How to Buy a Manufactured or Modular Home in Central Alabama: In-Stock, Custom Order & Financing Options

Buying a home is one of the biggest decisions most people make in their lifetime. For many families across Central Alabama, manufactured and modular homes offer a path to homeownership that is both genuine and genuinely affordable, without sacrificing the comfort, quality, or style that makes a house feel like a home.

But if you have never purchased a manufactured or modular home before, the process can feel unfamiliar. How do you know what is available? Can you order a home that is built to your specific requirements? How does financing work, and what do you need in place before you start shopping?

Jaco Sales has been serving the people of Central Alabama since 2004, and helping buyers navigate exactly these questions is a core part of what the team does every day. This guide walks you through the three main ways to buy through Jaco Sales — choosing from in-stock listings, placing a custom order, and securing financing — so you can approach the process with confidence.

Step One: Understand the Types of Home Available

Before getting into the buying process, it helps to be clear about the three main home categories Jaco Sales carries.

Single wide homes are built as a single unit and are typically 14 to 18 feet wide, ranging from around 600 to 1,300 square feet. They are the most affordable option and are well-suited to singles, couples, retirees, and first-time buyers who need a quality, comfortable home at the lowest possible price point. Single wides are easier to transport and can be placed on tighter lots than larger homes.

Double wide homes are constructed as two sections joined together on site. They typically range from 1,000 to over 2,200 square feet and offer a layout that feels much closer to a traditional stick-built home. Larger bedrooms, open plan living areas, and full-sized kitchens are all achievable within a double wide footprint. For families with children or buyers who need more space, a double wide is often the most practical choice.

Modular homes are built in sections at a factory and assembled on a permanent foundation on site. Modular homes are often more energy-efficient due to the tight seal created by the factory construction process, and can be built to withstand severe weather conditions such as hurricanes and tornadoes. They also usually have a lower price tag than traditional stick-built homes. For buyers who want a home that appreciates in value like a traditional house and qualifies for conventional mortgage financing, a modular on a permanent foundation is typically the right direction.

Option One: Choosing from In-Stock Listings

The first way to buy through Jaco Sales is straightforward: come in, look at what is available, and choose a home from the current inventory and floor plan catalogue.

Jaco Sales currently offers 151 floor plans for order, spanning single wide, double wide, and modular options from manufacturers including Sunshine Homes and Franklin Homes. The range covers a wide spectrum of bedroom and bathroom configurations, square footages, and price points, which means most buyers will find several options that fit their needs within the existing catalogue.

The advantage of choosing from an in-stock or catalogue listing is speed and certainty. You can see floor plan layouts, review photos and 3D home tours online before you visit, and get accurate pricing quickly. For buyers who need to move on a defined timeline, this is often the most practical route.

When you visit the Jaco Sales lot in Montgomery, a sales associate will walk you through the homes available, help you compare floor plans, and answer questions about specifications, finishes, and what is included as standard versus what is available as an upgrade. There are no hidden fees, and the team's approach is built around finding the right home for your situation rather than steering you toward the most expensive option.

Option Two: Placing a Custom Order

If you have looked through the available floor plans and none of them quite fits what you have in mind, or if you have very specific requirements around layout, room sizes, or features, a custom order is the alternative.

Jaco Sales has some of the finest manufactured homes for sale in Montgomery Alabama in the newest models, but can also custom order homes to fit your specific wants and needs. This means working directly with a sales associate to identify a manufacturer and a base floor plan that can be modified to meet your requirements, then placing an order for that specific configuration.

Custom ordering takes longer than choosing from existing stock. Factory build times vary by manufacturer and by the complexity of the order, and you will need to factor in transportation and site preparation time before the home is ready to occupy. But for buyers who have a clear picture of what they want and are not in a rush, a custom order is the way to ensure the finished home reflects your priorities rather than someone else's.

Common custom order modifications include adjusting bedroom and bathroom counts, specifying kitchen layouts, selecting exterior finishes and roofline styles, and choosing flooring, cabinetry, and fixture packages. Your sales associate at Jaco Sales will guide you through what is and is not possible within each manufacturer's build programme, and help you put together an order that achieves what you are after within your budget.

Option Three: Understanding Your Financing

For most buyers, financing is the piece of the puzzle that either opens the door to homeownership or keeps it closed. Understanding how manufactured home financing works, and what Jaco Sales can help you access, is an important part of the process.

Manufactured home financing in Alabama works differently depending on the type of home and the land situation. The two most common scenarios are as follows.

Chattel loans apply when the home is financed separately from the land it sits on, either because you are placing the home on rented land in a community or because land financing is being handled separately. A chattel loan is secured against the home itself rather than real property. These loans are specific to manufactured housing and have terms and rates that differ from conventional mortgages. For buyers who cannot or do not want to purchase land at the same time as the home, a chattel loan is typically the most accessible path to financing.

Land-home loans apply when the home and the land it sits on are financed together as a single package. This type of financing is treated more like a conventional real estate mortgage, which typically means better interest rates, longer repayment terms, and the ability to build genuine equity in both the home and the land simultaneously. For buyers who already own land or are purchasing land alongside the home, a land-home loan is usually the financially stronger option.

At Jaco Sales, the team works with lenders who specialise in manufactured home financing and can help you understand which financing route is available to you based on your credit profile, income, and the land situation you are working with. The financing conversation is one of the first steps in the buying process, not the last, because knowing what you qualify for shapes every decision that follows — including which home types are in range and whether a land purchase makes sense alongside the home.

Who Jaco Sales Serves

Jaco Sales has been serving the people of Central Alabama and the surrounding area for over 20 years. The dealership serves buyers across Montgomery, Prattville, Wetumpka, Millbrook, Pike Road, Tallassee, Tuskegee, Auburn, Opelika, Shorter, Troy, Brundidge, Clanton, Hope Hull, Highland Home, Greenville, Alexander City, Sylacauga, Childersburg, and the wider Central Alabama region.

If you are in any of these communities and you are thinking about a manufactured or modular home, Jaco Sales is the starting point. The team is there to answer questions, walk you through options, and help you make a decision that makes sense for your family and your situation, not just today but for the long term.

Come See Us at Jaco Sales

Whether you are ready to buy, just starting to explore, or somewhere in between, the best next step is to come in and have a conversation.

Call (334) 283-1017 or visit jacomobilehomes.com