The first mobile home I ever sold changed how I think about affordable housing.
In 2013, I sold a 1985 single-wide in Southeast Portland—located in the very first manufactured housing community I ever bought.
We weren’t doing anything fancy. I added appliances, bought laminate flooring from Home Depot, and installed it myself (my one and only personal floor install).
The buyer was Brandon.
He bought the home for $12,500 on a contract:
• $2,500 down
• $10,000 financed over 7 years
Brandon moved in with his girlfriend and their infant son. He lived there for nearly three years.
When it came time to sell, we approved a new buyer who paid $20,000 cash for the same home.
During those three years, we invested heavily in the community:
• Improved the roads
• Added a laundry room
• Fixed street lighting
• Installed security cameras
We also got fortunate—an apartment building next door was upgraded with a new roof, windows, and paint. The neighborhood improved too.
A few years later, I ran into Brandon at a diner.
He had become the kitchen manager, and also had bought a hot dog cart he took to events around Portland, and he was still with his girlfriend and son. Most importantly, they had used FHA financing to buy a small single-family home in Northeast Portland.
I still own that original park—and Brandon’s first home is still sitting in that same community today.
This is what affordable housing looks like when it works:
• Investors earn returns
• Residents build stability and equity
• Communities become safer, cleaner, and more livable
If you want to invest in affordable housing with outcomes like this, I’d love to connect.