Frequently Asked Questions

A residential dwelling built in accordance with the Federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards. These homes are most often referred to as HUD code homes.

Manufactured homes are simply that, homes constructed in a manufacturing facility. The process is similar to car construction in that the homes are constructed in phases in an assembly line type process. This allows for high levels of quality control and assurance.

Manufactured homes are the only type of housing built to a federal standard.

Since June 15, 1976, manufactured homes have been required by law to meet the standards of the HUD Code, which is regulated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The HUD Code prescribes performance standards for heating, plumbing, air conditioning, thermal and electrical systems.

Every manufactured home is inspected in at least one stage of production by a third-party HUD certified agency. Also, each manufactured home is inspected at every stage of the construction process according to a quality assurance manual, this inspection process is also monitored by a third-party agency.

14.9% of North Carolinians lived in manufactured homes in 1990. Since 1990, more than 100,000 new manufactured homes have been sold in North Carolina.

15% of single-family home starts in North Carolina are manufactured.

There is virtually no difference between manufactured housing and site built housing with regards to the life expectancy of the home. How well the homeowner maintains the home is the determining factor.

The average habitable life of a new, year round occupied manufactured home is over 55 years at time of construction. This is virtually identical to the average for site-built homes.

The fact is that manufactured homes are less prone to fire than homes built on site, according to a report released by the Foremost Insurance Company. This study revealed that site-built homes are actually twice as likely to experience a fire.

Strict construction codes regulated by the HUD Code have improved the fire safety of manufactured homes.

In 1996, there were 9,810 residential fires in North Carolina. Of those, only 7% occurred in manufactured homes.

North Carolina and HUD set strict requirements governing the installation of manufactured homes that meet and sometimes exceed those for site-built homes.

A direct hit from a severe storm such as a tornado or hurricane will bring about severe damage or destruction to any home in its path.

In non-hurricane prone areas, manufactured homes are built to withstand sustained winds of 90 miles- per-hour. In zones prone to hurricane force winds, the wind safety standards require manufactured homes be resistant to winds up to 100 miles-per-hour (Wind Zone II) and up to 110 miles-per-hour (Wind Zone III).

In April of 1997, North Carolina upgraded its residential building code to match the requirements for HUD code homes in hurricane prone areas. This was because manufactured homes performed better than site-built homes during hurricane Fran the previous year.

Materials are purchased in high volume, resulting in significant cost savings.

Materials are protected inside the factory, eliminating damage from weather resulting in cost savings by reducing waste to an absolute minimum.

The construction process is more efficient than that of site-builders, again saving time and money.

A 1997 study by East Carolina University found that when manufactured homes are located on a fixed foundation and are listed as real property, they appreciate at rates comparable to site built homes. Also the study found that manufactured homes do NOT affect the overall appreciation rate of site built homes in close proximity.

When properly sited and maintained, manufactured homes will appreciate at the same rate as other homes in surrounding areas.