One thing's for sure: Factory-built homes are no longer simply cookie-cutter buildings.

In recent years, options in appearance and appointments have expanded exponentially for factory-built homes. Like planning a stick-built house on a private lot (or ordering a car loaded from the factory), the ability to select a highly customized package is one of the attractions of such houses.

Even with buyers' new flexibility, this end of the new home spectrum remains an affordable choice as well. Bambi Elsasser, manager of the Northside Heights manufactured home community in Lehighton, said "$50,000 to $75,000 gets you a new home ready to move in" — though it's possible to spend extra for more customization.

Though the terms are often interchanged, there are important differences between modular and manufactured housing. As their construction is distinct, so are property and lending rules that apply to each.

A modular home is generally seen as a more permanent structure. Like its manufactured home counterpart, it is factory built. It must conform to all state, regional and local building codes that apply where it is to be installed. According to the National Association of Realtors, 70 percent or more of the structure may be completed in the factory.

It will be shipped to the building site in sections and assembled there on a concrete slab. The modular home will then be checked by local building inspectors to make sure it complies with building codes.

Manufactured housing is closer to a trailer-style home

"A modular home is built on a wooden frame, with 100 percent drywall," said Cass Chies, broker-owner with RE/MAX Diamond1st in Palmerton. "A manufactured home is built on a steel frame, usually with about 75 percent drywall and 25 percent gypsum board. Today, maybe it will have an attic or a crawl space."

Codes set by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development apply to manufactured homes. Such homes may go nearly complete to the lot or may also be assembled there of multiple parts. Either way, they travel on their own chassis and wheels. They are often, though not always, placed on a permanent slab. Though building inspectors check local work such as the electrical hookup, they are not required to approve the structure.

"With modular homes," Chies said, "you're covered by the same warranties as you'd get with a regular home — shingles, windows and so on." Sometimes, she said, there's settling after a home is placed, and some readjustments must be made.

A modular home is generally classed as real property, and will be covered by a deed. A manufactured home, since it's more like a mobile home or a house trailer, may come with a vehicle title instead — though this can vary from state to state. Calling such a house a mobile home can be a misnomer, though — many manufactured houses are never moved from the place where they're first installed.

A manufactured home, said Carl Becker of Becker Homes in Walnutport, might cost about $10,000 less than a similar modular home.

Still another type of prefabricated home is the panelized type. Instead of the factory building one complete unit or several sections to be connected once they're delivered, the house is provided as a system of separate walls, floors and roofs for assembly onsite.

Details of the factory-built house

Some factory-built structures still are built in communities created just for them. Becker said that of the manufactured homes he sells 20 percent are installed in communities and 80 percent on private lots.

Depending on the community, there might be ground rent to cover services and amenities. Elsasser said that monthly lot fees at Northside vary between $380 and $395. In addition to paying for the space, that covers water, sewer, and trash hauling, and gives residents access to a swimming pool and playground. "This is great for retirees who want to downsize but still like to have a small yard," she said. "We actually have a wide range of ages among the residents, but the majority are 45 and older."

When a home at her community is sold, she said, the transaction happens between the previous and new owners, just like a stick-built house. However, Even though the community's management isn't involved in the sale, any new buyer must pass muster under an approval process.

Though manufactured housing certainly produces prices that can be in reach for mid- to lower-income earners, Becker said, there are some obstacles to purchasing even for those who would seem likely to benefit from such homes.

"Some of the lending restrictions under the Dodd-Frank Act mean that banks have limits on what interest they can charge for loans for these homes," he said. "It can make lending unprofitable, so the banks aren't wanting to handle the loans."

In general, where loans are available, they will have higher rates or costs for manufactured housing than for modular housing.

"So when you look at this," said Becker, "our homes are affordable, but not as affordable as they might be."

"If there's a negative with houses in communities like this," Chies said, "it's that you do have lot rent so you're paying for something you don't own. Even so, your payment takes care of a lot of services and amenities. Once you deduct those from the rent, you're really not doing so badly."