Sunita Somvanshi
Karmactive Team
The Economics of Factory-Built Housing
Interactive breakdown of MOVE-IN NY program costs and timelines
New York State announced MOVE-IN NY statewide expansion in September 2025 after completing three pilot homes in Syracuse, Schenectady, and Newcomb. The program has $50 million from the FY 2025-26 state budget to build up to 200 starter homes using factory construction methods.
The pilot homes are 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom units measuring 1,500 square feet with porches and garages. They took six months to complete and cost approximately $250,000 to build and install—up to three times faster and nearly half the cost of comparable homes built using traditional methods. In Newcomb, the home cost $260,000 to construct and will sell for $175,000.
Governor Kathy Hochul secured the funding as part of her 2025 State of the State proposals to address construction costs that have pushed typical small single-family home builds in New York to upwards of $450,000 or more.
The CrossMod Category
The homes use a manufactured housing category called CrossMods. They’re built to Federal HUD Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards and meet design guidelines approved by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, enabling homebuyers to access conventional mortgages.
CrossMods differ from standard manufactured homes through architectural features like pitched roofs, covered porches, and attached garages. When affixed to permanent foundations and properly titled under state and local requirements, CrossMods are classified as real property. Manufacturers introduced the CrossMod category in 2019 to meet design criteria enabling broader acceptance and financing.
Nicole Justice Green, Essex County Land Bank president and CEO, said: “These do not look like, feel like, or seem like what we envision as a manufactured home or trailer.”
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Mortgage Access
Fannie Mae’s MH Advantage program and Freddie Mac’s CHOICEHome program provide financing pathways for CrossMods. Fannie Mae’s Selling Guide requires MH Advantage comparables when available in appraisals; if MH Advantage comparables are limited, appraisers must supplement with site-built comparables, with limits on using standard manufactured home sales as comparables.
Freddie Mac’s Selling Guide requires appraisal reports for CHOICEHome properties to contain at least one comparable CHOICEHome sale. When no comparable CHOICEHome sales exist, appraisers must use appropriate site-built homes as comparables. The Appraisal Institute offers specialized training for appraisers on manufactured homes titled as real property, including CrossMods eligible for CHOICEHome financing, developed in collaboration with Freddie Mac.
Homes will be sold below construction cost to low and moderate-income buyers. Green noted that most families in Essex County qualify for moderate income brackets, calling it a solid moderate income for middle-class families.
Application Process
New York State Homes and Community Renewal opened a Request for Applications at 4:00 PM ET. Municipalities, land banks, nonprofit housing developers, and home manufacturers can apply at hcr.ny.gov/moveinny.
Selected participants receive zero-interest, partially forgivable loans to bulk-purchase CrossMods from pre-approved vendors. The program targets communities with high volumes of residentially zoned vacant land and localities where affordable homeownership opportunities are out of reach for residents.
HCR will continue exploring additional innovations in factory-built starter homes, including townhomes and multi-story houses for denser communities.
Micron and Regional Housing Demand
Micron’s Central New York megafab project will invest up to $100 billion and support the creation of nearly 50,000 jobs over 20-plus years. The semiconductor manufacturing facility in Clay will create over 50,000 new permanent jobs, including 9,000 direct Micron positions and over 40,000 community jobs.
The project includes the nation’s largest clean room space at approximately 2.4 million square feet. The scale of Micron’s investment as a proportion of Central New York’s economy is nearly five times larger than any other large industrial development in the U.S. The investment will likely return Syracuse’s population to 1970s levels at a growth rate not seen since the 1950s.
Empire State Development’s analysis projects the scale of housing demand this job growth will create. Governor Hochul referenced the Micron workforce needs when discussing the MOVE-IN NY expansion, stating she has 50,000 jobs coming to Central New York with Micron.
Construction and Installation
Champion Homes, a manufactured housing company based in Sangerfield, Oneida County, built the three pilot homes. The homes were manufactured in a factory and installed on vacant land owned by local land banks.
James Davis, Champion Homes Sales Manager, said: “The need for affordable housing is not going away. The MOVE-IN program addresses the housing crisis head-on with factory-built housing. The program brings affordable homes to market quickly.”
CrossMods are constructed in building facilities using processes that reduce construction waste and enable year-round production. Factory construction allows for controlled quality conditions and standardized building processes. The homes include energy-efficient features and meet durability standards for permanent residential construction.
Land Bank Participation
Capital Region Land Bank Chair Richard Ruzzo said, “Meeting the housing needs of our community remains central to the mission of the Land Bank. We thank Governor Hochul and Commissioner Visnauskas for the opportunity to participate in this important pilot program, and we look forward to welcoming a family into their new home in Schenectady very soon.”
Nicole Justice Green, Essex County Land Bank President & CEO, said: “Launching this CrossMod home in Newcomb marks a transformational moment for the Essex County Land Bank and for rural communities across the state, especially those within the Adirondack Park. As one of the first rural land banks in New York, we are proving that innovative housing models can take root even in the most remote corners of the state. This project demonstrates what’s possible when state and local partners work together to bring attainable, high-quality homes to the people who need them most.”
Katelyn Wright, Greater Syracuse Land Bank Executive Director, said: “We’re honored to have participated in the CrossMod pilot program and have been impressed with how quickly the construction process went. CrossMods presents a quick and affordable opportunity to put more quality, new, healthy housing units online in our community. Thank you to Governor Hochul and HCR.”
Land banks provide the vacant land for CrossMod installation. The organizations control properties acquired through foreclosure processes and municipal ownership. They identify suitable lots for infill development in existing neighborhoods.
Program Scope
New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said,d: “The MOVE-IN program represents an innovative pathway to creating affordable homeownership opportunities. This $50 million investment will enable the state to significantly spur the production of more housing at record speeds to address the issue of the lack of supply. Thanks to Governor Hochul for putting more tools in our toolbox so we could create new pathways to homeownership for New Yorkers. And special thanks to our partners in Syracuse, Schenectady, and Newcomb, as well as Champion Homes, for proving this program will be a success.”
The program expansion seeks to work with communities across urban, suburban, and rural areas of the state. CrossMods can be integrated in all types of housing markets due to their design features and compliance with site-built home aesthetics.
Construction costs, materials, and interest rates have made smaller, more affordable starter homes increasingly scarce in New York. This scarcity prevents young individuals and families from becoming first-time homeowners and limits options for older New Yorkers looking to downsize.
The program aims to build up to 200 additional starter homes statewide. The RFA and RFP processes opened in September 2025 for the statewide expansion phase. The program includes information sessions and a pre-bid conference scheduled for October 2025.
The three pilot homes have been completed.
