If you’ve been home shopping lately, you know that the modular home has become a big part of the housing industry. With its unique portability, it makes buying a home much more affordable for the young buyer. It allows the buyer to buy something to which additions can easily be made without straining the budget too much. In fact, some of the modular homes have more space that the average brick and mortar home at a fraction of the cost.

For the young buyer, or the first time buyer, there is a distinct advantage in that with a modular home, or pre-fab home as it is also known, it is not necessary to own the land on which it sets. This means it can initially be placed in a mobile home park if necessary, and you can later move it to a piece of land that you own. Of course, not all mobile home parks have the space available for a modular home, but if there is one where you live, it’s a big savings over buying a piece of land in the initial stages.

Because a modular home is actually put together when it’s purchased, it’s much easier to add rooms later including a basement, second floor, and other features as you desire. Unlike a mobile home, a modular home can be permanently placed into a foundation, though you would not want to do that until you have placed it on land that you own. They are built sturdier than a mobile home and maintain value like a regular house would.

In today’s real estate market, the biggest selling point for a modular home is its cost. With the medium price of a three bedroom, two bathroom home averaging at least $150,000 in most areas, home ownership seems out of reach for most couples just beginning their career and family. A modular home, on the other hand, can be purchased in many areas for under $100,000. Because of the way it is structurally built, a couple can start out with a scaled-down version of what they want and add to the home as they can afford it. Of course, if you want a basement, you might want to do that before you move in, and you will find yourself displaced from your home while it is done.

Of course, before you invest in a modular home, you want to make sure that you have a place to put it. Even though it is made like a regular home, some subdivisions do not allow them. Before you purchase a piece of property, be certain that you will be able to place your home there. Deed restrictions in some areas call for certain types of structures, and in some cases, that doesn’t include manufactured or modular homes. If you buy a piece of land in a rural area, the restrictions do not usually apply, but you want to make sure of that first. Unfortunately, some places still have the old belief that mobile homes bring down the cost of other homes in the area, and they see modular homes as falling into that same category. Internet offers many opportunities for finding local options for modular homes.