What is a manufactured home and how does it differ from a modular home?

Manufactured Homes are built in a factory on a permanent chassis to a preemptive code and all of the design and engineering criteria including wind, seismic, roof load, floor loads are built to a national standardized criteria.   Under the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) code, manufactured home fabrication supersedes the requirements of the local building jurisdictions.  The unit can be 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).  However, financing a manufactured home does have greater restrictions.  For that reason, it is generally recommended you use a manufactured home lending specialist.

A Mobile Home generally refers to pre June-1976 factory built units, which can be a single or multi-sectional home built on a steel undercarriage/chassis, with a removable transportation system (hitch and wheels). The unit can also be permanently attached and taxed are real property.  However, title is often held separately (with HCD) as personal property, or with separate land ownership as is the case with Mobile Home Parks.

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.  Modulars are treated the same as site built housing for financing purposes.