A home is one of the largest purchases that someone will make in their lifetime so it's important to know the facts – all the facts – before buying. Most people will buy a stick-built home just because it's all they are aware of. But what they don't know is that they could save money and time by spending a few minutes looking at another option.

Custom modular homes. There are misconceptions around custom modular homes and this article aims to correct that.

Myth: “Custom” means it is expensive, right? After all, if I choose something for my unique needs, it should cost more.

Fact: The buyer works with a designer to take units and assemble them into a floor plan that suits them. In this way, homes are fully customizable. Homeowners can design the house of their dreams. A popular trend among consumers is customization. In many ways, it's as if businesses must cater to a “niche of one”. Their products and services need to be customizable so that the personal tastes and interests of each individual client can shine through. Look at something as small as an mp3 player, for example. These devices do not just provide music; they've become personal statement and even a type of clothing accessory. It's the same with cell phones. Not only do they display the unique tastes of the individual, but the applications can differ from one phone to the next, based on the interests of each consumer.

Myth: Isn't a modular home a mobile home?

Fact: No! Modular homes look just like regular homes. They have a foundation, they are 1 or 2 stories, they may have an attached garage. In fact, if you drove down the street, you wouldn't be able to tell a stick built from a modular home.

Myth: Modular homes are poorly constructed compared to stick built homes.

Fact: Modular homes are, in fact, constructed to be stronger than stick built homes. They're built in units by professionals (and these professionals are supervised by qualified inspectors). They're built in a controlled setting which means that the building materials stay dry (wood doesn't warp and insulation doesn't lose its R value that way). And, they come with a 10 year warranty, compared with most 1 year warranties that come with a stick built home.

Myth: Stick built homes are easier to build.

Fact: While it may seem that way because materials are brought to the site and assembled there, it actually takes far more work. Every delay – from weather to crew problems – pushes the project back, and that is costly and management-intensive. However, a modular home is built in a setting that is not weather-dependent. Rain or shine, dry home modules are built! Then, they are assembled onsite in just a couple of days.

Myth: Modular homes are less efficient because they are modules that are stuck together.

Fact: Modular homes are more efficient. A recent study shows that modular homes exchange the air only 7 times per hour while a stick built home exchanges air 11 times per hour. That will translate into real savings on heating and cooling costs. And, because the home is built in a weather-free setting, insulation doesn't lose its R-value by getting wet.

A customized home at a low cost that is built faster and more efficiently than a stick built home? Wow! It can't get better than that. Actually it can: these homes are also better on the environment.