Redefining McMansions

New brand of multi-million dollar spec homes in River Oaks and Tanglewood aims to raise the bar

For Sudhoff Companies founder Jacob Sudhoff and brand manager Neal Hamil, it seemed only fitting that they announce the launch of the high-end Hampton Lane Collection of homes at a swank gathering over caviar and champagne in the wine cellar of River Oaks Country Club.

The new concept in pre-designed luxury homes, unlike the proliferation of McMansions across the city, combines architectural precision with the concept of ultimate luxury. "The idea is to change the landscape of speculative building in Houston in pre-designed mansions," Hamil said. "It's never been done on this scale."

"The idea is to change the landscape of speculative building in Houston in pre-designed mansions," Hamil said. "It's never been done on this scale."

Hampton Lane Collection founders represent some of the city's oldest and most established families, who wish to remain behind the scenes. The home builder selected Sudhoff Companies, founded in 2010, to be the face of the effort and to partner in the projects that are being designed by Mirador Group architects.

"We are literally designing these homes to a level that has not been seen before for pre-designed homes in Houston," Sudhoff said. "It's going to raise the bar for River Oaks and Tanglewood."

To date, the partnership has acquired 11 large lots spread across those two elegant neighborhoods with two of the homes nearing completion. To give prospective buyers a realistic look at properties in the works, the team brought in Tim Bogza to create remarkable 3-D images of the homes and a 3-D video that walks you through the mansions. Each house is virtually furnished with actual products that will be available for purchase.

Averaging 10,000 square feet, the houses are priced between $4 million and $7 million. Hamil says they are looking for 10 additional lots for the Hampton Lane Collection, which will eventually include homes priced as high as $9 million.

Noting the attention to detail and extras such as basements featuring in-home movie theaters and wine cellars Sudhoff notes, "I truly believe that when buyers see this in comparison to what is currently on the market, it's going to reset expectations."

-A 3D rendering of the dining area at 6018 Pine Forest.

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housing news

Houston ranks among top 10 U.S. cities for mobile home living

Photo by Brian Wangenheim on Unsplash

Manufactured homes have come a long way from the "trailers" of the past, according to StorageCafe.

As Houston residents navigate the city's fluctuating real estate market, manufactured homes – also known as mobile homes – are gaining traction among potential buyers seeking an affordable path to homeownership.

A recent housing study found Houston ranks among the top 10 U.S. cities with the largest mobile home inventory. Texas, as a whole, has the second-highest share of manufactured housing in the nation.

StorageCafe's housing insights report analyzed the supply of manufactured housing inventory, average sales prices of new manufactured homes, and compared pricing trends against the median value of all housing units (regardless of construction date) across all 50 states and 100 U.S. cities.

The report's author hails manufactured housing as "a cornerstone of affordability" in the country, with just under 8 million mobile homes representing about 5.4 percent of the U.S. housing supply.

There are 776,232 manufactured homes in Texas, the report found, which is 6.2 percent of the state's entire housing stock. Houston is home to the 8th highest number of mobile homes in the nation, at 10,953 units.

Here's how the rest of the top 10 shakes out:

No. 1 – Mesa, Arizona (29,335 units)
No. 2 – Phoenix, Arizona (20,564 units)
No. 3 – Jacksonville, Florida (15,393 units)
No. 4 – Largo, Florida (14,131 units)
No. 5 – Tuscon, Arizona (14,128 units)
No. 6 – San Jose, California (11,668 units)
No. 7 – San Antonio, Texas (11,208 units)
No. 8 – Houston, Texas (10,953 units)
No. 9 – Los Angeles, California (10,622 units)
No. 10 – Sunrise Manor, Nevada (9,952 units)

Why manufactured home living is gaining popularity
Affordability is of the main reasons Texas residents are turning to manufactured home living. The average sale price for a mobile home in Texas was $112,500 in 2024, or less than half of the median sale price for all Texas homes ($313,200).

The report specifies that the cost for a manufactured home does not include the cost of land in the same way that a conventional home does. Depending on zoning and local laws, residents who own a mobile home either lease the lot their home sits on, or they have to purchase a lot outright.

"Most manufactured homes sit either in parks (land rent, higher exposure to rent hikes or park closures) or subdivisions (you own the land)," the report said. "In some communities, resident-owned cooperatives (co-ops) allow homeowners to collectively purchase the land beneath their homes. This setup provides stability and protection against rising lot rents, which can otherwise affect those living in privately owned parks."

Nevertheless, StorageCafe maintains that the generally lower cost of a manufactured home still makes it a viable path to homeownership. Affordability is especially crucial for younger adults like Gen Zers and Millennials who also don't want to "compromise on quality or independence."

"Today’s younger buyers value flexibility, efficiency, and minimal maintenance, and many are drawn to simpler lifestyles that align with financial freedom and mobility," the report said. "With the rise of remote work, more Millennials and Gen Zers are exploring the idea of living affordably in smaller, well-designed spaces, often in communities with shared amenities or scenic settings that were once thought to appeal only to retirees."

Manufactured homes have also experienced a "glow up" in recent years, the report added. Most manufactured homes have open floor plans, "stylish interiors," and come equipped with modern amenities like smart-home technology and energy efficient features.

"As a result, they’re no longer viewed as a fallback option, but rather as a savvy, forward-thinking path to homeownership for cost-conscious Americans of all ages," the report said.

Mobile home living elsewhere in Texas
Other than San Antonio in Houston in the top 10, there were 12 more Texas cities that ranked among the top 100. El Paso came in at No. 16 with 7,089 mobile homes in the city, and Laredo ranked two spots behind with 6,785 units.

Here's how other Texas cities fared in the report:

No. 20 – Dallas (6,195 units)
No. 21 – Austin (6,184 units)
No. 22 – Fort Worth (6,069 units)
No. 29 – Corpus Christi (4,823 units)
No. 34 – Pharr (4,409 units)
No. 48 – Arlington (3,818 units)
No. 60 – Mission (3,207 units)
No. 65 – Bryan (3,063 units)
No. 67 – Edinburg (3,407 units)
No. 98 – Denton (2,441 units)

housing market housing report storagecafe texas manufactured housing houston