Featured Articles and Reports for Vol. 3, No. 4, 2012
Alphabetically by Category
COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT & FAIR HOUSING (LEGAL)
• Do You Hear What I Hear? Do you see what I see?
by Nadeen Green

Aha! Now that Christmas carol is going to be an ear worm for those of you in manufactured home community management! Memory devices are great, and maybe this one will keep you and your land lease community staff out of trouble...
• A New Year's Possibilities
by Eddie Hicks
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Starting the new year brings possibilities for land lease community (LLCommunity) refinance and development opportunities.
With all the site built home foreclosures, many families have turned to apartments, resulting in a relatively high occupancy rate in many markets, while at the same time, in those same areas, there may be many vacant LLCommunity homesites.
• Content Area of Guidelines for Living: Refuse Removal through Rights of Management
by Chrissy Jackson

Happy New year! In December's article on the guidelines for living in manufactured home land lease communities, we covered the topics of Number of Residents to Recreational Vehicles, we covered Guidelines for Living topics, Number of Residents to Recreational Vehicles. Let's get started with our new topics for January, 2012~
• What About Your Utility Systems?
by Kurt Kelly, JD

When purchasing a manufactured home community, experienced investors focus considerable pre-purchase due diligence on the community’s utility systems. This infrastructure is a large part of the value of most properties.
• Rent Control Out at Surf and Sand
by Eric Miller

Rent control isn't such a hot topic in California anymore, except when it comes to 'mobile home' and manufactured housing communities. That's because most communities in the state don't have vacancy control.
When an apartment turns over, rents revert to a market rate. Manufactured home communities are an exception.
FINANCING
• Financing more manufactured homes, getting inventory and community financing
by L. A. 'Tony' Kovach

One of the challenges of doing a trade journal is putting an article in a category that makes sense. Some articles could well be in more than one category, but we don't want readers who skim to think we just mistakenly duplicated something! Then there are the resources for getting more of the various types of financing, and that is what this brief article is about!
GENERAL MANUFACTURED HOUSING INDUSTRY TOPICS
• MLS…Multiple Listing Service for Manufactured Housing
by Boe Davis

For almost 30 years we ran what may have been the only true Multiple Listing Service (MLS) for manufactured home sales in communities. Initially called the Mobile Home Board, then as an association it was called the California Mobile Home Guardians and in its last version it was called MHMLS.org.
• What I Learned From Santa
by Suzanne Felber

The holidays this year were very special - I was able to do an early Christmas with my amazing new grandson in Florida. My son and his family live in the West Palm Beach area, so we were able to enjoy some beautiful weather, but it was a given there would be no snow in sight.
• The Texas Playbook
by D. J. Pendleton, J.D.

I had met Tony several times previously at various national events. However, it wasn’t until Tony was kind enough to attend the Texas Manufactured Housing Association's (TMHA’s) recent annual convention in September when I got a chance to talk substantively with him.
• You Can't Fix It Till You Know It's Broken
by George Porter

This month's topic can apply to a lot of things in the installation and repair of manufactured housing. The bottom line is you have to know what is correct before you can see that there is a need for change or repair.
• “It's Show Time” in Louisville!
by Ron Thomas, Sr.

It's show time in Louisville at the Kentucky Exhibition Center (KEC). The annual Louisville Manufactured Housing Show (Louisville MH Show) will run January 11-13th, and this year's line up is simple impressive.
• Model Homes or Not!
by Katy Weldon

For the past several decades Model Homes have been an important part of the housing industry, including manufactured and modular homes. A model home complex was considered a necessity and major selling tools for most retailers.
MANAGEMENT
• Improving Corporate Communications
by Tim Connor, CSP

Every corporate client I have worked with for over 40 years has had communication problems or challenges throughout their organization to a lesser or greater degree. Some have been critical issues that had cost them dearly off the bottom line, while others were nothing more than annoying inconveniences that got in the way of employee or department effectiveness.
MARKETING
• QR Codes—What are they and how can your business use them?
by Beth Monicatti Blank

You have probably seen Quick Response (QR) codes printed in an advertisement, on a product or even online. They are small black and white square boxes with smaller pixilated boxes inside. These QR codes are similar to the UPC barcodes used by retailers to track inventory and price products for scanning.
• Plan for Success in 2012
by Chris Nicely

The holidays always allow us time to reflect on what is important in our lives and can lead us to consider necessary changes. We consider those things that made us happy, satisfied and helped our business and those events that caused us to question. Each of us has a life centered around a business that is dependent upon a stagnant economy and possibly the worst housing market ever.
• Use Systems and Discipline for Successful Campaigns
by Jeff Templeton

I was speaking with a respected member of our industry the other day and he said something very obvious, but also very intuitive. What he said to me was, “It’s all about systems and discipline.” A system is a plan, formula or blue print for achieving results and discipline is needed to monitor, adjust and repeat the system to achieve the desired results again and again.
PERSONAL REFLECTIONS, MOTIVATION and INSPIRATION
• Get out of Auto-pilot
by Tim Connor, CSP

Are you going through your life in auto-pilot? Are you letting your responses and reactions to life’s circumstances and events be dictated by your previous values, attitudes and beliefs or are your responses a result of living in the present?
• Zig On The Next Hill to Climb
by Zig Ziglar

I recently received an interesting letter from one of our subscribers, quite complimentary. He pointed out that he particularly enjoyed anarticle having to do with success. Then he elaborated on the fact that he has achieved so many things--God has been really good to him--and his question was, "I guess it's like winning the World Series or the Super Bowl.
SALES
• What's Working in Manufactured Housing Retail
by Chad Carr

On November 13th – 15th, Rainmaker Consulting hosted what turned out to be one of the most exciting, positive and productive events of the year for the Manufactured Housing Industry – at least for those who were able to attend.
• Marketing & Sales – The Current State of Affairs and The Strategic Blending Process
by Tim Connor, CSP

If you are paying attention, the social media folks would have you believe that all you need to do to be successful in your business or career today is to be a social media guru with Facebook, LinkedIn etc.
I beg to differ.
by Tim Connor, CSP

Every corporate client I have worked with for over 40 years has had communication problems or challenges throughout their organization to a lesser or greater degree. Some have been critical issues that had cost them dearly off the bottom line, while others were nothing more than annoying inconveniences that got in the way of employee or department effectiveness.
by Eric Miller
Rent control isn't such a hot topic in California anymore, except when it comes to 'mobile home' and manufactured housing communities. That's because most communities in the state don't have vacancy control. When an apartment turns over, rents revert to a market rate. Manufactured home communities are an exception.
by L. A. 'Tony' Kovach
One of the challenges of doing a trade journal is putting an article in a category that makes sense. Some articles could well be in more than one category, but we don't want readers who skim to think we just mistakenly duplicated something! Then there are the resources for getting more of the various types of financing, and that is what this brief article is about!
by Kurt Kelly, JD
When purchasing a manufactured home community, experienced investors focus considerable pre-purchase due diligence on the community’s utility systems. This infrastructure is a large part of the value of most properties.

According to inman, estimates released by the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) say proposed immigration reform would result in the purchase of 3,000,000 homes by Hispanics, generating over $500 billion in home sales. An additional $233 billion in commissions, fees and spending connected to home-ownership would...
21 May 2013
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Investors, hearing that the Federal Reserve may continue its Quantitative Easing policy, sent the Dow and the S&P to new highs during today’s trading session. CNNMoney reports the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained +0.34 percent, +52.3 points, to close the day at 15,387.58. The Nasdaq advanced +0.16 percent, +5.69 points, to finish at...
21 May 2013
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As globenewswire informs MHProNews Cavco Industries, Inc. will release its earnings report for Q4 of fiscal year 2013 following the close of the market Thurs., May 23, 2013. Friday, May 24, senior management officials will discuss the results in a live webcast at 12:00 PM Eastern Time. Listen via Internet: http://www.cavco.com under the Investor...
21 May 2013
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MHProNews has learned from The Jerusalem Post the 50 families forcibly removed from the Migron outpost in the West Bank of Israel due to a ruling by the Israeli High Court of Justice have been relocated to modular homes a mile and-a-half away. The court ruled the land belonged to private Palestinians. One area of [...]...
21 May 2013
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According to gwdtoday, the Greenwood City Council in Greenwood, South Carolina unanimously approved the rezoning of property along Beadle Ave. from R7 (high-density residential) to RM7 (high-density residential manufactured housing). The owner of the property intends to place modular homes on the site. Several members of the council noted it is...
21 May 2013
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Ahead of official forecasts by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and the Commerce Dept., nationalmortgagenews informs MHProNews a survey of economists by Bloomberg reports new and existing home sales rose to a seasonally-adjusted-annual-rate (SAAR) of 5.41 million in April. This marks the highest number since Nov. 2009 when the first-time...
21 May 2013
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Following up on a story MHProNews last posted Feb. 15, 2013, concerning a temporary moratorium on the siting of manufactured homes in Magnolia, Ark., magnoliareporter says the Magnolia Planning Commission will continue its discussion at its next meeting. While current regulations require a 65-foot minimum width for siting a manufactured home,...
21 May 2013
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Having re-branded 18-year-old SSK Communities as “You Got it Homes,” co-founder Nathan Smith says the company sold no new manufactured homes in 2011, 60 in 2012, and they are already ahead of last year’s sales, due to aggressive TV ads. As the owner/operator of 22 land lease communities with 4,900 homesites in Indiana, Kentucky, and [...]...
20 May 2013
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Investors backed off from the market today as they await the testimony before Congress of Federal Reserve officials, including Chairman Ben Bernanke, this Wednesday, May 22. CNNMoney reports the Dow Jones Industrial Average slid -0.12 percent, -19.12 points, to close the day at 15,335.28. The Nasdaq lost -0.07 percent, -2.54 points, to finish at...
20 May 2013
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As the postandcourier informs MHProNews, modular homes have been slow to catch on in the Charleston, South Carolina area, although there are pockets in the city that have them, most notably north Charleston-based, Hunley Waters, which is all modular homes. Supplied by Nationwide Homes in Martinsville, Vir., the dwellings are priced in the low to...
20 May 2013
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The nationalmortgagenews reports in a survey of credit unions responding to the QM Rule issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), 44 percent say they will no longer originate non-qualified mortgages and another 44 percent will reduce originations. In the survey conducted by the National Association of Federal Credit Unions (NAFCU)...
20 May 2013
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by L. A. 'Tony' Kovach A recent message caused me to review the latest on the http://business.FTC.gov website on advertising. Uncle Sam's Federal Trade Commission (FTC), your state attorney general, other... Read more
MARKETING

by Beth Monicatti Blank Regardless of what products or services you sell, a successful marketing plan will combine several types of marketing methods to accomplish a certain goal or goals that... Read more
MARKETING

by Scott Stroud Want to casually keep up with friends and family between calls or while watching TV? Then, Facebook is the perfect medium for that. But, what about Social Media... Read more
MARKETING

by John Pentecost A troubling case developed in a mobile home park in Watsonville, California, in which a grand daughter moved in with an elderly woman homeowner in a 55 +... Read more
COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT & FAIR HOUSING (LEGAL)

by Kurt Kelly Here are two conflicting things lawyers often say. The first is, “You better have it in writing.” Many contracts must be in writing to be enforceable, particularly if... Read more
COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT & FAIR HOUSING (LEGAL)

by Chrissy Jackson “Every day is open house.” (WOW!) Curb Appeal . . .Sometimes, if you have been in your community for any length of time, you become rather immune to... Read more
COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT & FAIR HOUSING (LEGAL)

by Dave Shanklin Our industry’s major lender out of Seattle, CU Factory Built Lending, has wowed our industry with its very popular “Step Rate” loan product and has no plans of... Read more
FINANCING

by Andrea Levere Editor's Note: This is part of a series covering the release of Toward a Sustainable and Responsible Expansion of Affordable Mortgages for Manufactured Homes, the newest groundbreaking report CFED's... Read more
FINANCING

by Martin V. (Marty) Lavin Setting it up. First, let me set the stage. It’s been a few years, 3, since my last Las Vegas Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) Congress and... Read more
GENERAL MANUFACTURED HOUSING INDUSTRY TOPICS

by Mark Bowersox With two recent reports on manufactured housing recently completed, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has now turned its attention to a comprehensive review of the HUD Manufactured Housing... Read more
GENERAL MANUFACTURED HOUSING INDUSTRY TOPICS

by John Arendsen Manufactured Home Park/Community Owners/Investors of Rent/Lease Communities & Developers of Resident Owned Condo-Conversions, Sub-Divisions or Planned Unit Developments (PUDS) have more responsibilities, liabilities and obligations to their tenants/residents/homeowners... Read more
GENERAL MANUFACTURED HOUSING INDUSTRY TOPICS

1) Who, What and Where: (Your name and your formal title at your company.) Michael Evans C.E.O. Centennial Management, Inc. Corporate offices are in Aberdeen S.D. We currently operate 9 retail... Read more
GENERAL MANUFACTURED HOUSING INDUSTRY TOPICS

by L. A. "Tony" Kovach We at MHProNews are big believers that the factory built housing industry must recruit, train and inspire the young to become tomorrow's front line leaders. We... Read more
MANAGEMENT

by Tim Connor, CSP Here’s the bottom line in advance – Most of the training done by organizations is a waste of money and time. (Not being negative here – as... Read more
MANAGEMENT

by L. A. "Tony" Kovach Perhaps my favorite part of the Declaration of Independence is the phrase that begins with these words: "We find these truths to be self evident..." ... Read more
MANAGEMENT

by Zig Ziglar Several years ago, Angela Weir, a delightful young woman, worked with the Zig Ziglar Corporation. She was upbeat, always had the company's interests at heart, was easy to... Read more
PERSONAL REFLECTIONS, MOTIVATION and INSPIRATION

by L.A. 'Tony' Kovach Let's start this column with a true story that will tee up a theme necessary for success minded manufactured housing (MH) professionals. Read more
SALES

by Tim Connor, CSP The following 52 behaviors when mastered as a part of your personal and career development will guarantee increased sales. Each of the 52 topics are critical to... Read more
SALES