State Titling Policies and the Future of Manufactured Home Financing

Manufactured homes are a key part of the solution to the U.S. housing shortage. Their affordability and adaptability make them well-suited to help low- and middle-income families achieve homeownership. Yet many prospective buyers cannot get a mortgage simply because of how their manufactured home is titled. That drives up the cost of financing.

New research from The Pew Charitable Trusts shows that state titling laws play a critical role in determining mortgage access for manufactured home buyers. Modernizing state laws could lower monthly loan payments and help families to build financial stability through sustainable homeownership.

Join policymakers, housing advocates, and industry leaders to explore state-level strategies to reduce titling barriers, expand mortgage access, and enable more manufactured homes to qualify for traditional mortgages.

Agenda

Welcome and opening remarks

Setting the stage: Manufactured homes as a key source of affordable housing supply

• Speaker: Emily Hamilton, senior research fellow and director of the Urbanity Project, Mercatus Center at George Mason University

Presentation: Key findings from Pew’s report on manufactured home titling

• Presenter: Rachel Siegel, senior officer, housing policy initiative, The Pew Charitable Trusts

Moderated panel discussion: State approaches to reforming manufactured home titling 

Moderator: Tara Roche, project director, housing policy initiative, The Pew Charitable Trusts
Panelists:

• Sarah Marchant, chief operating officer and senior vice president, New Hampshire Community Loan Fund
• Victoria O’Banion, housing cooperative manager, Northwest Cooperative Development Center
• Ryan Sears, head of policy and research, Neighborhood Partnership Housing Services Inc.

Audience Q&A

Closing remarks