A double wide is the easiest kind of manufactured home to finance, though most banks still won't lend on one. Riverbank Finance writes double wide mobile home loans across Michigan, on your own land or family acreage, using the same programs that finance a site-built house.
Multi-section homes clear the width, square footage and appraisal thresholds that keep single-section homes out of most loan programs. A double wide on a permanent foundation is frequently eligible for conventional, FHA, USDA and VA financing at rates competitive with standard home loans.
This page covers what is specific to multi-section homes. For the full program-by-program comparison, park and land-lease options, and homes built before the 1976 HUD Code, see our main guide to Michigan mobile home financing.
RELATED: We now offer FHA Mobile Home Construction Loans down to a 620 Credit Score!
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What Counts as a Double Wide?
A double wide, known in the industry as a multi-section home, is built in two separate sections at the factory, transported to the site on two chassis, and joined along a centerline once it arrives. A single wide, or single-section home, is built and delivered as one unit.
The distinction matters to a lender for one reason: size. A double wide is typically somewhere around 20 to 36 feet wide and 1,000 to 2,000 square feet of living area, while single-section homes are usually 14 to 18 feet wide and well under 1,000 square feet. Underwriting guidelines are written around those numbers.
Triple-wides and other three-section homes are financed under the same multi-section rules described on this page. The section count affects the appraisal comparables you'll need rather than the program you qualify for.
Double Wide vs Single Wide Financing: What Actually Changes
This is the main reason it's worth knowing which one you're buying. Most conventional manufactured home guidelines set a minimum width and a minimum gross living area, and single-section homes routinely fall below both. A double wide clears them without difficulty.
| Factor | Double Wide (Multi-Section) | Single Wide (Single-Section) |
|---|---|---|
| Conventional financing | Widely available; meets typical width and square footage minimums | Frequently ineligible; many lenders decline single-section outright |
| Loan term | Up to 30 years on a permanent foundation | Often shorter, especially outside FHA |
| Appraisal comparables | Easier, with more multi-section sales in most Michigan markets | Harder in areas with few recent single-wide sales |
| HUD certification labels | Two (one per section), both verified | One |
| Resale and value retention | Behaves more like site-built housing when on owned land | More likely to depreciate, particularly in a leased-lot community |
Programs and guidelines vary by investor and change over time, so use the table as a general guide rather than a rulebook. Your loan officer will confirm what your specific home qualifies for before you're under contract.
HUD Tags on a Double Wide: Why You Need Two
Every manufactured home built after June 15, 1976 carries proof it was built to the federal HUD Code. On a multi-section home that proof comes in two forms, and buyers regularly confuse them.
- HUD certification label: a small red-and-silver metal plate riveted to the outside of the home, near the rear. Each transportable section gets its own, so a double wide has two labels and a triple-wide has three. All of them need to be present and legible.
- Data plate: a paper label inside the home, usually in a kitchen cabinet, bedroom closet, or near the electrical panel. It lists the manufacturer, serial number, wind and thermal zone ratings, and the sections the home was built with. There is one data plate per home, not one per section.
Missing labels are a common and avoidable delay on a double wide loan. If a section's label has been painted over, removed during a re-side, or lost entirely, the Institute for Building Technology and Safety can issue a label verification letter using HUD's records. That takes time, so request it as soon as you go under contract.
Appraisal and Comparable Sales for Multi-Section Homes
A double wide appraisal follows the standard manufactured housing process with one important difference: the comparable sales have to match the home's construction. An appraiser is expected to use recent sales of other multi-section manufactured homes, and a single-wide sale down the road generally will not support the value of your double wide.
In practice that means:
- The appraiser needs recent multi-section sales in your market, which is usually straightforward in populated parts of Michigan and harder in rural counties and the Upper Peninsula
- Comps should be similar in section count, age, square footage and land situation, and site-built houses are not an acceptable substitute
- The appraiser must be able to see and record both HUD labels and the data plate during the inspection
- Any additions built after the home was set, such as enclosed porches, attached garages or extra rooms, get inspected for permits and structural soundness, and unpermitted work can be excluded from value
If your home sits in an area with thin sales data, tell your loan officer early. There are ways to work around it, but only if we know before the appraisal is ordered.
Permanent Foundation Requirements
To be financed as real estate rather than personal property, a double wide has to be permanently affixed to a foundation that meets HUD's Permanent Foundations Guide for Manufactured Housing. For a multi-section home that involves work a single wide never needs, because the two halves have to become one structure.
- Footings below the Michigan frost line, with piers and anchoring in place of the transport axles
- Both sections structurally joined along the marriage line, with the ridge beam and floor system tied together
- Towing hitch, axles and wheels removed
- Permanently attached utilities and a fully enclosed, vented perimeter skirting or foundation wall
- A structural engineer's certification confirming the foundation and tie-downs meet the HUD guide, which is nearly always required and ordered separately from the appraisal
- The home converted to real property with the title surrendered under Michigan's affidavit of affixture process, so the home and land are taxed and financed together
Homes staying in a land-lease community stay personal property and are financed differently. Those are covered on our Michigan chattel loans page.
Do Double Wides Hold Their Value?
The old assumption that a manufactured home always depreciates comes from an era when nearly all of them were single-section units on rented lots, financed as vehicles. Those two facts, not the factory construction, drove the depreciation.
A multi-section home on land you own, on a permanent foundation, titled as real property and financed with a mortgage tends to behave much more like site-built housing. Value tracks the local market, the land underneath appreciates independently, and buyers can get conventional financing when you sell. A single wide on a leased lot, financed as personal property, behaves more like a vehicle.
For a Michigan buyer weighing a double wide against a comparable site-built house, the trade is usually a lower purchase price and faster build timeline against a smaller resale pool. Whether that's the right trade depends on how long you plan to stay.
Double Wide Mobile Home Loan FAQs
Is it easier to finance a double wide than a single wide?
Generally yes. Multi-section homes meet the width and square footage minimums most conventional manufactured home programs require, while single-section homes often fall below them. A double wide on a permanent foundation on owned land can usually be financed with conventional, FHA, USDA or VA programs.
How many HUD tags does a double wide have?
Two, one HUD certification label riveted to the exterior of each transportable section. A triple-wide has three. There is also a single paper data plate inside the home. All labels must be present and legible, and a verification letter can be requested from IBTS if one is missing.
Can I get a 30 year mortgage on a double wide in Michigan?
Yes, when the home is on a permanent foundation, titled as real property with the land, and meets program guidelines. We offer 30 year fixed rate mortgages on qualifying double wide homes.
What appraisal comps are used for a double wide?
Recent sales of comparable multi-section manufactured homes in the same market, similar in age, size and land situation. Single wide sales and site-built houses generally will not support the value of a multi-section home.
Do double wide homes depreciate?
Not automatically. A multi-section home on owned land, permanently affixed and titled as real property, tends to track the local housing market. Depreciation is far more associated with single-section homes on leased lots financed as personal property.
Can I finance a double wide in a mobile home park?
Yes, but through a different product. A home on a leased lot stays personal property and is financed with a chattel loan, typically with as little as 5% down. See our Michigan mobile home financing guide for how park loans compare.
Still have questions? See all frequently asked mortgage questions or call a mortgage expert at 1-800-555-2098.
Talk to a Michigan Double Wide Lender
Before you spend hours getting turned down by banks that don't write these loans, call us. Tell us the year, the section count, whether it's on owned land or a leased lot, and whether it's on a permanent foundation. That's usually enough for us to tell you which programs are open to you on the first call.
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