FREQUENTY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT
MANUFACTURED HOMES

WHAT IS A MANUFACTURED HOME?
Manufactured homes may be single or multi-section and are transported to the site on wheels and axles. They are installed at the site, at which time the wheels and axles are removed. They are built entirely in a factory to HUD Code (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development). The HUD code refers to federal standards that regulate design, construction, strength, durability, transportability, fire resistance, energy efficiency and quality. It also sets performance standards for the heating, plumbing, air conditioning, thermal and electrical systems. The HUD Code went into effect in 1976 and is the only federally regulated national building code. Every HUD Code manufactured home is built in a factory under controlled conditions, and has a special label affixed on the exterior of the home indicating that the home has been designed, constructed, tested and inspected to comply with the standards set forth in the code. No home may be shipped from the factory unless it complies with the HUD Code and is released for shipment by an independent third party inspector certified by HUD.

DO MANUFACTURED HOMES APPRECIATE?
Generally, manufactured homes will appreciate at the same market rate as other homes in the same neighborhood. As with all housing, it is subject to the same market factors which affect appreciation, which include the housing market in which the home is located; the community in which the home is located; the initial price paid for the home; the age and maintenance of the home; the inflation rate; and supply and demand in the area in which the home is located. It is important to remember that your home is what you make it. An attractive, well maintained home will hold its value far longer than a home that has been neglected.

ARE MANUFACTURED HOMES SAFE IN A TORNADO?
Many people are still under the misconception that manufactured homes "attract" tornadoes. The abundance of reports of damage to manufactured homes from tornadoes is due to the fact that manufactured housing is most abundant in rural and suburban areas where meteorological conditions favor the creation of tornadoes. Most tornadoes have winds in excess of 112 miles per hour, to over 200 miles per hour in extreme cases. A direct hit from a tornado will bring about severe damage or destruction of any home in its path - site-built or manufactured, as neither are designed to withstand severe tornadoes. A recent experiment conducted by the Wind Engineering School at Texas Tech University exposed a single-section manufactured home, built to Wind Zone I standards to wind gusts approaching 100mph. After repeated testing, the home sustained only minor damage to the home's roof shingles and trim.

ARE MANUFACTURED HOMES MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO FIRE?
A 1986 national fire safety study by Foremost Insurance Company showed that site-built homes are more than twice as likely to experience a fire than manufactured homes. The study showed that the number of home fires is 17 per 1,000 for site-built homes, while only 8 per 1,000 for manufactured homes (Foremost Insurance Group of Companies, Fire Loss Study, 1986). Studies indicate that the majority of fires in manufactured homes are related to human carelessness, disproving the assumption that the construction standards are at fault. Reports from fire safety and government experts show that more than a third of fires in post-HUD Code manufactured homes occurred in homes having no functioning smoke alarm present. However, every HUD Code manufactured home is built with a smoke detector to protect each bedroom area.