VA manufactured home loans
in Michigan.
VA will finance a manufactured home on land you own, with no down payment for eligible borrowers. It also has a square footage rule that no other program uses, and most articles online get it wrong. Here is what VA actually requires.
Yes. VA guarantees loans on manufactured homes when the home and the site together are a real estate entity under state law, the home is on a permanent foundation built to withstand supporting and wind-overturning loads, and the property meets VA Minimum Property Requirements. VA requires at least 400 square feet for a single-wide and 700 square feet for a double-wide. Eligible borrowers may finance with no down payment.
The square footage rule almost everyone gets wrong
Search VA manufactured home requirements and you will find page after page saying 400 square feet. That is the FHA number, and it is only half right for VA.
VA sets two thresholds. A single-wide must have a floor area of not less than 400 square feet. A double-wide must have not less than 700 square feet. That second number does not exist in any other program.
It matters more than it sounds. A compact multi-section home somewhere in the 600s passes FHA comfortably and fails VA on size alone. That is an unusual outcome and it catches people who assumed the bigger home was the safer bet.
Practical note. Pull the square footage before you get attached to a specific home. If it is a double-wide under 700 square feet, VA is out but FHA or conventional may not be.
Real estate entity, not just "attached"
VA's language is specific. The manufactured home and the site must be considered a real estate entity in accordance with state law, and must meet all local zoning requirements for real estate.
In Michigan that is a documented legal status, not an opinion about how firmly the home is attached. A manufactured home here starts life with a certificate of title, the same as a vehicle. It becomes real property only when an affidavit of affixture is filed with the state and recorded with the county register of deeds.
Until that recording happens, the home and the site are two separate things in the eyes of the law, and the property does not meet VA's requirement. This is the step that most often moves a closing date, because it involves a state filing and a county recording and neither moves on your schedule.
The foundation standard, in VA's words
VA requires the home to be placed on a permanent foundation constructed to withstand both supporting loads and wind-overturning loads, meeting applicable state and local requirements.
Two forces, not one. Supporting loads are the weight pressing down. Wind-overturning loads are the forces trying to lift and rotate the home. A foundation that holds weight fine can still fail on uplift, and that is exactly the scenario with ground anchors and straps, which were the standard installation method for years.
In practice a Michigan licensed engineer evaluates and certifies it. Vinyl skirting as the only enclosure does not satisfy a permanent foundation standard, no matter how finished the home looks.
What changed in 2026
VA revised Chapter 12 of the VA Lender's Handbook, VA Pamphlet 26-7, in its entirety. Chapter 12 is the Minimum Property Requirements chapter, and the updated requirements apply to VA appraisals ordered on or after May 1, 2026.
If someone quoted you VA manufactured home requirements before that date, confirm them against the current chapter rather than assuming nothing moved. We check this on every file rather than working from memory.
What VA requires
Six things, and the first two are where most files turn.
Floor area thresholds
Not less than 400 square feet for a single-wide, not less than 700 for a double-wide. Check this number before anything else, because it is the one rule VA applies that no other program does.
Real estate entity
The home and site must be a real estate entity under Michigan law and meet all local zoning requirements for real estate. If the home still carries a certificate of title, an affidavit of affixture has to be recorded first.
Permanent foundation
Built to withstand both supporting loads and wind-overturning loads, meeting state and local requirements. Ground anchors alone do not satisfy the uplift half of that test.
Built after June 15, 1976
Built to HUD Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards, with the certification label present or a label verification letter in its place.
Not a park, not leased land
A home on a rented lot is personal property on land somebody else owns and cannot be a real estate entity. Kirby and Angie do not finance park or leased land homes under any program.
Proposed construction exhibits
If appraised as proposed construction, VA requires a foundation plan, floor plan with room layout and exterior dimensions, elevation plans, and specifications for flooring, heating, plumbing, and electrical. Gather these early.
Common questions
Compare the programs
If VA does not fit, something else usually does. The requirements differ more than people expect.
Send us the address and the square footage.
Those two things tell us whether VA works, whether another program is the better route, and what the property will need before an appraisal is ordered.
Equal Housing Lender. All loans subject to credit approval and underwriting. Program eligibility, rates, and terms are subject to change without notice. This is not a commitment to lend. VA requirements described here reflect VA Pamphlet 26-7, the VA Lender's Handbook, Chapter 12, and are provided for general education. VA revised Chapter 12 in its entirety, with updated requirements applying to appraisals ordered on or after May 1, 2026. Individual lenders may apply requirements in addition to VA minimums. VA loan eligibility requires a valid Certificate of Eligibility and available entitlement. A VA funding fee may apply. Kirby and Angie do not finance manufactured homes located in mobile home parks or on leased land. Angie Anderson NMLS #1999286 | Kirby Slocum NMLS #680817 | Union Home Mortgage NMLS #2229229. Licensed in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana.
