It stays personal property
In Texas, a manufactured home is personal property unless the owner elects otherwise, and that election takes land you own or a qualifying long-term lease. On a home-only loan, the home stays personal property.
Manufactured home loans in Fort Worth and Parker County: with the land or without it.
A manufactured home can be a great way to own, on your own land out in the country, in a community, or on family land. Which loan fits comes down to paperwork most people never think about: whether the home counts as real property. I do both home-and-land mortgages and home-only loans. Here's how each works in Texas and what to send me. I'm in Fort Worth, and most of my clients are around DFW.
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First question: is it real property?
For a home-and-land mortgage, the home and the land generally have to be financed together, and both have to be legally real property. In Texas, a manufactured home is personal property by default, like a vehicle. To make it real property, the owner elects that on a Statement of Ownership from TDHCA's Manufactured Housing Division, and a certified copy gets recorded in the county's real property records. Until it's recorded, the conversion isn't complete.
You can only elect real property if the home is attached to land you own, or land under a qualifying long-term lease. If there's a lien on the home, it has to be paid off or the lienholder has to consent; when you're refinancing that lien into a mortgage, the title company can handle it. TDHCA explains the steps in its Statement of Ownership FAQ. The title company and I will walk you through it.
Home-only loans: the home without the land
Not everybody owns the dirt under the house. Maybe the home is in a manufactured home community, on a rented lot, or on a relative's land. In those cases the home usually can't be made real property, so a regular mortgage doesn't fit. That's what a home-only loan is for, sometimes called a chattel loan. I do those too.
The title is with TDHCA
Instead of a deed recorded with the county, ownership and liens are shown on the Statement of Ownership from TDHCA's Manufactured Housing Division. After a sale, an application for a new Statement of Ownership has to be filed within 60 days, and ownership doesn't pass until it is.
A different kind of loan
A home-only loan isn't FHA, conventional, or USDA mortgage financing on real property. It has its own rules, and it's underwritten differently. I'll lay it out next to a home-and-land option if you have one.
Moving the home
Moving a manufactured home takes a permit from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles and a new Statement of Ownership showing the new location, and lienholders have to consent or be paid off. Tell me if a move is part of the plan.
Own the land, or plan to buy it with the home? Then a home-and-land mortgage is usually worth a look first.
Home-and-land mortgages: which loans work
FHA
FHA covers manufactured homes built on or after June 15, 1976, to the federal standards, with the HUD Certification Label or a label verification letter. The home has to be at least 400 square feet, on a permanent foundation that meets HUD's guide, moved straight from the manufacturer or dealer to the site, and be the home you live in.
Conventional
Per Fannie Mae, conventional manufactured home loans can be for a primary residence, single or multi-width, or a multi-width second home. Not investment properties. The home and land both have to be real property under state law.
USDA
USDA can work in eligible rural areas, but generally only for new manufactured homes. Existing manufactured homes usually don't qualify.
Fixing one up
Some renovation loans can be used on manufactured homes, as long as the home keeps meeting the program's rules. Ask me before you plan the work.
What trips people up
Missing labels
The HUD Certification Label and data plate get painted over, lost, or removed. If they're missing, we may need a label verification letter. Look for them before you write an offer.
The foundation
FHA wants a permanent foundation built to HUD's guide, which means a certification from an engineer or architect licensed in Texas. In Texas, only a licensed installer can install, relevel, or modify the foundation.
Moved homes
FHA requires the home to have come straight from the manufacturer or dealer to its site, so a home that's been moved generally won't work for FHA. Tell me the history if you know it.
The land
Wells, septic, acreage, and road access all matter, especially out in Parker County. Tell me what's on the property up front.
Building a modular home, or putting a new home on land you own? See my construction loan guide.
What to send me
- The address, and the listing if there is one
- The year, size, and whether it's single or multi-width
- The HUD label numbers or serial number, if you can find them
- The current Statement of Ownership or title, if the seller has it
- Your usual income documents: pay stubs and W-2s, tax returns, or bank statements if you're self-employed
- Details on the land: whether you own it, lease it, or it's in a community, plus acres, well, septic, outbuildings
Ready when you are.
Send the short form, call, or email, ideally before you write the offer. I'll check the home against the loan rules, tell you what paperwork we'll need, and line up a home-only loan, FHA, conventional, and USDA side by side when they fit.
I lend in Texas, Oklahoma, California, Colorado, Montana, Florida and Georgia, and I can help in all the other states too.
I always start with a soft pull, so no hard credit ding.
Manufactured home loan questions
Can I get a loan on a manufactured home in Texas?
Yes, two ways. If the home and the land are financed together as real property, it can be a regular mortgage like FHA, conventional, or USDA. If you're buying just the home, without the land, that's a home-only loan, and the home stays personal property. I do both.
Can I finance a manufactured home in a community or on land I don't own?
Yes, with a home-only loan. Texas only lets you elect real property status if the home is attached to land you own or land under a qualifying long-term lease, so a home on a rented lot or on family land usually stays personal property. A home-only loan finances the home by itself.
What is a home-only or chattel loan?
A loan on the manufactured home by itself, not the land. In Texas the home stays personal property, and the lien is recorded with TDHCA's Manufactured Housing Division on the Statement of Ownership instead of in the county real property records. It's a different kind of loan from a mortgage, with its own rules.
How old can the manufactured home be for FHA?
FHA requires a home built on or after June 15, 1976, to the federal manufactured home standards, with the HUD Certification Label or a label verification letter. It also has to be at least 400 square feet and on a permanent foundation that meets HUD's guide.
Can I buy a manufactured home as a rental?
Not with a conventional loan through Fannie Mae, which doesn't allow investment properties for manufactured homes. Fannie allows primary residences and multi-width second homes. FHA and USDA are for the home you live in.
What is the difference between a manufactured home and a modular home?
A manufactured home is built to the federal HUD code. A modular home is built to state or local building codes for a site-built permanent foundation, and it's generally financed like a regular house.
Who can install a manufactured home in Texas?
Per TDHCA, only a licensed installer can install, relevel, or modify the foundation of a manufactured home.
Apply Now (opens in new tab)Tell me the deal
I always start with a soft pull, so no hard credit ding.
General information, not legal advice or a commitment to lend. Rules come from HUD Handbook 4000.1, the Fannie Mae Selling Guide, USDA's 7 CFR Part 3555, and TDHCA. Subject to qualification and program guidelines. Not all applicants will qualify.
More answers on the FAQ page, or see Parker County home loans. Or head back home.