Industry Voices By Savvy Insightful Passionate MH Professional

vacancy-problem-mhc-md-

Industry Voices By Savvy Insightful Passionate MH Professional

vacancy-problem-mhc-md-

Karl Radde – TMHA, MHI, Southern Comfort Homes – Addressing Bryan City Leaders, Letter on Proposed Manufactured Home Ban

KarlRaddeQuoteSouthernComfortHomesByranTX-rePendingPlanBanMobileManufacturedHomes

KarlRaddeQuoteSouthernComfortHomesByranTX-rePendingPlanBanMobileManufacturedHomes

To All Concerned [Bryan City Officials, Others]:

As the retail location referenced by Mr. Inderman, I would like to take a moment to address the issues of eliminating MU1 zoning.  I have also served as the past Chairman of the Texas Manufactured Housing Association and serve on the board of directors of the Manufactured Housing Institute in Arlington, VA and remain steadfastly involved in promoting and protecting my industry from regulations at all levels of government that would attempt to lessen a person’s ability to obtain quality housing at an affordable price.

I have stated for quite some time at individual meetings with City officials, testified twice at Planning and Zoning meetings and once at City Council about how I disagree with the direction the City seems to be going against manufactured housing.  I have sat through workshops where I could not testify or speak and had to listen to various City officials and employees give presentations on how manufactured housing is such a bad choice of housing.  I have listened to a radio interview with the mayor of Bryan effectively stating it would be better to live in one’s car than a manufactured home as a source for housing.  All of these comments have been directed at what seems to be two things: 1) general categorization that all manufactured homes depreciate in value, and 2) not wanting a manufactured home being placed [next] to a site built home since it would now also depreciate the value of said site built home.  After that there are generally comments about types of exterior or high loan rates or low tax values.

I think from all my conversations that city officials want to serve in the best interests of the city and I have not met anyone who has been impolite or intentionally insulted me.  My industry is one that is often misunderstood and is ripe with negative stereotypes about manufactured homes.  I live in a 1999 multi-section manufactured home and as a home that is pushing 20 years old, over the years I have had to perform routine homeowner maintenance and make a few repairs, including a new roof which is all the same as I had to do to a site built home I purchased in 2001 that had been built in the early 80’s.  Shingles and paint went on my manufactured home in exactly the same manner they were applied to my site built home.  Essentially, a home is a home.  There are certainly examples of manufactured homes that have served out their use or have unfortunately been neglected and will not get to realize their full potential; however, the same can be said for many site built homes in some of the areas currently listed as MU1.  Once again, a home is a home.

Manufactured housing is one of, if not the only type of housing, that can be placed on a lot owned by a parent, grandparent, sibling, relative or other that while not willing, or is unable due to title encumbrances, to sell the property the homeowner can still obtain financing.   While some may view this as a less than desirable way to own a home, is it not still allowing someone to do just that, own a home?  This home will be taxed like any other home.  The owner occupied homeowner is still entitled to all tax exemptions they qualify for as any other homeowner.  The investor owned home is taxed no differently than any other investor owned property in the city.  Either situation is providing a resident of the city of Bryan an affordable alternative to renting an apartment where the[y] would have little to no yard to raise a family, and in the case of the owner occupied home is currently the only means of non-government subsidized affordable housing available.

I would therefore urge the city to reconsider this proposed change and work with citizens and industry representatives to develop a set of guidelines that allow manufactured housing to have parity with site built housing.  After all, if you drop the word “manufactured” you are merely left with a home and that is what all Americans deserve and desire to provide for their family.

KarlRaddeSouthernComfortHomesIndustryVoicesMHProNewsSincerely,
Karl Radde, GM
Southern Comfort Homes
979-778-8224
979-778-9424 fax

MartinMartyLavinJD-PhotoQuoteDidAnExpertWitnessAssignmentInIndiandaNotImpressedManufacturedHomeCommunityResidentsTreatmentYesCostsMoneyToBePoor

Marty Lavin, J.D., Weighs in on Resident Complaints of Predatory Behavior by Manufactured Home Community Consolidators

Tony, I am not familiar with this situation, other than as the news account details. On the one hand I know from personal experience that …

Read More →
KarlRaddeQuoteSouthernComfortHomesByranTX-rePendingPlanBanMobileManufacturedHomes

Karl Radde – TMHA, MHI, Southern Comfort Homes – Addressing Bryan City Leaders, Letter on Proposed Manufactured Home Ban

To All Concerned [Bryan City Officials, Others]: As the retail location referenced by Mr. Inderman, I would like to take a moment to address the …

Read More →
EdwardAsk-EddieHicksIndustryVoicesManufacturedHousingMHProNews-1

MHC Pro Eddie Hicks, Federal Stalemate, and the 28th Amendment Solution

If you, like me, are somewhat totally perplexed by the apparent “stalemate” our duly elected members of Congress are in, perhaps it’s because in recent …

Read More →
TrailerParkBoysCommentaryAlKempExecutiveDirectorManufacturedHomeParkOwners-AllianceBritishColumbiaDailyBusienssNewsMHProNews-2

“Trailer Park Boys” Al Kemp, Canadian Manufactured Home Community Association, Reacts to Netflix Series

Hi Tony, The short answer is that – at least in Canada – “trailer park” connotes exactly the type of persons portrayed in Trailer Park …

Read More →
TimConnorCSPManufacturedHousingIndustryDailyBusinessNewsMHProNews-2

Social Media, Mass Emails vs. the Personal Touch? Field Testing Business Development Methodologies

As someone who has been selling my services globally for over forty years, I recently decided to dramatically reduce using technology, social media and mass …

Read More →

The Importance for Businesses and Investors in Manufactured Housing for Selecting the Next Supreme Court Justice

Predictability in law is the key to a prosperous Republic. Laws must be interpreted based on the language in them first and foremost. Only, when …

Read More →
FreeTradeOrEconomicWarMartyLavin475-AA

Free Trade or Economic War?

Anyone going to school in the U.S. after WW II has learned the breakdown in world trade was a primary, though not only, cause of …

Read More →
RealEstatePersonnelCanSellMHCASusanBrentonManufacturedHousingIndustryVoicesDailyBusinessNewsMHProNews

Law Allows Real Estate Personnel to Sell Homes in Your Manufactured Home Community

Real estate personnel are now allowed to sell homes in manufactured and mobile home parks without first having to be licensed as a broker under …

Read More →
RevDonaldTyeJr-ManufacturedHousingAdvocateQuickestWayWealthIndustryVoicesMHProNews550

Manufactured Homes – Access & Equity – a Key Cure for America’s Housing Shortages, Wealth-Building Says Activist Donald Tye, Jr.

Manufactured housing could cure most of the ills we have in this country as it pertains to the housing shortage. Why then is it not …

Read More →
MHCommunitiesOfAZNealTHaneyPresidentWhyTheyQuitManufacturedHousingInstituteMHIDailyBusinessNewsMHProNews

State Association Quits Membership in Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI), Explains in Writing, Why?

The manufactured housing industry has long been a mainstay of affordable housing in the United States.  For decades the industry has provided an unmatched quality …

Read More →
GusRodriguezTejasHomesConroeTXIndustryVoicesDailyBusinessNewsMHProNews

“No Greater Resource” in Manufactured Housing Industry

Dear Tony and Soheyla, Thank you for your great reporting on our industry and the challenges we face as independent retailers. There is no greater …

Read More →
EconomicRacismIlGenAssemblyRevDonTyeJr-JDHarperArkp-ManufacturedHousingAssoc-IndustryVoicesMHProNews-2

McCrory Lawsuit – “Significant Victory Against Zoning Discrimination” – Manufactured Homes

The McCrory lawsuit is a significant victory against zoning discrimination that many working families in Arkansas face from cities and towns when they attempt to …

Read More →
Scroll to Top