A Modular Miracle for First-Time Home Buyers: 'Starting Line Up' Home Designs Deliver Big House Style for as Low as $100K

CAMP HILL, Pa., Jan. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Buying a new home on a budget can be difficult, and building a new home on a budget can be almost impossible – until now.

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Excel Homes, the nation's largest custom modular home manufacturer, has unveiled a series of designs aimed at helping the first-time home buyer.  All of these designs are targeted to be sold for under $100,000, and some could be as low as $60,000 depending upon the region. The one- and two-story designs, called the Starting Line Up Series, feature smaller dwellings (less than 1,000 square feet) with all of the style of what is typically found in a larger floor plan. The homes are also energy conscious, arriving ENERGY STAR ready and green ready.

The Starting Line Up Series offers a unique opportunity for first-time home buyers to purchase a high quality, durable, well-designed home at an affordable price. Specific design elements in some Starting Line Up homes include hardwood floors, vaulted ceilings, and sunken living rooms.

"Our goal with these designs is quality at an affordable price," said Excel Homes President Steve Scharnhorst. "Today's homeowners are shifting away from the McMansions of the '80s and '90s and toward smaller homes with high quality designs, energy efficiency and nice amenities. The Starting Line Up provides all of that with the added perk of a lower price tag, which, in this economy, is always a good selling point."

The Starting Line Up consists of five designs, including the two-bedroom, 771 square foot "Craftsman Bungalow," inspired by the kit homes of the 1940s and '50s; a 945 square foot residence called the "Prairie View," similar to the prairie style designs of Frank Lloyd Wright; and the "Trailblazer," a 556 square foot unit that can be used as a starter home, a detached guest home, a pool house or a backyard office. The latter unit ships 95 percent complete from an Excel Homes manufacturing facility, with only minimal work required to finish the unit on-site.

The smaller size of the Starting Line Up options also means a quicker turnaround for eager home buyers. During the modular construction process, homes are built in sections – or modules – and then transported to a site, where they are assembled on a foundation. Excel's modular homes can be built, delivered and set in under six weeks. The Starting Line Up homes can be shipped on a single truck and in most cases, some homes can be finished in as little as one day by the set crew. In addition to the design and green features, the Starting Line Up series can also be manufactured to include sprinkler systems for the highest fire protection.

"The word 'design' doesn't have to be synonymous with larger homes and higher price tags. In fact, design has nothing to do with cost or size," said Steven Saffell, Director of Architectural Design and Innovation for Excel Homes. "It's how you use the resources and materials available to you that determines the visual appeal of a home, and that's exactly the approach we took with these plans."

The Starting Line Up homes, which will begin selling immediately this month, are constructed in Excel Homes' manufacturing facilities and sold and finished by the company's network of more than 600 privately owned builders throughout the northeast and mid-Atlantic United States. The cost of each home includes the cost of the unit itself and Excel's weather-tight set service. The cost of land, the foundation, transportation, permit/licensing, regional building code adjustments and finishing work completed by the builder are separate costs. For more detailed information, interested home buyers should visit excelhomes.com/mb or contact an Excel builder.

Based in Camp Hill, PA, Excel Homes is the largest custom modular home manufacturer in the United States and has built more than 28,000 modular homes. Excel Homes builds modules in climate-controlled plants in Liverpool, PA, Avis, PA, and Marlboro, NY. For more information about Excel Homes, visit excelhomes.com.

JUST THE FACTS

• Excel Homes, the nation’s largest custom modular home manufacturer, has created a value-driven series of modular home designs called the Starting Line Up Series.
• Starting Line Up homes are aimed at first-time home buyers and feature homes under 1,000 square feet.  All of these designs are targeted to be sold for under $100,000, and some could be as low as $60,000 depending upon the region.
• The Starting Line Up is a breakthrough for the modular housing industry because the homes provide the style and energy efficiency of larger homes at significantly less cost.
• Design features of some Starting Line Up homes include hardwood floors, vaulted ceilings and sunken living rooms.
• ENERGY STAR on-site certification is an option with all Starting Line Up homes.
• To meet upcoming building codes, installed sprinkler systems are now an option with all new Excel homes.
• The Starting Line Up homes will be constructed using the modular construction process in Excel facilities and sold and finished by Excel’s network of more than 600 privately owned builders throughout the northeast and mid-Atlantic United States. For more information, visit excelhomes.com/mb.

SOURCE Excel Homes