Texas CRE News In Your Inbox.
Sign up for Connect emails to stay informed with CRE stories that are 150 words or less.
TX Temps Were Not the Only Freeze Last Month
With the combination of cold weather and ensuing power outages, the winter storm last month prompted a weeklong freeze in manufactured housing production due to damaged infrastructure and equipment, according to the latest Texas Manufactured Housing Survey (TMHS). However, the weather shock subsided by month’s end.
“Texas manufactured housing plant production was back above pre-pandemic levels to start 2021, but Uri surely dampened shipments by some amount,” said Rob Ripperda, vice president of operations for the Texas Manufactured Housing Association. “February is typically an inventory buildup month for retailers, so we’ll see if the disruption caps or pushes back sales.”
The TMHS corroborated the inventory expansion with the backlog index reaching a five-month high, while sales activity leveled off from January.
“The start of the spring season is here, and consumer-search data suggest the buyers are coming,” said Ripperda.
Manufacturers, however, did not share that sentiment with a sluggish sales index projected for the next six months.
- ◦Development
