Buying a manufactured home runs on a different track than buying a house from a realtor — there's a factory, a transporter, a state installer license, and a title document most Texans have never heard of. None of it is hard, but doing the steps out of order costs real money. The classic mistake we see every month: someone buys a beautiful home first, then discovers their land needs $25,000 of utility work, or their county's floodplain office won't permit the site. Here's the order that keeps you out of that story. If you haven't read the earlier parts of this handbook, the cost guide and financing guide feed directly into steps one and five.
Step 1: Set the whole-project budget
Not the home budget — the project budget. Home price, land or lot rent, delivery and setup, utilities, skirting, steps, AC, insurance, and a cushion for surprises. Part 3 gives the ranges; write your own version down before you shop. A budget on paper is what keeps a persuasive sales lot (ours included) from stretching you $200 a month past comfortable.
If you'll finance, get pre-qualified now, before falling for a floor plan. Knowing whether you're headed for a chattel loan or a land-home mortgage changes which homes and options even make sense.
Step 2: Settle the land question
Where the home will sit shapes every later step. Three paths:
- Land you own (or family land): the strongest position. Confirm the deed allows a manufactured home — some subdivisions restrict them — and confirm access for a 16-foot-wide load.
- Land you're buying: before closing, price the utilities. Water, electric, and septic can cost more than the down payment on the land itself. Check the floodplain map for the county too — placement rules are stricter in a flood zone.
- A leased-lot community: simplest to start, but the lot rent never ends and the community's rules govern home age, size, and skirting. Get the rules in writing before buying the home.
Step 3: Choose a licensed retailer
In Texas, anyone selling manufactured homes at retail must hold a TDHCA retailer license. Look the license up online before you get attached to a dealer — it takes two minutes and shows complaint history. (Ours is RBI 37928, if you'd like to practice.)
Beyond the license, judge a lot the way you'd judge a contractor: Do they put numbers in writing? Do they explain what's not included in a quote — delivery distance, AC, steps, skirting? Will they name the licensed installer who'll set the home? A good retailer answers all three without flinching.
Step 4: Pick the home — and inspect it if it's used
For a new home, this step is the fun one: floor plan, sections, options. Ask which items are factory-installed versus site-installed, and get the full spec sheet with the order.
For a used home, slow down and verify:
- Find the red HUD label on each section and photograph the data plate inside (Part 2 shows where).
- Pull the home's TDHCA record by label or serial number — it shows the owner of record and any liens. A seller who isn't the owner of record is a full stop.
- Hire an inspector who knows manufactured homes. The trouble spots are specific: soft floors around wet areas, roof seams on older homes, evidence of a bad prior move (doors that won't square), and DIY wiring under the home.
Step 5: Lock the financing
With a specific home and site, your lender can turn a pre-qualification into a real approval. This is where the chattel-vs-mortgage decision from Part 4 gets executed, the appraisal or valuation happens, and insurance gets bound — lenders require proof of coverage before funding. Nothing here should be new if you did step one honestly.
Step 6: Close — and watch for the Statement of Ownership
Closing on a manufactured home is quicker than a house closing: purchase agreement, loan documents, insurance, and the state paperwork. The document to care about is the Statement of Ownership, filed with TDHCA within 60 days of sale. It records you as owner, records the lien, and — if the home is going on your land — records the real-property election. Retailers and lenders usually file it, but ask, in writing, who is filing and when. An unfiled Statement of Ownership is the single most common paperwork mess we help untangle years after the fact.
Step 7: Delivery and installation
The home travels by permit on state highways, then a TDHCA-licensed installer levels it, blocks and anchors it, joins the sections on a multi-section home, and connects it to your prepared utilities. Texas requires the installation to be inspected afterward; the installer's work also carries a state-backed warranty period.
Your job during this step is access and patience: a firm, clear path to the site (soft ground after rain is the great South Texas delivery-killer), utilities stubbed where the installer expects them, and someone reachable on delivery day.
Step 8: The move-in checklist
- Walk the home with the retailer or installer and write down every defect — new-home warranties run on clocks that start now.
- Test every system in the first week: plumbing under pressure, every outlet, AC under real load.
- Photograph the data plate, HUD labels, and your closing packet; keep digital copies.
- Confirm the Statement of Ownership shows correctly in TDHCA's online records after a few weeks.
- File your homestead exemption with the county appraisal district if the home is your primary residence — Texans routinely forget this and overpay taxes for years.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the whole process take?
A used home already near your site can close and set in a few weeks. A factory-ordered new home typically runs two to four months from order to move-in, depending on the factory's backlog and your site work.
Do I need a realtor to buy a manufactured home?
Usually not. New homes sell through licensed retailers, and most used homes sell owner-to-owner or through dealers. A realtor enters the picture mainly when the home and land sell together as real estate.
Can I do the installation myself to save money?
No — Texas law requires installation by a TDHCA-licensed installer, and lenders and insurers require proof of it. Site prep like clearing and utility trenching, though, is fair game for sweat equity.
What should I check before buying land for a manufactured home?
Deed restrictions, floodplain status, road access for a wide load, and the real cost of water, electric, and septic. Those four checks, done before closing on the land, prevent nearly every expensive surprise we see.
What if something breaks right after move-in?
Document it and notify the retailer and manufacturer in writing immediately — new homes carry warranties, and Texas installers warranty their setup work. If a licensed party won't respond, TDHCA's consumer complaint process has real teeth.