CHANGE: A New Home for $90,000? Manufactured Housing Is Making a Comeback.

The hope is that more Americans will see the factory units not only as a more-affordable alternative to a traditional single-family house, but also an appealing one, without the old trailer-park stigma. It helps that they’ve been getting fancier.

Scott Richards, a salesman for Rona Homes in Pataskala, Ohio, said that when shoppers come to his lot, he can dazzle them with customization options like hickory cabinets, rainforest showers and built-in entertainment systems coupled with electric fireplaces.

“We’ve got linoleum floors that look just like hardwood floors,” said Richards, who got back into selling factory-made houses after leaving the industry in 2012. “You don’t think about solid granite being in a manufactured home, but we have that as well.”

Rona Homes revamped its display lot in March in response to growing demand. Where there once sat three models for customers to see, there are now 13 — “a whole arsenal” Richards can use to sell buyers on the idea.

I’d like to see modern manufacturing techniques used to bring down the prices of site-built homes as well.