Fannie Mae is seeking to bridge the gap in affordable housing by making manufactured housing a more acceptable alternative to traditional built-on-site housing. It hopes to do that with its
MH Advantage program, which is lowering down payment requirements and lender fees on manufactured housing loans.
The new MH Advantage loans require a 3 percent down payment, which is down from 5 percent in Fannie’s existing manufactured housing loan. Also, Fannie is not charging the 50-basis-point loan level price adjustment that usually applies to manufactured housing loans, the National Mortgage News reports.
To qualify, MH Advantage loan homes must meet specific construction, architectural design, and energy efficiency standards that compare to site-built housing. Eligible homes will be identified by a “Mortgage Financing Notice” or an “MH Advantage” sticker. The sticker means that the home meets the requirements and a borrower could qualify for the MH Advantage financing. But the borrower must still meet certain loan eligibility requirements to be approved.
Government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have both been expanding their support for manufactured housing in recent months under a directive issued by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, called Duty to Serve.
Source: “Fannie Mae makes Mobile Home Loans Cheaper to Boost Affordable Housing,” National Mortgage News (June 6, 2018) and “Take the MH Advantage Challenge—Can You Tell the Difference?” Fannie Mae (June 5, 2018)
