Nationwide Manufactured Home Loan Specialist · Cornerstone First Mortgage · NMLS #173855 Call Mike Certo · (480) 296-6513
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Manufactured home loans, done right.


Nationwide manufactured home loan specialist. Park-home buyers looking for chattel financing. Veterans whose last lender said no to a manufactured property. Self-employed buyers who can't fit a traditional W-2 box. Retirees buying a double-wide on owned land. Each one needs a different program. This site lays them all out, and Mike runs them all under one roof.

Chattel + Park HomeHome-only on leased land
FHA Title I$148K / $237K limits (2024 refresh)
VA Manufactured$0 down on land-home
USDA 502100% financing rural
Conv / MH Advantage3% down, GSE pricing
Non-QM MHBank stmt + DSCR + ITIN

Get pre-approved → Talk to Mike first →

Which situation fits you?

The right loan program depends on three things: whether you own the land, what FICO and income shape look like, and which state you are in. Start with the closest match.

Why this site exists

Most manufactured home buyers run into a wall when they call a normal lender. Three of the five biggest specialty manufactured lenders are captive to a single dealer chain, which means the buyer never finds out if there is a better program for their situation. The other two refuse the loans where the buyer needs the most help — park-home borrowers, veterans, self-employed buyers, anyone with a credit story.

This site is the other thing. A real loan officer who runs every program on the menu — chattel, FHA Title I, FHA Title II, VA, USDA, conventional, MH Advantage, CHOICEHome, and non-QM — and tells buyers honestly which one fits their situation. No dealer kickback. No captive product steering. Pricing comes from Cornerstone First Mortgage, a direct lender licensed in all 50 states and DC.

A few decisions worth flagging:

  • No rates posted anywhere. Rates change daily, and the gap between the rate a manufactured home buyer sees on a billboard and the rate they actually qualify for is wider than most other loan types. Mike quotes you a real number after a real conversation, not a teaser.
  • FHA Title I is a real product here. Most loan officers will not touch Title I because the operational hoops are unfamiliar. The 2024 limit refresh ($148,909 single-section, $237,096 multi-section combination) made it usable again. Mike runs it.
  • State pages are not template clones. Manufactured home titling, real-property conversion, and program availability genuinely differ state to state. The Texas Statement of Ownership process is not the same as the Florida RP sticker process, which is not the same as the North Carolina affidavit-of-affixation process. The state pages on this site reflect that.

How a manufactured home loan actually works

Three questions decide which program fits, in this order:

  1. Do you own the land? If yes, you have access to the full government and conventional menu (FHA Title II, VA, USDA, conventional, MH Advantage, CHOICEHome, plus non-QM). If no, you are looking at chattel financing or FHA Title I.
  2. Is the home post-June 15, 1976? The HUD Code took effect on that date. Anything built before is technically a "mobile home" and cannot be financed under any government program. Anything after is a "manufactured home" and is eligible.
  3. Is the home on a permanent foundation? Permanent foundation per the HUD Permanent Foundations Guide is required for FHA Title II, VA, USDA, and conventional. Engineer certification at appraisal runs $300 to $600.

If those three answers point you toward a land-home loan, you are usually looking at conventional, FHA Title II, or VA pricing close to a site-built mortgage. If they point you toward chattel, the loan terms and rates look more like an auto loan — shorter term, higher rate, but fewer property hurdles.

Get pre-approved → Talk to Mike first →

Programs at a glance

Program Land Min down Min FICO Best for
ChattelLeased OK5–35%575+Park-home buyers
FHA Title I3+ yr lease5%600+Government-backed chattel
FHA Title IIOwned3.5%580+Standard FHA on land-home
VA ManufacturedOwned0%620+Veterans
USDA 502 GuaranteedOwned, rural0%640+Rural buyers under 115% AMI
MH Advantage / CHOICEHomeOwned3%620+Premium MH on land
Non-QM MHOwned, doublewide+10–30%660+Self-employed, investors, ITIN

Start with your state

Manufactured home titling and real-property conversion vary by state. The state pages below walk through the specific process where you are.

Texas → Florida → North Carolina → South Carolina → All 50 →

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What clients are saying

Verified reviews from Mike Certo's experience.com profile \u2014 updated automatically.