 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
||||||
|
||||||||
| Frequenly
Asked Questions What
is a manufactured home?
Manufactured Homes are built entirely in a factory under the federal building code administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These homes are constructed to meet the Federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standard Act of June 15, 1976. The federal standards regulate manufactured housing design and construction, strength and durability, transportability, fire resistance, energy efficiency and quality. The HUD Code also sets performance standards for the heating, plumbing, air conditioning, thermal and electrical systems. HUD is the only federally-regulated national building code. Each home or segment of a home is labeled with a red tag that is the manufacturer's guarantee the home was built to conform to the HUD code. On-site additions, such as garages, decks and porches, often add to the attractiveness of manufactured homes and must be built to local, state or regional building codes. Manufactured homes
generally come in single or two-section units and their dimensions range
from 8 feet or more wide and 40 feet or more long. Manufactured homes
can be placed on a basement and include multiwides and expandable manufactured
homes. Excluded are travel trailers, motor homes, and modular housing.
| Return to the top of the page Modular homes are homes that are built in two or more sections in a controlled factory setting that are then transported and assembled at the building site. Modular homes are built to either local or state building codes as opposed to manufactured homes (sometimes still erroneously referred to as mobile homes) which are also built in a factory but are governed by a federal building code. Modular homes can be completely customized to meet the home-buyers needs and tastes as well as to meet local building and zoning codes and to better withstand local issues such as hurricanes, earthquakes or snowload. Modern modular homes are built with the highest quality materials and construction. The benefits of building homes in a factory are similar to the benefits of building automobiles in a factory and can include:
The greater efficiency of building homes in a factory environment, rather than on-site, means that you, the home-buyer, can move into the home of your dreams at a significant savings and with a higher level of quality than you would if you were to choose a site-built home rather than a modular home. Since they are built
to local building codes, modular homes are treated the same as site-built
homes with respect to zoning, financing, appraisal, and value appreciation.
| Return to the top of the page What is the difference between a manufactured home and a mobile home? Mobile Homes are homes built prior to June 15, 1976, when the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) code went into effect. The code was created due to poor construction methods and techniques and created a new building standard to which all mobile homes must meet. Only those homes
built before the HUD code went into effect are considered "mobile
homes". | Return to the top of the page How can I obtain financing to purchase a manufactured home? Manufactured homes are usually purchased through dealers or retailers that sell the homes. The names of lenders in your area which specialize in financing manufactured homes can be obtained from local retailers. Find manufactured home dealers by clicking on "Featured Dealers" above. Many lenders will
grant a conventional mortgage for manufactured homes, but will probably
require that the home be placed on a permanent foundation. Manufactured
homes are also eligible for FHA and VA home loans. | Return
to the top of the page How affordable are manufactured homes compared to site-built homes? Compared to site-built (traditional stick-frame) homes, manufactured homes are about half the cost per square foot. In 1998 the average sales price of a manufactured home in the U.S. was $52,300. The average cost per square foot was $30.21. By comparison the average cost of a single-family site-built home was $136,425 excluding land costs and the cost per square foot (excluding land) was $62.29. The efficiencies of building homes in factories rather than on-site allow manufactured homes to match or beat the quality of site-built homes for a fraction of the cost. | Return to the top of the page |