Frequently Asked Questions

In addition to manufactured housing having nearly 50 percent less construction cost per square foot than comparable site-built homes, manufactured home specifications and standards ensure high standards in every aspect of construction thus offering an affordable alternative to site-built.

A manufactured home is constructed entirely in a controlled factory environment, built to the federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards, better known as the HUD Code. A site-built home is built “on-site” using traditional building techniques that meet either a local or state building code. Starting in 1976, the HUD Code established a stringent series of construction and safety standards that ensure today’s manufactured homes are superior to “mobile homes,” the term used for factory-built homes produced prior to the HUD Code. Since then, manufactured homes are dramatically different in appearance and quality than those built before 1976. Manufactured homes, like site-built homes, are now available in a variety of designs, floor plans and amenities. Today, they are often indistinguishable from site-built homes and are fully compatible with neighborhood architectural styles.

With an array of manufacturers at our disposal using the latest in computer-assisted design, you have the flexibility of choosing a variety of floorplan options certain manufacturer’s offer to modify your home’s floor plans, interior finishes, and exterior designs. Manufactured homes come with “standard” features that you would find in a site-built home. Many floor plans are available that range from basic models to more elaborate designs that feature vaulted ceilings, drywall, fully equipped modern kitchens, comfortable bedrooms with walk-in closets, and bathrooms with recessed bathtubs and new modern ceramic walk-in showers! Many of our manufacturers also provide homes that are accessible to those with special needs. If you are interested in such a home, please work with your retailer to order a home with accessible features, such as extra-wide halls and doorways, accessible counters and appliances, and specially equipped bathrooms.

Just as there are choices when you buy a site-built home, there are a variety of financing options when you buy a manufactured home.  If you are buying the home and land together, or plan to place the home on land you already own, some financial institutions offer traditional real estate mortgages with similar interest rates. Should you be purchasing the manufactured home separately from the land on which it will be located, the home will probably be financed as a personal property manufactured home loan. This financing usually requires a somewhat higher interest rate. FHA-insured and Department of Veterans Affairs-guaranteed (called FHA and VA) loans are available to manufactured home buyers as well as USDA loans. These types of loans may offer lower interest rates or lower down payment requirements if available in your area. They require more paperwork during the credit application and approval process; therefore, may take longer for approval than a conventional loan.

Every client’s situation is different. Regrettably, weather, site conditions, build times, as well as financing changes per transaction. It is very difficult to generalize time frames when so many variables are present and subject to change. An evaluation by our professionals can better estimate a proposed time frame after a closer examination of the specific details.

A common misconception in the housing industry is that manufactured and modular homes are interchangeable terms. Although they are both adequate options for a variety of families, they have key differences that may be a deciding factor for you! Manufactured homes are delivered on a steel chassis with removable wheels, where the chassis will remain underneath the home and are manufactured according to requirements established by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Modular homes are pulled to the site on carriers and placed with crane on traditional foundation systems, with additional plumbing and sitework to be completed on-site and must meet the same local building codes as any site-built home.

The manufactured housing industry has seen major improvements to the construction, financing, stability, and regulation since the early 1970s, outdating the term “mobile home.” With the establishment of strict guidelines by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the adaptation of the name from mobile to manufactured changed.

There are two basic types of lending available for manufactured housing, land/home and home only (aka Chattel). Home only is the easiest to understand and basically has only one version to discuss. The home is the only source of collateral, along with whatever is needed in the way of a cash down payment and/or trade allowance to get the loan financed. Home only loan rates are usually at a higher percentage, and they’re always at a lower term than land/home loans are. This is due to the extra nature of “risk” associated with the land not being in play for the lender in the event of non-payment. Land/Home loans have several variations and include standard conventional loans plus the government programs. Government-backed loans FHA, USDA, and VA are almost exclusively used in scenarios where the land is going to be used as all/part of the collateral needed to get home financed. All these loans are utilized on a regular basis for manufactured homes of all types and varieties, land/home being the most common.

There is little to no “Home Only” loans being utilized for True Mod homes, this due to the fact these homes never have a title of their own. Land/Home loans, of all types, is the primary source of funding for these homes. Land/Home loans have several variations and include standard conventional loans plus the government programs. Government-backed loans FHA, USDA, and VA are almost exclusively used in scenarios where the land is going to be used as all/part of the collateral needed to get home financed.

The average cost of a manufactured home will be around $55-$70 per square foot installed Prices inclusive of Delivery, Set, AC, Appliances, and complete crawlspace foundations system for the home.

State code Modular Homes will average between $75-$95 per square foot. Prices inclusive of Delivery, Set, AC, Appliances, and complete crawlspace foundations system for the home.

Installation for a modular home to be move-in ready after bank inspection generally takes four to six months from the signing of initial paperwork. This includes time for the loan process as well as the construction phase of each home, as modular homes have more on-site work to complete after home installation that other manufactured housing does not.

The largest single wide we can provide is 16×78 without the hitch, which includes 1248 square feet of livable space. Sometimes, this is referred to as a 16×82 if manufacturers are including hitch length within the size.

The largest multi-section homes we can provide in a two-section manufactured or modular home is 2,280 square feet with a box size of 30×76. Three-section homes are not as common,  but homes as large as 2,944 square feet are available with the final box size of 46×64!