Manufactured housing is becoming increasingly attractive to both innovative developers and price-constrained home buyers. But such housing faces financing and development barriers. Residents must often take out high-cost loans due to the sector's lack of conventional financing. In many communities, zoning restrictions and public objections block the development of new mobile home parks. Even established parks have their challenges: Residents who lease lots are often displaced when park land is sold for higher revenue purposes.

On Aug. 23, 2005, three guest presenters joined KnowledgePlex for an Expert Chat on manufactured housing. This presentation, presented by Paul Bradley of the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, covered state policies that have facilitated a co-op park model of land ownership and efforts to gain conventional financing for manufactured homes.  Bradley is vice president for the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund and the director of the Meredith Institute. He began his work at the loan fund in 1988 and directs the Manufactured Housing Park Program, which has helped nearly 3,500 New Hampshire families and individuals gain ownership and control of their communities. He is a frequent speaker and author on market-based strategies in rural housing and is part of a small team from the Ford Foundation and CFED that is advancing a national strategy in manufactured housing.