Manufactured Home vs. Modular Home

Christina Asbury, Realtor   
Homes in Coastal NC
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A manufactured home (also known as a mobile home) is a single or multi-sectional home built on a permanent frame, like a steel undercarriage/chassis, with a removable transportation system (hitch and wheels). The unit is permanently attached to a site-built foundation and is subject to the 1976 federal standards established by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  These homes are harder to get a mortgage on because of depreciation on the home itself. Doublewides are the easiest to get a loan on, so long as they are on a permanent foundation and tied down. Singlewide homes are virtually impossible to get a loan on unless you take out a personal loan. In NC, the foreclosure rates on mobile homes located on dirt roads is about 89%.  Therefore, if you are looking at purchasing a mobile home on an unpaved road without a Road Maintenance Agreement, there is an 89% chance you will NOT get financed. Road Maintenance Agreements are when all of the owners on a road agree to mutually keep up the road condition and financially contribute when needed. They are filed and recorded at the County Courthouse so that they are binding agreements.

A modular home is constructed in a factory using conventional home floor joists and delivered to a site on a trailer or flat bed truck. The delivered home may be in the form of panels that are assembled at the site, may be pre-cut and assembled on site, or may be pre-built and delivered in one piece. The home, panels or pre-cut panels are lifted from the trailer and attached to a foundation. A modular home may be single or multi-storied. Modular homes are not subject to HUD standards, but must be built to state and local Uniform Building Codes.