Does a systems built home retain it's value?

If you mean a modular home or home whose components are manufactured in a factory then trucked to a site and erected, for the most part this is newer technology so in a way it's unproven. On the other hand fabricating walls and roof systems, or any components really, in a factory setting really is a good thing in that quality control is easier, weather isn't an issue, and uniformity and consistency of product can be increased. Also frankly construction time is reduced - a manufactured home can be "assembled" in a couple of days and be under roof quickly allowing sooner finishing of the interior. There are basically 2 kinds: open wall and closed wall. Open wall means that only one side is finished and then on site utilities, insulation and what have you are added to the open side, then closed up. In closed wall construction, everything is already inside the wall and basically it's something like Legos (r) in the field. Open wall is required if a local building code won't allow things to be sealed up without inspections first; this has to do with lack of uniformity of building codes, but things are getting better. The other reason has to do with trade unions and their power in a given area: if the homes are manufactured outside the area, that means fewer trade jobs in the area (other than "assembling" the final product). If homes are manufactured overseas and can be efficiently shipped here, more jobs are lost.