The manufactured housing industry, a $12 billion sector providing affordable homes to millions of Americans, has long suffered from a fragmented service ecosystem. Homebuyers often struggle to find reliable transporters, installers, title companies, and lenders, with no single resource to guide them. Enter MHarketplace, a new online platform launching today with a nationwide directory of manufactured home communities and a growing network of service professionals.
MHarketplace aims to simplify the process of buying, selling, and servicing manufactured homes. The platform offers a searchable community directory, a trusted services network, educational resources, and a marketplace for listings. It is designed to be a comprehensive starting point for homeowners and buyers, making the industry's many businesses visible and accessible.
The launch comes at a critical time. Manufactured housing is America's largest source of unsubsidized affordable housing, with roughly 100,000 new homes shipped annually. The average price of a new manufactured home is about $115,600, less than one-third the cost of a site-built home. Communities are nearly full, with occupancy rates around 95 percent, and experts see manufactured housing as key to closing the affordability gap.
Yet despite its importance, the industry remains difficult to navigate. 'The problem was never a lack of good people,' said Jacob Campbell, founder of MHarketplace. 'I've sat in homeowners' living rooms and worked alongside manufacturers, retailers, lenders, transporters, and community owners. The expertise exists everywhere in this industry. What's been missing is the connection - homeowners simply don't know these businesses exist. MHarketplace makes the ecosystem visible.'
The platform's community directory includes profiles of mobile home parks and manufactured housing communities, organized by state and city. The services network connects users with local professionals such as transporters, installers, contractors, title experts, insurers, and lenders. Educational resources provide plain-language guidance on titling, financing, transport, insurance, and community living. Listings and connections facilitate buying, selling, and renting.
MHarketplace's position is deliberately complementary to existing listings marketplaces. While other platforms help find homes for sale, MHarketplace addresses everything surrounding the transaction: education before, and services around and after. The goal is to make the industry's thousands of businesses, many family-owned and decades old, discoverable to homeowners who need them. 'Visibility isn't marketing - it's opportunity,' Campbell said. 'Great businesses deserve to be found, and homeowners deserve to find them. Manufactured homes have improved dramatically; public perception hasn't kept pace. Every confident, well-informed homeowner helps close that gap, and that strengthens the entire industry.'
MHarketplace is live now at mharketplace.com, launching state by state with national coverage of community directories. Manufactured housing businesses can claim and enhance their listings at launch, while homeowners and buyers can browse communities, services, and educational resources free of charge. The platform is founded by a real estate professional with firsthand experience in the industry, from homeowners' living rooms to transport routes and closing tables.
