I have seen many and where I live they qualify for the same mortgage as stick built on site. They can be very much custom designed with a few caveats and of course some HOAs will not allow them .We have been checking out shipping container homes you might want to check those too.

It seems like if you can embrace the “look” you could be ahead of the game...trying to make it look like a “real” house....is less than ideal...

I have friends who have modulars. 2 have been in theirs for near 20 years. The one I would have never guessed it was a modular.

This passed year my son's in laws had a 2 story modular built for their retirement home. It is beautiful! Pic of house.

This home is set on a basement. The other 2 are on crawl spaces.

It depends upon whether you are talking about a modular, that is put on a foundation, and is basically a regular house, or whether you are talking about a double wide mobile home, which of course can also be put on a foundation. One is built to house standards, and the other is built to mobile home standards. There is a big difference between the two.

Yes, there is a difference between modular and double wide, so just be sure what you are getting. I would also get them to show you a sampling of the wall construction and the differences between what a stick built and the rest as far as the boards used, etc. Also ask about insulation, lending, and requirements and timeline. Make a list of questions to ask before you commit. Read reviews and BBB input regarding the company you use. See how the frames are all put together from the inside. Anything you can find out beforehand. Also find out about modular re-sale value vs. others, especially for your area. Then, at least whatever you decide upon, you will be well informed.

The main appeal of modular homes and additions in my area appears to be the speed with which they can be erected. One prominent firm in the local modular industry advertises "additions in three days." But this claim is highly deceptive in my view. Yes, you get the basic, empty, framed shell of a structure in three days...provided that the foundation it sits on is already built...a foundation that takes just as long to build, and costs just as much, as it does for a site-built home. And as anyone with any experience in home construction knows, framing the basic shell of a new home or addition is just about the quickest part of the job - it's all the finishing tasks (roofing, doors and windows, stone and brickwork, stucco, siding, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, insulation, drywall, trim work, millwork, tiling, flooring, fixture installation, etc. etc. - that take up serious time. And none of those tasks go any faster in a modular home than in a site-built home.

Is the quality good? Do they last? I'm sure modular homes are as good as any site-built home. But don't fall into the trap of believing that going this route is a time-saver.

With on-site construction you're subject to the vagaries of material deliveries, the weather, and the unpredictable schedules of the trades (the framer's wife is sick so he's home babysitting the kids, the plumber decided to go fishing, etc.) With modular construction, those variables are the worry of the manufacturer and are controlled to some extent by construction in a factory environment and higher-volume purchasing of construction components.

Assuming the same quality level as a site-built home, modular won't save anything except for on-site construction time.