“Whilst it is appealing to those over 50 it frees up a lot of other housing within the region that those people are moving out of… will become available to younger families,” said Peter Childs, Development Manager for the Mavid Group.
The Mavid Group are the developers who are building the 199 manufactured homes to be placed in a new Manufactured Home Estate (MHE) in Evans Head, Australia, per the Northern Star.
A Unique Take on Manufactured Housing
Down under, as here in the U.S., manufactured homes are normally built in a factory and transported to the home site as a completed unit or in section. But the Evans Head homes will be built on site.
The homes will be built to draft legislation for manufactured homes, per The Coffs Coast Advocate.
They are expected to be 120 – 150 square meters in size, which is about 1291.6 to 1614.59 square feet. It will take four to five years to complete the homes, through multiple stages, according to the Northern Star.
Each home will have a single or double car garage – what they call a “lock up” there. There will be living room, dining room, kitchen and laundry room. They will also have a master bedroom with ensuite, and a second bedroom. Some homes will have a third bedroom/den.
The project is expected to cost $12,744,000. On top of the 199 manufactured homes the MHE will include…
- A community building,
- A bowling green,
- A swimming pool,
- And other “associated works.”
According to the NSW Department of Planning and Environment, “manufactured homes can often be purchased for less than $200,000 and are seen as an important affordable housing option.”
An Australian manufactured home estates is like what we call a manufactured home community in the U.S. They are often land-lease communities where residents own their homes, and lease the homesite.
“If an occupant is eligible for government rent assistance then a major part of that lease payment is covered by the rent assistance,” Mr. Childs said.
Childs says that land leases for properties like the one being built in Evans Head usually cost around $150 per week. That’s higher than what’s common in much of the U.S., as community industry pros know.
Why Target those 50 and older?
The Daily Business News has previously compared the differences between the U.S. and Australia when it comes to affordable housing and the role manufactured housing plays.
Obtaining financing for manufactured homes can be more difficult in the land down under. Retirees selling their home, or getting a lump sum pension, are the ideal customers for the market.
Recently the Daily Business News reported that retirement could lead the demand for MHEs in Australia to increase by 50,000 new units in the next decade.
As American professionals can see, there is a mixed bag for the community developer in Australia. There are fewer older and less appealing communities, an advantage for acceptance of the lifestyle they have. But if indeed the financing is more challenging, then the U.S. has an edge in that case.
As more retirees choose manufactured home community living, that frees up existing single-family houses for younger families. That same principle would apply here…if more communities were getting approved. ## (News, analysis.)
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