Millennials and Gen Z are turning to a new mode of abode to achieve their home ownership dreams as relocatable properties suddenly become sexy.

Australia’s largest manufacturer of movable homes and granny flats is reporting a rise in the number of 20 and 30-somethings wanting instant homes they can move into immediately — without the stress and expense of an established property.

One of Bellevue Design & Construct’s modular homes. Image supplied.

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VanHomes CEO Vito Russo said traditionally retirees had been the largest buyer market for relocatable homes, but that was changing because they were now “affordable, stylish, and virtually instant”.

Mr Russo said Millennials and Generation Z buyers wanted “instant homes” that they could move into immediately and customise themselves.

Michelle Reed and her 20-year-old daughter Matisse Ritchie with the modular homes they live in. Picture: Adam Head.

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“What many people do not realise is that relocatable and expandable homes have evolved significantly over the last few years and they are now very stylish and comfortable,” he said.

Mr Russo said the homes ranged from studios through to three-bedroom properties, with prices anywhere from $65,000 to $136,000.

The kitchen inside one of Bellevue Design & Construct’s modular homes. Image supplied.

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“They arrive the same width as a caravan and once in place in the back yard can then be expanded out to provide up to 59 sqm of living space,” he said. “That is bigger than some Sydney apartments. They really are instant housing.

“Once the home is rolled onto the block, it only takes a short period of time to set it up. You can live in them on the same day they are delivered to your block.”

The living area inside one of Bellevue Design & Construct’s modular homes. Image supplied.

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Jak Lok of Bellevue Design & Construct has been building homes for the past 15 years, but recently started making modular homes to meet a growing demand for more affordable and immediate housing solutions.

“Before Covid, $500,000 still got you a house and land package,” Mr Lok said. “Now, that’s impossible.

A bedroom inside one of Bellevue Design & Construct’s modular homes. Image supplied.

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“We know how hard it is to get into the market for first homebuyers, so we decided to take this direction.”

Mr Lok said young people were more educated when it came to home styling and interiors, so he knew he had to make his product high-quality and appealing.

“We’re using the latest materials and colours, and we’re changing the traditional donga design to be more modern for a younger generation,” he said.

The bathroom and laundry inside one of Bellevue Design & Construct’s modular homes. Image supplied.

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“A lot of our buyers buying it for their kids because they know it will be impossible for them to buy later on.”

Michelle Reed recently bought two modular homes from Mr Lok — one for herself and one for her 20-year-old daughter, Matisse.

“My partner and I have a house down the coast, but we still needed a base in Brisbane,” Ms Reed said.

Inside one of Bellevue Design & Construct’s modular homes. Image supplied.

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“We just sold our house in Victoria Point and it seemed stupid to go and get another house, so I paid out the mortgage and had the cash to build these two. They build them offsite and crane them in.”

There was enough room on Ms Reed’s mother’s property to put both homes.

Ms Reed said she and her daughter got to work with an interior designer to choose their colours and finishes, including floor to ceiling tiles in the bathroom and stone benchtops in the kitchen.

“People can’t believe it,” she said. “They come to visit and think it’s going to look like a shipping container.”