Dear Jim Morgan and J & M Homes,

Thank you so much for honoring all your promises beyond our expectations! You made what seemed to be quickly becoming just a dream, to the beginning of a life time of happiness in our “new cabin the woods”.

Jim and Janell, your customer service was way beyond any other we had ever experienced. All’s we can say is that “FATE” brought us to you and we are sooooo thankful for that.

After our acquaintance with you helping us buy our new manufactured home, we can only sign our thank you, one way……

Love and Friendship,

Peter and Tammy us

White Salmon, Washington

Our Story:

You know the old saying…if you can help at least one person to make the right decision than you are a success. Well, I have to tell our story to try and help all the folks out there make a better and easier choice when buying their home. It’s a long story, but isn’t the journey that can make or break you???
First of all, for us it was an easy decision to choose manufactured home over stick built. For one, we lived in a 1995 Fleetwood for 12 years that we ordered new and loved from the beginning, never any problems. They came set it up and with in 1 week we were in our new home!

The second reason was after researching “building a stick built” WOW…the per square foot cost was over less than half the price.

Third reason, WOW, we thought our 95 house was nice, it was NO COMPARISON to how they are built and look now days. The last reason…TIME! To build a house we would have been looking at a couple of years and with a MH, just a couple of months.

My husband and I had a stick built plan that we both agreed on, so we wanted to try and get as close to it in a MH. So, the research began! I got on the internet and started looking at MH plans.

We had a Fleetwood before, but we thought we would look at ALL options to make sure we got the best for our money. Every plan I found I wanted to make changes…sound familiar?

I am a visual person, so we drove to Bend to look at homes, we drove to Eugene to look at homes, Yakima, Portland and all along the way as we seen a dealership, we stopped! We soon came to realize that buying a manufactured home these days was like buying a car…it’s all about the “salesperson”!

Every salesperson from each one of the places told us how they would save us money. We would give them our plan changes and never hear back from them or they couldn’t do what we wanted, it was always something.

We started to get frustrated because did I mention, we are moving from town to 13 miles up out of town to complete bare property, no water, well, road, nothing! To a place called “Snowden”, they call it that because most winters you are “Snowed in” for up to 6 months out of the year!

So, starting research the end of July, we did not have much time to get all our ducks in a row before the weather would not allow us to move.

So, time is running out and still not being able to find the perfect floor plan that my husband, myself and any of the dealerships could agree on…my husband says to me… “JUST PICK ONE AND GET IT ORDERED!”

Wow, no pressure here! So, back on the internet I go and I find Factory Expo, they have a plan that looks like might work. So, off we go to Woodburn to see the home. This sales person tells us, how they get factory direct and how we will save a ton of money and she had us!

Here we are at Fleetwood and we have finally found the place with the plan and the best value for our money!! Everything went well, she told us no problem getting the changes we wanted, she could boost our home in front of others to get it to us on time for the weather…everything was perfect!

THEN, she says here is the cost of the home with your options and on top of this you have to find and pay for someone to deliver the home and another company to put it together. Oh and by the way most people who set these homes don’t guarantee any of it…you are basically on your own!

When I asked why they do it like this, she replied, oh that’s how it is done now days because dealerships were not holding up their end of customer service and ratings went way done.

So, they just cut the delivery and set up part out! Ok, so we are on a major deadline and we have to get a house ordered so we made arrangements to come back in 2 days with the down payment and get this house ordered.

Stewing over this on the way home, my husband says, I don’t feel comfortable with not being taken care of to the end. We don’t have time to research all the people who set the homes up and the concerns went on.

Now, we thought we had a plan that we both agreed on, well while we were at Factory Expo, we had gotten a bunch more plans from them. On the way home I drilled them just to make sure we were making the right plan decision. I found one that I thought would take fewer changes.

So, I called Factory expo and ask if this plan was set up somewhere to look at. She basically told me she did not have time to look but she would try. Another thing we learned really fast, is that dealerships don’t want to send you to another dealership to look at homes, because they might try and take you, the customer from them.

You know….make the promises that sound better than what they could make. So, not knowing if she was going to look for me this plan, I got on the internet and Googled…”Fleetwood dealerships” and got a list of all the places in the Northwest that sold Fleetwood.

My first call went like this…Hi my name is and I am working with another dealership but I am wondering if you have plan xxxxx on your lot that I could come and view. Nope, sorry…click! I was not giving up, my next call was to J & M Homes, now I don’t know why I skipped down the list because J & M were located in Oregon City and I didn’t have much time to travel, but I did.

The phone call went the same way EXCEPT…Janell who answered the phone at J & M says to me, ” I am sorry we do not have that home here, BUT give me an hour and I will find it for you!”

Less than an hour later she called me back and she found the home…there was just one problem…it was in California!! Now, remember I had told her the same as the other place…I already had a dealership I was going with. Janell, was so nice, she asked me questions like…How long had we been looking? What is it about this particular home that we liked and started building a relationship with me over the phone right away!

I thought wow, I like this person, so I told her how unfortunate and concerned we were about the way set up and delivery was now days. She started to explain that they do it differently at J & M. They take care of the customer until the end and even send a “Fleetwood rep” out when it is all done to walk through and make sure everything is exactly how it should be and if it is not…they fix it. They call it a “welcome home” package.

Awesome!! Ok, Janell you have my attention! This is the floor plan we were going to order tomorrow and these are the changes we want to it…can you help us?

No, worries, if they could do it, so can we. I am feeling really bad about Factory Expo…remember we were going back with our down payment and going to place our order. This was all at the end of the day when I talked to Janell, so I told her I would think about it and get back to her.

The very next morning, I got up grabbed my “stack of research notes, photo’s & plans” and headed to J & M Homes in Oregon City! I did not call first, I just wanted to go see if this place was for real! On my way, in my car I get a phone call…it’s Janell!

She say’s “I just wanted to check in this morning and see how things are going”, I thought of you all night and the struggle you seem to be having with this most important decision and just wanted you to know if you need any more information or just a shoulder I am hear for you. I could not believe it, we had not had in all of the places we had been, customer service like this.

A REAL GENUINE PERSON…not a Sales person!!! I told her, you know what… I am headed your way. She said what? I said I am on the freeway and coming to see you. I was so impressed with our phone conversation that I had to come see if this is where we were supposed to be buying our home! S

he says to me…Tammy, I am calling from my car with my family and we are headed up to Mt. Hood for the weekend. HOLLY SMOKES…SHE CALLED ME ON HER DAY OFF…NOW THAT IS SERVICE!!! She says to me; ask for Jim Morgan when you get there, he will take very good care of you. I will call him and let him know you are coming.

Jim was amazing!!! He was kind, friendly, funny and very understanding! He went to work immediately to get this house ordered BUT first, he went through it with me like a fine tooth comb, every inch and step of the way.

We walked through different photo’s that I had of the things that I liked from homes we looked at from our journey thus far. Jim gave me suggestions to how I could have what I wanted but by requesting the option a different way…would save us money.

In the end Jim saved us THOUSANDS over any other place including Factory Expo!! We spent a week going over this plan and making sure it was everything we wanted! We were moving to the country, we wanted a “cabin” feel to the home.

We wanted a rock fire place, knotty alder cabinets, trim and doors throughout, etc. Now, yes we were on a deadline, but as Jim said to us…to rush to fast and not be happy you would be better off to wait until next year. He was right!! Ok, you are not going to believe what happens next! Jim spent a week with me going over every aspect of this home, right.

The day we are putting our money down, my husband is with me and I want him to look at the extra large pantry I wanted, that is in a home on J & M’s lot.

My husband had been in this particular home, months before and said it was not open enough. This time…he says to me, this is the one! I explained, no you were in this house before and it was not open enough for you. No, this is the one!

Now, I liked the home and it was close to the plan that we wanted but smaller and it needed to be flipped end to end to fit our property and, and, and!!! I looked at Jim, now remember he just spent a week with me on the other plan! He says, hey this is a big decision…make sure it is the right one for you.

Talk about it, I am fine with what ever you choose. And he adds, I think your options you want would look really great in this home and this home is smaller so it will save you even more money!! He left my husband and me in the home together to talk about it.

He went in and started putting the changes and upgrades together for NOW this home. We had decided to change AGAIN!!! Man, now if this was you…would you have stuck with us???? After all of this we were finally going to get our perfect DREAM HOME.

As time went on even when the home was in the factory, things came up that even they had not anticipated. Changes had to be made and decisions were needed on the spot.

My emotions were on the rise with the weather coming, our late deadline, my husbands stress, etc. However, anything I needed I felt Jim was at my beck and call. Jim always knew when to pick me up and calm me down. He was on the phone to the factory and to me it seemed everyday our home was there.

And, I must add that Todd ?? at the factory was amazing as well. The day we got to tour our home in the factory (we went twice by the way), I made a few comments like…oh, the patio door does not have the same color of knobs as the other out side door and hmm, too bad the ceiling fans are white and not the Tuscany color to match the other fixtures. Okay, so I mumble these things and Todd picked right up on them and when our home was delivered to our delighted surprise, theses things had been changed!!

The promise of the “welcome home” package was overwhelmingly granted!! From the truck drivers to the set up crew…they were all amazing! Very friendly and willing to do what it took to get the job done right!! Now, what should have taken 1 to 2 weeks to get the home set up and move in ready however, took 3 weeks.

But, that is okay, it took that long because Aaron and helper, the finishing guys…took their time to make sure every little thing was right…right done to every sheet rock seam. And did I mention, our home was delivered and set up just 2 days before the rain came!!!

There was a lot of extra to do in our home. The knotty alder doors were on back order because the factory had never had a large triple wide ordered with these solid doors throughout. We ordered laminate flooring through the kitchen, family room, the large entryway and hallway, things that just took extra time.

It was all worth it!! Every man who came to help with the set up including the heat pump guys, commented how incredibly beautiful and amazing our home was!

That they had seen hundreds of MH homes and had no idea that Fleetwood could build such a nice home. We have friends that build homes for a living and even they have taken notes and said when they build their own home, they would definitely put the same doors and cabinets in. Now, for a manufactured home this was a huge compliment!

I have to say I have never had customer service like J and M homes!

Everyone came through beyond expectations with their promises and I NEVER felt like I was just another customer. A matter of fact, I felt…like I was the ONLY customer!!!!

Now, I know I wasn’t because I saw others. But, isn’t that the way we are suppose to feel with every company we deal with? I am confidant that J & M Homes is where EVERYONE should visit when making this very most important yet stressful decision as buying their dream home!

Thank you so much for your time and I hope our story helps you make an easier decision,

Sincerely,

Peter and Tammy us

White Salmon, Washington

(ed. note – This letter is 100% REAL, and posted just as it was as received. Call us and see for yourself!)

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