Mobile/Manufactured/Modular/Stick Build
Choosing to build or purchase a home is likely the largest investment you will make. To help inform your decision-making, I ‘d like to present bullet point facts to define the different kinds of homes there are.
To begin, determine what will best meet your needs – a modular, mobile, or stick built home? When purchasing land for this endeavor you first must be aware that property deeds may state what may or may not be built on the property (like in the case of a qualified fee estate). My current home, for example, was required to be a stick-build only for the property. Be sure to read over the any deed restrictions carefully. You would not want to purchase property with the intent to place a modular home on it, only to find out there is a deed restriction preventing you from doing that. #RealEstate
Now let’s talk about what defines these different types of homes. A mobile home is a home built before June 15th 1976 and not built to uniform construction codes (1. J.D. Power and Associates). This construction code was changed again with the “National Manufacturing Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act” also known as HUD (2. Meier, 2007). If the homes are to be considered as part of the real estate and not chattel (removable property), the deed had to be sent to the state in which the real estate is located and tied to the title. In 1980 Congress stepped in and changed the name from mobile home to manufactured homes (2. Meier, 2007). #MobileHomes
Manufactured homes follow the HUD code that took effect June 15, 1976 (1. J.D. Power and Associates). Manufactured homes are a single or multi-sectional home built on a permanent frame like a steel chassis (3. CMH Appraisals). #ManufacturedHomes
A modular home follows the building codes according to the state they are built in (1. J.D. Power and Associates). Modular homes typically use standard foundations, and are built inside a facility. They come in two or more sections (1 J.D. Power and Associates). According to CMH Appraisals, “Modular BOCA code homes are considered equal to a site built home due to quality deemed equal and in some cases superior to a site built home” (3. CMH Appraisals). #ModularHomes
Which one is the best overall? That depends on which one best meets your needs. I now see it as an evolution in safety and design: from 1976 when they started building homes to a uniform standard, to today when you can have a modular BOCA or IRC home that is at or above in some cases the code standard of a stick (site) build (3. CMH Appraisals). I hope these points help you to make educated decisions in your future home investments.
- On 9-5-18 J.D. Power and Associates at: http://www.nadaguides.com/Manufactured-Homes/Definitions
- 0n 9-6-18, Jim Meier, 2007, https://activerain.com/blogsview/123871/what-s-a-boca-
3. On 9-6-18, CMH Appraisals, http://www.cmhappraisals.com/MfgvsModularHomes
Ben & Jamie Anderson Realtors 
Reblogged this on Social Media & Professional Employer Organization and commented:
As a new owner of a manufacturered home these rules can be tricky. Thanks for making it easier to understand. Check it out if you are an owner or potential owner or just trying to figure this all out.
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