Nation’s Lawmakers Agree: The Affordable Housing Future Must Include Manufactured Homes

Nation’s Lawmakers Agree: The Affordable Housing Future Must Include Manufactured Homes – Finally!

Posted February 17, 2014

Legislators and federal agencies have recently acknowledged that manufactured homes are an integral solution to future home affordability in America…about time! The following are excerpts from a recent article written by Doug Ryan, CFED, and posted in the NHC (National Housing Conference) Open House Blog.

“In the debate on the future of housing, one thing is clear: it’s on the national agenda. In some circles, manufactured housing is,too. On January 28, Richard Cordray, the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, appeared before the House Financial Services Committee. Manufactured home lending received a surprising amount of attention, including critical comments on the Bureau’s new rules. If nothing else, the interest of lawmakers recognizes that it is an important part of the affordable housing landscape.

Manufactured housing is the largest source of unsubsidized housing in the country, housing 20 Million Americans in eight million homes. And, in an era of reduced federal support for affordable housing, we need to look at how to provide affordable housing in new and sustainable ways.

While the committee’s interest is appreciated, much of the criticisms are misguided. The rules, which took effect this month, need a chance to work. Standardization of lending products, with additional flexibility that already applies to most loans, could help the sector enter the mainstream. The quality of the manufactured home is vastly superior to those built twenty or thirty years ago; we think the policies and lending products can be, too.

As we debate how to address housing finance, we need to be sure not to exclude how manufactured housing fits into the equation. Failure to do so closes the door on potential safety and security for millions.”

Here at ManufacturedHomes.com we’ve posted numerous articles about the America’s best kept secret, Manufactured Homes. We encourage you to read our extensive library of information!