In recent years, prefabricated homes that are not particularly popular in the Chinese market have become all the rage and highly sought after globally. Why is this? Over the past three decades, China's construction industry has developed rapidly and urbanization has advanced swiftly. Every household has a home—whether a self-built rural house, an apartment, a large-title property, or a villa. The real estate market is relatively saturated, and various housing components—such as steel, doors and windows, hardware, panels, sanitary ware, insulation materials, air conditioners, bathroom heaters, etc.—are very easy to procure. New housing supply is excessive, and second-hand market listings are abundant. While domestic real estate sales are slow, China's factory production is very strong, so China has directed the housing sector toward exports.
It is worth noting that prefabricated homes are not popular in China itself. People mostly use them as worker housing on construction sites or temporary buildings in scenic areas, and subconsciously do not regard them as long-term homes—because China's building systems are too developed and too fast, and Chinese people place great importance on property rights, so they would not choose prefabricated movable homes for permanent residence.
In the global market, however, labor costs are very high in many countries, housing is scarce, and people want to live in a suitable and comfortable home—but either cannot afford the high cost or lack cheap labor. High labor costs lead to long construction periods, so they cannot rapidly ship out and move in as Chinese factories can. By comparison, Chinese prefabricated homes are widely favored by buyers around the world. On the surface it looks like a simple real estate transaction, but in reality it is China's low labor costs, strong delivery capacity, and complete industrial chain that help more people achieve cost-effective, dignified, and comfortable housing.