A home is probably the single most important purchase you
will make in your lifetime. In recent years, nearly one-third of all
new single-family homes bought have been manufactured homes.

 

What is Manufactured Housing?

Manufactured housing includes homes and dwellings which are not "stick-built" -constructed at the site-, but instead are constructed off-site in a factory. 

When the home is finished, it is carried in sections by special trucks to a building site where it is installed.

 

What does a Manufactured Home look like?
Today's Manufactured home looks like any other house on the street. In fact, you can't tell them apart. Manufactured homes range in style from a straightforward Ranch to a uniquely tailored Contemporary.  You may have been in one and not even realized it.

The term "manufactured home" was adopted in 1980 by the United States Congress to describe a type of house that is constructed in a factory to comply with a building code developed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In the past, manufactured homes were called "mobile homes," a term that many people still use. However, "mobile" is no longer an accurate name because fewer than five percent of such homes are ever moved off the owner's original site.

Manufactured homes offer a wide variety of styles 
and prices. There is a manufactured home to fit almost every pocketbook. Some models are designed for those whose budget limits them to a lower-cost home. Other models have such higher-priced features as cathedral ceilings, formal dining rooms, and wood burning fireplaces. The home can be a single-section unit or a larger multi-section unit. Multi-section homes come from the factory in two or more parts that are joined at the site.

How are Manufactured Homes built?
Manufactured homes are built in factories, and benefit from the assembly line production process. Labor is used with maximum efficiency, with skilled craftsman moving between workstations on the factory floor.

As with traditional building methods a manufactured home starts with its framework.

Manufactured Homes typically use 20% to 30% more material in the framing to insure a safe, secure trip to its destination.

Do Manufactured Homes meet building standards?
Since mid-1976, all manufactured homes have been constructed to meet the federal building standards adopted and administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This national code is called the National Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards. The code regulates manufactured home design and construction, strength and durability, fire resistance, and energy efficiency. It also prescribes the performance standards for the heating, plumbing, air conditioning, thermal, and electrical systems.

What size home and floor plan do I want or need?  
Manufactured homes are available in a variety of floor plans that include spacious living rooms, dining rooms, fully equipped kitchens, one or more bedrooms, family rooms, and utility rooms. Depending upon your needs and the size of your lot, you can choose a single-section home plan or a larger multi-section design. Homes range in size from 400 to over 2000 square feet.

How does the cost of a Manufactured Home 
compare with a site-built home?

By the time you add the cost of the labor, material, and time savings inherent in the Modular process the overall total is traditionally less expensive than a similar site-built home. 
In addition, you will have yearly savings. The built-in energy efficiency of your Manufactured Home keeps heating and air conditioning bills lower. 

The style and size of a home, plus the many different options makes each home unique, and prices vary accordingly.

How does a Manufactured Home save on cost? 
The cost advantages of a Manufactured Home are widespread. When a  factory buys building materials, such as lumber, sheet rock, carpet, paint, etc., they pay bulk rate prices and can have large quantities delivered at one time.   

Because Manufactured Homes are built inside there are no weather related delays or schedule inefficiencies that might occur at a site-built home, thus saving time and money. The likelihood of vandalism costs, so prevalent in today's world, is minuscule.

Labor is used with maximum efficiency, with skilled craftsman moving between workstations on the factory floor. This "engineered" approach  results in savings in material and waste.  

Finally, because of the time saved there is a corresponding savings on loan interest during this process. 

Is financing a Manufactured Home a problem?
No! There is no distinction made between manufactured and site built homes as far as appraisal and financing is concerned. Most banks and lending institutions treat both types the same, as do most insurance companies.

Manufactured Homes are becoming increasingly popular as more and more people find the variety, quality, and cost savings that can be attained with a Manufactured Home. 

People's attitudes have changed. Gone are the days when Manufactured homes were confused with smaller, rectangular, temporary, homes such as "mobile" or "single wide" homes that were placed on small narrow lots.

When your Manufactured Home arrives and is set on the foundation it is usually more than 90% complete and has most of the things already in it that you have chosen. The floor coverings, the wall and ceiling finish, ceiling fans, outside siding and shutters. The kitchen cabinets, sink, refrigerator, stove and dishwasher are there thus reducing move in time. Another plus is that the bathrooms are finished except final hookup.

The construction work of a Manufactured Home takes place at the factory, at the same time as the site work - the permitting, surveying, grading, and the building of the foundation phase. This is not possible with a site built home.

According to the Manufactured Housing Institute, a nonprofit trade group which represents Manufactured Home builders, retailers, lenders, site developers, and others

·          Manufactured homes now account for more than a third of all new single-family homes sold.  The total of all manufactured housing went from 188,172 in 1990 to 353,377 in 1997. 

·          Approximately 18 million people -- over 7 percent of the US population -- live full-time in 7.3 million manufactured homes.

·          88% of manufactured home homeowners report satisfaction with the manufactured housing lifestyle.

·          All manufactured homes are built to the federal HUD Code, with each home going through a rigorous inspection process before being certified and sold. 1996 marks the 20th anniversary of the HUD Code.

·          Manufactured housing retail sales were estimated at $11.9 billion in 1995.

·          The average sales price of a manufactured home was $33,500 in 1994. Single-section homes average $23,900, while multi-section homes average $42,900.