Get Local to Increase Sales Opportunities
The manufactured housing market is showing signs of moderate strength, even as the broader housing landscape continues to be shaped by high need and uneven demand. For retailers and community owners, this is a time to get proactive and local. Homebuyers are out there, especially first-timers, downsizers, and those priced out of the site-built market, but they need reasons to trust, visit, and take the next step.
Retailers should be investing time in local partnerships that build their visibility and housing potential. That means showing up at community events, working with lenders to explain financing options clearly, and offering real, relatable stories of families who’ve successfully purchased. Shorts 1 min videos on consumer targeted social media describing their experience and satisfaction will go a long way to bring other home “hopers” to you. Storefronts and model homes should feel approachable and current, not dated or pushy. Make it easy for a curious browser to picture themselves living in one of your homes, at affordable prices.
Manufactured home communities should lean into their lifestyle advantages, making them comparable or superior to apartment dwelling. Clean, safe streets, friendly neighbors, and well-kept amenities aren’t small details, they’re often the deciding factors. Host open house weekends that feel more like neighborhood picnics than sales events. Work with city and county planners to help educate the public and local officials on the modern reality of today’s manufactured homes. When people understand that these communities offer stable, attractive, and affordable living, attitudes shift, at costs less than apartment living; interest grows.
Both retailers and community owners continue to have a role in resetting the narrative and offering real solutions. Be welcoming, be informative, and be ready to help hopeful buyers navigate the path to ownership. You’re not just selling a home—you’re making a home possible.