Achieving the Homeownership Dream Through Manufactured Housing
Source: – The following contains excerpts from an op-ed posted in the New Hampshire Union Leader by Sarah Marchant, who is the Community Loan Fund/s chief of staff and vice-president of ROC-NH. She lives in Brookline.
Marchant’s suggestions in resolving New Hampshire’s housing crisis is not dissimilar to other states in the U.S.
Many think that the American dream of ownership is dead for New Hampshire families with lower incomes, but that isn’t true. While prices for starter homes continue to rise, owning a manufactured home in one of New Hampshire’s 148 resident owned communities (ROC’s) is now the most affordable form of housing in the Granite State.
Our state’s leaders have been working hard to resolve the housing crisis, but incorporating manufactured housing as part of the solution is being overlooked because of stereotypes, stigma, and misinformation.
Manufactured homes – sometimes referred to as “mobile homes” because they are transported from the manufacturing facility to their permanent park lot or piece of land – offer convenient one-floor living. Newer models are attractive, energy efficient, and offer many modern features, such as cathedral ceilings and walk-in closets. Modern manufactured homes also vary in size and can be larger than 2,000 square feet.
Residents of these homes may have lower incomes, but they are important members of our community and vital to our economy. The New Hampshire Community Loan Fund has made close to 1,600 manufactured home mortgages during the past 20 years to essential workers, seniors, veterans, young families, and people with disabilities. At your favorite grocery store they could be your cashier, stock clerk, or person behind you in line. What most people don’t realize is that more than a third of the state’s 400 manufactured-home parks are resident owned, meaning those residents have home equity and stability from the turbulent rental market.
Unfortunately, the misinformation and stereotypes about manufactured housing have also influenced our local zoning ordinances and the actions of many of our land use boards. However, a study recently commissioned by the New Hampshire Association of Realtors (NHAR) is starting to dismantle misconceptions that some municipalities have used to deny new housing developments for households with lower incomes.
MHAR says denying affordable housing in a community means fewer working-age residents, which hampers the ability of employees to hire, expand their businesses, and grow the state’s economy.
Our state legislature is considering a number of initiatives this year that would make a significant impact on affordable housing for New Hampshire’s families. One such bill, HB1361, will take the Realtor’s findings to heart. Its passage would create more opportunities for manufactured -home park development and expansion.
Growing New Hampshire’s stock of manufactured homes is a viable solution to our housing crisis. Dispelling the myth about workforce housing and taxes can help that to happen. So can passage of HB 1361.
