by George Porter

What is the HUD Code?, Well, it is just a building code, that's all. In fact it may be the simplest building code ever to exist except for some early Roman Emperor's rules on construction.

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by Joe Adams

Shopping the Competition
Part 1 – Introduction

A problem facing American business today is its disconnection with competitors in the marketplace. Once we have a better understanding of our own company's strengths and weaknesses, we can begin to look at other players in the market. These competitors are vying for many of the same customers as your development.

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by Rachael Biermann

A good Web site has the ability to attract consumers to your product or service while increasing your business' credibility. Too often, businesses fail to recognize their Web site as one of their most valuable forms of advertisement. This seems to be even truer for many in the manufactured housing industry. Some key characteristics of a good Web site are:

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by Chad Carr

Our company, Rainmaker Software first started working with retailers back in 1976 during the founding of the Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association. Over these 33 years, we have worked with close to two thousand - retailers to help them better understand and manage their businesses.

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By Tim Connor, CSP

My research shows the typical salesperson spends 10-20 percent of their time selling and 70-80 percent doing everything else. Isn't it amazing that you can earn an income in sales spending less than 30 percent of your time selling? Imagine what you could do to your results and income if you could increase that number only five or even ten percent?

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One of the biggest weaknesses of poor managers is their inability or unwillingness to delegate tasks, responsibilities or outcomes.  In order to be an effective manager you need to know what you can delegate, when you can delegate it and who you can delegate it to.  The role of a manager is not to do it but to get other people to do it.

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by Susan Frost

The Federal Tax Credit for first-time home buyers ($8,000) and Repeat or Move-up Buyers ($6,500) is fast approaching. If your borrowers are purchasing their first principal residence, they will want to have a binding sales contract signed by April 30th, 2010 and the home and purchase transaction completed by June 30th, 2010.

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by Nadeen Green & Scot Haislip

Robert G. Schwemm, a leading fair housing authority at the University of Kentucky Law School, once commented to a room full of fair housing advocates and litigators that "The seniors [housing] industry is not aware that it is subject to the Fair Housing Act". We can only hope that he was right, because

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by Chrissy Jackson

Upgrading your manufactured home community – it's an inside job!
Upgrading a community for some owners and managers invokes visions of looking as nice as the newest community in the area; boasting wide streets and lush landscaping; and providing amenities such as a pool and large picnic area.

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by L. A. 'Tony' Kovach

I was reading an email from Beth Monicatti-Blank of All Seasons Communications fame. Like so many positive minded people like to do, Beth places a short inspirational quotation at the end of her signature box. I always find these of interest, and this one particularly so. Here is the quotation:

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by Greg McClanahan

(Author's Note: The following story is a must read and provides some profound insights on how to be successful in business and in life.)

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection from Picasso to Raphael. They often sat together and admired these great works of art.

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by Shawn P. Mullins

Welcome back everyone! In this last article of the series I want to touch on an area of business that I believe is fundamental to success. Operational effectiveness can make or break an organization, regardless of its size. It is through the implementation and operational efforts that organizations either flourish and see their visions realized, or float aimlessly as though being adrift on the ocean per the whims of Mother Nature.

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by John Underwood

It is always interesting the responses that I get from my readers in response to any articles about selling, more specifically sales techniques. I truly appreciate all of your support, insight and comments. With the exception of one or two callers, most everyone agreed outdated selling tactics designed to "manipulate" prospects into making a buying decision are less than honorable and beneath the dignity of our profession.

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by Dave Shanklin

It's springtime in California, and bidding wars over mobile homes in parks are heating up. When I say 'mobile home,' I'm talking about pre-HUD Code homes.

In the most expensive county in CA, Marin Valley Mobile Country Club is a city-owned 55+ MHP with views of the San Pablo Bay and offers very affordable space rent of $550 - $580.

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As MHMSM.com Editor L. A. "Tony" Kovach pointed out so well in his blog post "Positive No Cost Public Relations", having an article published in a newspaper, magazine or online can create a flood of visitors to your website or location.

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by Donald Westphal, ASLA

In last month's article we discussed how to make the most of your community's "window from the highway" through proper signage and landscaping. We can now turn our attention to carrying these themes inside the community… an essential step in the creation of a consistent image. Think of the process as one artist painting an image from border to border.

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by Zig Ziglar 

In today's job market, employers consider a multitude of factors when choosing qualified employees. They may be looking for people with a certain skill set or a certain educational background. Thanks to the power of the internet,

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