What Hames Homes does

Hames Homes is a third-generation, family-owned manufactured home retailer and community operator founded in 1969 by Curt and Norma Hames in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The company sells new and pre-owned singlewide and doublewide manufactured homes (priced roughly $84,900 to $189,900) within land-lease communities it owns and operates, anchored by Grand View and Summit View in Cedar Rapids and extending to five neighborhoods across Eastern Iowa. Its vertically integrated offering includes in-house financing through wholly-owned subsidiary Circle Finance LLC (NMLS #366020), home insurance through Hames Insurance Agency (written via Foremost Insurance), a 96-point pre-owned home refurbishment and inspection system managed by a long-tenured service team, and community management with 24/7 on-call staff, four storm shelters, playgrounds, parks, and a dog park. Across 56 years the company has sold over 13,000 homes and currently houses ~950 households (approximately 2,300 residents, or 1 in 56 Cedar Rapids residents), with revenue generated from one-time home sales, recurring monthly lot rent ($365-$400), financing/insurance commissions, and a private-sale listing service. The company is privately held, has no venture or external equity backing, and distributes exclusively through its direct sales center at 5410 Wabash Street SW and the hameshomes.com website, with a Spanish-language version and a structured referral program.

Name

Hames Homes

Legal name

Hames Homes, Inc.

Website

https://hameshomes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hames Homes is a third-generation, family-owned manufactured home retailer founded in 1969 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, selling new and pre-owned homes within five Eastern Iowa land-lease communities and serving ~950 households with integrated financing, insurance, and on-site community management.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cedar Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Manufactured Home Sales: Sale of new and pre-owned manufactured homes (singlewide and doublewide). Homes sold as personal property (titled like vehicles) with prices ranging from approximately $84,900 to $189,900. Includes home installation, refurbishment for pre-owned, and new home warranties.
2. Home Site Rent (Lot Rent): Monthly land lease fees for residents owning homes but leasing land in Hames communities. Rent ranges from $365-$400 per month and includes garbage pickup, storm water fees, property taxes on land, on-call 24/7 management, and community amenities.
3. In-House Financing (Circle Finance LLC): Manufactured home financing through affiliated company Circle Finance LLC (NMLS #366020). Provides loan products for qualified buyers including those with credit challenges. Interest rates competitive with local and national lenders. No loan closing costs or processing fees. No prepayment penalties.
4. Insurance Services: Manufactured home insurance offered through Hames Insurance Agency, Inc. written via Foremost Insurance Company. Provides comprehensive coverage for home, other structures, and personal belongings. Includes liability protection.
5. Referral Program: Cash rewards for successful referrals: $200 for pre-owned home purchases, $350 for new home purchases. Reward applies to Hames inventory and listings only.
6. Home Listing Service: Listing service to market resident homes for sale. Hames facilitates private sales and handles calls and paperwork. Has facilitated 1,246 private sales.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Hames Homes sells new and pre-owned manufactured (singlewide and doublewide) homes and operates two land-lease manufactured home communities—Grand View and Summit View—in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The company bundles home sales with monthly home-site rent that includes utilities, on-call management, and community amenities, and supports purchases with in-house financing through Circle Finance LLC and insurance through Foremost. Homes range in price from approximately $84,900 to $189,900, with monthly lot rent of $365–$400.

Product overview

Hames Homes is a three-generation family-owned manufactured home retailer operating since 1969 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The company offers a portfolio of new and pre-owned manufactured homes (singlewide and doublewide models ranging from 1,000 to 2,400+ square feet) through two land-lease communities: Grand View and Summit View. Their integrated offering combines home sales with in-house financing through Circle Finance LLC and home insurance via Foremost, plus community amenities including playgrounds, walking trails, dog parks, and storm shelters included in monthly home site rent ($365-$400).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• New Manufactured Homes Brand new manufactured singlewide and doublewide homes with modern features such as open-concept kitchens, walk-in showers, and smart storage solutions, sold to individual homebuyers in Eastern Iowa. Pricing for available new homes ranges from approximately $154,900 to $189,900.
• Pre-Owned Manufactured Homes Refurbished pre-owned manufactured homes that have been systematically inspected through Hames' 96-point inspection process and updated, typically including warranties on appliances and central air conditioning, for individual homebuyers. Available pre-owned inventory listed from $124,900 to $189,900.
• Grand View Community (Land-Lease Community) Manufactured home land-lease community in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with green spaces, playgrounds, parks, pavilions, walking trails, disc golf, basketball courts, a 16,800 sq ft dog park, storm shelters, and community events. Monthly home-site rent ($365–$400) includes garbage pick-up, storm water fees, and 24/7 on-call management.
• Summit View Community (Land-Lease Community) 460-site manufactured home community in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with amenities including playgrounds, parks, walking trails, basketball courts, storm shelters, and community events. Convenient access to HWY 100, HWY 30, and I-380. Monthly home-site rent ($365–$400) includes utilities and on-call management.
• Home Financing through Circle Finance LLC In-house manufactured home financing through Circle Finance LLC (NMLS #366020), offering fixed-rate, fully amortizing loans typically with 10–20 year terms, 10–20% down payment, no closing costs, no processing fees, and no prepayment penalties. Available to qualified buyers including those with credit challenges.
• Manufactured Home Insurance (via Hames Insurance Agency / Foremost) Manufactured home insurance brokerage offered through Hames Insurance Agency, Inc., with policies written through Foremost Insurance Company. Coverage includes replacement cost, liability, personal belongings, and wind/hail damage, with discounts for policyholders over age 50.
• Resident Referral Program Cash reward program offering $200 for each pre-owned home referral and $350 for each new home referral that closes on Hames Homes inventory, credited to the referrer when the referred customer mentions the referrer's name first.
• Home Listing / Resale Facilitation Service Listing service to market resident-owned homes for private sale, with Hames Homes facilitating private transactions and handling calls and paperwork between sellers and prospective buyers. The service has facilitated 1,246 private sales.

Quantifiable outcome

• 71% increase in average used home resale price from 2008 ($29,964) to 2021 ($51,133)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Garden View HomesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Hames Homes sister company. Partnered together for Cedar Rapids Parade of Homes events.
• Adventure HomescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Home builder with facility in Garrett, Indiana. Employs over 400 people, producing approximately 2,000 homes annually. Manufacturing proximity to suppliers (furnaces, water heaters, shingles, siding) keeps shipping costs down. Hames has partnered since 2018, with 19+ Summit View and Grand View families purchasing Adventure Homes.
• Foremost Insurance CompanycoreTechnology or IntegrationLeading insurer of mobile and manufactured homes for over 50 years. Provides comprehensive coverage for homes, other structures, and personal belongings. First company to offer policy specifically designed for manufactured homes.
• Skyline HomescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor manufactured home builder. Hames sells Skyline homes including Skyliner II and Arlington models. New Home Warranty provided by Skyline Homes on applicable models.
• SchultminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerManufactured home builder. Partnership article 'Schult & Hames - It's a Beautiful Thing' discusses benefits of factory-built housing.
• Cedar Rapids Metro Economic AllianceminorOthersRegional economic development organization. Hames is a member.
• Marion Chamber of CommerceminorOthersLocal chamber of commerce in Marion, Iowa where Hames operates. Hames is a member.
• Iowa Manufactured Housing AssociationminorOthersState industry association for manufactured housing. Hames is a member.
• Manufactured Housing InstituteminorOthersNational industry association for manufactured housing. Hames is a member.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• UMH Properties: Public REIT (NYSE: UMH) specializing in manufactured home communities, primarily in the Northeast and Midwest. Comparable to Hames on community operations and recurring rent model, and arguably the closest regional peer in Midwest demographic markets.
• RHP Properties: Privately held owner/operator of manufactured home communities across 30+ states. Comparable to Hames on the community operating model and recurring rent stream, and a useful size and growth-rate benchmark for Hames' expansion ambitions.
• Equity LifeStyle Properties: Public REIT (NYSE: ELS) that owns and operates manufactured home communities and RV resorts nationwide. Closely comparable to Hames on land-lease community operations and recurring lot rent revenue model, though at significantly larger scale and broader geographic mix.
• Sun Communities: Public REIT (NYSE: SUI) operating manufactured housing and RV communities. Directly comparable to Hames on the land-lease community operating model and recurring rent economics, though at much larger scale and with a national footprint.
• Skyline Champion: Public manufactured and modular home builder (NYSE: SKY) and a direct supplier to Hames (Skyline models sold in Grand View). Comparable as a manufactured home builder and through Champion Home Builders retail channel, but at substantially larger national scale.
• Cavco Industries: Public manufactured home builder (NASDAQ: CVCO) producing factory-built homes under multiple brands and operating retail centers. Comparable to Hames as a manufacturer-retailer across the manufactured housing value chain, though at national scale and without Hames' community-operator focus.

Emerging players

• Adventure Homes: Indiana-based manufactured home builder producing ~2,000 homes/year and a direct supplier to Hames since 2018. Comparable to Hames as an emerging mid-size manufactured housing player and a relevant indicator of Hames' supply-side dependency.

Direct peers

• Clayton Homes: A Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary and the largest manufactured home builder and retailer in the U.S., operating home centers and land-lease communities across multiple states. Most direct comparability to Hames on retail distribution, in-house financing (via 21st Mortgage), and community operations.
• Oak Creek Homes: Regional manufactured home retailer selling new and pre-owned homes across Texas and the Midwest with company-owned communities. Closely comparable to Hames on retail-plus-community operating model in similar Midwestern housing markets.
• American Dream Home Sales: Regional manufactured home retailer operating in Iowa and surrounding states with similar home brands and community partnerships. Comparable to Hames as a directly competitive regional dealer with overlapping customer segments and geographic overlap in the Midwest.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/hameshomes
• Facebookfacebook.com/hameshomes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hames-homes
• Xx.com/HamesHomes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hames Homes