Manufactured Home Dealers
Industry Profile Report
Dive Deep into the industry with a 25+ page industry report (pdf format) including the following chapters
Industry Overview Current Conditions, Industry Structure, How Firms Operate, Industry Trends, Credit Underwriting & Risks, and Industry Forecast.
Call Preparation Call Prep Questions, Industry Terms, and Weblinks.
Financial Insights Working Capital, Capital Financing, Business Valuation, and Financial Benchmarks.
Industry Profile Excerpts
Industry Overview
The 1,200 manufactured home dealers in the US sell new and/or used manufactured homes, parts, equipment, and related services. Manufactured homes are also known as mobile homes. Product categories include single-section homes and multi-section homes. The majority of sales are for new manufactured homes. The average sales price for a new manufactured home was $87,000 in 2020.
Dependence On Credit
Customers typically rely on third-party lenders to fund manufactured home purchases, and dealers depend on floor-plan financing to fund inventory.
Image Makeover
The manufactured home industry is attempting to move beyond negative images of trailer parks by upgrading units to feel more like site-built homes.
Industry size & Structure
The average manufactured home dealer operates out of a single location, employs 9 workers, and generates $9 million annually.
- The manufactured home dealer industry consists of about 1,200 companies that employ 11,000 workers and generate about $11 billion annually.
- Manufactured homes account for about 9-10% of all new single-family homes sold.
- The industry is fragmented; the top 50 companies account for 57% of sales.
- Manufactured home dealers typically operate on a regional basis. States with large numbers of manufactured homes include Texas, Louisiana, Florida, North Carolina, and Mississippi.
- Some manufactured home manufacturers are vertically integrated and have retail operations. In addition, some manufactured home communities have dealer licenses.
Industry Forecast
Manufactured Home Dealers Industry Growth
Recent Developments
Apr 28, 2023 - Manufactured Home Sales, Investments to Soften
- As the US economy shows signs of slowing, manufactured home sales and investments in mobile home communities are expected to soften, according to a recent report by commercial real estate services firm Northmarq. In 2022, investments in manufactured housing communities dropped by 33%, although investment activity remained robust in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, and Texas. Northmarq noted a widening gulf between the prices property owners are asking and what prospective investors are willing to pay. Northmarq expects 2023 manufactured home sales to slip to about 95,000 units, which was typical between 2018 and 2020. Manufactured home shipments reached nearly 113,000 in 2022 and almost 106,000 in 2021. However, Northmarq suggests that while a slower economy and fewer household formations present challenges, high rents and for-sale housing costs will continue to support demand for manufactured housing.
- The impact of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae lending policies is attracting the attention of lawmakers and affordable housing advocacy groups, according to NBC News. Freddie Mac was taken over by the US government in 2008 and given the mandate to support affordable housing. Critics allege Freddie and peer lender Fannie too often provide inexpensive capital for mobile home park purchases by investors who then increase rents and fees for residents. The reductive effect on housing affordability has prompted some lawmakers to appeal to Fannie and Freddie to ensure manufactured housing communities remain affordable. While Fannie and Freddie say they have no control over the rent policies of owners, beginning in 2022, the entities began to require borrowers to have specific tenant protections in place to obtain loans.
- In mid-February, the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) and the Texas Manufactured Housing Association (TMHA) filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Energy (DOE) challenging updated DOE standards for manufactured housing energy efficiency that go into effect May 31, 2023. The Final Rule for the new regulations was released in May 2022. In the suit, the MHI and TMHA allege that the DOE did not consider all of the added costs of compliance for manufacturers, which plaintiffs argue will push prices higher for dealers and consumers. In late March, the DOE announced that the energy conservation standard set to go into effect on May 31, 2023, would be postponed pending the development of procedures for reviewing and enforcing for noncompliance.
- Modifications to an existing Federal Housing Administration (FHA) program could help boost access to financing for manufactured home purchases at a time when housing is in short supply, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts. More than three-quarters of manufactured homes are purchased through personal property “chattel” loans, and most are denied. In reply to an FHA and Ginnie Mae request for input (RFI), Pew suggested the FHA tweak the seldom-used Title I Manufactured Housing Program that insures personal property loans. Pew says Title I could be improved by modeling reforms after the more successful Title II program, which provides credit for manufactured home mortgage borrowers.
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