Purchasing a home – manufactured or otherwise – is one of the biggest decisions a person or a family has to make in life. Below are some resources to make you confident in your decision to purchase a manufactured or modular home. For answers to more in-depth questions, feel free to contact us or visit our member directory and get in touch with an expert who specializes in the subject you want to learn more about.
Confused about manufactured housing terminology? Learn more about common manufactured home vernacular here.
Get answers to frequently asked questions about construction, financing, and types of homes.
There are a lot of misconceptions about manufactured housing, and we want to clear them up!
Watch the latest videos produced by OMHA, covering a wide variety of topics in the manufactured housing industry.
Welcome to our Manufactured Housing Industry Glossary – your quick reference guide to the terminology shaping the world of manufactured housing. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a prospective homeowner, this curated collection of key terms will demystify the language of the industry, empowering you with the knowledge needed to navigate confidently. Explore the essentials and stay informed about the latest innovations in manufactured housing. Let’s simplify the conversation and enhance your understanding of this dynamic sector.
By visiting our website, you’ve already taken the first step in purchasing a quality home. Just like a car, you cannot purchase a new home directly from the manufacturer. New manufactured homes can only be purchased through licensed retailers. As you browse through the websites of our members or visit their on-site sales locations, start thinking about your current and future housing needs. Begin the thought process with the number of bedrooms and bathrooms you’ll need and continue with amenities, upgrades, and finishes.
Get through that process and our members’ professional sales teams can help you choose the perfect home for your lifestyle and budget.
Once you have found your dream home, you have multiple financing options available to you. There are two common ways of financing. When you are financing the land on which you’re placing the home along with the home itself, you’re likely to use a conventional land or land construction loan. If you’re financing just the home itself, you’ll probably use a chattel loan.
Our member business housing professionals can further explain the differences between the two types of loans and how things like a stronger credit score may help in your ability to find the right loan for you.
Here again, you have two choices:
You can place your home in a manufactured home community, where you own the home, but rent the land underneath. These communities may offer lifestyle amenities and location preferences that suit your needs. A big advantage of moving your new home to a manufactured home community is that the site work is already done. But make sure to check the terms of any lease and the community’s rules and regulations before you sign on the dotted line.
Or, you can place your home on land you already own or are looking at purchasing. Before you buy a home to place on your own land, make sure to check things like local zoning ordinances, utility access, deed restrictions, and the slope and grade of the land.
The process does not stop when you sign a contract to purchase a home. If it is a new home, the manufacturer will give you or your retailer an approximate delivery date. And if there are any changes in that date, we’ll contact you immediately.
And whether the home is new or preowned, the site where it will be installed has to be prepared for its placement. That means vegetation has to be cleared. The slope of land may have to be graded. We may have to grade the slope of the land. If you’re going to use a septic tank, that has to be installed. Footers may be poured.
Once the site is ready, the home is shipped and installed on the site. After a final inspection is completed, pack up the moving truck. It’s time to move in.
