Manufactured Housing’s Visibility Problem: Why it Matters, and what LotRoll is doing about it

Entering the National Conversation

Manufactured housing is being increasingly nationally recognized as a solution to the shortage of affordable housing. At the Realtors Legislative Meetings conference hosted by the National Association of Realtors, Grayson Gibson, CEO of LotRoll, spoke about how manufactured housing can play in solving the housing crisis, while also discussing the barriers the industry faces, and how LotRoll plans to address these issues. 

LotRoll as a company aims to create an accessible and extensive data infrastructure, helping buyers through each step of the process buying a home in the manufactured sector. 

How LotRoll was Created 

Gibson discusses that the idea for LotRoll was developed based on his own experience in the field. After 15 years in the industry, and experience working as a lender, he came to realize that one of the biggest problems manufactured housing faced was the lack of publicly available information on the homes he was working with. He describes how often he struggled to find the information he needed for clients or agents, exposing the giant data gap in the market sector. LotRoll was formed as a response to this gap, built around the idea that manufactured housing needs more data transparency to increase validity and visibility in the market. 

LotRoll’s Market Function

LotRoll’s mission is described by Gibson as being an attempt to create a “100% view of manufactured housing for the first time.” Essentially what this means in practical terms, is building more visibility and an infrastructure that can track data in a segment of the market that has historically been difficult to track because of how fragmented the data is. The company also works with traditional MLS organizations and other key stakeholders in the industry to help integrate manufactured home sales into the mainstream, as well as promoting professionalism in the market space. 

The company’s goal in doing all this is ultimately to collect data that will simplify the market for buyers, sellers, lenders, agents, and communities alike. As manufactured homes are often left out of traditional systems, this kind of clarity and database is crucial in positioning manufactured housing as a housing solution and giving homebuyers comprehensive data before purchasing. 

Policy Shift: Why the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act Matters

Manufactured housing is currently receiving one of the biggest industry shifts in a long time - strong legislative momentum backing. The passing of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act in the Senate points to this, as the bill represents a range of incentives that would benefit the industry on several different levels. These include things like removing the chassis requirement, which would benefit the manufacturing side of the market, as well as incentives on the financial side that would encourage more investing and participation in the market. The push from the federal government could also trigger changes at the state and local levels, like updating park requirements and local zoning laws, allowing for greater manufacturing and building nationwide. This major legislative progress represents the recognition the market is receiving as a legitimate solution to the housing crisis. 

Evolving Public Perception and Image 

Although manufactured housing is evolving, the public perception hasn’t yet caught up, and the industry still faces lots of outdated stigma. While manufactured homes have improved in terms of design options and quality, many still hold obsolete ideals about these houses. Gibson points specifically to the development of CrossMods, which refer to manufactured homes that have garages that are nearly indistinguishable from traditionally built homes by appearance. The design of these homes is ever evolving and ever modernizing to keep up with current trends. The sector can cater to a wide variety of housing types that can be manufactured or factory built. While manufactured homes are evolving to serve a more diverse buyer market, the gap between perception and reality is one of the challenges seriously holding the industry back. If public opinion remains entrenched in outdated stereotypes, the market will face challenges in acceptance across communities. 

Housing Placement: A Serious Obstacle 

One of the biggest limiting factors standing in the way of widespread manufactured housing isn’t demand, but rather placement. The real challenge is the incredibly limited number of places where these homes can go, and while there are factories that may be able to produce these homes, there are zoning laws and a land shortage that doesn’t support market expansion. Gibson emphasizes the need for incentives at state and local levels that incentives communities to support development of these homes and reduce the restrictions on land that manufactured homes can be located, to create accessibility for buyers in their search for affordable housing. LotRoll aims to bridge the gap between the idea of affordable housing and the actual practicality of getting someone into a home. 

Local action is just as meaningful as federal action, and zoning support is needed at the state and county levels to afford communities actual purchasing opportunities. LotRoll wants to assist in making purchasing affordable housing actionable instead of theoretical. 

Manufactured Housing as a Path to Home Ownership and Equity Building 

Gibson brings up in the interview what he calls the ‘rent loop’, which refers to the cycle that many find themselves in today, where they pay rent month after month without ever building equity or wealth, and he positions manufactured housing as a key solution to this problem. So many have been priced out of the current housing market, and first-time buyers lack accessible and affordable pathways to enter the market. By purchasing and owning a manufactured home as opposed to continuing to rent, buyers can start building equity which supports greater financial stability for many. 

LotRoll’s data-based model helps buyers do this by providing them accessibility and clarity in the purchasing process. If both consumers and sellers have access to this information, manufactured housing moves from a niche to the mainstream, offering first time buyers a practical solution to the difficulty of purchasing a home in today’s market. 

Why this Conversation is Important, at what it means for the Future 

The manufactured housing is full of overlooked potential. The industry faces a serious visibility problem, and needs stronger, more reliable data and financing systems to grow into the forefront of the affordable housing conversation and overcome outdated stereotypes. As federal policy helps build momentum behind a growing market, local community policy must change to support development and adaptation, since production on its own is not enough to support the growing demand for affordable homes. 

LotRoll was created to combat the visibility problem the industry faces and create a complete picture of these home sales. The interview ultimately indicates that the industry is at a turning point, and as innovation and production expands, and affordable housing becomes more necessary, the manufactured sector of the market could become one of the most popular solutions to this crisis. 

To watch the entire interview, click here: Breaking The Rent Loop: How Manufactured Homes Build Real Wealth