A VA loan can finance a manufactured home if it’s permanently affixed to a lot, classified as real estate under state law, built to HUD’s manufactured home standards, and at least 400 square feet (single-wide) or 700 square feet (double-wide), per VA’s Lender’s Handbook. Separately, a VA Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) lets you add up to $6,000 to a VA purchase or refinance for energy improvements such as insulation, a heat pump or solar. Up to $3,000 needs only documented costs. Above that, the lender has to show the added payment won’t exceed the likely utility savings.

These two topics often come up together for buyers looking at more affordable homes, so this guide covers both. Many lenders add their own rules for manufactured homes, so treat VA’s rules as the floor, not the whole story.

Part 1: Manufactured homes with a VA loan

VA’s property requirements

Chapter 12 of VA’s handbook lists the minimum property requirements specific to manufactured homes:

• Real estate: the home and site must be treated as real estate under state law and meet local zoning for real estate. Converting a home titled like a vehicle to real property is a state process, and your title company and lender will tell you what’s needed.

• Permanent foundation: built to handle supporting loads and wind-overturning loads, and meeting state and local requirements.

• HUD standards: the home must be built to HUD’s Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards. VA expects appraisers to watch for missing HUD labels and unpermitted alterations or additions.

• Size: at least 400 square feet for a single-wide or 700 square feet for a double-wide.

The home also has to meet VA’s general property requirements. Modular homes are different: VA says they must meet state and local building codes and are generally appraised like site-built homes.

What you can finance

Chapter 7 of the handbook lists the allowed purposes for permanently affixed manufactured homes:

• Buying a manufactured home to place on a lot you already own.

• Buying a manufactured home and the lot together.

• A cash-out refinance of an existing manufactured home loan that also buys the lot it will sit on. See VA Cash-Out Refinance Explained.

• An IRRRL on an existing VA loan for a permanently affixed home and lot. See VA IRRRL.

VA’s handbook says loans on homes that won’t be permanently affixed fall outside these rules and are handled separately, so lenders call VA first. In practice, few lenders make them.

Funding fee

A permanently affixed manufactured home is real estate, so the regular purchase funding fee chart applies. VA.gov lists a separate 1% fee for manufactured home loans that aren’t permanently affixed. And if you used a VA loan in the past to buy only a manufactured home, VA.gov says you still pay the first-time rate. The full table is in VA Funding Fee Chart 2026.

Part 2: VA Energy Efficient Mortgages (EEMs)

An EEM isn’t a separate loan. It’s an increase to a VA purchase loan on an existing home, or to a VA refinance, to pay for energy improvements.

What counts

VA’s list includes solar heating and cooling (including solar water heating), caulking and weather-stripping, more efficient furnaces or burners, clock thermostats, insulation in ceilings, attics, walls and floors, water heater insulation, storm or thermal windows and doors, heat pumps and vapor barriers. The handbook says the list isn’t exhaustive.

How much

• Up to $3,000: based on documented costs, such as a bid or contract. VA assumes the higher payment will normally be offset by lower utility bills.

• $3,000 to $6,000: the lender must document that the increase in your monthly payment won’t exceed the likely drop in monthly utility costs, using local utility or government data.

• Over $6,000: not allowed. The cap is in federal law (38 U.S.C. 3710(d)).

Guaranty, entitlement and the funding fee

VA extends its guaranty percentage to the EEM portion, but charges your entitlement only on the loan amount before the improvements. That means an EEM doesn’t use up more entitlement. The funding fee, though, is charged on the full loan, including the improvement amount.

Timing, escrow and IRRRLs

• If the work isn’t done before closing, the lender can hold back just enough to complete it. Improvements are generally expected to be done within six months. If they won’t be finished, the money goes toward your principal.

• On an IRRRL, you can be reimbursed up to $6,000 for energy improvements completed in the 90 days before the loan. It’s the one exception to the no-cash rule on IRRRLs.

• If adding improvements to an IRRRL raises your payment (principal, interest, taxes and insurance) by 20% or more, the lender must certify that you qualify for the higher payment.

Illustrative examples (hypothetical)

• Manufactured home: a Veteran buys a 1,200-square-foot double-wide and the lot it sits on, outside Price. The title company confirms it’s been converted to real property, it’s on a permanent foundation and the HUD labels are intact. It meets VA’s size minimum and is financed under the normal purchase funding fee chart. Whether a given lender will do it depends on that lender’s own manufactured home rules.

• EEM: a Veteran buying an older home in Ogden gets a $4,500 bid for attic insulation and new storm windows. Because it’s over $3,000, the lender documents that the extra monthly payment is less than the estimated utility savings. The loan rises by $4,500, the funding fee is figured on the higher amount, and her entitlement is charged only on the base loan.

These are made-up scenarios to show how the rules apply. They aren’t quotes or approvals.

FAQ

Can I use a VA loan for a mobile home?

If it’s a HUD-code manufactured home that’s permanently affixed, treated as real estate and meets VA’s size and property requirements, yes. Homes that aren’t permanently affixed are handled separately, and few lenders offer those loans.

What’s the minimum size for a manufactured home on a VA loan?

400 square feet for a single-wide and 700 square feet for a double-wide.

How much can a VA energy efficient mortgage add?

Up to $6,000. Up to $3,000 needs documented costs. Above that, the lender must show the added payment won’t exceed the likely utility savings.

Does an EEM use more of my entitlement?

No. Entitlement is charged on the loan before the improvements, though the funding fee applies to the full amount.

Next step

Looking at a manufactured home or an older place that needs energy upgrades? Reach out with the address or details. I’ll tell you whether the lender I’d use can finance it and how an EEM would change your numbers. I’m licensed in Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, Texas and Oklahoma, and you can confirm that on NMLS Consumer Access.

Sources

• VA Lender’s Handbook (M26-7), Chapter 7: Topic 3, Energy Efficient Mortgages, and Topic 9, Manufactured Homes

• VA Lender’s Handbook (M26-7), Chapter 12: Minimum Property Requirements (manufactured and modular homes)

• VA.gov: VA funding fee and loan closing costs

• 38 U.S.C. 3710 (Cornell LII)

Sources checked November 8, 2026. Jimmy Hobson, NMLS #1514540, UMortgage, powered by NEXA Lending (NMLS #1660690). This article is general education. Many lenders have stricter manufactured home requirements than VA, and some don’t finance them at all. It is not a loan approval, a commitment to lend, or legal or tax advice. VA rules, lender requirements and program figures can change without notice, and individual lenders may add their own requirements (overlays). Please don’t send your Social Security number, DD214, court papers or other personal documents through the contact form or email; we’ll set up a secure way to share them if you move forward.