Today’s modern manufactured homes are gaining more attention as our nation continues to deal with rising home prices, lack of new homes, and inflation. As housing becomes less affordable, manufactured homes are increasingly recognized as a better value than their site-built alternatives. More consumers are discovering that new manufactured homes have the same or even better construction quality, energy efficiency, and upgrades. They are also realizing that they can be purchased using the same government and conventional fixed-rate financing when they are recognized as real estate, where the home and land are secured under one title. What they may not know are the affordable resources to help them buy a manufactured home when it is titled as real estate.
One such resource comes from Next Step, a non-profit organization and advocates of manufactured and sustainable housing, partnered with Down Payment Resource, whose mission is to help consumers access affordable housing programs, to create Down Payment SeekerTM. Down Payment Seeker is a free tool that allows potential home buyers to find applicable down payment assistance programs that can help them buy a home. Homebuyers enter the street address of the property they wish to purchase, household, and other information to start. If there are programs available, a list is provided. Most programs available are designed for first-time home buyers, or home buyers within a determined income range to support affordable housing. The programs are offered by local governments, non-profit foundations, corporations, and other organizations with an affordable housing mission. Down Payment Resource actively monitors the programs to ensure those no longer funded are removed and new programs are added, making the list current.
Access to down payment assistance programs through Next Step’s Down Payment Seeker is easy and more programs are being made available for manufactured home buyers. As more consumers discover today’s manufactured homes tools such as Down Payment Seeker bring homeownership within reach.
