This article was published by The Playbook MB. DealForge founder Alex Wright was quoted as a real estate expert contributor. Read the full piece there.

About the Article

The piece covers new legislation affecting manufactured housing and the ongoing challenges around manufactured home classification, financing, and marketability — particularly for older factory-built homes where documentation and title history can create significant buyer uncertainty.

Alex's Contribution

Alex was sourced for his experience as a former Realtor in Bozeman, Montana and Cody, Wyoming. He shared a firsthand account of a factory-built modular home near Three Forks, MT where unclear classification records directly impacted the sale:

“It had a permanent foundation, looked and functioned like a single-family home, but because it was built in the 1970s, verifying records to determine whether it met the requirements to be treated as a single-family residence was difficult. Some documentation no longer existed, and even the identification plaque looked different enough to create uncertainty. Buyers were asking, ‘Are we buying a house, or are we buying something that may be treated like a manufactured or mobile home?’ That mattered for financing, insurance, buyer confidence, and marketability.”

The property was listed at $320,000 and ultimately sold for $250,000 — a $70,000 gap attributable in large part to buyer uncertainty around classification. Alex also commented on the potential impact of the new laws:

“Anything that creates clearer and more consistent treatment of manufactured housing could help reduce buyer uncertainty. Buyers can get comfortable with known risks. Unknown risks are another story.”