›› Mobile Homes: A Cost-effective Housing Solution

Every year, the demand for affordable and better housing increases. In Oregon alone, there are over 1,400,000 housing units. This number continues to rise, as the economy improves and more people can afford to buy their own homes. In recent years, the housing industry noticed a change in the preferences of many homebuyers. Before the financial crisis, most buyers chose site-built houses over other types. As the country moves forward, however, many buyers are looking for alternatives. Some of the popular choices are condominiums and manufactured houses or mobile homes.

A Misnomer

Some people think a mobile home is a house that you can easily move from one location to another. The truth is, it’s no more mobile than a site-built home. A manufactured home is a pre-fabricated house built in a factory. Once built, the manufacturer moves and installs the house to the site, such as your land or a mobile home village.

Developments within the industry of manufactured homes made them cost-effective alternatives for many people. Whether you’re starting a family or looking for a place to retire, buying a manufactured home in Oregon is a good option.

Here are some benefits of choosing mobile houses in Oregon.

Affordability

One of the best features of a manufactured home is its price. It is definitely more affordable than a site-built home. Today, you’ll find a manufactured home as beautiful as – if not better than – a site-built home. Most manufacturers have improved their homes’ designs and features. For less than the price of a traditional house, you can get a home with similar features of a site-built house.

Quality

When you don’t want to worry over the construction process, a mobile home is perfect for you.  Manufacturers follow a strict federal building code when building mobile homes. The United States’ Department of Housing and Urban Development oversees this set of standards. You can be confident that you’re getting a high quality home for your money.

Convenience

Need to move in soon? With most manufactured homes, all you have to do is to take care of the utilities and you’re set to move in. Most of the time, the manufactured home arrives in your property about 90% complete. Make sure to call a third-party or in-house inspector to check your home. Just because you can move in quickly doesn’t mean you have to ignore building codes and safety standards.  An inspector needs to check your mobile home before and after the builders set it on site.

Energy Efficiency

Apart from saving money on the cost of your home, some modern mobile homes come with energy-saving features. You’ll find some equipped with Energy Star appliances. There are also others that come with high-performance windows, water heaters, and efficient cooling and heating systems. All these features give you more opportunities to save on costs. With site-built homes, you may have to spend on renovation to make your living space energy efficient. You won’t have to do this with many mobile houses.

Additional Features

Manufactured homes come with as many features as site-built homes. You can have wall-to-wall carpets for the bedrooms and ceramic tiles for the bathroom. You’ll even find houses with walk-in closets, bay windows, and fireplaces.

Manufactured homes have made great strides through the years. When you’re looking for the best deal on housing, think about getting a mobile home.

Resources:

http://complete-mobilehomes.com/

http://www.mhcommunities.org/cm/lib/showtemp_detail.asp?id=63&cat=consumer_resos

http://www.infoplease.com/us/census/data/oregon/housing.html