the builder should be able to answer any questions you might have and point you in the right direction!

The next installment of The Modular Process: Pre-loan qualification.