Today, in the kind of small, everyday moment that makes this work so satisfying, I met a local Realtor that was visiting my wife’s Yard Sale. She’s been in the business for nearly 20 years, working for the largest real estate brokerage in the area, and as we struck up a conversation, it quickly became clear—this wasn’t just someone who knew how to sell a home. She also knew a thing or two about how they’re built.
Of course, the topic soon turned to modular housing. Funny how that always seems to happen around me. She mentioned that she currently lives in a large two-story home built back in 1948. “The heating bills are starting to sting,” she said with a laugh. Then she admitted she was ready to downsize and was thinking a modular home might be a good fit. “They’re usually under 1,500 square feet,” she said. “They’re cheaper than a ‘real’ house, and the insulation is better, so I’d save on heating costs.”
Her comments made me smile. Not because she was wrong—but because she was almost right. And that “almost” is where the magic—and misunderstanding—about modular housing lives.
She’s correct that many modular homes are around 1,500 square feet or smaller, especially those built for downsizing homeowners. But modular homes can also be sprawling estates—3,000, 5,000 square feet and more—built from multiple modules and customized by architects or homeowners themselves. Size is flexible. That’s one of modular construction’s quiet strengths.
Then she said “cheaper than a real house,” and I winced just a little. If I had a dollar for every time someone assumed modular meant “cheap,” I could buy a dozen factory-built homes myself. Truth is, she’s probably sold modular homes without even knowing it. That’s how indistinguishable many are from site-built homes. The stigma still lingers from decades ago when some factories (and even some builders) pitched modular homes as a 20% savings over traditional construction. That message stuck—but reality has evolved. Today, with rising freight costs and local regulations that often treat modular homes like square pegs in round zoning holes, the price difference has mostly leveled out. The real savings now? Speed. Modular homes get you moved in quicker, saving months of rent or loan interest. Time is money, and modular knows how to save both.
But where she really hit the nail on the head was with energy savings. This is a benefit too few builders and factories shout loud enough about. Because modular homes are built indoors—with consistent crews, repeatable precision, and third-party inspections—they’re often sealed tighter and insulated better than their site-built cousins. I’ve seen job sites where yesterday’s foundation laborer is today’s insulation installer. That’s not how it works in a factory. In a modular plant, the guy installing insulation has done it a thousand times before—often better, faster, and more thoroughly.
And it goes deeper than just good insulation. Modular construction is inherently greener. Factories reuse, recycle, and repurpose at nearly every step. Scrap lumber becomes fuel for winter. Extra insulation gets tucked neatly into hard-to-reach cavities. Wiring and plumbing trimmings don’t go to waste. And perhaps most telling—walk behind a modular plant and you’ll find very few dumpsters. Compare that to a typical site build, where—at least until a decade ago—it wasn’t uncommon to find construction waste buried right in the backyard.
So, what did I tell this friendly Realtor? I said, when the time comes to sell your 1948 two-story and move on to something smarter and more efficient, talk to a reputable modular home builder. Ask for a custom design that’s right-sized for her lifestyle, built to Energy Efficient standards, and ready for move-in before she has time to miss her old drafty windows.
And yes, she bought several things from our Yard Sale and also handed us her card, one to each of us as she knows I’ll lose the one she gave me. Good promoting trick!
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Gary Fleisher, The Modcoach, writes about the modular and offsite construction industry at Modular Home Source.
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