Figuring Out Where to Put a Manufactured Home 

If You’ve Ever Thought “I like your homes…but where do I put them?” this is the blog for you! 

So, you found it. You found the manufactured home for you, and you’re ready to just live in it already! Great! If you’ve made the smart decision in choosing a quality Champion® Homes prefab home, you’re likely trying to figure out one important detail: where does the home go??! Have no fear, the Champion® Homes Blog is here to help.  

Your Choices 

When considering where you want to place your manufactured home, you’ll have 2 main choices: privately owned land, or land within a land lease community. When trying to choose the option that works best for you, you’ll want to consider a variety of factors. Let’s get into them! 

NOTE: Still trying to figure out the right home style for you? Click HERE to take the quiz! 

The Chipper is a 3-bedroom home built in our Millen, GA facility. 

Option 1: Private Land 

If you’re considering buying private land to place your prefab home on, you might prefer the privacy and personalization potential of having your own lot. Where do people go when they are shopping for land? Websites such as Zillow.com and Realtor.com are great options! You can search the area where you want to live and select “Lots/land”, etc. If this is the route you would like to take, there are quite a few details to make sure you’ve thought of before signing the dotted line. These details include: 

  • Lot size. Understandably so, you’ll want to make sure the lot you plan to purchase will have enough room to place your manufactured home. This might also need to include space on each side of the property line, also known as a ‘setback.’ When you purchase property, you should be given a document outlining the setbacks. This is especially important when you’re thinking of living in a subdivision. 
  • Zoning Requirements. This will likely differ from area to area. You’ll want to get with your local municipality before purchasing a lot to make sure manufactured homes are approved in that location. Reach out to your county officials for this information.  
  • Regulations. Your home might need to be placed in a specific location or face a specific direction on the land.  
  • HOA Covenants. You’ll also want to investigate homeowner covenants that may apply to you should you choose to live in a community with a homeowner’s association, for example “must at least have a 2-car garage,” “side-entry garage required” or “needs a covered front entry.”  
  • Permits. After you’ve gotten through zoning and any restrictions, it’s important to secure any necessary permits for placing your home. This could include permits for additional construction services. A local retailer can help guide you through this process. 
  • Environmental concerns. It is recommended to perform a perc and soils test of the land before you even think about placing a home there. This ensures adequate soil drainage and without it, you could face lots of problems down the line.  
  • Utilities. Are utilities available on the property? These include natural gas, water or well, electricity, sewer or septic. If not, it’s time to figure out the costs for getting them on your property. The retailer you work with will be able to help with this too! 
  • Required preparation. Is the lot hilly? Are there lots of trees? Are there overhead wires that need to be removed? These are just a couple of factors you’ll need to consider when getting the land prepared for a home to be safely placed.  

Another great resource to help you through this process is a local retailer! They will be able to help you find the home, and lot, of your dreams – then guide you through the process of preparing your land. Click here to find a retailer in your area. 

Option 2: Manufactured Housing Community (Land Lease) 

For others, the best choice is going with a manufactured home community. In most cases, you’ll be able to rent the land for your home in a community. In some other cases, you’ll be able to buy land or participate in a rent-to-own program.  

There are many perks to living in a manufactured home community; many have amenities like a pool, fitness center, green space and home care like grass watering. 

@championhomesusa

Manufactured living communities are…waiiiiit for it….AMAZING 😅 Take a stroll through Cider Mill Crossings, a Sun Community, with Charlie! #manufacturedhomes #modernmobilehomes #SplashSummerVibe #factorybuilthousing #mobilehomeliving #championhomes #mobilehome

♬ Aesthetic – Tollan Kim
Check out this TikTok for more information on living in a manufactured home community! 

The main detail you’ll need to consider when choosing the community route? Making sure you find the right community near you that fits your needs. Are there specific age requirements? If you have a family, will the specific amenities do well with the kids? These are some important questions to ask yourself as you decide on the community for you.  

Another great perk of communities is they will help to guide you through the process of finding a home. Looking to find a community in your area? We’ve got you covered: click here!  

The Innovation 1668H is quite the stunner! It’s built in our Athens, TX facility. 

Realtor.com® is the official site of the National Association of REALTORS® and is operated by Move, Inc. and Zillow® is a registered trademark of Zillow, Inc. Champion is not an affiliate of any of these entities. This is not a paid endorsement. 

How to Find a Great Champion Home Near You 

How to get that stunning home off of Instagram and on your land.  

We’ve all been there before: checking out our Instagram page and seeing a thumbnail that stops you in your tracks. It’s a beautiful Champion home, and it’s got everything you could ask for: the right number of bedrooms, the right floor plan, the perfect kitchen. You’ve got to have this home, so you comment asking if it’s available in your area.  

Interestingly enough, the question we get asked most after “What’s the price of a manufactured home?” is “How do I get this home in my area?” The manufactured housing industry is very much geographically tailored, and this applies to site-built homes as well. Think about it:  

  • You’re more likely to see a brownstone home in New York City than Los Angeles 
  • You’re more likely to see a farmhouse or cottage in the countryside than the city 
  • You’re more likely to see Spanish or Mediterranean style homes along the Southwest coast 

This is because certain building requirements exist in particular areas depending on that area’s climate, proximity to bodies of water, population density and more. This equally applies to factory-built housing. Décor tases vary by region and our manufacturing facilities build and design to meet their regional demand. Whether you’re looking into manufactured or modular home options, knowing what’s built in facilities near you is the best way to get a home that fits your needs on your land. To do that, you can visit our website and perform a “Find a Home” search. 

NOTE: Need to know the difference between manufactured & modular homes in your shopping? Click here

The Buckhorn FH68 is built in our York, NE facility and available to surrounding areas. 

While you might feel bummed to find the specific model you were interested in on Facebook isn’t available in your area, chances are there are tons of similar homes that ARE. Since Champion is one of America’s largest manufactured homebuilders, we’ve got amazing options across the country. That means if you liked that gorgeous 3 bed/2 bath home on Instagram, there’s an equally gorgeous 3 bed/2 bath being built and delivered to your region.  

The Cypress Manor 5644a is built in our Lake City, FL facility and available to surrounding areas. 

Where Do I Go to Find That Home? 

If you see a home that is giving you the warm & fuzzies inside but isn’t available near you? Be sure to talk to an independent local retailer who can direct you to similar models that will leave you feeling just as satisfied. 

And there you have it! Now the next time you see a Champion Home that makes your heart skip a beat, you’ll know what to do next!  

What is a Manufactured Home?

Here are all the details you’ll need to begin your manufactured home experience

You might be seeing a lot of media about the benefits of manufactured homes and why you should consider one if you’re in the homebuying market. But you may be confused to know: what IS a manufactured home? What sets it apart from a stick-built home and why is it a smart purchase? Well, you’ve come to the right place!

  • Yes, its a manufactured home!
  • Manufactured home kitchen
  • Manufactured home kitchen
  • Manufactured home living room
  • Manufactured Home decor
  • Manufactured home bedroom decor
  • Manufactured home primary bathroom
  • Manufactured home primary bathroom

The first thing you should know about manufactured homes is that they’re factory-built. This means our teams work indoors, in climate-controlled facilities, with no dependence on weather fluctuations like your typical site-built home. Because manufactured homes are factory-built, they provide assurance for details such as:

  • Quality control
  • Weather-protected construction materials
  • Construction speed
  • Energy-efficient structures
  • Less waste

So, you’ve likely heard manufactured homes referred to as mobile homes in your day-to-day conversations.  That’s a historical reference that has changed from the past perception.

Now, let’s move on to why we call them “manufactured” homes. From the early 50’s to the mid 80’s manufactured homes were referred to as single-wide and double-wide mobile homes. In 1976, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) federal building code was developed to bring oversite to the growing mobile home industry and that lead to the new product type “Manufactured Homes.” The (HUD) federal building code continues to evolve and is updated by various government committees on a regular basis to ensure all the latest standards regarding safety, energy, structural integrity, and indoor air quality are maintained at a high level.

The Transitions 20727 makes saying "yes to the house" so easy.
The Transitions 20727 makes saying “yes to the house” so easy.

Why Should You Care? Manufactured homes offer many advantages, including:

  • Affordability
  • An independent engineering plan review and inspection process
  • Governed by the federal HUD code who sets quality standards for manufactured housing
  • Insulated for the right climate, wind and seismic criteria

With a Champion® Homes manufactured home, you get quality all-around – a premier homebuying experience paired with an elegant product. Our homes will have you thinking “premier” and “elegance” from door to door. We aim to upgrade the manufactured home buying experience by improving construction processes and providing innovative design so that you can worry less about other details and spend that time on what matters: enjoying your home. We’re all about changing things for the better and in more ways than one!

Luckily, we’ve got decades of experience doing just that here at Champion Homes. We have an array of floor plans and design options the modern shopper will love. Ready to give the manufactured life a try? Let’s build your ideal home today.