Affordable housing isn’t affordable if you can’t maintain it.

I’ve seen it firsthand. Habitat for Humanity, church groups, and well-meaning nonprofits build homes with good hearts and cheap materials. But here’s the truth no one wants to say out loud: a house built to barely meet code with volunteer labor and donated parts doesn’t age well.

I’m not attacking them, they’re doing something beautiful. But beauty and sustainability aren’t the same thing. Within five to ten years, those homes start falling apart. Roofs leak, HVACs fail, siding warps. And the family who thought they’d finally escaped the cycle of renting ends up right back in it, this time with repair bills they can’t afford. That’s not affordability. That’s debt disguised as opportunity.

The same thing goes for the “tiny home” and “shed conversion” movement. I get it, right now, it’s cheaper. It’s a way to get out of renting, a way to own something, a way to breathe. But let’s call it what it is: a temporary solution. You’re not building equity. You’re buying time. A $25,000 shed on a rented lot doesn’t appreciate. It rots. Mobile homes? Same deal. They depreciate like cars, and the land beneath them (if you even own it) becomes the only part that gains value.

These “affordable” options can be a great stepping stone, but they’re not the destination. They’re a place to stabilize, not settle. Because long-term wealth isn’t built from what’s cheap; it’s built from what lasts.

If we want real affordability, we need to stop focusing on how little it costs to build something, and start focusing on how long it can stand without draining the owner dry.

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And here’s the kicker: the same lie that traps families traps investors too.

If you’re buying sheds, mobile homes, or “tiny homes” thinking you’ve found a shortcut, this is your warning. That “cheap” method isn’t a win. It’s a countdown to your undoing. You’re not building equity, you’re building liability. Those structures depreciate, not appreciate. They require constant maintenance, endless repair, and eventually… replacement.

wanna build something that is affordable and long term profitable? Let’s talk.