Housing costs in 2022 are rising across the board. From buying a home, to paying for heating and electric bills, to paying for property taxes, it’s never been more expensive to own a site-built home.
What if there was a way to own a home more affordably? With manufactured housing, you can do just that.
Before we go any further, it’s important to know how to lower your housing costs with manufactured homes:
The Logic of Manufactured Housing Affordability
There are a few reasons why manufactured homes are so affordable. Firstly, manufactured homes are built in a factory, and then shipped to the home site. On the other hand, site-built homes are built on the home site itself.
This distinction may not seem like a big one. However, it means massive savings during the home building process. The factory-built nature of a manufactured home means a more cost-efficient construction and delivery. Because a manufacturer can buy materials in bulk, for example, those savings are passed onto the consumer.
And it’s not just money savings, either. With a manufactured home building project, you don’t have to delay building due to weather. This means there’s increased time efficiency involved.
Comparing Costs
With those cost savings in mind, it’s easy to see how affordable manufactured homes are.
The average price of a new manufactured home is $88,809, based on 2022 sales data from Datacomp. For a pre-owned manufactured home, it’s even cheaper – just $61,085. If you thought you couldn’t buy a home at such an affordable price, think again.
Let’s compare that to the cost of a site-built home. According to Statista data, a site-built home sold on average for $408,000 in 2021.
By buying a manufactured home, you can take advantage of higher quality for lower prices.
Other Financial Considerations
If you’re buying an affordable manufactured home, there are a few other things to keep in mind:
Financing
It’s not hard to find financing for your mobile home purchase. In fact, many communities and dealers offer financing for mobile homes.
It’s important to find the right kind of financing for your mobile home purchase. There are many different types of loans to choose from.
Financing: Similarities and Differences to Site-Built Homes
The most popular type of manufactured home loan is a “chattel loan.” These loans title the home as a piece of property similar to a car title. These are especially common in communities, where the land is leased while you own the home.
That’s one of the biggest differences compared to site-built homes when it comes to financing. With manufactured home purchases, you do not always buy the land the home sits on. There’s a type of manufactured home loan that allows you to buy the land with the home. That type of loan is called a “land-home mortgage.”
A land-home mortgage is similar to a traditional mortgage in that you secure both the land and the home. However, traditional mortgages for manufactured homes are less common than chattel loans.
Research Mobile Homes Near You
Just because manufactured homes are affordable doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do your research.
Take some time to look at what similar homes sell for in your area. Or, if you’re moving to another city or state, look in your market of choice to see what home prices are like.
With MHVillage, you can look at mobile homes in your area that you may be interested in buying. You can filter your home search based on multiple criteria, such as the number of bedrooms.
Don’t wait to see cost savings by going with a manufactured home. Start your journey with MHVillage today!
