What Our Customers Say

Brace yourselves; this is a long review, but a home is an expensive purchase, and we developed our property from bare land with the help and guidance of Arkansas Home Sales. We made the decision to inquire about a home through Arkansas Home Sales based on many other reviews about people’s experiences purchasing homes in the state (even reviews about other businesses). What we found was that the positive reviews were spot on! But it can be easy if you use Arkansas Home Sales. We got an outstanding home to retire to because of their help. We made initial contact with Cole, and he was courteous and patient with us – explaining the basic process of ordering a home and developing from bare land, and freely gave us introductory information about a couple models and manufacturers we were interested in. We thought about it, and had more follow-up questions, and Cole offered the option of texting AND gave us an email so that we could make lists of questions, and he was VERY prompt returning all inquiries, replying same-day frequently, and several times after hours. We took time looking at the various manufacturers they sold, and finally found the brand that we preferred (Sunshine Homes), and then narrowed it down to two models. At this point, we got quotes for them... again... thought about it... and took advantage of looking at the manufacturer’s website, and found out that we had quite a few choices, but that led us to thinking about customizing, and all I have to say is that we have proven that all the wonderful people at Ark. Home Sales should be eligible for sainthood, so a public thank-you to Cole, Duston & Alyssa. Let me explain. . . First, we had questions because we were moving to a very rural 10 acres to be near family, and it’s off a small highway, then a smaller county road that has one-lane bridges, and turns to a bumpy, rutted dirt road for the last 3.5 miles before you even turn off to our single-lane road. We were concerned because the one-lane bridges were narrow, and had weight limits. We snapped photos of the signs and sent it in to Arkansas Home Sales, and Duston agreed to evaluate if we could even make this happen. They assured us it wouldn’t be a problem based on their years of experience, but Duston kindly made the 3.5 hr one-way drive to come out, check the bridges, and then check our road out to see if the trailer halves would fit and could get up the steep hill we’re on, and he also told us what trees we needed to trim just in case, how wide to get our driveway made to turn the halves into the leveled area, and assured us all would be well. I was AMAZED they’d take the time to do that, and we were grateful they did. It was very reassuring. This meant that we could get down to business. We didn’t want to do anything drastic like moving walls, but we did have a list of “needs” and a bigger list of “wants”. As we looked at the floorplan, and then watched video walk-throughs of the model we wanted, we saw the different options that had been available/or were available. We started making an email list, and this quickly overwhelmed Cole and us as it grew and became more convoluted, so together, we decided to print out the floor plan, and Cole sent us a blank order sheet that they use so we could understand where he was coming from, and then we went to work. He had to teach us the language and terminology that they used when interacting with the manufacturer’s reps and engineers so that we didn’t cause more confusion than we already were doing for them. We wanted to add lights, extra electrical outlets (some in strange places), more cabinets, adding cabinets where there were none, and then we got weirder. We wanted certain things deleted (didn’t want the bathroom mirrors because I wanted to add mirrored medicine cabinets, certain fixtures we didn’t want or need, certain “upgrades”, and all of the appliances because we had our own), and we also wanted things like adding ceiling fans to all the rooms (including the master bath!), but ONLY have them wired for us to put in the style we wanted that the manufacturer didn’t offer. We added extra vents to the wet areas, and even put a ceiling fan in the kitchen instead of pendant lighting. The kitchen island was extended another cabinet length so I could have two pots/pan drawers and a 95” work surface. The particular Sunshine Homes model we chose was the Prime series model PRI3280-2040, and this one doesn’t have a pantry, so we added floor-to-ceiling cabinets in the corners of the dining room, and then had them customize the cabinets more to include a slot for a double wall oven, making Cole have to work with both Sunshine Homes and whoever is the cabinet manufacturer. We asked Cole to go SO FAR ABOVE-AND-BEYOND. He had to work with the manufacturer’s engineers to ask a LOT of questions about uncommon things we wanted – and they were great getting back to us to tell us that they could, or that some things would be a HUD thing that prevented us from adding, but helped us work around certain accessibility issues we needed. We also kept pestering about prices, and then having to keep track of how many extra recessed lights we were adding – I think the total was like 36 extra lights and wired boxes for us. We modified the drawing to indicate where we NEEDED plugs specifically, where we wanted cabinets specifically, where they were to put all of the extra lights, and we even asked them to put in an electrical FLOOR outlet (like you see in office buildings) for two power recliners. In the meantime, my husband had quality concerns, because we hadn’t really heard of the manufacturer we ultimately went with. We asked if there was any way to tour the factory when we found out it was in Alabama, and we were very pleasantly surprised that Duston and Cole arranged for a factory tour with my husband. What he saw there made him confidently agree to place the order! OK – with me so far? Now it gets tricky. We saw things in those video walk-throughs that we LOVED, and really wanted. In particular, the master bath shower had a large acrylic/fiberglass low-step-over pan in older models that I liked for the ease of cleaning, etc., but the new models had that trendy pebble floor tile. That was a deal-breaker for me, and Cole worked with the engineer and the Sunshine Homes reps to find one of those shower pans for me. We found a laundry sorting cabinet that we loved and added it to the master closet – but it wasn’t listed in the series of homes we were looking at – we just happened to look at ALL the models that the manufacturer made, and probably drove the team crazy asking to add Features. Then, the kitchen sink. The manufacturer was offering a lot of double-sinks, but I insisted on a single bowl, farmhouse-front sink that was stainless steel – not blackened steel, etc. They hunted down one for me, and set it aside. Again, in older videos, they had different front and back door styles, and I didn’t like the latest iteration of stained-glass patterns. I found examples of what I wanted, and they hunted in their warehouse and found ONE front door that I wanted. I was thrilled! They set it aside, marking it for us. The flooring. This was challenging. In the videos, we LOVED a particular color that was frequently shown. Unfortunately, it was discontinued, and the options on the manufacturer’s website were nothing we wanted. We pestered, begged and pleaded, and they all found us something else that turned out quite Well. Keep in mind that we’re going on almost two months into this process at this point, and we haven’t paid a dime yet. We’re just getting our “dream home” list together. I think one of the reasons that Cole kept working with us was that we were following his outline of how to develop the bare land, and we showed him receipts, pictures of the progress, and kept them informed that we WERE moving forward, so they weren’t just investing all this time and effort for nothing, despite us being picky and EXTREMELY specific about what we wanted. There was a whole email exchange to get the shelving in the master closet just right – and the verbiage had to be accurate because the people who actually assemble the home only get the printout and we wanted the measurements and locations to be spelled out, even though their order form isn’t really prepared for picky clients like us... but the engineer and the rep. at Sunshine worked VERY HARD with Cole and us, and we finally got things spelled out in a way to make it clear through the process. We asked for a LOT of specifics and clarifications, including about the foundation, the mounting of the home (even the type of blocks used), and requested electrical, plumbing, and cabinet drawings/diagrams. We actually got them all. All of this clarification helped us choose certain upgrades like we wanted the longer-lasting steel roof, we upgraded the already-good insulation to a higher R-value, and even added VA tiedowns, etc. We were even picky about the direction the porches would be (I needed one to be straight, and one to have the landing and then make a turn because I had to add an accessibility ramp). We had the land leveled according to the specs provided to us, and then it was time for Ark. Home Sales to come out and do the cement foundation. Duston and crew came down and had it done very fast, and while he was there, he double-checked everything, including adding extra-deep foundations towards the edge of the house line where it started dropping off to a slope. They had to bring in extra equipment to do it, but they got it all in place. We were told it would be on average about 2-3 months to get a home, but we were lucky – there must’ve been a bit of a lull, and the home was promised to be done within 6 weeks. It was done even faster! We ended up getting a call just a couple weeks into the process, and they offered to deliver it sooner, so we cleared our schedule, and the husband flew out to be there while the house was delivered in under a month from sending the deposit in. The delivery: The process was amazing. Duston & crew came prepared with tools to pull street signs that were in the way and then they’d re-install them. They had their own chainsaws just in case, a small but mighty mini-tractor to pull the halves up the steep street, and another flat tractor designed to act like a giant forklift to easily position the halves exactly on the cement pad. It took two days to get the halves all positioned and joined, and then came the hard part – we had to wait to go inside, because a finish crew from the manufacturer comes out and does all the finish joining, including the caps on the roof, the interior seams, installing the shower glass, etc. It’s quite a process. After our home was finished, they also asked us to go through the house and inspect for anything that wasn’t right. There were some issues (like a few places that needed paint touch-up, a couple drawer slides that weren’t doing the full close for some reason, etc.) The list was kind of long, but it was all MINOR stuff, so they sent out a crew to fix it all and it only took them one day. We didn’t want to wait for the crew to come out again for the drawer slides (had to be gotten from the cabinet manufacturer), so weasked them to just mail them to us and we replaced them ourselves. They were kind enough to do it so we could begin moving in. Shortly after this, there was a huge storm, and we found out that we had a small roof leak. We panicked and called, got through to Alyssa, who IMMEDIATELY responded and had crew drive those 3.5 hours down to us with huge tarps for an emergency backup fix, and equipment to check and see if they couldn’t just fix the problem – they DID fix the problem, so hats off to them for finding the vent cap that was Misaligned. So, it sounds pretty easy, right? Yes... and no. I think everyone at Arkansas Home Sales did an outstanding job and got us through the process unscathed, but could there be process improvement? Sure. Here would be some very minor things that I’d recommend to improve, and shouldn’t stop anyone from using them:

1. Create and maintain a price/options booklet that had more of the types of upgrades available and the COST of them. We asked a TON of questions, got them all answered, but we got a lot of, “I’m not sure,” or “I don’t know,” and that’d delay the conversation and was frustrating at times. I realize that prices do change, but make the booklet in pencil, or better – have a spreadsheet that can be updated and maintained. Some of this goes back to the manufacturer, because they don’t show all the options on their website, and I’m not confident they let all the dealers know about what’s available or what can be done. This would be helpful for at least an estimate – because there was a holiday shutdown at the manufacturer, so we couldn’t get ANY information for almost two weeks (not Cole’s fault; but a better price/options book would come in handy for situations like that).
2. The manufacturer’s sales order sheet they use doesn’t let you clarify or ask for a lot of specifics, and Ark. Home Sales has to use it, but they should create a supplementary sheet, and just automatically print out the floorplans (or email them out) for customers to use as a modification template, and it should have a sheet listing typical upgrades, types of customizations that can be done, etc. It could all be e-format, so it could be a good starting point for any customer. I think our order process would give them ideas on how to create a handy form.
3. Have a formalized wire-transfer form that’s in e-format that can be sent to customers. There was some confusion when we went to our bank (because some states have had a lot of fraud related to ordering mobile/modular homes, and even with building stick-built homes), and just me walking in with a text that has the routing information made my bank stop the process to get clarification. It’d just elevate the professionalism a bit, and make the process smoother for customers.

What they did well, and why I’d ABSOLUTELY recommend them:

1. Communication: We’ve got EXTENSIVE email and text exchanges, as well as tons of calls, voicemails, etc. The staff are easy to work with and DO follow up. They have unbelievable patience, and really do hand-hold you through the process.
2. The land development and delivery process. Both were incredibly easy and professional. They’ve got the experience and the right equipment. Houses are too much money to choose a fly-by-night group to work with. I think the team said they had something like 40+ years’ worth of experience that came out to our property, and it showed. It was an awesome process to see.
3. Response to urgent issues. They IMMEDIATELY responded to the roof leak from a vent cap that wasn’t quite seated properly. They got their staff to come out and do the appropriate repairs rapidly as well.
4. They DON’T abandon you after they get paid. We’ve been in the house a couple months now, and I noticed a couple cracks in the grouting in the master shower – and this is not a negative reflection on Ark. Home Sales – it’s just something that happens with transport and/or drying sanded grout. I was surprised that the home halves showed up with so little damage, and this could’ve been from the almost 500 miles of travel to get the house from the manufacturer to the dealer for first checks, and then on to the home site, along with the very bumpy, rutted back roads, or just the mortar mix shrinking as it dried. Regardless, we noticed it, and they’re working to get a crew out to do the appropriate repairs as I write. They stand by the contract, and that’s more than I can say for a lot of contractors out there.
5. They follow up. I’ve had nice calls and texts since the purchase – just to check in, to thank us, etc. We’ve even gotten a card from them. I know some may think it’s gimmicky, but it was a nice gesture. They haven’t pestered us for a review through any of this process, and they’re just focused on doing a good job and making sure their clients are taken care of.
6. No pressure-sales tactics, no lies, and you’re treated courteously, even if you ask a billion questions like we did. I have no doubt that all the staff will remember us for a while (with a twitching eyelid and a throbbing vein in their foreheads), but we’re VERY grateful for everything they did – and are still doing – for us.
7. Arkansas Home Sales doesn’t default to the bare minimum of home supports. They have found, based on years of experience, that better-than-minimum supports and fasteners recommended by manufacturers makes all the difference, and prevents damage and failures down the road. Would I recommend them? Wholeheartedly and without reservation. Our house is AMAZING, and it’s directly because of Arkansas Home Sales working hard for us.

Heather Stiletto