tilman's big buy

Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta buys River Oaks development for a reported $450 million

Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta has added one of Houston’s most prominent mixed-use developments to his real estate portfolio by purchasing River Oaks District.

The almost 14-acre property, which is located on Westheimer just east of 610, is home to luxury retail boutiques, upscale restaurants, high-end apartments, and office space. In total, it offers more than 300,000-square-feet of retail, over 67,000-square-feet of office space, and 279 apartment units.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed in press materials, but the Houston Chronicle reports that the Rockets owner paid $450 million for the property. JPMorgan Asset Management purchased the property for $550 million in 2016, the paper notes.

Since it opened in 2015, River Oaks District has become one of Houston’s top shopping and dining destinations. Its roster of luxury stores includes Hermes, Cartier, Rolex, Dior, Patek Phillip, and Harry Winston. It's also home to some of the city’s most popular restaurants, including Steak 48, Loch Bar, Toulouse, and Spanish restaurant MAD, which won Best New Restaurant in the 2020 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards.

River Oaks District is only about a mile from The Post Oak, Fertitta’s hotel, restaurant, and office complex on the West Loop that’s also home to Rolls Royce dealership Post Oak Motor Cars. It’s the only hotel in Houston to earn a 5-star rating from the prestigious Forbes Travel Guide.

“Adding River Oaks District to our Post Oak Hotel family of offerings seamlessly complements the curated experience we have created for the luxury-seeking consumer,” Fertitta said in a statement. “This is the perfect moment in time to add this premier mixed-use development to our luxury portfolio, creating incredible cross-promotional opportunities and elevating the standard for luxury dining and shopping for Houstonians and international travelers alike.”

Fertitta has been on a bit of a real estate shopping spree. In 2022, he purchased the 30-acre Montage Laguna Beach Resort Hotel in Southern California for a reported $660 million. Taken together, the Billion Dollar Buyer has dropped more than $1.1 billion expanding his real estate holdings since 2022.

River Oaks District completed a series of renovations, including the addition of a pocket park that stretches from Westcreek Lane on the district’s western side to its eastern boundary. Fertitta has plans for further changes, promising to “elevate the development to new heights” by attracting even more prominent retail and restaurant tenants.

Commercial real estate and investment management company JLL Capital Markets represented the seller and procured the buyer, Fertitta Entertainment, Inc, according to a release.

"Fertitta Entertainment is acquiring one of the most highly sought-after, trophy mixed-use assets in the U.S., and we are thrilled to have facilitated this transaction,” JLL executive Barry Brown said. “River Oaks District represents an exceptional investment opportunity with its prime location within Houston, as well as its premier luxury offerings. We congratulate Fertitta Entertainment on the acquisition of this distinguished property and look forward to see the continued evolution in the years to come."

Photo by Shannon O'Hara

The development added a pocket park in 2022.

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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