Housing market holds steady in Jasper
By SHARON KERR Staff Writer

Newsboy photo/Sharon Kerr A TEXAS-SIZE LOG CABIN may roll down the road to a neighborhood near you. Set up on an Austin-stone foundation and an attached garage, it will look right at home anywhere in the Pineywoods.

In a national real estate market that is suffering from falling values, the Texas economy is rising. According to data collected by Texas A & M, the Beaumont/Southeast Texas area has reported increases in seven out of eight months this year compared to 2005 and 2006.

Local businessman Randy Milford, owner of Twin Lakes Housing, says his business is holding steady, and he anticipates a boom in the next several years as boomers reach retirement age.

Milford just collected his second CSI award (customer satisfaction index) from Clayton, named "manufacturer of the year" by the Manufactured Housing Institute.

Milford lives in Rayburn Country, and says it should be an active market for several reasons, including comparatively low taxes and land prices, the lake and amenities like the golf course, nearby national and state parks, and proximity to cities like Houston and Beaumont.

Milford recently received tentative approval to put manufactured homes in a couple of sections of Rayburn Country, and has also submitted a condo plan for family rental units.

"This industry is growing because the price and quality compares favorably (with site-built homes)," Milford said.

Prices average $56-$63 per square foot, compared to up to $100 per square foot for site-built homes. Milford says the manufactured industry as a whole still labors under the misconception that anything delivered on wheels must be "just a flimsy trailer house."

Manufactured homes are major players in the revitalized Texas housing economy. All of the homes Milford sells are built in Texas, and he installs them all over East Texas. Installation frequently includes foundations, porches, and an attached garage or carport.

Manufactured homes are factory built, but to the same or better than stick-built construction standards and will meet building codes anywhere in the state. Many have six-inch exterior walls, R-19 insulation, and low-e double-paned windows.

Milford bragged the water heater in one model is so well insulated that if the power goes out for 24 hours, it will only lose five degrees in temperature.

In assembly-line conditions, construction is never delayed by weather. Each worker is a specialist; the framer doesn't try to double as a plumber. Homes are inspected at each construction phase, and again after installation. New homeowners get a book with wiring diagrams and details of construction for their home.

Inside a manufactured home, it is difficult to tell from a site-built house. Many have textured sheetrock walls with rounded corners, tile floors, and sloped or tray ceilings.

Being built on an assembly line doesn't mean these are cookie-cutter homes, either, according to Milford. Manufacturers can customize plans or build-tosuit. Milford said a retired engineer in Chester just ordered a home that will be fully handicapped-accessible, with three-foot wide doors throughout and a special shower.

The condos Milford proposed are uniquely suited to Rayburn vacationers, where multi-generation families or tournament fishermen want to share accommodations, but with some personal privacy. It has four master suites, each with its own bath and exterior entrance. Centered between the four suites is a 15x30 great room, dining room, kitchen and utility room.

"This market just keeps getting better," said Milford, who has been in business 10 years.