Business focus: Manufactured home dealership opens
Another manufactured home dealership has set up shop in Spokane Valley.
Independence Home Center Spokane Inc. opened in January and features Fleetwood homes along a stretch of East Broadway that was once grassy land between Palm Harbor Homes, an existing manufactured home dealership, and RVs Northwest.
“We’re averaging a house a week right now,” owner Peter Zeman said of his sales. “We have something for everybody and we won’t be undersold.”
Fleetwood Homes is a subsidiary of Fleetwood Enterprises Inc. based in Riverside, Calif. The company is one of the country’s largest producers of recreational vehicles and manufactured homes.
The Spokane Valley dealership features 10 new Fleetwood manufactured homes on the three-acre lot.
Zeman, 36, says his homes are made at the manufacturing plants in Woodland, Wash., and Nampa, Idaho. Prices range from $38,000 to $150,000 and include single, double and triple-wide options. Home prices include transportation and set up. Set up includes securing the home and finish work such as painting and carpeting.
Buyers must acquire their home locations and are responsible for site preparation such as utility connection and sewer installation. Zeman says his company will help customers find a home site and contractors if needed.
“I’m not just interested in selling a home,” he said. “I’m interested in guiding them along the process.”
Manufactured housing is generally considered a more affordable home option, particularly in regions such as the Inland Northwest where housing prices have skyrocketed in recent years.
Zeman said his customers have been first-time home buyers, retired couples interesting in downsizing, and others looking to upgrade their current manufactured home.
Zeman most recently worked as a manager of a heavy-equipment rental business in Seattle. The 1995 Washington State University graduate returned to the Inland Northwest last year to prepare for his new business opening. Much of the draw was family.
His wife and business partner, Robyn, grew up in the Sandpoint area. His in-laws, Darwin and Carolyn Brown, still live in the area and are partners in his business venture. His brother-in-law Mike Brown owns three Independence Home Centers in Idaho and Montana that also feature Fleetwood homes.