America's housing affordability crisis continues to be a problem. Home prices continue to rise across major markets, rental costs remain elevated, and supply shortages have tightened access to ownership for middle-income households. Financial strain tied to housing has also intensified broader concerns around stress and long-term economic security.
"For millions of Americans, the dream of owning a private yard or a front porch, a home they can call their own, has moved further out of reach with each passing year," says Nolan Andrews, founder of GMHPS, a manufactured housing investment and community development company. His work lies in creating communities where residents can access stable housing while maintaining the privacy and independence often associated with traditional homeownership.
"There are many people out there who enjoy having their own house. They don't want to be boxed in an apartment complex where there's someone below them and someone stomping above them. They want their own little piece," he explains.
Andrews has spent eight years focused on manufactured housing, building a successful property management operation. He recalls coming to the industry with a commercial real estate background, and he admits he once carried the same misconceptions most people do.
He states, "I had the stigma before, thinking that all manufactured houses were trailers, until I started investing and going inside them. I realized then the value proposition that's there."
A persistent myth Andrews confronts is the conflation of manufactured homes with trailers. He explains, "People still refer to them as trailers, when there hasn't been a trailer built since 1976, when the HUD code came out."Andrews points to the federal standards that govern manufactured housing as one of the most misunderstood realities.
According to him, modern manufactured homes are subject to federal HUD regulations and factory inspections before leaving production facilities. He believes many consumers often associate the industry with aging mobile homes built decades ago, rather than the current generation of regulated housing.
He says, "People perceive them as being cheap or unsafe when, when in reality, they are built to higher standards than local or municipal building codes." This perception, Andrews notes, remains one of the industry's largest barriers, shaping zoning decisions and consumer attitudes despite significant changes in construction quality and safety standards.
Andrews also addresses the visual stigma surrounding manufactured housing, noting how they stem from historic lobbying efforts where the homes sat precariously elevated, disconnected from the ground. "Many lobbied in the 70s and 80s to make sure manufactured homes sat off the ground, so as not to compete with stick-built housing," he says.
This perception, according to him, often defines the public memory despite newer development models using permanent concrete foundations and masonry skirting.
Within a cultural context, Andrews argues that the demand for personal space has not disappeared. Rising housing costs have instead shifted how people define success and ownership. He points out that social media culture has long promoted large homes as a status marker, yet financial flexibility is beginning to influence housing decisions more heavily than appearance alone.
In his view, more consumers are openly discussing debt reduction and land ownership instead of hastily pursuing oversized mortgages tied to image. "I see a trend of people taking a conscientious approach and choosing a manufactured house to save money," Andrews says. He is quick to point out that his model doesn't reject traditional housing but rather sees manufactured housing as a realistic response to a market where many buyers have been priced out entirely.
From his perspective, cost efficiency and construction consistency give manufactured housing a distinct advantage during a nationwide affordability crunch. Construction timelines, he adds, can move from land acquisition to completed placement within a matter of weeks. Andrews also notes that factory-built environments may reduce exposure to weather-related damage during construction while lowering overall development costs.
Although Andrews does develop and offer manufactured homes on their own land for sale, his primary business is renting the homes within his communities. His business model places strong emphasis on accountability, offering maintenance teams and direct oversight of renovations and resident concerns. "We want to stand behind our name," he says. "I want to build something somebody can be proud to live in."
Within older communities acquired by his company, Andrews notes that renovations are approached with long-term resident quality in mind. Roofing, cabinetry, paint, and infrastructure are treated as part of maintaining dignity within affordable housing communities. Andrews says, "I have an obligation to the industry as a whole. We are striving for a higher standard."
Manufactured housing, in his view, also carries a broader economic impact. According to him, increased factory production can support manufacturing jobs while helping communities address housing shortages. He argues that policymakers encouraging industrial growth must also consider where employees can realistically afford to live. "If you want manufacturing jobs in your community, those people need a place to live," he explains. "Manufactured housing is the solution."
Affordability might continue to reshape the housing conversation across the United States for the foreseeable future, yet within that context, Andrews believes the industry's future ultimately depends on changing the very belief systems that reinforce the problem. According to Andrews, lenders are now treating manufactured housing the same as stick-built, and the affordability crisis is leading consumers to do the same.
He says, "The stigma is only perception, and the reality is already being built, faster, cheaper, and better."
