Sitting and Placement Of Manufactured Homes: Private Property Or Land-Lease Community?

According to the 2011 U.S Census, 74 percent of manufactured homes were placed on private property while 26 percent were sited in residential land-lease communities. However, recent trends indicate that homes sites on private property have been growing over the last decade and are expected to increase as more residential land is properly zoned to allow for manufactured housing. Another reason for the increase in private property sites is that several states have recently passed legislation that prohibits the discrimination against manufactured homes in, heretofore, “site-built only zones.”

The majority of manufactured homes sited on private land are located in rural areas of the country–states that have fewer urban areas and are less densely populated, such as the southern sections of the country. Throughout the South and the Midwest there are ample amounts of inexpensive land and fewer land restrictions on manufactured home placement–which is why the manufactured housing industry is more prominent in these areas.

The affordability of the manufactured home today is allowing many, especially the younger generation, the opportunity of home-ownership much sooner than they would have been able to. The negatives stereotypes that plagued the mobile home industry 40 years ago are no longer valid assumptions of today’s manufactured home. In fact, manufactured homes have become the preferred choice of housing for many first-time buyers in all areas of the country.

In larger metropolitan areas, it remains somewhat difficult for manufactured home owners to acquire private lots due to the following reasons: (1) Shortage of building lots available in preferred areas; (2) The high cost of real estate that is common within a desired communities; (3) The discriminatory zoning and land use agencies of local regulatory zoning authorities.

The real estate industry is a powerful political entity that is seemingly always trying to use their influence to discredit manufactured homes. Some states, such as California, have successfully passed legislation at the state level requiring that manufactured homes be considered the same as site built homes and eliminate the so-called “no mobile home zones.”

Homes in land lease communities are most prominent in urban areas, with California and Florida being the two most popular. These states offer high quality and well maintained, country club type facilities that appeal to many manufactured home owners. These rental communities are usually located in areas within short commuting distance to shopping, medical facilities, and entertainment.

Whether or not you choose to place your new manufactured home on private property or in a land-lease community, you can rest assured that you have already made the most important decision of the home buying process–purchasing a quality-build, affordable manufactured home.

For more information on land-leased communities, feel free to browse the following article: What To Consider When Choosing A Manufactured Home Land-Leased Community.