Since moving into our manufactured home I’ve discovered that some of our friends and family are confused and uninformed about the quality of factory built homes. Seeing words like “tin box”, “house trailer”, “trailer camp” or “home on wheels” in the news may have given them the false impression that manufactured homes are an undesirable choice of housing.
The truth of the matter is that today’s manufactured homes get a bum rap they don’t deserve! Unfortunately many people and especially the media call these homes by the wrong names and think of them as something they are not. This is a good example of image lagging behind reality.
Since I have spent over 30 years working in the manufactured home industry, I’d like to help set the record straight. I’ll start with a brief history and then try to expose some of the myths that still circulate about manufactured homes and the people who live in them.
While it’s true that factory built homes had a humble beginning in the 1920s, they have evolved into the elegant homes being built today. Early on the little “trailers” were designed to be towed behind a car, became temporary dwellings during World War II then filled the postwar demand for inexpensive housing. At that time many Americans formed a poor impression of the affordable “trailers” and their owners.
In the 1960s bigger, nicer and better built “trailers” became known as mobile homes. As their size increased, the home’s quality improved dramatically, but many people still thought that these were homes of inferior quality, built on wheels and hauled around the country. The truth is that once a mobile home was in place it was seldom moved from its original location and construction was of higher quality than many site built homes.
During the 70s and 80s construction, appearance and safety had improved so much that mobile homes became the only form of private and single-family homes to earn a federal building code regulation. Even site-built homes didn’t enjoy such strict building regulations.
The manufactured home we see today bears little resemblance to its earlier predecessors. No one is building houses on wheels today, but too many people continue to use the “mobile home” terminology. It may surprise you to learn that the federal government now mandates the use of “manufactured housing” to replace “mobile homes” in all federal law and literature.
What manufacturers build today are modular homes, manufactured homes, log homes and park models. They are often referred to as system-built homes because they are built according to a precise system in a factory. Some homes are assembled at a factory while others are assembled in sections on a permanent home site.
For example our multi-section home is located on a strong permanent foundation. In fact all the homes in our manufactured home community are here to stay. The foundations are built with a weather proof sill plate, steel reinforced concrete block walls and footings with anchor bolts and earthquake braces. Other permanent features of our home include an attached two car garage and a large, attached covered patio in our spacious back yard. If Don and I ever decide to move, we will never move our home! We will put it up for sale just like any homeowner would do.
Another myth revolves around the people who live in factory built homes. No longer does the old image of blue collar, low wage earners fit the profile of today’s buyers. Middle class families and retirees make up the bulk of manufactured home owners. According to a recent survey, sixty-three percent of owners work full time or part time, while thirty percent are retired. Nearly fifty percent have their homes on their own private property.
Most of the neighbors we know have white collar or professional work backgrounds. When they retired they started looking for a safer more carefree lifestyle and found it in our 55+ manufactured home community. This is certainly the case with us and it’s one of the best decisions we have ever made.
Our home amazes guests who visit us for the first time. I’m not sure what they are expecting, but they are very surprised when they tour our 1500 square foot home with vaulted ceilings. We have fun watching the astonishment on their faces while we show them the spacious living room, master bedroom, guest room, den, office, formal dining room and two full baths. The kitchen is a hit with its freestanding island, pots and pans drawers, a breakfast area and loads of cupboard space.
So why are so many people shocked to see the innovative design, quality construction, size and beauty of today’s factory built homes? Who is responsible for keeping the false impressions alive? To a large degree, it’s because both print and electronic media are still clinging to the old stereotype image of the “trailer.”
Have you ever noticed when disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes or floods strike an area the media hops right on the damage done to factory built housing? In some cases a large number of neighborhoods are damaged and destroyed, but for some reason the media focus is on manufactured homes (which they still call trailers) rather than the destruction of all homes in the area.
A case in point was Hurricane Andrew in south Florida. I was living in the Tampa area at the time and received an assignment from Foremost Insurance to survey the hurricane damage and interview people who had submitted claims to Foremost. The devastation was incredible. Every kind of home in the area sustained horrible damage – many were flattened.
I toured both manufactured home communities and site-built home neighborhoods in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Andrew. The destruction was severe everywhere I went. However, the media slant in newspapers, radio and TV singled out manufactured homes, rather than an unbiased report on all types of housing damage in the area.
This is just one example of what I feel is unfair and inaccurate media reporting. I strongly suggest that people judge today’s manufactured homes for themselves. Visit a retailer or take a factory tour and look them over. I think you may be very surprised at what you see. Don’t let false impressions and old stereotypes stop you from exploring the possibilities of owning one of these beautiful and affordable homes.
To learn more about superior insurance for manufactured homes visit Foremost.com. If you are an AARP member go to AARPForemost.com.
