Manufactured home (HUD code)
A dwelling built in a factory to the federal HUD standard, on a permanent steel chassis. This is a genuinely different product from a modular home, despite the two being constantly confused: different building code, different financing, different appraisal treatment, and in some places different siting rules.
- At 1,500 sq ft
- $120,000–$165,000
- Timeline
- 2–5 months
What this figure rests on
A federal survey, covering Oregon specifically
Anchored to the Census Bureau manufactured housing survey, which publishes average sales price by state and average floor area by region. For Oregon in 2025 the average sales price was $75,700 for a single-section home and $148,600 for a double-section home. Average floor area in the West was 944 square feet single-section and 1,532 double-section, giving roughly $80 and $97 per square foot. These are sales prices for the home itself and exclude land, site preparation, foundation, transport, set-up and utility connections, which is why this method declares site costs as not included.
Last verified August 16, 2026 · source
What it costs, broken down
- Manufactured home (HUD code) — base construction$120,000–$165,000
Published ranges for this method generally cover the structure rather than a complete finished build.
Placement standards: Where a county applies manufactured-home placement standards, meeting them can add foundation, roof and siding cost that a base quote does not include. Confirm the standards before ordering a unit.
Financing classification: Whether the unit is financed as real property or personal property changes the rate, the term and the deposit. Confirm with a lender before committing, and ask specifically whether it will be treated as real property once affixed.
Advantages
- Lowest entry cost of any method
- Fastest delivery, and pricing is predictable from the manufacturer
- Oregon law generally limits how far a jurisdiction may restrict siting of these inside urban growth boundaries
Tradeoffs
- Built to the federal HUD code rather than the residential code applied to site-built and modular homes
- Often financed as personal property rather than real property, which generally means higher rates and shorter terms than a mortgage
- May depreciate rather than appreciate, which also affects what a lender will lend against
- Jurisdictions may impose placement standards specific to these units — commonly a multisectional unit, a minimum enclosed floor area, a foundation set close to grade, and a pitched roof
What building does to the tax base
Oregon generally limits growth in a property’s maximum assessed value to three percent per year, and treats new construction as an exception to that limit.
In general terms, holding unimproved land tends to mean a low tax base that grows slowly and predictably.
Adding a dwelling generally causes a step change in assessed value rather than a gradual increase, because the new structure is brought onto the roll at its own value rather than inheriting the capped figure.
Illustrative assessed value added: $60,000–$140,250
This range is illustrative only. It applies a wide assumed ratio to construction cost to show rough scale and direction, and is not a tax estimate. Actual assessed value depends on the county’s changed property ratio for the year and the assessor’s valuation, and the resulting tax also depends on the district’s permanent rate.
- Ask the county Assessor how new construction would be brought onto the roll for this property.
- Ask for the current changed property ratio and the applicable district tax rate.