Manufactured Home Guide
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Selling a mobile home in Texas is not like selling a house, and it is not like selling a car either. It has its own title document, its own state agency, a tax trap every January 1, and a 60-day deadline most private sellers have never heard of. Get those right and a manufactured home sells cleanly, with or without land. Get them wrong and the buyer is not the legal owner, the taxes follow you, and the sale can unwind months later. If the home needs work as well, our guide to selling as-is in Texas pairs with this one.
How do you sell a mobile home in Texas?First find out whether the home is personal property or has been converted to real property, because that decides everything else. A personal-property home transfers on a Statement of Ownership from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA): the seller must file the application and $55 fee within 60 days of the sale, show that property taxes are paid, and the buyer is not the legal owner until that application is filed. A home that was converted to real property and recorded with the county sells with its land by deed, through a title company, like any other house.
Everything below walks through those two tracks, the tax rules that trip up both, what changes when the home sits in a park, and which type of buyer makes sense for each.
On this page
- Personal Property or Real Property? Check Before You Do Anything
- The Statement of Ownership: Fees, Deadlines and the $100 Late Fee
- The January 1 Tax Lien and the 18-Month Rule
- Selling a Mobile Home in a Park or on a Leased Lot
- Who Buys Mobile Homes in Texas, Compared
- How to Sell a Mobile Home in Texas, Step by Step
- Four Things That Can Stop the Sale Cold
- Quick FAQs
Personal Property or Real Property? Check Before You Do Anything
Under Texas Property Code §2.001, a manufactured home is personal property unless two things have happened: the Statement of Ownership shows that the owner elected to treat it as real property, and a certified copy has been filed in the real property records of the county where the home sits. Occupations Code §1201.2055 adds the conditions: the election is only available if the home is attached to land you own or hold under a long-term lease as defined by TDHCA rule, and it is not perfected until, within 60 days of TDHCA issuing the statement, you record it with the county clerk and notify TDHCA and the appraisal district. Once perfected, the home is real property for all purposes.
Personal property (most homes)Sold on a bill of sale plus a new Statement of Ownership from TDHCA. No deed, and usually no title company. The land, if you own it, is a separate sale by deed. Lenders treat it as a chattel loan, which is why most buyers pay cash or use a specialist lender.
Real property (converted and recorded)Home and land sell together by warranty deed through a title company, with title insurance, conventional or FHA financing, and the same Seller’s Disclosure Notice as a site-built house. TDHCA’s form notes that when a title company insures the home with the land, no separate proof of taxes is required.
How to check in five minutesSearch TDHCA’s manufactured housing records at mhweb.tdhca.state.tx.us using the home’s serial number and HUD label or Texas Seal number. The record shows the owner, the election, any lienholders and any tax liens. Then search the county clerk’s real property records for the recorded statement.
A common surprise: owners assume the home is real property because it sits on their land. Tax Code §11.432 gives the landowner a homestead exemption either way, so the tax bill does not tell you. Only the TDHCA record and the county records do.
The Statement of Ownership: Fees, Deadlines and the $100 Late Fee
For a personal-property home, the Statement of Ownership is the title. Occupations Code §1201.206 sets the rules for transferring it, and they are strict.
- The seller files, within 60 days. Section 1201.206(c) puts the duty on the seller or transferor to file a completed application for a new Statement of Ownership not later than the 60th day after the sale. If the seller does not, the buyer may apply.
- Ownership does not pass until it is filed. Under §1201.206(e), legal ownership of the home does not transfer until a completed application is filed with TDHCA. A signed bill of sale on the kitchen table is not enough.
- The fee is $55. TDHCA’s current form (revised June 2026) lists a $55 issuance fee, payable to TDHCA-MHD by cashier’s check or money order, plus $55 for priority handling. Processing takes up to 15 working days under §1201.207(a).
- Miss the deadline and the seller pays. Section 1201.206(h) lets TDHCA assess a late fee against the seller if the application and fee are not filed before the 61st day after the sale. TDHCA’s form states the fee as $100.
- Liens must be cleared or consented. Liens on a manufactured home are perfected only by filing with TDHCA under §1201.219, and they show on the ownership record. A lender’s lien has to be released, or the lender’s written consent filed, before a clean statement issues.
Converting a personal-property home to real property before you sell is possible, but §1201.2075 blocks the conversion until every lien is released or every lienholder consents in writing, so a home with a loan on it generally converts at the closing of a sale or refinance, not before.
The January 1 Tax Lien and the 18-Month Rule
Every Statement of Ownership carries a warning required by §1201.205: on January 1 of each year, a new tax lien comes into existence on a manufactured home. That lien is why TDHCA will not issue a new statement on a used home until the taxes are shown to be paid. Under §1201.206(g) the application must include a statement from the county tax assessor-collector showing that, for each January 1 in the 18 months before the sale, there are no unextinguished tax liens and no personal property taxes due. TDHCA’s form asks for the tax statement or a paid-in-full receipt that references the home’s HUD label or serial number, and if the current year’s taxes are not yet due, the money goes into escrow.
Two practical consequences. If you are behind on the home’s taxes, no buyer can take title until they are paid; our guide to selling with back taxes or liens covers the options if you cannot pay them up front. And timing: §1201.207 pauses issuance after June 30 each year until the tax liens filed before that date are processed, so a sale that closes in early summer can wait longer for its paperwork than one in the spring.
Selling a Mobile Home in a Park or on a Leased Lot
If the home sits on a rented lot in a manufactured home community, Property Code Chapter 94 governs the landlord side of the sale. Section 94.252 says the owner may sell the home on the leased premises if the purchaser is approved in writing by the landlord and the purchaser signs a lease. The same section says that unless you agreed to it in writing, the landlord cannot require you to use the park as your agent or broker or pay a commission or fee from the sale. Read your lease for any notice requirement, and get the buyer’s approval in hand before you take a deposit.
One more Chapter 94 rule matters: if the park is closing or changing its land use, §94.204 requires at least 180 days’ notice to the tenant, the home owner and any lienholder, which is often the moment owners decide to sell rather than pay to move the home.
Who Buys Mobile Homes in Texas, Compared
| Private buyer | Listed with an agent | Licensed retailer or dealer | Cash home buyer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Works best for | A home in a park, sold where it sits | A home converted to real property on its own land | A newer home the dealer can resell or move | A home on land you own, in any condition |
| Financing | Usually cash; chattel loans are slow and selective | Conventional or FHA when home and land are real property | Dealer buys outright | Cash, no lender |
| Paperwork | You file the Statement of Ownership and prove taxes | Title company handles deed and title insurance | Dealer handles the TDHCA filing | Buyer’s title company handles deed and TDHCA filing |
| Timeline | Weeks to find a buyer, then 15 working days at TDHCA | Weeks on market plus 30 to 45 days to close | Days, but offers reflect resale and moving costs | As little as 7 to 14 days after you accept |
| Repairs and condition | Buyer may insist on the 60-day habitability warranty | Appraiser and lender can require repairs | Older or damaged homes are often declined | Bought as-is, with the land |
A home on its own land has more buyers than a home on a rented lot, and a home already converted to real property has the most. If yours is on land you own and you want the whole thing gone in one closing, a direct cash buyer is usually the simplest route; our cash buyer vs iBuyer vs agent comparison and our breakdown of what it costs to sell in Texas both apply here.
How to Sell a Mobile Home in Texas, Step by Step
- Pull the TDHCA record. Confirm you are the owner of record, whether the home is personal or real property, and whether any lien or tax lien is still showing. Fix mismatches now; a title company or TDHCA will stop the sale over them later.
- Find the HUD label and data plate. Every section of a home built on or after June 15, 1976 carries a HUD label, and Texas requires either a HUD label or a Texas Seal before a home can be sold. If the label is missing, apply to TDHCA for a seal before you advertise.
- Get the tax certificate. Ask the county tax assessor-collector for the statement showing the home’s taxes are paid for each January 1 in the past 18 months. Pay anything outstanding.
- Clear or document the liens. Get a release from any lender, filed with TDHCA, or their written consent to the transfer. If you are converting to real property, this has to happen first under §1201.2075.
- If the home is in a park, get the landlord’s written approval of your buyer. Section 94.252 makes that and a signed lease the conditions of the sale.
- Disclose in writing. For a real-property home, that is the Seller’s Disclosure Notice under Property Code §5.008. For a used home sold as personal property, Occupations Code §1201.455 requires a written disclosure of the home’s condition on TDHCA’s form and a written warranty that the home is habitable for 60 days after the later of installation or the purchase agreement. Our list of documents needed to sell a house in Texas covers the rest.
- Close, then file within 60 days. Sign the bill of sale (or deed), collect certified funds, and send TDHCA the Statement of Ownership application, the $55 fee and the tax statement. Keep the receipt; the 60-day clock and the $100 late fee are yours, not the buyer’s.
Four Things That Can Stop the Sale Cold
1. A pre-1976 homeOccupations Code §1201.003 draws the line at June 15, 1976: homes built on or after that date are HUD-code homes, older ones are “mobile homes” in the statute’s words. Both can be owned and transferred, but an older home with no HUD label needs a Texas Seal from TDHCA before it can be sold, and most lenders will not finance it.
2. A salvaged homeIf the home was scrapped, dismantled or destroyed, or an insurer paid its full insured value, §1201.461 makes it “salvaged.” A salvaged home may not be sold to a consumer at all, only to a licensed retailer, and the owner must apply for a new statement that says so.
3. Moving it without a licensed installerOnly a licensed installer may install, re-level or alter the foundation of a manufactured home, and a relocated home needs a new Statement of Ownership within 60 days under §1201.206(f). Buyers who plan to move the home should budget for both.
4. Selling more than oneSection 1201.003 defines a retailer as someone who sells or exchanges at least two manufactured homes to consumers in a 12-month period. Sell your own home and you are a consumer; start flipping them and you need a licence.
This guide describes Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1201, Property Code §2.001 and Chapter 94, Tax Code §§11.432 and 32.03, and TDHCA’s Statement of Ownership forms as published in November 2026. Fees are set by the TDHCA Manufactured Housing Division and can change. This is general information, not legal advice.
Manufactured Home on Land You Own? Let’s Talk.
We buy property in its present condition across San Marcos, New Braunfels, Seguin, Schertz, San Antonio and Austin. If your manufactured home sits on land you own in the corridor, tell us about it: one walkthrough, a straight answer on whether it is something we can buy, a written cash offer if it is, and closing in as little as 7 to 14 days with the title company handling the TDHCA paperwork.
Quick FAQs
Do I need a title to sell a mobile home in Texas?
Texas replaced titles with the Statement of Ownership issued by TDHCA. To sell a personal-property home you need to be the owner on that record, clear any liens shown on it, prove the taxes are paid, and file an application for a new statement in the buyer’s name within 60 days of the sale. A home converted to real property sells by deed with its land instead.
How much does it cost to transfer a mobile home title in Texas?
TDHCA’s current Statement of Ownership form lists a $55 issuance fee, with another $55 for priority handling. If the seller does not file within 60 days of the sale, Occupations Code §1201.206(h) lets TDHCA assess a late fee against the seller, which TDHCA’s form states as $100.
Can I sell a mobile home with back taxes in Texas?
Not until they are paid. Under §1201.206(g) the application for a new Statement of Ownership must include a statement from the tax assessor-collector showing no tax liens and no personal property taxes due for each January 1 in the 18 months before the sale, so the taxes are normally paid from the sale proceeds at closing or before.
Can the park stop me from selling my mobile home on the lot?
Property Code §94.252 lets you sell the home on the leased lot if the landlord approves the buyer in writing and the buyer signs a lease. Unless you agreed to it in writing, the landlord cannot make you use the park as your broker or pay it a commission from the sale.
Is a mobile home real property in Texas?
Only if the owner elected real property on the Statement of Ownership and recorded a certified copy in the county’s real property records, which Property Code §2.001 and Occupations Code §1201.2055 require. Until both steps are done the home is personal property, even if it sits on land the owner holds by deed.
Also worth reading: how to sell a house that needs repairs in Texas and how long it takes to sell a house in Texas. Browse the rest of our blog, or reach us at info@moneyfast4houses.com.