Realtor-What Is a Manufactured Home? The Next Step Beyond Mobile Homes

In an article on Realtor.com by Angela Colley, she asked and answered the question millions of Americans have. "What Is a Manufactured Home? The Next Step Beyond Mobile Homes." It's a clever headline and makes the point that "You probably grew up calling them mobile homes, but the times, they are a changin’." Colley said: "today’s manufactured homes are far more customizable and luxurious than mobile homes of the past."

"Originally, factory-built mobile homes were constructed on a chassis with wheels, hence the “mobile” portion of their name. Single-wide mobile homes were small, easily movable, and relegated mostly to mobile home parks, recreation sites, and the hearts of kitsch lovers everywhere.

The modern standard manufactured home is not a mobile home, in that it is generally intended to be moved once." "“They are built on solid-steel frames, giving them a sturdiness that belies the stereotype of yesteryear,” says Chase Daugherty, vice president of Express Homes," per Realtor.com.

"Today, home buyers can get a range of floor plans with a host of add-on construction features, including garages, decks, and porches.

Plus, the construction of housing built today is highly regulated by HUD and any local building standards, unlike mobile homes of the past.

“These are homes built entirely in the factory under a federal building code administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,” says Daugherty. HUD standards regulate everything in housing from fire resistance to energy efficiency," according to Realtor.com.

"Manufactured housing style

Manufactured housing can be surprisingly spacious, with a living space, kitchen, and multiple bedrooms that resemble site-built homes.

In recent years, style updates have included increasing ceiling height and customizing floor plans. While you can likely spot a manufactured home from the outside—thanks to its rectangular construction—nowadays, many of these homes have the features you’d expect in a standard home and offer a variety of different looks on the interior.

“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 whirlpools,” Daugherty told Colley for Realtor.

"How much does manufactured housing cost?

Manufactured housing has one big benefit for home buyers over other housing options: cost.

The cost to purchase a new manufactured home varies...by state (which may be due to the general cost of housing in different regions)...If you’re considering buying a manufactured home, don’t forget to factor in the land costs...Even after the cost of real property, however, a single-family home manufactured in a factory...costs far less per square foot than one constructed on site, making it ideal for moderate- and lower-income potential buyers," wrote Colley.

Colley's article arguably could have used some added refinement, but the portions quoted above are on target. According to Bing's artificial intelligence (AI) powered Copilot are some useful facts.

"According to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the average cost per square foot for a manufactured home in 2024 is approximately $85. This is significantly more affordable compared to traditional site-built homes, which average around $167.87 per square foot."

Perhaps the single most pithy yet insightful definition of manufactured homes I've seen is the following from research by the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) which revealed that manufactured homes, unlike the under-regulated mobile homes before 1976, are a bit safer against the risk of fire than a conventional site built house and are much safer than pre-HUD Code mobile homes.

According to the NFPA, "A manufactured home is not a motor home or a trailer, and although it is often called a mobile home," it is not that either.

Millions have the wrong idea about manufactured homes and tornadoes too. Who said? Scholastica "Gay" Cororaton in her ground breaking research for the Journal of Real Estate Studies about modern manufactured homes.

See the video interview and related report linked here. https://www.manufacturedhomeli...

For those who want to better understand the data about mobile homes, manufactured homes, conventional housing, and tornado safety, see the report linked here. Short version of this unpacking of the Associated Press (AP) fact check? Quoting: "Meaning, the odds are 99.999997942 in favor of every soul living in a mobile or manufactured home that they won’t die in any given year from a tornado." People in all kinds of housing die in tornadoes, but the odds are widely in favor of someone living in a mobile or manufactured home will never die in a tornado. Over 99.9999 percent a year in favor of a manufactured home resident. Pretty good odds, huh?

The video below is several years old and prices have risen since then. That said, the points made by this award-winning real estate agent Linda Hazelhoff about modern manufactured homes are as true now as they were then.

Note that Hazeloff explains that her husband is a custom site built single-family housing builder.

In the subtitle we quoted Steve Duke, J.D. Here is what Duke had to say about the importance of the terminology when it comes to factory-built or other housing.

I'm a big believer in reality vs. fantasy or outdated myths.

In years gone by, I've personally been involved in the sale of hundreds of manufactured homes, managed and coached thousands of manufactured home sales, and at locations I was involved in, referrals were routinely the #1 or #2 source for new business in any given month. Not all of my peers could say the same thing, even though they may have sold similar homes at similar prices. What was the difference? Honesty. Don't over promise. Don't under deliver. Tell it like it is. Explain reality. Then, have a customer sign that they understand reality.

Most people respect honesty.

There are basic models of manufactured homes that are what the industry has called "shade and shelter." The trim and details on such homes are simple, not fancy. But those who may want and buy such a home may never be able to buy high end manufactured home, much less a multi-million-dollar conventional house. There are "residential style" manufactured homes and there are "entry level" manufactured homes. The E pictures below are entry level homes.

Notice on the third (bottom) level of homes that the one on the left and right have a vinyl foundation enclosure (a.k.a.: "skirting"). If those had been my businesses, I would have advised a different option, a touch more, but it looks far more residential. Perhaps we'll cover that in a future article here on the Patch.

On a residential style manufactured home, depending on your location in the U.S., the savings may not be 50 percent over a conventional housing construction cost as it would be vs. an entry level home. When the U.S. Census Bureau said that the cost per square foot (see above) is about half the cost, that's not industry talk, that's federal data.

If you haven't read all of the earlier articles in this periodic educational-informational series, let me encourage you to start with one or more of the following.

Orlando RE Agent Smith-Younger Adults Will Need $8500 Monthly for Rent

Blankley-Goodbye American Dream? Only 10% Polled Can Buy a House; But

Realtor? Journalist? Affordable Manufactured Home Production Jumps

Waiting for Fed Rate Cut Before Buying a Home? Experts Say Think Twice

Frank Rolfe-Special Interests ‘Don’t Want to Solve Affordable Housing'

TARK-‘I’m a Teen and Know the Solution to Affordable Housing Crisis’

New-Certified “Half Price Homes” - Affordable Housing Solution Redux

Realtor, particularly NAR's Certified Business Economist (CBE) Cororaton, did affordable housing seekers a favor by shedding light on the solution to the affordable housing crisis that is hiding in plain sight. To learn about the ways that the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000, its enhanced preemption provision, and the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) and others have promoted this solution during Congressional hearings, click here.

There will be more on this practical and well researched solution in this periodic series in the days ahead. Stay tuned. ##

L. A. “Tony” Kovach and his family live in a manufactured home on about 1/3 of an acre in Winter Haven, FL. He is the co-founder of ManufacturedHomeLivingNews.com and ManufacturedHomeProNews.com, trade publications serving segments of the manufactured home industry. Having worked in several aspects of the industry for over 3 decades, Kovach is a widely acknowledged and often praised expert on manufactured housing.