News

Texas Manufactured Home Shipments Report February 2026 - Market Analysis & Data

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 20:14:38 GMT

February Shipments

Manufactured home shipments to Texas retailers moved up 4.4% in February on a seasonally-adjusted basis from the prior month. Year over year, shipments were 3.7% below February of 2025.

February continued a three-month recovery from the December low of 1,173, though shipments have yet to return to the 1,500 level seen through most of 2024 and early 2025.

The 1,388 total homes shipped for the month landed in the upper side of the prediction interval at 121 homes above the point forecast from last month.

Shipments	Singles	Multis	Total
Total for February:	557	831	1,388
Change from January (Raw %):	-5.6%	15.1%	5.8%
Change from January (Raw Units):	-33	109	76
Change from January (SA %):	-5.1%	13.5%	4.4%
Change from February of 2025 (%):	-4.3%	-3.3%	-3.7%
Change from February of 2025 (Units):	-25	-28	-53

Monthly Manufacturer Shipments

February Production

Texas manufactured housing plant production moved up in February 4.5% on a seasonally-adjusted basis from the previous month. The total of homes produced was 1,609 and minimum floors were 2,360.

Year over year, total homes were 11.2% below February of 2025, and minimum floors were 9.4% below the previous year.

The production total landed in the upper side of the prediction interval, 163 homes above last month’s point forecast.

Texas production lagged the shipment recovery on a year-over-year basis, with out-of-state manufacturers helping close the gap for retailers.

Texas Plant Production	Total	Shipped Out of TX	Min Floors
Total for February:	1,609	353	2,360
Change from January (Raw %):	7.3%	2.6%	9.9%
Change from January (Raw Units):	110	9	212
Change from January (SA %):	4.5%	NA	10.4%
Change from February of 2025 (%):	-11.2%	-23.6%	-9.4%
Change from February of 2025 (Units):	-203	-109	-245

Monthly Manufacturer Shipments

March Outlook

The forecasting models point to March shipments around 1,510 (1,299–1,721) and Texas factory production around 1,769 (1,545–1,993).

The Texas Manufactured Housing Survey (TMHS) signaled broad run rate increases for March.

I’d lean towards the over on the production forecast and shipments look like a coin flip.

Texas Manufactured Home Survey Results

Retail Sales Comparison

The 12-month moving average for shipments peaked in July 2025 for this production expansion cycle and has been moving lower through February 2026.

The 12-month moving average for retail sales is currently plotted through November 2025. Late title work will continue to push the most recent months higher, though not to the extent seen in prior years.

Year to Date

Shipments

Shipments for the year are currently 8.9% below 2025.

The forecast for 2026 Texas shipments moved up to 16,633 (13,974–19,627).

Shipments	Singles	Multis	Total
Total for 2026 YTD:	1,147	1,553	2,700
Change from 2025 (%):	-3.5%	-12.6%	-8.9%
Change from 2025 (Units):	-41	-223	-264

Production

Texas plant total home production in 2026 is 16.9% below the previous year and the minimum floors built were 16.1% below 2025.

The forecast for 2026 Texas plant production moved up to 19,812 (16,926–23,008).

Texas Plant Production	Total	Shipped Out of TX	Min Floors
Total for 2026 YTD:	3,108	697	4,508
Change from 2025 (%):	-16.9%	-28.4%	-16.1%
Change from 2025 (Units):	-631	-276	-867

Annual Manufacturer Shipments

Annual Totals

Manufactured Home Builders Stock Index (MHBI) March 2026 - Performance Analysis

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 20:00:52 GMT

The Manufactured Home Builders Index (MHBI) finished March down -17.8% as US military operations in Iran drove broad market uncertainty. The S&P 500 moved down -4.9% for the month while the bond market signaled higher rates and diminished expectations for additional Fed rate cuts. The ITB residential construction index finished down -15.6%.

The MHBI is now down -14% on the year, the ITB is down -5.8%, and the S&P 500 is down -4.4%.

Percent change from start of period

Manufactured Home Builders Stock Index (MHBI)

The Manufactured Home Builders Stock Index (MHBI) is a capitalization-weighted index developed by TMHA that includes publicly traded companies whose primary line of business is the construction and sale of manufactured housing.

iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (ITB)

The iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (ITB) is included for comparison sake to show how the Manufactured Home Builders Stock Index is doing relative to a broad index of the overall residential construction sector. The ITB index includes some of the same manufactured home companies as the MHBI, but the weights within each are very different.

SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY)

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) is included as a market benchmark to see how manufactured home builders are doing in comparison to the broader US equity market.

Texas Manufactured Housing Market Report January 2026 and 2025 Year End - Sales Data & Analysis

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 16:09:04 GMT

January

Early Look

New manufactured home sales for January 2026 titled to date are down a seasonally-adjusted 13.6% from the previous month but are 26.6% above January of 2025 as the titling shift that has been underway since August of 2025 continues to inflate year-over-year numbers. Home sales that would have previously been titled with an earlier purchase contract date a year ago are now getting titled with a later date of when the change in ownership ultimately occurs.

Until we get through the summer of 2026, year-over-year numbers should remain high.

As you can see in the plot below the early January reading is historically high due to the titling cadence change, and the sequential seasonally-adjusted decline has more to do with December being the highest seasonally-adjusted month on record at both the early release point and at the regular release point. The cadence shift will add noise to the seasonal-adjustments, but they’re still one of our best gauges on the health of the retail market. Early release seasonal-adjustments have been running higher than historical totals since July of 2025, and the January total is 2% above the average since that upward shift.

All in all, the month is looking better than the headline previous month decline would suggest.

The comparisons in the table below are based on where the previous month’s numbers were when originally reported on one month ago.

New Sales	Singles	Multis	Total
Total for January:	345	522	867
Change from December (Raw %):	-26.1%	-22.7%	-24.1%
Change from December (Raw Units):	-122	-153	-275
Change from December (SA %):	-19.1%	-8.8%	-13.6%
Change from January of 2025 (%):	10.9%	39.6%	26.6%
Change from January of 2025 (Units):	34	148	182

TMHA Member’s Retailer Annual Sales Totals Report

December

Titled on Time

New home sales for December titled to date were up a seasonally adjusted 7.1% from the previous month and are up 32.5% on the raw total from December of 2024. Revisions should be much lower moving forward but the December total for 2024 settled at 1,242 purchased homes, so the 2025 total was not far off from that mark.

As mentioned above, the seasonally-adjusted sales total for the month was a series record for the data we’ve been tracking since 2012 as the cadence shifted sales that would have gone to earlier sales month revisions were instead titled with ownership changing in December.

Monthly retail sales titled to date. Previous months revised up with additional titles issued.

While the plot above contains revised totals for previous months the comparisons in the table below are based on where the previous month’s numbers were when released one month ago.

New Sales	Singles	Multis	Total
Total for December:	501	722	1,223
Change from November (Raw %):	29.5%	7.9%	15.8%
Change from November (Raw Units):	114	53	167
Change from November (SA %):	20.3%	4.2%	7.1%
Change from December of 2024 (%):	27.5%	36.2%	32.5%
Change from December of 2024 (Units):	108	192	300

TMHA Member’s Retailer Monthly Sales Totals Report

Installation Location Trends

Here are the month-over-month changes for the top 10 counties for new home sales in December and in the previous four months.

Liberty and Bastrop counties were the only locales with new home placements coming in lower in raw totals from the previous month for the top 10 new home sales counties.

Monthly percent changes for past five months sales titled through 3-20

TMHA Member’s Retailer Annual Sales Total per County Report

Annual Totals

The year-over-year total for new home sales in 2025 moved below 2024 with a 0.1% decline for all retail sales titled through this point in the calendar year closing out 2025 monthly reporting.

Multi-section sales closed the reporting year up 5.2% while single-section sales were down 7%.

As noted above, we expect revisions to 2025 sales totals to be minimal, so 2024 sales shouldn’t give up their lead from here.

New Sales	Singles	Multis	Total
Total for 2025 titled to date:	6,231	9,124	15,355
Change from 2024 (%):	-7%	5.2%	-0.1%
Change from 2024 (Units):	-467	451	-16

TMHA Member’s Retailer Annual Sales Totals Report

New Home Characteristics

The shift in title cadence has really pulled down the median age of multi-section homes to the shortest amount of days in our records, yet the same dynamic hasn’t carried over to single-section homes, whose median age remains near its 2023 peak.

Median age of new manufactured homes at retail sale by section type

New Home Characteristics for 2025	Singles	Multis	Total
Median Age of Home (Days):	122	62	85
Median Square Footage:	1,080	1,680	1,475

New Home Placement Locations

Here are the breakdowns in year-over-year changes for the top 10 counties in new home placements across home section types.

Bastrop, sitting at number five on the list has seen much larger year-over-year growth in new home installations than the rest of the top 10 counties.

TMHA Member’s Total Annual Retail Sales per County Report

Shipment Comparison

The last third of the year is usually a period of aggregate inventory buildup, but not having the typical large drawdown in inventory that we usually see in July has been putting downward pressure on shipments into 2026. The robust retail sales of December should pull the difference in shipments for that month close to zero.

Monthly difference between manufactured home shipments and retail sales in Texas

Moving Averages

The 12-month moving average for shipments peaked in July of 2025 for this last production expansion cycle and has been moving lower through January 2026.

The 12-month moving average for retail sales is currently plotted through October 2025. Until those lines cross again, shipments will continue to face headwinds.

THMA Public Shipment Report

Used Homes

The used home retail sales data is noisy as it includes commercial purchases of park-owned homes after a manufactured home property is sold to a new buyer, but there was a clear downward trend in total transactions in the higher interest rate environment from 2022 through 2024 and have been roughly flat since.

Used Sales	Singles	Multis	Total
Total for 2025 titled to date:	2,405	1,092	3,497
Change from 2024 (%):	4.6%	9.1%	6%
Change from 2024 (Units):	106	91	197

Revised Monthly Totals

Because titles continue to come in for past sales months, here are all prior months for the year and what their current sales totals are at this report release.

New Sales Month	Singles	Multis	Total	(YoY%)
January	484	594	1,078	6.4
February	487	686	1,173	-3.5
March	630	917	1,547	3.5
April	605	855	1,460	-6.5
May	577	778	1,355	-4.0
June	495	631	1,126	-14.4
July	533	770	1,303	2.8
August	525	934	1,459	2.0
September	503	746	1,249	-0.3
October	497	801	1,298	-0.9
November	394	689	1,083	-6.0

Used Sales Month	Singles	Multis	Total	(YoY%)
January	174	80	254	25.7
February	150	80	230	-12.9
March	436	101	537	71.0
April	244	88	332	16.5
May	186	93	279	-12.3
June	169	92	261	21.4
July	189	94	283	15.0
August	176	91	267	-7.6
September	149	90	239	-5.2
October	231	105	336	-1.5
November	138	77	215	-1.4

Texas Manufactured Home Prices 2025 - Average Sales Price Analysis & Trends

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 18:41:11 GMT

Manfactured Home Average Selling Prices - October 2025

Multi-section Homes

The average sales price for multi-section homes in the South Census Region was $162,300 in October 2025, down 4.2% from September. The October 2025 value was up 6.6% from October of 2024 nominally and up 3.7% after adjusting for inflation.*

Multi-Section Manufactured Home Average Sales Price (South Census - Nominal)

This chart is built off of the US Census Bureau’s Manufactured Housing Survey (MHS) Tables

Multi-Section Manufactured Home Average Sales Price (South Census - Real)

This chart is built off of the US Census Bureau’s Manufactured Housing Survey (MHS) Tables. Price values have been inflation adjusted to January 2022 dollars. The October CPI-U value was not published due to a government appropriations lapse and has been linearly interpolated from the September and November values.

Single-section Homes

The average sales price for single-section homes in the South Census Region was $89,200 in October 2025, up 4.8% from September. The October 2025 value was down 1.8% from October of 2024 nominally and down 4.4% after adjusting for inflation.*

Single-Section Manufactured Home Average Sales Price (South Census - Nominal)

This chart is built off of the US Census Bureau’s Manufactured Housing Survey (MHS) Tables

Single-Section Manufactured Home Average Sales Price (South Census - Real)

Average Retail Selling Prices with TMHA Forecasts

Using a regression model based on the most recent February Producer Price Index for manufactured housing data, the forecasted average multi-section sales price is estimated at $157,100 (+/- $9,300) for multi-sections and $86,000 (+/- $6,400) for single-section homes*.

Manufactured Home Average Sales Price Forecasts

Find out more from a retailer near you

The PPI is not a perfect predictor for the Census’ Manufactured Housing Survey average price results, but it does account for over 90% of the variability when used in a regression model as the explanatory variable.

"Mobile Homes for Sale" Google Search Trends Texas February 2026 - Market Demand Analysis

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 16:28:33 GMT

Google Search Interest: “Mobile Homes for Sale” in Texas

Texans search interest in “mobile homes for sale” moved down a seasonally-adjusted 0.3% in February from the previous month. The February 2026 value was 7.2% below February of 2025 and marked a new seasonally-adjusted low in the series that includes monthly search volumes since 2012.

Google searches for “mobile homes for sale” in the state of Texas tend to peak in January, slow down through the spring, and then hit a second peak in July before declining through the end of the year.

Note: This chart is built from Google Trends data for the search term “mobile homes for sale”

Comparison with Site-Built Homes

In the past we noted that there had been a steady decline in search volume for “mobile homes for sale” from the March 2021 peak, and that a similar decline had occurred with the broader “homes for sale” search term. The seasonally-adjusted data in the plots below shows that while Texans searching for “homes for sale” did indeed decline from 2022 through 2023, it appears to have stabilized in 2024 while searches for “mobile homes” fell further. Since bottoming in July of 2025 searches for “mobile homes” had shown improvement, but the last three readings have given back the gains.

The search term “homes for sale” has also continued to soften over the past four months.

It appears that Texans are searching for homes in general less than they were in the lower mortgage interest rate environment before 2022 and given that manufactured housing can save purchasers more than half on price per square foot, perhaps they should add “manufactured” to the front of those Google searches.

Seasonally adjusted search trends comparison

Note: The data series for each of the search terms are pulled separately and the search interest values reference the relative traffic to the search term itself over time. The overall search volume for “mobile homes for sale” is not as high as the broader “homes for sale” query.

Notes

“Mobile Homes For Sale” Search Term Selection

The google trends data is pulled for the search term “mobile homes for sale” because the volume of search data for that term is 10 times higher than the volume of searches for “manufactured homes for sale.” In Texas any home with a HUD-Code label on it is legally a manufactured home, and any home built in a factory prior to the introduction of the HUD-Code in 1976 is a mobile home. Despite the legal definition google search data suggests that consumers tend to characterize modern manufactured homes as mobile homes.

Google Trends Data

Google Trends data can give valuable insight into the search patterns of internet users. Because of the enormous volume of searches, Google Trends data is pulled from a random sample of overall searches for a given time period, and that sample changes overtime so the historical data differs upon subsequent views. To get closer to the true amount of search interest for each month, we pull the trend data multiple times and average the results.

The other important thing to note about Google Trends data is that it is normalized over the time span for which the data is pulled. The highest month will have the score of a hundred and then every other month gets a value of what percentage it’s amount of searches represent compared to that highest month’s value. This means that historical percentages will change overtime as new peaks are introduced over time.

Manufactured Home Producer Price Index February 2026 - Wholesale Pricing Trends

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 15:43:20 GMT

Manufactured Home (PPI)

The Producer Price Index (PPI) for manufactured housing showed no change in February from the previous month, after the January index value was revised higher.

Wholesale prices nationally were up 2.4% above February of 2025.

While the first two readings of 2026 marked highs for this time a year, wholesale prices nationally appear to be slightly below where they ended 2025 and quite a bit below the 2022 peak.

This chart is built from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index by Industry: Manufactured home, mobile home, manufacturing, not seasonally adjusted (PCU321991321991)

Inputs to Residential Construction Goods (PPI)

On the costs of materials to manufacturers the PPI for input goods to residential construction rose 1.1% in February from the previous month. The year-over-year change for February was 3% above 2025.

Building materials continue to push new all time highs.

The Inputs to Residential Construction Goods is not a perfect proxy for manufactured home builders materials costs as it includes ready-mix concrete prices and does not include the steel used for chassis assembly, nor does it weight transportation costs as heavily as they would be in a manufactured home index. We plan on expanding this report to include looks at those markets individually in the coming months.

This chart is built from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index by Commodity: Inputs to residential construction, goods, not seasonally adjusted (WPUIP2311001)

Prices Received for Finished Manufactured Homes (TMHS)

The regional Texas Manufactured Housing Survey (TMHS) results had prices received for finished homes increasing in February for roughly two-thirds of the market.

We recently created a new report with the data and analysis on all of the TMHS indices for TMHA members.

Average Retail Selling Prices with TMHA Forecasts (MHS)

Using the MH PPI in a regression model to predict average selling prices in the South Census region puts the average sales price in February at $157,100 (+/- $9,300) for multi-section homes and $86,000 (+/- $6,400) for single-section homes*.

*The PPI is not a perfect predictor for the Census’ Manufactured Housing Survey average price results, but it does account for over 90% of the variability when used in a regression model as the explanatory variable.

A Door is Opening for Manufactured Housing Across Texas

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 21:37:13 GMT

The Texas Legislature has passed the most significant expansion of manufactured housing rights in decades. Senate Bill 785, which TMHA supported and takes effect September 1, 2026, will require most Texas cities with zoning regulations to permit new HUD-code manufactured homes as a by-right use in at least one residential zoning district. An estimated one third of Texas' 1,200+ cities need to update their zoning codes to comply with the new law.

As cities learn about the new legal mandate, some will begin to review and write new ordinances to change their zoning maps to comply with the law.

Others might not become aware until the language of SB 785 is presented to them.

Passage of SB 785 was a major state-level legislative victory and finally fulfilled the key legislative priority that TMHA has advocated for decades. But the state-level law was just the start, the outcome depends on how cities choose to implement the law. That's where manufactured housing needs your help.

SB 785 Resource Center

Get the quick summary, key dates, FAQ, official bill text, and third-party coverage all in one place.

Visit the Resource Center

What You Can Do

Manufactured housing professionals have a unique opportunity before September 2026 to advocate for the allowance of new manufactured homes in the areas of a city that make sense, and where they were previously banned. But it will be on you, within your local communities, to seek out, engage, and advocate for more manufactured housing.

Between now and September 2026, we're asking TMHA members to:

Know your cities. Identify which municipalities in your market do not currently have a by-right zoning district on their map.
Check for exemptions. Does the city lack any industrial or commercial zoning? Or are all residential lots in the city subject to pre-existing deed restrictions against MH? These carve-outs are narrow, but you should verify if they apply.
Reach out to staff. Introduce yourself as a trusted resource to planning staff and council members for all things manufactured housing and offer to work with them on SB 785 compliance.
Bring the map. Get a copy of the city's zoning map and flag candidate districts that make sense to be zoned by-right under the new law.
Host an open house. Invite staff and council to tour a new HUD-code home on your lot or community. SB 785's success was significantly helped by getting policymakers inside new manufactured homes.
Speak up at council and planning meetings. Short talking points at a hearing can influence a vote, but if they hear nothing from you, they will likely do the minimum to meet the requirement.
Find friends. Employers, realtors, bankers, developers, and community leaders all understand the need for new attainable housing units. Ask them to join you in requesting this wider expansion of property owner rights.
Report back to TMHA. Let us know what you're hearing in your markets, and we'll help support you. We'll collect and distribute what is and what is not working to move the ball.

Be Reasonable

You know your local market better than anyone. This is your opportunity to start a constructive conversation about where specific models of our homes fit within the city where you live, work, and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with your neighbors. City officials will not respond well to being told the state is forcing them to do this, and they have no choice.

They do have a choice, and that is to decide exactly where they deem manufactured housing to be appropriate. It is our job as an industry to show them the quality of the homes we can provide at prices that make them attainable for the police officers, teachers, nurses, firefighters, and city employees that need homes in those cities. And unlike in the past, the decision about where a city deems manufactured housing appropriate can no longer be - nowhere. It must have a place on the zoning map designating a real area of land.

We Won't Always Win

Traditionally our industry has had to react to increased restrictions on where manufactured homes can be placed within cities, and while TMHA members have done a tremendous job of organizing and engaging in the process to fight those restrictions in places like Huntsville, Odessa, and Bryan, the votes haven't always gone our way.

Those negative perceptions against manufactured homes haven't magically disappeared, and you will run into cities who push for creative compliance. If a city puts forth a proposed map that includes no suitable lots for the placement of new manufactured homes you should provide public comment to staff, council, and the city attorney that they are violating the legislative intent of SB 785. If they move forward and adopt a map that does not allow for the placement of any new manufactured homes, TMHA needs to know this.

With your help we can identify and collect a list of cities that are doing it right and those that are doing it wrong.

It's a Long Game

An additional opportunity that SB 785 provides for manufactured housing professionals is that any city that did not previously have a by-right zoning district on the map will have to enact one to comply with the law. Once the new zoning district exists, every property owner gains the right to request that designation for their land.

TMHA encourages retailers to advertise this right in their markets and to consider utilizing it on properties they might own. Previously, a protest petition could push a required super majority vote to pass a zoning change, HB 24, which TMHA also supported and which passed in 2025, removed that requirement when the proposed zoning change increases housing and a simple majority vote from council is all that is needed regardless of adjacent property protest.

Another option available to retailers and developers even before September 2026 is to exercise the current Sec.1201.008(e), Occupations Code, replacement right of any owner of a property with an existing manufactured or mobile home on it within a city. These redevelopment instances could highlight exactly what a manufactured home zoning expansion could help unlock.

Stay Positive

We must not squander this opportunity by being antagonistic or by placing homes that are not a good fit. We must be thoughtful, honest, and reasonable.

We need success stories where all parties agree that the right homes have been put in the right locations, and as these projects become reality across Texas, acceptance of our homes will spread.

We have pride in what we build; our buyers have pride in the homes they choose to live in; it's time we share this pride and bring more housing to Texans.

S.B. 38 – Extensive Eviction Law Reform and New Rules for Court

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 15:46:53 GMT

Recall, that the 2025 Legislative Session had several bills pass making significant legal changes in the body of laws governing the landlord/tenant relationship and evictions.

TMHA previously posted about the new laws and the coming changes back in June and began our overhaul processes this fall to prepare for all the changes that are here now.

Several of the new laws, the most significant being S.B. 38, just went into effect on January 1, 2026. These bills were championed and advocated for by the various residential real estate industries involved in leasing, such as the Texas Apartment Association, Texas Realtors Association, Texas Association of Campground Owners, National Rental Home Council, Texas Land and Title Association, Texas Association of Builders, and TMHA to name a few.

From a summary level, S.B. 38 made the following significant changes:

New Pre-filing/suit Notice Requirements and Delivery Options
Concurrent Notice Clocks
Statewide filing, citation, and eviction procedures/rules; no more local one-offs
Off-duty police service and eviction writ of possession enforcement options
Tenants MUST pay rent during appeals
More defined and ridged timetables – citation, filing, judgements, appeals, executing writs
Expedited/much faster evictions (called Summary Disposition) for squatters (only)

Also, as a result of S.B. 38, the Texas Supreme Court issued new Rules of Civil Procedure and underwent a complete overhaul of the court rules and procedures for all evictions in Texas.

But this summary barely scratches the surface. So dive into TMHA’s updated comprehensive Eviction Member Guide, which will take you through all the changes in detail.

The Eviction Member Guide also contains links within the guide to all new TMHA Notice(s) forms that are now required in 2026.

New 2026 HPML Thresholds

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 15:45:16 GMT

The OCC, Federal Reserve Board, and CFPB have published [90 FR 58141] a final rule amending, respectively, the 12 CFR Part 34, 12 CFR Part 226, and 12 CFR Part 1026 special appraisal requirements for "higher-risk mortgages," known as "higher-priced mortgage loans" or "HPMLs" in their regulations.

A December 2023 rulemaking exempted transactions of $25,000 or less from those special appraisal requirements. The rulemaking also required that the $25,000 threshold be adjusted annually for inflation.

Under the final rule the exemption threshold will increase from $33,500 to $34,200, effective January 1, 2026.

The threshold amount will be effective January 1, 2026, and is based on the 2.1 percent annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, known as CPI-W.

New Consumer Disclosure and SO Application Forms; New TX Regs

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 19:36:44 GMT

Change is in the air. This post addresses several of the recent form and regulation changes for licensees in the manufactured housing (MH) industry of Texas. Make sure your processes have been updated to use the most recent versions of the forms.

New Consumer Disclosure Form: The MH Division of TDHCA has modified the Consumer Disclosure form that must be given before a MH retail sale in Texas. The new form adds an additional paragraph about the process to convert a personal property MH to real property, assuming the same person owns both the home and the land.

This form change dovetails with the recent changes of the new law that went into effect on September 1, 2025 to implement S.B. 1341, which was advocated for by your TMHA Lobby Team.

The Consumer Notice still must be provided before both a credit and cash sale. But what the law changed was the previous requirement that the Consumer Notice had to be given and then the consumer had to wait 24-hours before proceeding to the next steps of the sales process.

New Statement of Ownership Form – The MH Division recently completed its required board approved form revision for the Statement of Ownership Application. The changes were necessary to implement a new law, S.B. 1940, that allows an easier and expedited home title transfer for a personal property MH to a “beneficiary designation” following the death of the owner. The Statement of Ownership Application changed in Block 5 by adding a paragraph and check box if an owner wants to designate a beneficiary. In addition to the check-box on the Statement of Ownership Application, an owner would also need to fill out an Affidavit of Fact Beneficiary Designation.

And finally, a modification of the Administrative Regulations was approved by the MH Division Board on November 10, 2025. The final rule will soon be added to the Rules (after it is posted in the Texas Register). The rule revision aligns the regulations with the current practice, and in conjunction with the recent MH Division Announcement – “Clarification of Filing Deadlines.”

When filling out Block 4d on the Statement of Ownership Application that asks for the, “date of sale, transfer or ownership change,” the department announced in early fall of 2025 that they interpret that to mean, “date of transfer, ownership change, or the date the full purchase price has been paid or funded by or on behalf of the buyer, or the delivery date, whichever is later.”

The recent rule change is to further mirror with this interpretation that would dictate that a date could be added in the future when the later of “fully funded or delivery” has occurred.

Often these dates are not known at the time when the rest of the Statement of Ownership is filled out initially with the consumer. But in order to comply with the department’s interpretation, as well as providing a date in the future that better tracks when the final and completed Statement of Ownership Application will be submitted (to submit the Application within the state law mandated 60-day window), this date mostly likely will need to be left blank when initially filling out the Application. The new rule change aligns with this practice by specifically allowing in: 80.32(n) the following (the new language is in bold):

Notwithstanding the date of sale, transfer, or ownership change or the date of installation on the application for a Statement of Ownership, a retailer may not request or accept any document that is executed in blank or allow any alteration to a completed document without the consumer’s initialing and dating such changes to indicate agreement to them. Where information is not available, a statement of that fact (e.g., TBD – to be determined, not available, N/A, not applicable, or the like) may be entered in the blank. A consumer must be provided with copies of all documents they execute.

Until such time when the Texas Legislative Session reconvenes so that the law could be further clarified, the series of interim steps should provide the flexibility to alleviate most of the timing submission issues.

Industry in the News

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 20:18:37 GMT

November 12, 2025

August 29, 2025

July 10, 2024

June 20, 2024

May 28, 2024

May 15, 2024

March 28, 2024

March 4, 2024

January 24, 2024

January 11, 2024

New Anchoring Standards Coming for Alternative Foundation Systems Nov 3rd

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 17:53:18 GMT

Most in the industry have seen the emails and joint letters from the three major foundation design companies (Minute Man, Oliver Technologies, and Tie Down Engineering) announcing the implementation of vertical anchors in Wind Zone 1 for Alternative Foundation System installations.

The industry is currently transitioning to the new system, with full adoption of the new anchoring coming after the grace period ends on November 3rd.

After November 3rd, Texas installers who opt for the “Alternative Foundation System” (commonly called the “pan-system”) will be required to install the new vertical anchors in accordance with the installation instructions provided by the foundation design companies that are incorporated by reference by the manufacturers.

These changes only impact “pan-system” installation, meaning standard block and tie downs with traditional anchors per the factory installation instructions and in accordance with HUD installation guides have not changed. Used homes still have the option of factory installation guides or the State Generic Standards in Texas regulations.

For pan-systems, the foundation design companies have all decided with the new vertical anchors in WZ I homes to exceed the minimum standards as an industry-wide improved practice.

Over the next month there will be additional information and education provided by our suppliers, as well as an expert speaker during TMHA’s Convention. The major foundation systems companies and their suppliers will be at our convention as well, and we expect this to be discussed during the TMHA board meeting.

Clarification of Statement of Ownership Filing Timelines to Avoid Violations

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 21:04:18 GMT

We hope everyone has seen the MH Division of TDHCA’s recent announcement providing clarification on how to fill out block 4(d) at the bottom of page one for the Statement of Ownership Application.

Just in case, TMHA is notifying our full contact list of this recent development.

We had previously posted about the division’s step-up in enforcement on title and installation reports being filed beyond the state law mandate of 60 and 7 days, respectfully.

(Recall, this originates from a law change in 2007 that extended the Statement of Ownership submission timeline from 30-days to 60-days and authorized a late fee)

Since the division increased its enforcement tracking in May, many Notices of Violations have been sent to licensees for applications that were submitted to the department timestamped received that where longer than 60-days from the date indicated on block 4(d) of the application.

Many in the industry associated the “date of sale” on the Statement of Ownership Application to the date the consumer executed their retail purchase contract. Historically, this is/was a common practice to match these two dates. However, with the enforcement changes, using that date is problematic due to any number of factors that can extend a timeline beyond two months from purchase contract execution and handing the keys of a home to a buyer.

Also, remember that since the industry moved beyond the common use of Retail Installment Contracts in the selling process to a direct lending model (due to the federal law changes in the Dodd-Frank Act in 2010), the timing trigger for the 3-day Right of Rescission is not the date on the state promulgated Statement of Ownership Application, but rather 3-days after the date the sales purchase contract is signed for a cash sale, or 3-days after the buyer/borrower signs the “binding note, security agreement or other financing credit contract.” (See: Sec. 1201.1521, Occupations Code)

The department made a clarification and formal department interpretation announcement that the date that should be used on the Statement of Ownership Application should be the:

“date of transfer, ownership change, or the date the full purchase price has been paid or funded by or on behalf of the buyer, or the delivery date, whichever is later.”

The delivery date should be understood to mean the date of final completed installation.

We anticipate proposed rule changes as well at that time to reflect recent legislation that went into effect on September 1, 2025, and an exception in current rules on filing forms with blank spaces to account for the future date of final funding or final installation, whichever is later.

We will, of course, keep members abreast of all changes and those effective dates.

Lastly, TMHA has also added this clarification to our list of enhancements and clarifications we will advocate for in future legislative sessions.

If you have additional questions, please reach out to the division directly at 877-313-3023 or via email at complaints@tdhca.texas.gov or to TMHA at 512-459-1221 or info@texasmha.com.

From the 89th – Laws in Effect September 1, 2025

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 13:41:02 GMT

Background – The effective date of any given bill can vary. Some that get super-majority support have immediate effect, others that require more time to prepare or get into compliance have dates set off in the future. But one of the more common defaults for many bills is September 1st of the session year.

While we were all enjoying Labor Day this past Monday, several new laws passed during the Legislative Session (regular session) that could have some impact on our industry, or your business went into effect.

One of TMHA’s key legislative priorities and advocacy victories, SB 1341, is now in effect.

Summary – SB 1341

Clarifies the definition of a manufactured home and HUD-code manufactured home to reference the federal definition; allows licensees to maintain records electronically and not physically in Texas; and eliminates the 24-hour/one day prior timeline on pre-sale consumer notices in the sales process.

Key Points – SB 1341

Licensees can choose to keep their necessary records electronically, rather than physically in a file at a location in the state.

The state promulgated and mandatory Consumer Notice just has to be given to a prospective buyer before they complete a credit application or enter into a cash sales contract. The prior law required the notice be provided a day in advance on cash sales.

Similarly, retailers are no longer required to provide a copy of the retail sales contract a day in advance. This eliminates part of the old law that was based on the pre-Dodd Frank Act indirect lending model. Since the majority of the industry shifted 15 years ago to a direct lending model, this law was antiquated and unduly burdensome.

SB 1940 - Relating to authorizing a beneficiary designation that transfers a manufactured home classified as personal property at the owner's death

Summary - SB 1940

This is a small simple law change and deals with transferring MH ownership in a faster, easier way if the owner dies. The bill allows for the direct designation of a beneficiary for manufactured homes adopting a similar “transfer-on-death” designation available for other types of personal property (such as cars).

Key Points – SB 1940

This law will help MH owners and make it easier to transfer their property upon death to the person they want to own their home after they die. The process is simpler than having to go through probate or other cumbersome estate processes.

The MH Division of TDHCA will modify their Statement of Ownership Application to include this optional designation on the title of homes.

SB 2349 – Relating to notice requirements for a leased dwelling located in a floodplain.

Summary – SB 2349

Allows the floodplain notice (that has been required since Hurricane Harvey) to be included in the lease or as a lease addendum, which must be signed by both landlord and tenant

Key Points – SB 2349

The prior law mandated a separate notice rather than being incorporated in the lease. This law simply provides more flexibility to either continue with a separate lease floodplain disclosure or incorporate it in the lease.

The new law does explicitly say that both landlord and tenant must sign whatever document used to provide the notice to evidence receipt. Some landlords might find it easier and more of a safeguard to incorporate the flood notice into their lease contract. This could better ensure that the document is signed by both parties, rather than a separate document that may have been overlooked.

SB 1333 - Relating to the unauthorized entry, occupancy, sale, rental, lease, advertisement for sale, rental, or lease, or conveyance of real property, including the removal of certain unauthorized occupants of a dwelling.

Summary - SB 1333

This is an anti-squatters law that focuses more on the criminal enforcement aspect of removing squatters. The bill also adds a process for the property owner to submit a formal complaint and get the sheriff or constable to remove the unauthorized person.

Key Points – SB 1333

Property owners and landlords should be aware that this new law provides greater enforcement and quicker criminal remedies if they have an unauthorized squatter on their property. Specifically, there is a new chapter in the Property Code, Chapter 24B, where the property owner submits a complaint to the sheriff or constable in the county on a state promulgated complaint form with 12 criteria that must be met. But this should result in a faster remedy and removal by law enforcement of a squatter.

HB 2037 - Relating to repairs made pursuant to a tenant's notice of intent to repair and the refund of a tenant's security deposit.

Summary – HB 2037

For both traditional landlord tenant relationships governed by Chapter 92, Property Code, (this would include when both the home and a lot are leased in MHCs), and manufactured home communities with lot leases only governed by Chapter 94, Property Code, the law allows for landlord and tenant email communication if they have previously communicated by email.

“Sec. 92.113. NOTICE BY E-MAIL. (a) Notice and other communications required or permitted by this subchapter may be sent by e-mail if the tenant and the landlord or landlord's agent have previously communicated by e-mail.

(b) The landlord or landlord's agent may designate a specific e-mail address for a tenant to use for the purpose of Subsection (a).”

Sec. 94.111. NOTICE BY E-MAIL. (a) Notice and other communications required or permitted by this subchapter may be sent by e-mail if the tenant and the landlord or landlord's agent have previously communicated by e-mail.

(b) The landlord or landlord's agent may designate a specific e-mail address for a tenant to use for the purpose of Subsection (a).”

Key Points – HB 2037

The option for a landlord to communicate and document, via email, various notices and disclosures were sent to tenants will be a feature many landlords prefer. This could also open up greater efficiency and automation for some functions in the property management space.

This law also requires if the tenant, living in a city that requires use of licensed contractors, makes certain repairs for health and safety that their landlord will not make after they have been requested, the tenant must hire a licensed contractor and document the work and expense (i.e. the tenant can’t “hire” their brother-in-law to do the work)

TMHA’s efforts ensured this new option applied to both home-and-lot and lot-lease only leasing arrangements in MHCs.

For Housing Development, the following new laws went into effect on September 1, 2025:

HB 2559 - Relating to the imposition by a municipality of a moratorium on property development in certain circumstances.

This law increases the transparency and notice requirements to prevent municipalities from unfairly imposing moratoriums on property developments.

The changes now require a 30-day notice and certified mail notice to person(s) registered previously with the city secretary, and also that two (not just one, like previously) public hearings at least 30-days apart must occur before a city can impose a building moratorium.

SB 15 - Relating to size and density requirements for residential lots in certain municipalities; authorizing a fee.

This is the minimum lot size bill for some larger cities for new “greenfield” developments.

This law creates preemption standards for smaller sized “greenfield” new development lots in some cities. It only applies to cities with a population of more than 150,000 and is in a county of more than 300,000. This means the larger cities within the following counties:

Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar, Travis, Collin, Denton, Fort Bend, Hidalgo, El Paso, Montgomery, Williamson, Cameron, Brazoria, Bell, Galveston, Nueces, and Lubbock.

Being limited to only new developments, this applies to land that will be newly developed (not existing developments or neighborhoods, only “green field” new single-family homes).

Legal Action – this new law has legal teeth by allowing a person to bring suit against a city for violating this law and get injunctive relief, compel the city to comply, attorneys’ fees and court costs for the winning party, and even opt to go to the 15th Court of Appeals for any appeals.

SB 1883 - Relating to the approval of land use assumptions, capital improvement plans, and impact fees.

This change reforms the law that allowed cities to impose and increase impact fees for new development by a simple majority vote.

The new requirements on cities looking to increase or impose impacts fees, increases the vote threshold to a super-majority (2/3rds), limits increases to, at most, every three years, and requires, prior to increasing the fees an independent audit (with 10 specific audit evaluation criteria that must be satisfied) followed by posting the audit results on their website and a public hearing.

HB 2025 - Relating to the filing for record of a plat, replat, or amended plat or replat of a subdivision of real property or a condominium.

If a person files a plat, replat, or amended plat with the county clerk after September 1 of a year, the person must attach to it a tax receipt issued by each taxing unit with jurisdiction over the property indicating that the taxes imposed by the taxing unit for the current year have been paid or, if the taxes for the current year have not been calculated, a statement from the taxing unit indicating that the taxes to be imposed for the current year have not been calculated.

However, under the previous law if taxes are calculated after the person files the plat but before the county clerk records the plat, the county clerk may reject the plat.

Under this change the law changes so that a plat is not rejected if the taxes owed for a property for which a plat was filed are calculated after a person files a plat but before the county clerk records the plat.

MH/RV Hall of Fame - Congratulations Kurt Kelley and Steve Schaub

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 14:35:30 GMT

It was my honor to attend this year’s MH/RV Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Elkhart, IN. All ten of the RV and MH inductees have distinguished and impressive careers. One couldn’t help but think of the profound impact these ten figures have had on so many people from those who work for them and with them, the countless customers they served, and the overall economic impact they are making: truly deserving of our industry’s highest honor.

Our Texas MH presence was well represented with both Kurt Kelley of Mobile Insurance and Steve Schaub of YES Communities being inducted.

Kurt has been a fixture in our industry for decades and attends essentially every industry event. He even helped start and continues the highly successful TexCo event every winter. And on a personal note, Kurt was one of the three sitting TMHA Executive Board members who hired me at TMHA back in 2006 that started me on this journey that, at the time, I had no idea how rewarding and fulfilling it would be.

Steve is the CEO and President of YES Communities. With YES’ prolific presence throughout the county, multiple states can claim Steve, but we are going to throw our Texas banner around him. YES currently has 64 MH Communities in Texas. YES is a perennial supporter of TMHA and has been vital in helping us craft the bills and eventual laws in Texas that benefit all MH communities and rental operators.

Steve has led YES to be one of the standout examples of how modern MH communities are not only necessary as a component in our state’s housing supply, but an idyllic and affordable community for thousands of Texas to call home. Steve has built warm, welcoming communities, and has done so while driving strategic growth in Texas through expansions and new acquisitions. Steve leads YES with the simple yet powerful mission to say, “yes” to prospects and residents.

As but one example of Steve’s vision and leadership in new developments in Texas, look no further than their opening of Dwelling at New Braunfels.

TMHA would like to extend our congratulations to Kurt and Steve, along with all of this year’s inductees. And if you ever find yourself near Elhart, you must stop into the MH/RV Hall of Fame.

Former TMHA Chairman and current National Retailers Council Chairman with MHI – Karl Radde, GM, Southern Comfort Homes:

“Melissa and I were very honored to attend the RV/MH Hall of Fame dinner where Kurt Kelley was inducted as part of the latest class of inductees. I have known Kurt since shortly after I got into the industry in 1991 and consider him a friend and mentor who has offered wise counsel over the years. On a personal note, several years ago, Kurt was willing to leave a concert he and Lynn were attending in The Woodlands to assist my wife with a flat tire during the time she was driving back and forth to Houston for nursing school. Thankfully, another good Samaritan assisted her, Kurt didn’t have to leave, and he got to enjoy the rest of the concert. The fact that he was willing to do this spoke volumes to me about his character and the help he is willing to give.

We also had the opportunity to tour the museum and were very impressed with the exhibits. I will admit that the RV side of the museum probably intrigued me more due to the number of campers and RVs that were exhibited, but the manufactured housing side was very well thought out and had a good flow of history of the industry along with some very good exhibits of early mobile homes. There are individual videos that play on loops as you enter each area of the MH side that tell the history and current construction. The tour ends up with current models on display that show the modern construction that we all pride. If you are ever in the area, I recommend stopping by and checking it out.

From the 89th – 2nd Special Session; Bills of Interest to MH Industry

Mon, 25 Aug 2025 23:21:50 GMT

Now that the politically charged redistricting bills have passed or are near passage, this second-called special session can move into the other items listed on Gov. Abbott’s “call.”

During the first special session things were quiet on anything impacting our industry from a policy perspective. In fact, everything was on hold with enough House Democrats leaving the state to break the necessary numbers for a quorum. As a result, nothing passed.

But that has changed, and the Democrats are back in Austin for this current special session.

There have been 336 House and Senate bills filed during this 2nd special session. Recall, that special sessions are, well, special. Only bills that fit within the governor designated list are actually eligible to pass, but that doesn’t stop folks from filing bills anyway.

We have narrowed down to just the following, so far, bills we are working on or watching this late-summer second-special session (Note: the bills below have House versions or similar House versions, but currently it appears the Senate versions have moved faster, are farther along, and thus are more likely to pass, so we focus on those bills):

SB 1 - Relating to campground and youth camp safety

Summary – this is the comprehensive bill to address the needs and concerns related to youth campgrounds following the devastating July 4th floods. The bill covers many areas including new licensing and registration for campground operators, mandatory safety and emergency precautions, limitations of where “cabins” can be placed, etc.

Status – Passed out of the Senate and referred to committee in the House

MH Industry Interest – The bill does NOT currently impact manufactured home communities, which are already regulated under other existing and specific state laws. However, the bill would add new definitions for “cabin,” “campground,” and “campground operator.” Our concern is to ensure these new definitions are clear and do not intentionally or unintentionally include a manufactured home as a “cabin,” or an MH community owner or operator as a “campground.”

The current version does not impact our industry.

NOTE: If you have any interest in RV parks the new provisions under the Health and Safety Code do define a “campground” to include an RV park.

“(2) "Campground" means, regardless of profit: (B) a recreational vehicle park, as defined by Section 13.087, Water Code.”

If passed, the new law will require all RV parks to have certain floodplain safety requirements, such as ladders to roofs of cabins, an evacuation plan, and submission of plans to cities and counties.

The bill has new broad fire protection standards for RV parks that would be preemptive on governmental entities and provide a statewide construction standard for RV parks to the, “National Fire Protection Association 1194, Standard for Recreational Vehicle Parks and Campgrounds, 2021 Edition, other than Sections 1.1.1 and 5.1.1.1.”

This preemptive language is very similar to the language the RV Campground Association has lobbied for over multiple sessions, including this most recent regular session in H.B. 2701, but has not yet passed.

SB 5 - relating to making supplemental appropriations for disaster relief and preparedness and giving direction and adjustment authority regarding those appropriations.

Summary – This bill authorizes the use of money from the state’s “rainy day fund” for flood disaster recovery in the following amounts and ways:

$240M - match federal money received related to disaster response, relief, and recovery; and for the disaster needs of the state

$50M - making grants to assist counties, municipalities, or other local governments operating within Bandera, Bexar, Burnet, Caldwell, Coke, Comal, Concho, Edwards, Gillespie, Guadalupe, Hamilton, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, Lampasas, Llano, Mason, Maverick, McCulloch, Menard, Real, Reeves, San Saba, Schleicher, Sutton, Tom Green, Travis, Uvalde, or Williamson County

$28M - providing disaster preparedness grants to improve meteorological forecasting, enhance weather intelligence

$50M – for emergency radio infrastructure

Status – Already passed both the House and Senate but is going to a conference committee to iron out the differences in the versions passed by the two chambers.

MH Industry Interest – We follow all disaster recovery funding bills. Any of the allocations that can be used for temporary or permanent replacement or recovery housing we are involved in.

SB 14 - Relating to the provision by a political subdivision of credits against impact fees to builders and developers for certain water conservation and reuse projects.

Summary – The bill would require political subdivisions to provide a credit against water and wastewater impact fees otherwise assessed to a builder or developer for the construction, contribution, or dedication of an eligible facility, system, or product that results in water reuse, conservation, or savings.

Eligible systems that would result in impact fee reductions are measures that: “reduces per service unit water consumption, supply requirements, or necessary treatment and distribution infrastructure per service unit; decreases the need of wastewater collection and treatment facilities per service unit; diminishes the demand for stormwater and drainage facilities per service unit; or integrates practices or technologies that achieve water efficiency, reuse, or conservation performance that exceeds standard compliance requirements.”

Status – Passed the Senate, passed out of House committee and placed on the full House Calendar starting August 26th.

MH Industry Interest – New MH developments would be eligible for impact fee offsets for water conservation systems just as site-builders would be. This could have a positive impact or, at least, be a consideration that future MH developers would need to know.

SB 16 - Relating to real property theft and real property fraud; establishing recording requirements for certain documents concerning real property; creating the criminal offenses of real property theft and real property fraud and establishing a statute of limitations, restitution, and certain procedures with respect to those offenses.

Summary – Promoted and advocated for by the AARP, deed fraud accounted for more than 1,500 scams on persons older than 60 years old totaling a loss of $65M in 2023. While these crimes can technically be prosecuted under existing statutes, those statutes are not designed to prosecute these crimes most efficiently due to the complex nature of the crimes and the complex nature of any restitution. This bill creates the offenses of real property theft and real property fraud and by providing restitution for real property theft.

Status – Passed the Senate, passed out of House committee, set for the full House floor for August 26.

MH Industry Interest – We closely monitor all legislation potentially impacting the deed perfection process as these bills could impact our sales and lenders. This bill is narrowly focused on criminal prosecution and criminal remedies of deed fraud and deed scams.

Texas Average Annual Sales Price for Single & Multi-Section Manufactured Homes

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 18:33:09 GMT

The Census Bureau releases the previous year’s annual average price data for manufactured homes at the individual state level each summer.

For Texas, the average sales price for a new single-section manufactured home in 2024 was $86,700, up +1.0% nominally from the prior year but down -1.8% after adjusting for inflation*. The average multi-section price in the state was $146,900, down -1.5% nominally from 2023 and down an inflation-adjusted -4.2%*.

The average real price of multi-section manufactured homes in Texas for 2024 was lower than the previous three years and the real average single-section price was lower than the previous two years.

Charts

Use the toggle to switch between current‑year (Nominal) and inflation‑adjusted (Real) prices.

This interactive chart is built off of the US Census Bureau’s Manufactured Housing Survey (MHS) Tables

* Inflation adjustments are made using the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers.

Related Data

Each summer the Census Bureau releases a national cost comparison between new manufactured homes and new single-family site-built homes that perennially shows that manufactured housing is the most cost effective way to get new homes on the ground.

They also release monthly data on the average retail sales price for the South census region which includes Texas. The data is released four and half months after the calendar month closes, so we’ve developed a model to estimate current average retail sales prices as well as estimated monthly payments based on the Producer Price Index (PPI) for manufactured home builders.

Manufactured Home vs Site-Built Cost Comparison 2024 - Price Per Square Foot Analysis

Tue, 29 Jul 2025 20:52:03 GMT

With housing affordability reaching crisis levels across America, manufactured housing continues to provide a proven solution. New Census Bureau data reveals the striking cost advantage that makes home ownership accessible to more families.

The Census Bureau figures show national 2024 prices averaging $78.60 per sq. ft. for single-section and $86.71 per sq. ft. for multi-section manufactured homes. For comparison, a site-built single-family home (land excluded) averaged $168.86 per sq. ft.—more than double the single-section price. The updated annual numbers reiterate HUD-code manufactured housing as the nation’s most affordable path to new-home ownership.

Home construction type	Avg. $/sq ft (2024)	% savings vs. site-built
Single-section MH	$78.60	-53%
Multi-section MH	$86.71	-49%
Site-built single-family*	$168.86	—

Charts

Use the toggle to switch between current‑year (Nominal) and inflation‑adjusted (Real) prices.

This interactive chart is built off of the US Census Bureau’s Manufactured Housing Survey (MHS) Tables

This interactive chart is built off of the US Census Bureau’s Manufactured Housing Survey (MHS) Tables. Price/Sq. Ft. values have been inflation adjusted to 2014 dollars.

The Census Bureau releases cost and size comparisons for new manufactured homes and new single-family site-built homes for the previous year each June.

Manufactured Housing vs. Multifamily Costs

The Census Bureau does not publish a similar price per structure for multifamily construction but Fannie Mae commissioned a study with The Gordian Group that develops the RS Means construction data service that put the hard costs alone for building a 4-7-story building at $171 a square foot for Dallas, TX in 2019, well before the post-pandemic run up in inflation.

Soft cost inclusion would have pushed that number higher back then and inflation has undoubtedly pushed it higher since.

MH TDHCA Enforcement on Timing Deadlines Increased

Wed, 23 Jul 2025 20:03:07 GMT

The Manufactured Housing Division of TDHCA has recently changed its enforcement policies. The blunt assessment is they have shifted into a more aggressive posture and are cracking down on laws that have been in place for decades but previously were more loosely enforced.

The Texas laws on timing requirements for both titling and installation reports have existed in the law even before Chapter 1201, Occupations Code was created in 2002 (prior to the Occupations Code our laws were in Texas Civil Statutes, Article 5221f). The most significant tweak to these reporting requirements occurred in 2007. The 2007 law change did two significant things. First, the previous reporting timeline was only 30 days, and in 2007 that was increased to 60 days. Second, the law explicitly stated that failure to timely submit title applications could result in up to a $100 fine. And to be sure the industry was fully aware of this requirements, and possible consequence, the law mandated that the Statement of Ownership Application carried an explicit warning in the exact language that is in the law (see 1201.206(h)). This warning has been on the application ever since and still is today (see the top first box on the Statement of Ownership Application)

But for the last 18 years the department has regulated those provisions with flexibility and warning letters. That is no longer the case.

Many in our industry have already encountered this enforcement shift receiving notices of violation and fines. While we continue to work for equitable solutions and greater clarification (perhaps with some wording changes to state forms), TMHA wants to help our members through education and recommendations to eliminate their regulatory liability.

Recommended Course of Action – Retailers and Lenders:

To maximize the 60 day timeline, in the hopes of avoiding the new regulatory exposure and scrutiny the industry needs to be sure that:

For purposes of filing out the Statements of Ownership Application, the date of “sale, transfer or ownership change” in block 4d should be the date money is actually exchanged from the buyer to the seller for the full price of the home.

For cash sales the applicable date is when the retailer accepts the full cash proceeds for the home.
For financed sales, according to the department’s recent clarifying interpretation, the date is the final funding by the lender when the amounts are distributed.

(NOTE: the department is running data queries and any date filled in by the retailer (or lender) on Block 4d that is more than 60 days from when the SO Application is filed, gets flagged and a violation is issued.)

All Form T installation reports must be submitted within 7 days of completed installations.

Block 4d and Statement of Ownership Application Independent from Right of Rescission:

There is some industry confusion that the date purchase contracts are signed should be the date used on the Statement of Ownership Application.

According to the department, this is not the case.

The date to be used on the Statement of Ownership Application is the day full money value is actually exchanged, and most often will not be (even for cash sales) the same date as when the contracts are signed by the buyer and seller. In the vast majority of cases the date on the Statement of Ownership Application will be later, possibly much later, in time.

However, the date on the Statement of Ownership Application is not controlling or determinative of when the consumer’s 3-day right of rescission begins. These two actions – filling out the Statement of Ownership Application and both parties signing contracts – are two completely separate acts that don’t impact the other.

The dates on the sale purchase contact for a cash sale, and the lending contract for a financed sale are the controlling dates to start the 3-day right of rescission “clock.”

Texas’ manufactured housing 3-day right of rescission laws says:

Sec. 1201.1521. RESCISSION OF CONTRACT FOR SALE OR EXCHANGE OF HOME.

(a) A person who acquires a manufactured home from or through a licensee by purchase or exchange may, in a cash transaction occurring not later than the third day after the date the sales purchase contract is signed, rescind the contract without penalty or charge other than the real property appraisal and title work expenses incurred in accordance with Section 1201.1511.

(b) A person who acquires a manufactured home from or through a licensee by purchase or exchange may, in a transfer that is based wholly or partly on a credit transaction occurring not later than the third day after the date of the signing of the binding note, security agreement, or other financing credit contract with respect to which the consumer's purchased manufactured home will serve as collateral for the credit transaction, rescind the contract without penalty or charge other than the real property appraisal and title work expenses incurred in accordance with Section 1201.1511.

Therefore, Texas’ right of rescission law remains as it has been, unchanged, for decades, and the clock starts after signing purchase and loan contracts. The final exchange of cash or loan proceeds will, most often, occur much later in time, and well after the 3 day right of rescission has expired. But do not match the contract signing dates to the date of ”sale, transfer, or ownership change” in block 4d on the Statement of Ownership Application. That date doesn’t occur until the parties are fully paid.

TMHA expects, as the industry accepts this clarification, ultimately compliance with the 60-day mandate to submit Statement of Ownership Applications after final sale (i.e. fully funded completed sales) will be easier and rarely a source for violation.

From the 89th RECAP – TMHA’s Priority Bills

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 20:58:49 GMT

SB 1341 - Relating to the regulation of manufactured homes.

Potentially the most significant change SB 1341 made to Texas’ manufactured housing law seems the most simple, and it is. The bill swapped out our longstanding state law definition of a “manufactured home” and “HUD-code manufactured home” to reference the federal law and with it the federal definition. This change doesn’t actually make any immediate changes, as the federal definition and the Texas definition are essentially the same.

But what this prepares for is if there is ever a federal change, then Texas immediately and automatically changes as well. This will be significant if Congress changes the federal definition to allow for the option to build a home with or without a steel frame chassis.

There will probably be future Texas law tweaks we might need in future sessions depending on the exact language and other provisions that could change federally, but the bulk of the heavy lifting is done. And it positions the Texas industry to be ready to go, build, design, innovate, and seize every opportunity the moment the federal law and HUD regulations change.

Additionally, SB 1341 removes the prior law mandating a physical “brick and mortar” location in the state for a licensed retailer to store their records. The law now allows a retailer, if they choose, to store their records electronically, so long as they can be produced when needed by a state regulator.

And finally, the bill removes the nearly 25-year-old law that mandated both that the state promulgated Consumer Notice disclosure and a copy of the retail sales contract be provided to a consumer a day in advance. The Consumer Notice still must be given to the consumer before they enter into a contract, but it no longer has to be 24-hours in advance.

SB 785 - Relating to the regulation of new HUD-code manufactured housing.

We need a brief walk-through history on this one. TMHA has tried for decades to establish some form of city zoning preemption to preserve some right to place manufactured homes in cities. TMHA has tried nearly every angle to achieve some zoning reform, and until now, we were never successful.

There were efforts in the 1980’s and 1990’s for stand alone bills trying to pass “parity” laws in Texas, but they never passed. There were two TMHA lawsuits in the late 90’s that went all the way to the Texas Supreme Court to try and achieve zoning relief via federal construction code preemption, both of which were rejected by the state’s highest court. There was even an attempt at a last-minute amendment to a bill in 2001, by TMHA’s then director, Will Ehrle. Disastrously the amendment did not survive and then the bill mutated into the infamous HB 1869 that devasted the industry.

And then most recently last session in 2023 we worked and advanced a bill all the way through the House but stalled with resistance in the Senate that would have given some level of zoning parity if the home matched surrounding home values.

All of these previous efforts and experience led us to this session and the new strategy we deployed. The concept was to be as aggressive as we could but still be politically possible.

We achieved this by a simple argument, “Cities, you can’t ban manufactured homes entirely.”

That was our north star and the argument we advocated to the state’s lawmakers.

And we finally achieved success when Gov Abbott signed into law SB 785.

Granted the new law is not going to solve all of our zoning woes. Far from it. But it is a critical first step, a toehold, from which to start and build upon as both cities acclimate to our modern homes, we change old negative perceptions, and we demonstrate the critical role we serve in solving the state’s affordable housing challenges.

The bill does two things:

First, it says that cities can only require a specific use permit for manufactured homes if they also require such a permit for all forms of housing in the same area. This is to address the cities we identified that did not ban manufactured homes outright, but the only way to place a manufactured home was to apply and then be granted a specific use permit, which by definition are temporary in nature.
Second, the law requires that cities designate some area and actually put that area on their zoning maps (if they have one), where new manufactured homes are allowed “by right.”

Now cities still maintain their local control to determine exactly where and the size of the by right permissible area for new manufactured homes, but they cannot exclude us entirely.

There are a few limited exceptions that preserve cities’ abilities to have deed restrictions and historical areas. There is also a small exception for very small cities in Texas who do not have any commercial zoning, only one or two residential zoned areas. We have identified about 14 small cities that are excluded from the new law mandates, and therefore could, if they choose, ban manufactured homes.

But for the rest of the 1200+ Texas cities, they will have to comply with the new law. When making sweeping changes that require significant zoning reforms, political feasibility and good faith required that cities have a year to change their zoning to comply. As such the effective date of this law is September 1, 2026.

Of course, that doesn’t mean we can’t go to work with cities today to change their zoning. This is exactly what needs to be done for all the cities, not already in compliance. The effective date is the deadline for those cities, and if they haven’t changed their ordinances to comply by September of the 2026, then the city could be exposed to liability.

SB 785 is the most significant manufactured housing zoning reform bill ever advocated for by TMHA that actually passed. Do we expect some cities to push back? Can we foresee some cities learning of this law and begrudgingly selecting the least desirable or only very small areas to allow manufactured homes? Sure. This is possible, and well within their legal ability to do so. We can also make some educated guesses that for some cities they will just change the zoning for any existing manufactured home communities that were previously nonconforming “grandfathered” uses. They will just draw their “new” by right MH zoning around these existing communities.

But this is a critical and necessary starting point. This new law and the results that come out of it over the next several years will give us more to build upon for future advances. And the most significant and immediate impact of this bill is that it creates the framework to begin a new conversation. With this dialogue with cities we have an opportunity for manufactured homes to come into cities to change the hearts and minds, advance a new positive perception of what actually our modern homes are, and through this open up more and more opportunities based on merit and public acceptance rather than legal mandate (but at least there is now a legal mandate from which to kick everything off).