OXFORD — The manufactured and modular housing market is still holding its own despite the slowed economy, say dealers who will showcase their homes at next month’s annual show.

The show will be held April 15-17, about a week earlier than usual because of the Easter holiday at the end of April.

“We’re actually having a pretty good winter. We haven’t seen that in a couple of years,” Scott Stone of Schiavi Homes on Route 26 in Oxford, said of the sales and interest in modular and manufactured housing. He is president of the Housing Capital of New England.

Last year, seven manufactured home business along Routes 121 in Mechanic Falls and Oxford and along Route 26 in Oxford and Paris participated in the show that is sponsored by Norway Savings Bank and supported by the Oxford Hills Chamber of Commerce. They were Twin Town Homes, Schiavi Home Builders, Turn Key Homes and Alternative Modular Homes, all along Route 26 in Oxford, and Design First Homes on Route 121 in Mechanic Falls. Also participating were Keiser Homes on Route 121 in Oxford and Coastline Homes on Route 26 in Paris.

This year, Coastline Homes and Keiser Homes have decided to pull out of the show. Despite that, Stone said it does not mean the modular and manufactured home business is on the decline. In fact, Stone said, he is seeing signs of recovery.

“I am seeing improvement,” Stone said.

The difference, Stone said, is that he is seeing clientele with more discretionary money. Last year, with the first-time home buyer credit, the majority of buyers were first-time buyers.

Now, Stone said, he is seeing other types of buyers like a retired Pentagon worker who is moving to Gorham, a family that wants to build a second home in Sunday River and two buyers who are building homes on the waterfront in Bridgton.

“My observation is that when things hit the fan these people hunkered down. They recognize this as the best opportunity. If we truly are recovering this in the indicator I was looking for. These people are spending their money. Interest rates are still incredibly good. These are nice homes,” Stone said.

Stone said he has also found that the building trade for stick-built homes may not be recovering as well as modular and manufactured homes.

“I met with a developer from Cumberland area last week. He went on vacation for a couple of years. He’s doing his homework now on how and where to get back into the market. He said he made phone calls and the trades people aren’t there. They’re gone. You knew it was going to happen. When there’s no work they just can’t hang on. They find other things to do.”

Keiser Homes, which last year held a green seminar and factory tours at their 56 Mechanic Falls Road headquarters, will not be participating this year.

An employee who answered the phone said the company had undergone a significant downsizing this past year, but no one returned calls for a comment.

Ron Gray of Coastline Homes of Maine, which is based in Ellsworth, said the company sold its interest in a show lot next to KBS on Route 26 in Paris and although they still sell KBS manufactured homes, KBS now sells its own homes on the lot.

While he remains “cautiously optimistic” that the business is rebounding, Gray said he is seeing about 50 percent of buyers largely from out of state who want a second home in Maine. He is also seeing a good amount of first-time home buyers.

Chamber of Commerce Executive Director John Williams said he is not concerned about the lack of participation by plants such as Keiser because people generally do not come to the show to take plant tours but rather to see and tour the homes they want to buy.

Williams said there will be multiple homes on display. “That’s what people really come up for. The plant tour was moderately successful. People come here to see homes.”

Williams said the participants are “guardedly optimistic” that they will have another successful show. “It’s tough out there. They’re aware of that but the interest rates are good. There’s some real optimism.”

“We’re looking for another successful show,” Williams said. “Last year we had thousands of people who came.”

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