Alternatively, a Manufactured home (after June 15, 1976), is built to the (Housing and Urban Development) HUD Code, promulgated by the Federal Government. The HUD Code is designed for health and safety, while the IRC code is designed around strength and tolerance. They are both good codes. Prior to 1976, these factory-built homes were classified as mobile homes and ownership was transferred via vehicular title and was considered chattel in Colorado. The only option for financing a manufactured home built prior to June 15^th, 1976 would be a chattel loan, which is akin to a personal property loan or an auto loan. This becomes problematic for the seller of the home and for the realtor in representing the home as financeable. There are only a few lenders that can offer chattel loan financing.

There are several instances where entries for listings mix up the designation of the manufactured and Modular home under the construction section. It’s not that easy to know the difference between a manufactured and a modular home when both say 15 years old and the original information is unavailable. The key give-away for a manufactured home are the required “red tags” on each box. All manufactured homes have a red tag on the side of the home, on the end of the box near the back corner. Unfortunately, these can be lost, painted over or just discarded over time. Missing red tags on a manufactured home can make it difficult to obtain financing. Modular homes have a data plate often found inside cabinets, under the kitchen sink, or inside the electrical panel. Typically it is very difficult to distinguish the difference between a manufactured home and a Modular (IRC) Home. The construction above the floor is virtually the same. Most factories will not differentiate the construction above the floor. The main difference between a Manufactured Home and a Modular Home (IRC) is the sub-floor system. The sub-floor system on a Manufactured Home is either a 2” x 6” or a 2” x 8” floor joist over a 12” I-beam. There are two parallel I-beams under each box. The I-beams are parallel to each other providing an auto-frame structure used to attach wheels and axles for transport to a building site. The floor system on a Modular Home is a 2” x 10” floor joist, which is the IRC building code. So by looking under the home, you can usually see the difference, often the wheels/axle are still in place. Unlike the Manufactured Home, the Modular (IRC) Home will be transported to a carrier such that the wheels and axles are not attached to the auto-frame structure. It would be very rare, but some factories have built a 2” x 10” floor joist over the 12” I-beam, but this was only for meeting a local code and for ease of setting up the home. Some coined it a “Hudular”. It’s very unlikely that you would run into one of these factory built homes.