Best Manufactured Homes for Sale in Portland
Thanks to their affordable price points and quick times, there is a growing number of manufactured homes for sale in Portland. Individuals are increasingly turning to manufactured housing (sometimes called mobile homes) as a budget-friendly solution to building a new home. Like building a stick-built or other type of prefab home, the process for buying and building a manufactured home in Portland is not always the most clear.
To help you understand if buying a manufactured house in the Portland area is a good fit for your project, we have created a guide to address some of the most common pain points in the process. This includes local manufactured housing regulations, financing options, available brands, and an overview of the homes for sale.
Manufactured Homes for Sale in Portland
Portland Manufactured Housing Regulations
One of the first places you should begin your research for a manufactured house in Oregon is determining your lot’s eligibility to place a home upon. This is often determined by your city’s local zoning board.
As you check with your local building department, an important point of clarification is that you are building a HUD-certified manufactured home. While they often look similar to traditional or modular homes, manufactured houses are built to a different building code, one that is set by the UPotrland Manufactured Home on Individual Lot Requirements.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, rather than local building codes.
This is important to understand because not all lots are zoned for/allow owners to set a manufactured structure upon them. Therefore, we recommend we check with the building department for the jurisdiction you are in:
Financing a Manufactured Home in Portland
After completing the necessary due diligence on your lot’s suitability for a manufactured home, you must also begin to think about the important question of, “how will you pay for your manufactured home?”
While the average manufactured home is nearly three to four times cheaper than a site-built home in Northern Oregon, manufactured houses in Portland have an average cost between $70 - $100 per square foot. When you calculate the final cost of building a new manufactured home (including services like site preparation, permitting, shipping, and installation) even the most affordable homes start to become expensive. For example, for a 1,300 square foot double-wide home in Portland, we estimate turn-key project costs to be around $150,000, not including land.
So how will you finance your home purchase? For most, paying cash is not a viable option. And much like zoning regulations, financing options for a manufactured home differ from those for other construction types.
So while your home might not be eligible for a standard construction loan and mortgage, some loans that can be used to finance your project include:
Use: buy or refinance a manufactured home, developed lot on which to place a manufactured home, or the two, combined.
Requirements: home must be the principal residence of the borrower & buyers can lease a lot as opposed to purchasing it. When the land/lot is leased, HUD requires the lessor to provide the manufactured homeowner with an initial lease term of 3 years.
Max Loan Amount(s):
Manufactured home only - $69,678
Manufactured home lot - $23,226
Manufactured home & lot - $92,904
Max Loan Term:
Manufactured home only (or on a single-section lot) - 20 years
Lot only - 15 years
Manufactured home on a multi-section lot - 25 years
Requirements: Borrowers must meet the lender financing requirements (for criteria like credit score and LTV).
FHA Title II Loan
Use: Must be used to purchase a manufactured home and a building lot on which to place it.
Max Loan Amount(s):
Max Loan Term: Up to 30 years
Requirements: The home must be at least 400 square feet, must be built and remain on a permanent chassis, and be the borrower’s primary residence. Borrowers must meet lending criteria related to LTV and credit score.
Description: Loan to cover the purchase of manufactured homes that meet certain building criteria. Typically, interest rates tend to be lower than other loan products
Max Loan Term: 30 years
Borrower Requirements: up to 97% LTV, minimum 620 credit score
Home Requirements: labeled as an MH Advantage eligible home, at least 600 square feet, be placed on owned, not leased, land
Description: Conventional financing for low and moderate income buyers of manufactured homes. Can be used for either primary or secondary residences.
Max Loan Term: 30 years
Requirements: A minimum of 5% down payment and buyers must meet lending criteria such as minimum credit scores and LTV amounts.
Chattel Mortgage
Description: A loan for a manufactured home or another piece of movable property such as machinery or car
Max Loan Term: 20 years
Borrower Requirements: Must meet borrower requirements (minimum credit score 575) & the home must remain on a permanent chassis.
Depending on your project and location, projects based in rural areas may also be able to receive a USDA-backed loan. This loan can be used to purchase a manufactured home in Portland. Similarly, eligible borrowers (i.e. veterans) may also be able to receive a VA loan for their home.
To find a HUD-approved lender in the Portland area, you can search the HUDs lender database. As many of these financing options have specialized requirements and eligibility criteria, both for borrowers and for the homes themselves, it can be helpful to work with a lender in the Portland area who is experienced in financing manufactured homes.
Manufactured Home Retailers in Portland
As one of the largest home markets for manufactured homes in the U.S, it is not surprising that you have several options in the greater Portland area to work with. These retail locations include both 3rd party sales centers as well as branded retailers (like a Fleetwood Homes sales location). Therefore, you can compare retail locations based on factors such as proximity to the project location, available homes and brands, prices, services offered, and past customers' experience.
In Portland, manufactured home distributors and sellers include:
Retailer | Estimated Cost Range (Home Only) |
Homes for Sale | Brands | Yelp | |
Cascade Factory Homes 590 N Pacific Hwy Woodburn, OR |
$70 - $89+ per sqft | Floor Plans for Sale | Fairmont Homes | 3.0 Stars (43 Reviews) |
1.0 Star (10 Reviews) |
Factory Expo Home Centers 2555 Progress Way Woodburn, OR |
Floor Plans for Sale | Fleetwood Homes, Palm Harbor Homes, Skyline Homes | 4.5 Stars (137 Reviews) |
4.5 Stars (2 Reviews) |
|
Fleetwood Homes 2655 Progress Way Woodburn, OR |
Floor Plans for Sale | Kit Custom Homebuilders | 3.3 Stars (43 Reviews) |
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Factory Expo Home Centers 550 SE Booth Bend Rd McMinnville, OR |
Floor Plans for Sale | Golden West Homes, Marlette Homes, Schult Homes | 4.6 Stars (45 Reviews) |
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20 Twenty Sustainable Manufacturing Inc. 110 Division St NE Salem, OR |
Golden West Homes | 3.7 Stars (3 Reviews) |
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Sheridan Factory Homes 940 SE Sheridan Rd Sheridan, OR |
Floor Plans for Sale | Fleetwood Homes, Skyline Homes | 3.4 Stars (5 Reviews) |
||
J And M Homes 1120 SW Old Sheridan Rd McMinnville, OR |
Floor Plans for Sale | Fleetwood Homes, Karsten Homes, Palm Harbor Homes | 3.8 Stars (23 Reviews) |
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Skyline Homes Inc 550 SW Booth Bend Rd, McMinnville, OR |
Floor Plans for Sale | Champion Homes, Clayton Homes, Deer Valley Homes, Fleetwood Homes, Skyline Homes, Tru, Hamilton Homebuilders, Winston Homebuilders | 3.9 Stars (72 Reviews) |
As you compare sales centers that make sense for your project, a few questions you might want to ask include:
What do their home warranties look like? How long are homes covered?
What services are completed by the retailer vs. 3rd party contractors?
In the event that you are placing your home on undeveloped land, can the retailer complete the necessary site work (land clearing, preparing utility connections, laying a foundation)? If they do not, can they recommend a qualified contractor?
Can they help you create a fully custom manufactured home?
If you can order a custom unit, what is the current waiting period for home shipment and installation?
Manufactured Home Brands for Sale in Portland
Champion Homes ● Clayton Homes ● Deer Valley Homes ● Fairmont Homes ● Fleetwood Homes ● Golden West Homes ● Hamilton Homebuilders ● Karsten Homes ● KIT Custom Homebuilders ● Marlette Homes ● Palm Harbor Homes ● Schult Homes ● Skyline Homes ● TRU ● Winston Homebuilders
Examples of Manufactured Homes for Sale
Apple Tree (Golden West) |
Skyline 1227 (Skyline Homes) |
Arlington (Skyline Homes) |
|
Seller | J & M Homes | Cascade Factory Homes | Cascade Factory Homes |
Floor Plan Data | 3 beds, 2 baths1,296 sqft | 2 beds, 2 baths1,296 sqft | 3 beds, 2 baths1,493 sqft |
Model Cost | $122,400 | $134,000 | $141,900 |
For more guides related to building a prefab home in Portland, see our coverage of