Hello to all,

I wanted to thank everyone who has given me encouragement and support
regarding The Manufactured Home Buyer's Handbook.* After much sweat,
many revisions and additions it has now shipped! It can be ordered at
my website, Amazon, Overstock, the publisher's website (McFarland &
Company), etc. The many people who have suffered through countless
problems while struggling with the manufactured housing industry are
the reason for its existence - this book is truly is dedicated to
you. I am offering some organizations (like Home Owners Against
Deficient Dwellings and Manufactured Home Owner Associations) a 10%
discount and free shipping for copies they purchase directly through
me. This is roughly my cost (I get a twenty percent discount, but still
have to pay for mailers and shipping). These would be autographed
copies, and this offer is only valid while my initial supply lasts. I
want to extend that same offer to the visitor's of this bulletin
board. If you go to my order page (
http://www.manufacturedhomebuyers.co...nformation.htm ), just
follow the instructions, but when you send in your payment put in a
note saying where you saw this offer, and subtract $3.50 from the cost.
(You must mention where you saw the discount offer or explain you're a
member of HADD or MHOA to get the discount!) Once again, thank you all.

For those who would like the book but can't afford it, you can save $20
by going to the home page ( http://www.manufacturedhomebuyers.com/ )
and clicking on the Amazon link on the left margin. By applying for an
Amazon card, you can get $20 off your first order, which can apply
toward The Manufactured Home Buyer's Handbook! You also get free
shipping through Amazon. That's the cheapest way I know of to get a
copy. If you're like me, money's tight and every penny counts!

I also wanted to let folks know the links page (
http://www.manufacturedhomebuyers.co...ng%20links.htm ) now
includes many more state's Manufactured Home Owner Associations.
These are great resources for manufactured housing community residents
as well as local issues and regulations. Please support these
organizations and the work they do. In addition to the consumer links,
you can also find links to every major manufactured home company here.

Finally, many of you are aware that FEMA is planning to purchase
thousands of manufactured homes for Katrina evacuees. Many of you
already know what problems may result from this. The Katrina victims
may be leaving the frying pan only to fall into the fire! For those who
aren't as familiar with the problems, did you know that 4 out of 5
manufactured home owners find major problems or defects in their new
homes according to multiple surveys (Consumer's Union, Foremost
Insurance, AARP)? Most have multiple problems. And while 95% of such
homeowners report having a warranty, only about one-third of problems
are fixed under those warranties -- the rest were either fixed at
homeowner's expense or not at all (according to an AARP survey of all
age groups). Do the evacuees have the kind of extra cash available to
them to make needed repairs? Furthermore, did you know that most
problems (two-thirds of them, in fact) are related to water damage?
I've had one phone call after another from across the nation
describing leaking roofs, water in walls, and accumulating in the
"belly-boards" of these homes. Once these homes are so saturated,
it is more expensive to repair them to replace them. Wouldn't it be a
slap in the face of the evacuees and the American taxpayer if FEMA and
the US government put them in water damaged homes after what they have
already suffered through in New Orleans?

If you're as concerned as many of us in this community are, PLEASE
write FEMA and your elected officials to let them know your feelings!
Neither the evacuees or taxpayers can afford this hasty decision. If
you want a suggestion for something to say, here's what I wrote to
Senator Lindsey Graham this AM, "I would like to know what oversight
Congress will have, if any, regarding the contract for 2,000 homes
which FEMA has awarded to Clayton Homes of Maryville, TN, and over the
additional contracts to other manufactured housing companies. I would
also like to learn the specific details regarding the bidding process
and home specifications. Is this a fait accompli, or is there some hope
of rectifying the situation if our government learns it has, albeit
with good intentions, acted with haste? In short, I believe the US
government is making a terrible mistake which both the evacuees and
taxpayers will pay for dearly."

Thank you again and best wishes to all.

Wes


PS. You can find an e-mail address to many Congressmen he
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/officials/

Here are some I've looked up for you:

Nicol Andrews, Deputy Strategic Director, FEMA
Public Affairs

President George Bush

Vice President Richard Cheney



*About The Manufactured Home Buyer's Handbook:

"Outstanding. With millions of home buyers now opting for
manufactured housing, don't buy or build any home, before you've read
this well researched guide. Wes Johnson's 'The Manufactured Home
Buyer's Handbook' is packed with useful insights, and hindsight's that
follow personal experience." -- Sandy Skipper-Lopez, National
Director, Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings, Inc.

"Utterly the most remarkable, intelligent, informed, and honest
accounting I've read anywhere -- there is no room for doubt about the
authenticity of [the author's] experiences. Well worth the $35 price
for the consumer with the inherent patience and aptitude who
contemplates purchase of one of these houses." -- Kristen Zehner, State
President, Wisconsin Manufactured Home Owners Association, Inc.
(WIMHOA)

"Wes Johnson combines personal experience with extensive research in a
powerful 'must read' for anyone considering buying a manufactured home
or currently living in one. The Manufactured Home Buyer's Handbook
really is a wealth of information." -- Peter Tabak, Homeowners Against
Deficient Dwellings