Economic downturn drives more to mobile homes

By Cathy Spaulding
Phoenix Staff Writer

December 29, 2008 11:57 pm

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Vacant lots are going fast at Riverside Mobile Home Park.
“We’ve got a couple of vacancies now, but they won’t stay empty long,” said Doug Holtzclaw, who does maintenance for the mobile home park, 4400 Gibson St.
Area mobile home communities and dealers say they’re seeing more business traffic this year. At the same time, however, homes are not selling as fast as they could because buyers are having problems selling current homes.
Rodney David, president of The Home Store, reported a 10 percent increase in sales at his manufactured homes dealership on U.S. 69 north of Muskogee over the past year.
“I would say it’s predominantly because of the economy, but I think it’s also our longevity,” he said.
The Home Store has been selling custom manufactured homes for 40 years and is locally owned and operated, David said. The dealer offers pre-owned and repossessed homes as well as new units.
“The economy should drive more people to affordable housing,” David said.
He said single-wide or single section mobile homes, those that are made of one main unit, usually run around $25,000 to $35,000. double-wides, the ones that come in two parts, can run from $45,000 to $85,000, he said. The price does not include property where the manufactured home will be located.
Robin Henry, regional manager for Stone Mobile Homes, 1341 W. Shawnee Bypass, said several factors could attract people to manufactured homes, and “cost is definitely one of them.”
She said a double-wide home with three bedrooms, two baths, 2- by 6-inch stud framing and insulated windows, runs about $47,000.
Henry said the dealership, which moved to Muskogee from Gore three years ago, is seeing more traffic.
“I think there has been a lot of interest, people coming in and looking,” she said.
However, the increased interest has yet to translate into increased sales, she said.
Doug Mason, sales manager for The Home Store, said the economy is affecting financing for manufactured homes as it is for homes built “on-site.”
“The lending has tightened up,” he said. “People can still go to local banks, where we still do a lot of business for lending.”
He said customers also are holding off on buying until they sell their existing homes.”
“And it is taking longer for them to sell their homes,” Mason said.
David and Henry said manufactured homes are more of a bargain now because they are of higher quality than they used to be.
For example, many are made with 2- by 6-inch stud framing, which allows for more insulation, and many have insulated windows, he said.
The Web site for the Manufactured Housing Institute says manufactured homes must meet Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards, or HUD Code, set by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

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