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Mobile, manufactured, modular. These types of homes sound similar, and they’re all prefabricated, but they differ in cost, customization, ease of financing, and in other ways, too.

When it comes to old-style mobile homes and modular vs. manufactured homes, here’s what to know if you’re considering a purchase.

What Is a Mobile Home?

Unlike a stick-built, or traditional, home built from the ground up, a mobile home was built in a factory before mid-1976. Original mobile homes looked like trailers, or campers. They have wheels and an exposed coupler for a trailer, making them easy to hook to a vehicle and move. But the name is a bit of a misnomer: Most are never moved.

Original mobile homes aren’t built anymore. They don’t meet the current safety standards, even if interior renovations can make them look appealing.

What Is a Manufactured Home?

A manufactured home is built in a factory, then transported to its destination in one or more sections. Sound familiar? That’s because manufactured homes are the 2.0 version of mobile homes.

In 1976, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) changed the “mobile home” classification to “manufactured” legally and began to regulate the construction and durability of the homes.

More change and innovation have come with time. That is covered below.

What Is a Modular Home?

Modular homes start their lives in a factory, where modules of the homes are built. The pieces, usually with wiring, plumbing, insulation, flooring, windows, and doors in place, are transported to their destination and assembled like a puzzle.

Modular homes are comparable to stick-built homes in most ways other than birthplace.

Recommended: Choose a Favorite From the Different Types of Homes

How Mobile, Manufactured, and Modular Homes Differ

These homes may all share a starting point, but there are key differences to know, whether you’re a first-time homebuyer or not. For the sake of simplicity, let’s compare manufactured homes and modular homes.

Construction

Manufactured homes are built from beginning to end in a factory on a steel chassis with its own wheels. Once a manufactured home is complete, it’s driven to its destination, where the wheels and axles are usually removed and skirting added to make it look like a site-built home, or it may be attached to a permanent foundation.

Construction and installation must comply with the HUD Code (formally the Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards) and local building codes.

Modular homes are built in pieces in a factory, then transported to the property. From there, a team assembles the home on a permanent foundation.

While a modular home may be built states away from its final home, it needs to comply with the state and local building codes where it ultimately resides.

Design

There’s a fair share of design differences when it comes to modular vs. manufactured homes.

Manufactured homes come in three standard sizes:

•   Single-wide: roughly 500 to 1,100 square feet

•   Double-wide: about 1,200 to 2,000 square feet

•   Triple-wide: 2,000+ square feet

The most significant limiting design factor of manufactured homes is the layout. As they must be delivered fully assembled on a trailer, they only come in a rectangular shape. In the case of single- or double-wides, there’s not much space to separate rooms or interior hallways to connect them.

In terms of design, there’s much more freedom in modular homes. They can be just about any style, from log cabin to modern, and can have more than one floor.

The design options of a modular home are similar to a stick-built home. Floor plan and style are only limited by a buyer’s budget and space. A modular home may look just like a site-built home upon completion.

Customization Options

Most makers of manufactured homes allow some customization, including:

•   Custom kitchen layout and cabinetry

•   Porches

•   Custom layouts (within the confines of prefab shapes)

•   Siding

•   Built-in lighting

•   Ceiling finish

•   Fireplace

•   Tiling

Similar to stick-built homes, modular homes have nearly endless customization options. From the style of the home to its size and layout, modular homes offer more flexibility for buyers.

Expense

The expense of a modular home vs. manufactured home can vary dramatically.

A modular home — also sometimes called a kit home — may cost less than a stick-built home, but it usually costs a lot more than a manufactured home.

Both modular and manufactured homes have a separate expense: land. In the case of manufactured homes, it may be possible to rent the land the home is delivered to, but owners of modular homes will need to buy the land they want to build on.

Another cost associated with modular homes is the foundation, which needs to be in place when the modules arrive. Manufactured homes affixed to a permanent foundation on land owned by the homeowner are considered real property, not personal property.

Here are some typical expenses associated with each home:

Another expense to keep in mind is financing. An existing modular home will qualify for a conventional mortgage or government-backed loan if the borrower meets minimum credit score, income, and down payment requirements.

Homebuyers building a new modular home often will need to obtain a construction loan.

Manufactured and mobile home financing is trickier. The key is whether the home is classified as real or personal property.

Manufactured homes classified as real property, including those used as accessory dwelling units that are at least 400 square feet, might qualify for a conventional or government-backed loan.

Financing options for mobile and manufactured homes classified as personal property include a chattel mortgage and an FHA Title I loan.

A personal loan is another option.

Recommended: Explore the Mortgage Help Center

The Takeaway

Mobile, manufactured, and modular homes have key differences. A manufactured home on leased land is not considered real property, while a modular home, always on its own foundation and land, is, and compares in most ways to a traditional stick-built home.

SoFi will finance a manufactured home if you qualify, refinance a construction-only loan to a traditional home mortgage loan or provide a mortgage for an existing modular home.

Looking for an affordable option for a home mortgage loan? SoFi can help: We offer low down payments (as little as 3% - 5%*) with our competitive and flexible home mortgage loans. Plus, applying is extra convenient: It's online, with access to one-on-one help.

FAQ

Is a modular home better than a manufactured home?

In terms of appreciation and resale value, a modular home has the edge over most manufactured homes. And if a manufactured home is on leased land, the owner may face lot fees that keep rising.

What’s the price difference between mobile, manufactured, and modular homes?

Generally, mobile and manufactured homes are much less expensive than modular homes. A mobile home, by its very definition, was built before mid-1976. The size of the price gaps depend on how customized the home is, where it is, and how large it is.

Between manufactured and modular homes, which is fastest to build?

Unless there are factory or supply chain delays, manufactured homes are typically faster to build than modular homes. (Of note: A modular home can often be built much faster than a stick-built home.)

Photo credit: iStock/Marje

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If you’ve racked up a nice sum of cash or recently came into a windfall (such as a work bonus or tax refund), you may wonder where to put that money. Should you just keep it in checking? Open a high-yield savings account? Invest it all in the stock market?

The answer will depend on how soon you think you’ll need the money and how much risk you’re willing to take. Here’s a look at seven places you might consider storing your extra cash.

Low-Risk Places to Put Cash

What follows are four types of bank accounts that provide safety, convenience, and (in some cases) a competitive interest rate.

Checking Account

If you want easy and regular access to your cash, you might consider keeping it in a checking account at a bank or credit union. These accounts keep your money safe, since they are typically federally insured up to $250,000 per depositor, per institution. They’re also highly liquid — they provide check-writing privileges, ATM access, and debit cards, and there’s no limit on how many withdrawals you can make per month. These accounts are popular: According to SoFi’s April 2024 Banking Survey of 500 U.S. adults, 88% of people with a bank account have a checking account.

Since checking accounts are designed for spending (not saving), however, they generally pay little to no interest. As a result, these accounts aren’t ideal for storing extra money you plan to use later — say a few months or years from now. Some checking accounts also charge monthly fees.

Savings Account

A savings account is an interest-bearing bank account that is designed for saving (and growing) your money rather than spending it. You can open a savings account at the same bank or credit union as your checking account, or explore many of the online-only banks now available. Seventy-one percent of the people with a bank account in SoFi’s survey have a savings account.

Interest on a savings account is expressed as an annual percentage yield (APY). This is the rate you can earn on an account over a year and it includes compound interest (which is the interest you earn on interest added to your account throughout the year).

Like a checking account, the funds in a savings account are liquid. However, they are generally less accessible than the money in a checking account. You can’t write checks or use a debit card to draw money from your savings account. And, often, you are limited to six withdrawals per month. While the federal rule that limited savings account withdrawals to six per month was lifted in April 2020, many institutions still enforce this limit for electronic and online transactions and will charge you a fee if you exceed the cap.

A traditional savings account may provide a little more interest than a checking account. However, rates are generally low.

Money Market Account

A money market account is a type of savings account that comes with some of the features of a checking account, such as check-writing privileges and debit cards. You can find money market accounts at credit unions and traditional and online banks.

These hybrid accounts typically pay a higher APY than you can get with a checking account or traditional savings account. However, they often come with higher initial deposit requirements, along with higher ongoing balance requirements to avoid fees. Like other savings accounts, your money is typically insured and you may be limited to six withdrawals per month.

High-Yield Savings Account

High-yield savings accounts, typically offered by credit unions and online banks, are accounts that typically pay a substantially higher APY than the national average of traditional savings accounts. They generally also have low or no fees.

Other than that, these accounts function like regular savings accounts. They are typically federally insured up to $250,000 per depositor, per institution, should the bank or credit union fail. They also allow you to make withdrawals and transfers as needed, though your bank may limit you to six withdrawals per month.

While 59% of people in SoFi’s survey know about high-yield savings accounts, only 23% have one.

Higher-Risk Places to Put Cash

First, make sure you have a solid emergency fund — 45% of the SoFi survey respondents said they have less than $500 in emergency savings, which is far below the recommended three to six months worth of savings. Once you have enough emergency savings and you’ve paid down any high-interest debt and are contributing to your 401(k) at work (at least up to any employer match), you may want to consider longer-term, higher-risk investment options with your extra cash.

Stocks

Stocks are a type of security that gives you a share of ownership in a specific company. When you buy stock, you have the potential to grow your money in two different ways. One is through appreciation of the stock’s price (or value). In addition, you may be able to earn dividends if the company distributes a portion of its earnings to stockholders.

While stocks offer a great potential for growth, they also come with significant risk. Stock prices can drop significantly in a short time, so it’s possible to lose money by investing in stocks.

Bonds

Bonds are generally considered a lower-risk investment than stocks. With bonds, the company (or government agency or organization) issuing the bond acts as a borrower and you act as a lender, providing the issuer with money to fund projects or expansion efforts. In exchange, the issuer promises to pay you a rate of interest on top of the bond’s principal (your initial investment).

There are several kinds of bonds:

•   Corporate. These are issued by private and public companies.

•   Municipal. These are issued by states, cities, and counties.

•   Treasury. These are issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury on behalf of the federal government.

When you invest in bonds, you generally get a predictable stream of income through interest payments. If you hold onto the bond until it matures, you also get back the entire principal, so there’s minimal risk involved. However, typical returns for bonds tend to be much lower than typical returns for stocks. Many investors will use bonds to balance out higher-risk investment options, such as individual stocks.

Exchange-Traded Funds and Mutual Funds

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and mutual funds offer a pool of securities, such as stocks and bonds, in one investment. You can pick and choose a few mutual funds and/or EFTs to create your own portfolio, or you can choose to go with a target date fund.

Target date funds offer an all-in-one solution by investing in a mix of stocks, bonds, and other investments that suit your goals and risk tolerance. Typically, these funds automatically become more conservative as the fund approaches its target date (such as your retirement age) and beyond. Keep in mind, however, that the principal you invest in an EFT or mutual fund is not guaranteed.

The Takeaway

Where to put a stash of cash? A lot depends on how soon you’ll need the money and your tolerance for risk.

If you plan to use the money right away, you may want to go with a checking account. If you’re saving for a goal that is a few months or years away, you might consider putting the money in a high-yield savings account or a money market account. For longer-term savings goals (at least five years off), investing in the market could make sense.

Interested in opening an online bank account? When you sign up for a SoFi Checking and Savings account with direct deposit, you’ll get a competitive annual percentage yield (APY), pay zero account fees, and enjoy an array of rewards, such as access to the Allpoint Network of 55,000+ fee-free ATMs globally. Qualifying accounts can even access their paycheck up to two days early.

About the author

Ashley Kilroy

Ashley Kilroy is a seasoned personal finance writer with 15 years of experience simplifying complex concepts for individuals seeking financial security. Her expertise has shined through in well-known publications like Rolling Stone, Forbes, SmartAsset, and Money Talks News. Read full bio.