The Northwest Housing Association has announced that manufactured homes sales in the state of Washington have increased 47 percent in 2016.

According to the association, this completes a huge turnaround over the last decade when demand dropped from 3000 manufactured homes per year to less than 600.

“550 homes have already been shipped in 2016 and plants are currently staffing up to meet stronger demand,” said Northwest Housing Association executive director Joan Brown, reports Curbed Seattle.

Reasons for the renewed interest in manufactured homes is credited to the improving economy, a growing need for affordable housing, and improved financing options coming out of the so-called great recession.

Faster in Washington, But Nation Wide Sales Growth 

Recently released statistics indicate that HUD Code manufacturers produced 7,322 homes in September 2016, a 15.7% increase over the 6,325 HUD Code homes produced during September 2015, see that related story, linked here.

Information from the Northwest Housing Association shows that in 2015, some counties in the state reported that manufactured housing accounted for about one-third of all the new housing permits issued in unincorporated areas, and one out of every 20 new home permits in Washington was for a manufactured home.

Fifteen Washington counties reported that 20 percent or more of new housing permits in unincorporated areas were for manufactured homes.

Eastern Washington saw the largest percentage of manufactured homes related to new single-family housing, but western Washington is seeing growth as well. According to Curbed Seattle, two percent of single family housing in King County was manufactured housing in 2015.

Pierce County had a total of four percent, Kitsap County six percent and Skagit County 23 percent. ##

(Editor’s Note – The Daily Business News covers the challenges as well as the numerous advantages that the manufactured housing industry provides in the U.S., with the understanding that the solution to affordable housing is hiding in plain sight.

(Image credits are as shown above.)

Submitted by RC Williams to the Daily Business News for MHProNews.