Financing
The fork nobody puts on the pricing page
Here's the truth most builders won't tell you until you're deep in the process: how your home is classified decides how you can pay for it. There are two paths. They are different. Picking the wrong one costs real money. So we put it here, first.
Path one
Foundation Series
Installed on a permanent foundation and certified as a modular home under the same building code as site-built houses (IRC).
- Legal status: real property
- Financing: conventional mortgage, FHA, VA, USDA
- Appraisal: against site-built comps — builds equity
- Insurance: standard homeowners
- The catch: requires the permanent foundation — relocation is possible (lift and re-set) but it's a project, not a tow
Path two
Relocatable Series
Kept movable — sited on leased land, family land, or anywhere you may not stay.
- Legal status: personal property
- Financing: chattel or RV-style loan — higher rates, shorter terms
- Appraisal: depreciates like a vehicle, because legally it is one
- Insurance: specialty policies
- The honest part: every tiny home on wheels ever sold is on this path — most sellers just don't say so
Why we tell you this: nobody else explains the fork because the answer sells fewer homes. We'd rather you pick the right one. If you want equity and a mortgage, you want the Foundation Series. If you need to move, you want the Relocatable Series and honest numbers about what that costs.
Side by side
| Foundation Series | Relocatable Series | |
|---|---|---|
| Classification | Real property (IRC modular) | Personal property |
| Loan types | Conventional, FHA, VA, USDA | Chattel, RV, personal |
| Typical rate premium | Standard mortgage rates | Meaningfully higher — ask lenders for both quotes |
| Value over time | Appraises, builds equity | Depreciates |
| Movable | Lift and re-set (a project) | Yes (the point) |
| Best for | Your land, ADU, forever-ish | Leased land, uncertain tenure |
Financing partners
We're building partnerships with lenders who already work in this category — including personal-loan lenders with dedicated tiny-home programs and contractor-financing platforms. "From $X/mo" figures will appear on model pages when partner terms are live; until then we won't invent them.
Renting the ADU? Some agency underwriting now counts ADU rental income — ask your lender about accessory dwelling unit income rules before assuming it doesn't count.