Zero down in the country, on new or existing homes. Manufactured and modular financing from a direct lender with an in-house loan committee. Ask us how to access up to *$50K extra at or after closing.
Manufactured Nationwide is a direct USDA lender for manufactured and modular homes, offering 100% financing with zero down in eligible rural areas across all 50 states. Thanks to USDA's 2025 rule change, you can now buy an existing manufactured home, not just a brand-new one, as long as it was built within the last 20 years, sits on a permanent foundation, and is taxed as real property. As a veteran-owned direct lender with our own in-house loan committee, we underwrite and close these loans ourselves, so we can make exceptions the big lead-funnel sites cannot. Qualified buyers can also access up to $50,000 extra and save up to 30% on real estate commissions.
Yes. A USDA loan can finance a manufactured or modular home in an eligible rural area with 100 percent financing and zero down. The home needs to be a doublewide or larger, on a permanent foundation, taxed as real property, and built after June 15, 1976. And here is the big news: as of USDA's 2025 rule change, it no longer has to be brand new. You can now buy an existing manufactured home too, as long as it was built within the last 20 years.
People use manufactured, mobile, and modular interchangeably, so let's be clear. A true mobile home built before June 1976 never qualifies. A manufactured home built after that date, doublewide or larger and fixed to land, does. A modular home is the easiest case of all, USDA treats it like any site-built house. We finance all three when they are permanently affixed and taxed as real estate, in all 50 states.
For years the biggest USDA frustration was simple: you could only finance a brand-new manufactured home from a dealer. That rule is gone.
On May 5, 2025, USDA Rural Development updated its manufactured housing rules under Procedure Notice 640. For years, USDA would only finance a brand-new manufactured home from an approved dealer. That is no longer the case.
Only new manufactured homes, straight from an approved dealer, never previously installed.
Existing manufactured homes qualify too, as long as the home was built within the last 20 years.
This opens USDA financing to thousands of existing rural manufactured homes that were off-limits before. The home still has to sit on a permanent foundation, be taxed as real property, and meet USDA property standards. You can read the change straight from the source at USDA Rural Development.
For rural buyers, this is a major opening. Existing manufactured homes are often the most affordable homes in the county, and until 2025 they were locked out of USDA financing. Now they are in, and we are already closing them. If you were told "no" on a USDA manufactured loan a year or two ago, it is worth asking again.
USDA eligibility comes down to four gates. Clear all four and you are in. We will check every one of them with you up front, before you fall in love with a home.
The home must sit in a USDA-eligible rural or suburban area. Check any address on the USDA property map.
Household income must be at or below 115% of the area median. Check yours on the USDA income tool.
The manufactured home must have been built within the last 20 years and after June 15, 1976. Modular homes have no age limit.
Doublewide or larger manufactured, plus modular, on a permanent foundation, taxed as real property. Singlewide is not eligible.
The income cap is the rule that surprises people most, so here is the plain-English version, including the part that feels unfair.
USDA is built for moderate-income buyers, so it sets a ceiling: your total household income cannot exceed 115% of the median income for your county and household size. That includes income from every adult living in the home, even someone not on the loan. The exact dollar limit changes by county and by how many people are in the household, and USDA updates it every year. Check your county on the USDA income eligibility tool.
It is the most common frustration we hear, and it is a fair one. USDA is not a general rural loan; it is a federal program specifically for moderate-income households, funded to help people who cannot easily get a low-down-payment loan elsewhere. If your income is above the cap, USDA considers you well-served by other programs. The good news: you are not stuck. Our FHA, VA, and conventional options give you low-down or zero-down paths with no income cap at all.
If you are close to the limit, do not assume you are out. Certain deductions, for child care, dependents, and some medical costs, can lower your countable income. We will run your exact numbers before you rule USDA out.
USDA fits two property types cleanly: manufactured homes (HUD-code, doublewide or larger, built within the last 20 years) and modular homes (built to state code, treated like site-built, no age limit). Both must be on a permanent foundation and taxed as real property. Singlewide homes are not eligible under our program.
We also finance the wider world of factory-built and system-built homes, barndominiums, metal homes, kit homes, cabins, timber frame, SIP panel, and ICF. Many of these can go USDA when they appraise with local comparable sales and meet USDA property standards. When a unique build does not fit USDA, it is not a dead end: our FHA, VA, and conventional programs offer low-down and zero-down paths for those homes too. The point is simple, whatever you are buying, we have a program for it.
USDA and FHA are the two most common ways to buy a manufactured home with little or nothing down. Here is the honest comparison.
| On a Manufactured Home | USDA | FHA | Conventional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Down Payment | 0% | 3.5% | As low as 5% |
| Upfront Mortgage Insurance | 1.0% guarantee fee | 1.75% | None |
| Annual Mortgage Insurance | 0.35% | 0.55% and up | PMI until 20% equity |
| Income Limit | Yes, 115% of area median | None | None |
| Location | USDA rural areas only | Anywhere | Anywhere |
| Best For | Moderate-income rural buyers who want zero down | Lower credit, any location | Strong credit, avoiding MI |
USDA's edge is real: zero down and the lowest mortgage insurance of any 100% program. The trade-off is the income cap and rural-area requirement. When USDA does not fit, we place you in FHA, VA, or conventional. All figures are for qualified borrowers and subject to change and approval.
The takeaway: if you qualify for USDA, it is usually the cheapest 100 percent loan you can get, zero down and the lowest mortgage insurance. FHA wins when you are over the income limit, outside a rural area, or working with lower credit. We run both and tell you honestly which is better for you.
Search USDA manufactured loans and you will find a wall of familiar names. Here is what most people do not realize: many of the biggest sites are the same company wearing different logos, and they are lead funnels, not lenders. They collect your information and sell it. We are the lender. We underwrite and close every loan in-house, with our own loan committee, and we never broker it out or hand you off.
That is not just branding, it changes outcomes. Because we hold the pen, our committee can make exceptions on credit, ratios, and compensating factors that a broker bound to tight investor guidelines simply cannot. We have specialized in manufactured and modular homes for over 25 years, and we stay with you from the first call to the closing table.
USDA does technically offer new construction, and a few lenders still push it, but it usually is not a good deal for the borrower. Those programs tend to load large admin fees, often tens of thousands of dollars, onto a zero-down loan, and the home will not appraise for that inflated amount, so you are piling debt onto the loan just to put nothing down. That is not financially savvy. On top of it, USDA's income cap, credit and DTI limits, and the fact that many buyers already own their land outright leave a lot of people disqualified or poorly served.
Because we are a direct, in-house lender with our own committee, we usually have a smarter path: our own manufactured and modular construction options that give value for land you already own, keep fees sane, and can flex on the guidelines that would disqualify you elsewhere. If you are building rather than buying, start with our manufactured and modular construction loans and let us show you the difference.
USDA does allow a small repair escrow to handle minor issues, but it is limited and rigid. If the home needs more than a few small fixes, or you want to update it your way, we have more flexible options, including our renovation programs and the extra funds below, that go well beyond what the USDA escrow will cover.
On top of your zero-down USDA loan, qualified buyers can access up to *$50,000 in separate, unsecured funds, underwritten in-house. It is more flexible than USDA's limited repair escrow, and it does not touch your down payment. No other lender in this space offers it.
Ask how the extra $50,000 pairs with USDA. See the full Consumer Loan details.
Check Your Eligibility*Qualification for up to $50,000 is for qualified borrowers and can be applied to all loan programs. This is a separate unsecured consumer loan underwritten in-house. Proceeds cannot be used for a down payment. Contact your banker for applicable rates, terms, and conditions.
USDA already gets you in with zero down. We help you keep even more at closing. When you buy or sell an existing home through our program, eligible clients can save up to 30 percent on real estate agent commissions in all 50 states, applied toward your closing costs.
When you buy or sell an existing home through our program, eligible clients can save up to 30% on real estate agent commissions in all 50 states, applied toward closing costs, on top of your zero-down USDA financing. See the full Real Estate Commission Savings program.
Check your area and income. Confirm the address is in a USDA area and your household income is under the cap. We will do both with you in minutes.
Check your eligibility. Start with our quick form or a call. No credit pull to see what you qualify for.
Get pre-approved. We can pre-approve you for your maximum amount before you even pick a home.
Find your home. Choose an eligible manufactured or modular home in the area. We will confirm it meets USDA standards.
Appraisal and in-house underwriting. We order the USDA appraisal and underwrite in-house, where our committee flexibility comes in.
Close with zero down. Sign at closing, and the home is yours.
If your address is not in a USDA area or your income is over the cap, you are not out of options, USDA is just one of our programs. Our FHA manufactured home loans offer 96.5 percent financing anywhere with no income limit, Veterans get zero down with our VA manufactured loans, and conventional works for stronger credit. See everything on our manufactured home loan programs page, and run numbers on our manufactured home mortgage calculator.
Yes. USDA finances manufactured and modular homes in eligible rural areas with 100 percent financing and zero down. The home must be a doublewide or larger, on a permanent foundation, taxed as real property, built after June 15, 1976, and under USDA's 2025 rule it can now be an existing home built within the last 20 years, not only a brand-new one.
Yes, this is new. On May 5, 2025, USDA changed its rules so existing manufactured homes qualify as long as the home was built within the last 20 years of closing, sits on a permanent foundation, and is taxed as real property. Before this change, USDA financed only brand-new manufactured homes from an approved dealer.
Yes, and modular is the easiest case. Because modular homes are built to the same state and local codes as site-built homes, USDA treats them like any traditional house, with no special age limit, at 100 percent financing in eligible areas.
Only if the home is really a manufactured home. A true mobile home built before June 15, 1976 does not qualify, nor does one that is not permanently fixed to land or on a lot you do not own with the property. USDA’s new rules require the age of the home to be within 20 years of the date of closing, a true manufactured home, doublewide or larger, permanently affixed to land and taxed as real property, does qualify.
Your total household income, counting every adult in the home, cannot exceed 115 percent of the area median income for your county and household size. The exact figure changes by county and is updated yearly. Certain deductions for dependents, child care, and some medical costs can lower your countable income, so check with us before ruling USDA out.
USDA generally looks for a 640 score for streamlined approval, and because we underwrite in-house with our own loan committee, we can consider lower scores and compensating factors case by case rather than turning the file away automatically.
We finance doublewide and larger manufactured homes, plus modular homes. Singlewide homes are not eligible under our program. If you have a singlewide, contact us and we will look at other options.
USDA construction exists, but it rarely works well for the borrower. Providers often add large admin fees that get financed on top of a zero-down loan, the home may not appraise for that amount, and USDA income, credit, and land-ownership rules disqualify many buyers. As an in-house lender with our own committee, we usually place these in a better construction alternative.
USDA is cheaper on both ends. USDA charges a 1.0 percent upfront guarantee fee and a 0.35 percent annual fee, while FHA charges 1.75 percent upfront and 0.55 percent or more annually. On a zero-down loan, USDA gives you the lowest mortgage insurance of any 100 percent program.
USDA is ideal for rural buyers, but not everyone qualifies. Find the best loan for your manufactured home if you want to compare it against FHA, VA, and conventional.
Richie, OK... so you've officially done something I've never seen in 22+ years selling real estate. Closed a VA Loan on 224 Acres, with a Manufactured Home. CONGRATULATIONS! and THANK YOU!!! Admittedly, I was skeptical (more like pessimistic) when James told me you were going to get this VA Loan completed. And I had many doubts along the way, because I'd seen so many VA Lenders fall flat on their faces, just before the Closing. BUT... You got the Job DONE! Occasionally, I find someone out there who has done an Outstanding Job, helping my Clients... and You are one of these! I'm now officially a FAN of You and Your Work. I would be honored to promote you and your services to other Agents within our company, and I intend to do so. I will call you when I've caught up on my work a bit... and learn more about how I can do my job better on the next VA transaction.
~Tom K. Realtor
Ready to see if USDA fits? We can check your area, your income, and your eligibility fast, with no credit pull to start, and pre-approve you for your maximum before you pick a home. If USDA is not the right fit, we will show you the program that is.
THE FEDERAL SAVINGS BANK IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH OR ACTING ON BEHALF OF THE FHA, USDA, VA, OR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
*Subject to credit approval. Terms and conditions may apply. Property insurance is required on all loans secured by property.
*No SSN required. No credit pull. No risk. The info you share on this eligibility form is only used to check general eligibility against our banks loan programs — based on what you tell us. We never pull your credit (not even a soft pull), and we don’t ask for sensitive data like your Social Security number at this stage. Your information is never sold. If you decide to move forward, your banker will walk you through next steps and confirm before running any credit check. Until then, it’s 100% no-pressure, no-obligation.
*Important: We do not offer financing for homes on rented land or in mobile home parks. For family land, financing is only available if the property is on a separate parcel with no other property, and the borrower must be on the title to that land. Financing is available only for properties permanently affixed to owned land at closing, except for new construction projects. New Dealer Manufactured Home Loans are not available in New York. Modular and site-built land/home construction loans are available in all 50 states.
*Messaging and Data Rates May Apply.
*VA eligibility is required for VA loan products. USDA loans are only available in USDA-eligible areas as designated by the USDA.
*We do not offer new dealer-manufactured home loans in New York, but we do offer modular and site-built land and home construction.
*Qualification for up to $50,000 extra is for qualified borrowers and can be applied to all loan programs. This is a separate unsecured consumer loan we will underwrite in-house at the same time as your requested mortgage loan. Please contact your banker to request this program and the applicable rates, terms, and conditions. Consumer unsecured lending programs prohibit loan proceeds from being used for down payment.
REALTOR® is a registered trademark of the National Association of Realtors and is not affiliated with NationwideHomeLoansGroup.com or The Federal Savings Bank.
†Subject to applicable law and lender approval, when represented by one of our participating real estate brokerage companies during the purchase or sale of a home or land, eligible Consumers may receive a rebate of up to thirty percent (30%) off of the fee to be received by the participating real estate brokerage company representing the respective Consumer, at closing, which rebate will be applied exclusively toward paying down that Consumer’s applicable closing costs. In no event shall any rebate be greater than the aggregate of all closing costs. Issuance of a rebate is subject to a participating real estate brokerage company’s receipt of its fee. The following states condition, or do not permit, the granting of a rebate by real estate brokerage companies (list is subject to change at any time): Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Tennessee. No remuneration is paid to The Federal Savings Bank or to any of our Bankers. This is a free program offered exclusively by us to help our consumers save on their real estate transactions.
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