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A new investor flew across the country to visit a property they had invested in. We spent the afternoon walking the community and talking about manufactured housing, the Washington market, our investment strategy, and where I think this industry is headed. We work with institutional investors who write much larger checks. But there is something uniquely meaningful about someone choosing to inv...

We hear some version of this constantly. But are we so sure? I decided to model what homeownership might look like for someone starting about as far down the income ladder as possible: A single person working full-time at minimum wage in Portland, Oregon. The assumptions: They share a modest 2-bedroom apartment with a roommate and receive SNAP benefits if eligible. They maintain a modest but...

In 1972 the country produced 2.94 million homes Almost 600,000 of those were manufactured homes (so, yes, we used to be really good at offsite home building too) That’s about 14 homes/1000 people In 2025 the country produced 1.47 million homes (of which only 100,000 were manufactured) That’s 4 homes/1000 people Imagine if any other critical industry (energy, financial services, ...

One of the most surprising things I hear from buyers is: We sell a lot of manufactured homes, and I hear some version of that statement over and over again. Somewhere along the way, we’ve created a culture that tells working families that homeownership is out of reach—that it’s something reserved for higher-income households. I don’t believe that’s true. For man...

They can be great. Strong relationships with sellers can create real value and lead to opportunities others never see. But they’re not a silver bullet. In some cases, “off-market” can actually create friction — misaligned expectations, lack of price discovery, and unnecessary mistrust. We do plenty of off-market transactions. But we also invest heavily in relationship...

We bought a small park in 2021 for $1,200,000. The average rent was $375 (market rent for the area was around $650) From talking to the tenants, we learned: 1) The laundry room was so bad no one used it (the closest laundromat was 7 miles away) 2) Almost all tenants were renting a storage space off site at an average cost of $100/mo 3) The open spaces were badly overgrown and unusable, so multipl...

  For many, the phrase “onsite treatment system” sounds like a liability nightmare. And “city sewer” feels like safety. But that assumption deserves a closer look. Public utilities come with real tradeoffs: High cost: Monthly water and sewer fees can materially impact affordability — whether paid by the owner or passed through to tenants No pricing cont...

This is the most common concern I hear from prospective buyers — but it’s based on a misunderstanding of what “owning the land” actually means. When you own land, you’re responsible for: 1. Property taxes 2. Insurance on the entire property 3. All repairs and maintenance for the land and utilities And in Oregon and Washington, these costs haven’t just ris...

The Pacific Northwest once had 22 active manufactured housing factories. Today, we’re down to fewer than 10 — and several more may close in the next 12–18 months. At the same time, recent legislative changes are opening the door for manufactured and modular housing to expand like never before. That creates a rare moment: We have existing factory infrastructure, sitting idle o...

The first mobile home I ever sold changed how I think about affordable housing. In 2013, I sold a 1985 single-wide in Southeast Portland—located in the very first manufactured housing community I ever bought. We weren’t doing anything fancy. I added appliances, bought laminate flooring from Home Depot, and installed it myself (my one and only personal floor install). The buyer was B...