Manufactured Housing: A Misunderstood Real Estate Market

Abstract

Manufactured Housing started as mobile homes for traveling workers and their families.  The mobile homes provided the ability for work crews and their families to easily move from one job site to the next.  Today many of the manufactured homes are luxurious homes on permanent foundations that can withstand nature’s elements equally or better than stick built homes.  The market for manufactured homes will continue to grow as the need for affordable housing continues to grow and the perception continues to improve.   Manufactured homes were previously sold by manufactured home dealers. Today real estate agents and investors are moving into the manufactured housing market. Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway Investment Company has recently invested billions in the manufactured housing market.  Buffet’s presence in the manufactured housing industry changes the perception.  This paper looks at some of the benefits and misunderstandings of utilizing manufactured homes in real estate investments.