Preview:
A real estate agent recently asked a client whether they would consider a manufactured home.
The person said no, so the agent then asked the same question in a different way: Did they want a custom-built house that would be ready in four months?
“They’re like, ‘That would be great!’” state Sen. Matt Pouliot, R-Augusta, who runs his own realty firm in his home city, said.
The story illustrates the stigma around manufactured homes, which are often known as modular or mobile homes, depending on how or when they were constructed. Policymakers are trying to dispel the negative perception of homes built off-site to drive down housing costs,...
Our thoughts on this story:

20% is simply not enough discount for a consumer to choose a modular home over a stick-built home. It would have to be more like 50% off to get any traction. Every time I go to the annual mobile home show and walk these $150,000 modular homes I think how crazy it is for manufacturers to think that those are going to sell when you can buy a stick-built – without the stigma – for nearly the same price. I must be correct because all of this misplaced “CrossMod” excitement has amounted to nearly nothing in actual sales.