Manufactured Housing at a Crossroads

This fall in Atlanta, policymakers, lenders, and practitioners gathered with housing advocates, homeowners, developers, and researchers for the twentieth anniversary of the Innovations in Manufactured Housing (I’m HOME) Network conference. What began two decades ago as an experiment in reframing manufactured housing—from a problem to be eliminated into a solution to be scaled—has matured into one of the most diverse and influential gatherings in the housing field. The conference reflected how far manufactured housing has come and set the stage for the immense work that needs to be done to address the affordability crisis in the housing sector.

After days of critical discussion on concrete steps that can be taken to advance affordable and attainable housing solutions through off-site built housing, one resounding message emerged: manufactured housing is “just housing.” While it has long been stigmatized, 22 million people in the United States live in manufactured housing, and it now stands at the center of conversations about how to address the nation’s affordability crisis. However, policy and regulatory barriers to greater usage, often rooted in outdated myths, remain.  

Owners of manufactured homes spoke candidly about the challenges of converting titles from personal property—a category often used for manufactured housing that is more akin to a vehicle than a house—to real estate, a bureaucratic hurdle that locks too many into costly, less-protected financing. Advocates highlighted how community loan funds in places like New Hampshire have created a path to mortgages and loans for home improvement, leading to housing and community stability. Researchers pointed out that as real estate market assessments have climbed, manufactured homeowners face the same tax pressures as their site-built neighbors—a reminder that manufactured housing owners are navigating the same housing market, only with fewer protections and options. 

What is clear, participants agreed, is that the value proposition of manufactured housing has never been stronger. Manufactured housing remains one of the few naturally occurring sources of affordable housing. The homes themselves have changed: new models are more energy efficient, climate resilient, and designed with the same durability as their traditional counterparts. Manufactured homes are capable of being produced at a cost that site-built homes cannot match. According to the US Census Bureau,  manufactured homes can be built for a fraction of the cost of site-built homes, about $85 per square foot compared to $167, offering 30–50 percent savings and making them one of the most efficient sources of unsubsidized affordable housing in the country. Community preservation strategies such as Right of First Refusal laws have showed that resident ownership of mobile home communities can stabilize neighborhoods and protect affordability, while new financing products from Fannie Mae and others point toward more inclusive mortgage markets. 

The Urban Institute has documented the wealth-building potential of manufactured homes when titled as real estate, while Pew Charitable Trusts has shed light on the risks facing the half-million families who turn to contracts for deed or rent-to-own arrangements, often without the consumer protections that mortgages provide. Both research and the lived experience converge to show that manufactured housing works, but its promise will only be realized with more consistent policy and financing support. 

As our future Manufactured Housing Industry Benchmark will show, six manufactured housing factories closed in 2024, even as demand for homes grew. Production must expand just as preservation efforts intensify, and financing must adapt to reach buyers who are otherwise steered into predatory alternatives. Off-site housing has always been about more than homes; it is about gentle density, resilient communities, and a pathway into ownership. Given the urgency of the affordability crisis, the time has come for the broader housing field to embrace manufactured housing as a cornerstone rather than a sideline. 

No Time Like the Present 

Momentum is building in Washington. The recently introduced Bipartisan Road to Housing Act reflects a new federal willingness to consider factory-built housing as part of the affordability solution. Provisions in that bill that would streamline environmental reviews, encourage local zoning reforms, and develop model codes all point toward easier entry for manufactured homes in places where they are desperately needed. The bill could also unlock new financing streams, though gaps remain, notably the absence of any mention of CDFIs, which have proven to be vital intermediaries in serving lower-income buyers. Even as federal policy opens doors, participants in Atlanta underscored that the real work still happens locally. Zoning ordinances, community acceptance, and financing practices at the ground level will determine whether manufactured housing expands or stalls. 

Looking ahead, off-site construction is poised to play an important role. Modular homes—which also begin in factories, but are not built on a chassis like manufactured homes—can meet missing-middle demand, provide urban infill solutions, and normalize factory-built housing for policymakers and consumers alike. For the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, which has long invested in the innovations that make manufactured housing a viable part of the affordable housing ecosystem, the next step is clear: modular housing must be part of the I’m HOME Network. By linking modular with manufactured, the field can move beyond old distinctions and work toward a shared goal: housing that is affordable, resilient, and accessible to all. 

The story of manufactured housing has always been one of persistence against stigma, financing gaps, and policy neglect. But the I’m HOME 2025 conference showed that it is also a story of resilience, innovation, and community. With the right mix of research, policy change, and coalition building, the next twenty years can ensure that manufactured and modular housing are recognized as central pillars of the American housing system. 

Daniel Janzow is a policy analyst at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

Lead image: Manufactured home owners in Vancouver, Washington. Credit: timnewman via E+/Getty Images.