by George F. Allen

Landlease (nee manufactured home) community owners/operators, portfolio 'players' and sole proprietors alike, rarely have their valuable income-producing properties professionally 'shopped'. Why?

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by Michael F.B. Barnabas

Let me begin by tipping my hat to Marty Lavin The Train To Oblivion and Al Cole for having the courage to be who they are, and standing up publicly via this web platform and writing what they have.

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by Chad Carr

There's been a lot written lately about the decline of our Industry. Many experts have pointed out that the ongoing reduction in new home shipments, the shrinking number of Independent Retailers and the lack of support from the banking sector are all signs that our road will be difficult to travel for some time to come. Some have even predicted we are on a road to oblivion.

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by Tim Connor, CSP

It is common for people to want to be considered indispensable in their jobs. After all, the competition is out there, the younger generation is more numerous and demanding. The challenge is to be constantly building your value to your organization because of personal integrity, humility, and creativity.

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by Tim Connor, CSP

Surrender is letting go of expectations of yourself, others and life in general. Most people find unconditional surrender difficult as they believe it is a sign of weakness. Nothing could be further from the truth. Surrender takes courage, strength, self-belief and faith—in yourself, life and God.

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by Suzanne Felber, Lifestylist®

What a crazy Spring we have been having! Not only has the weather been unpredictable, but the housing and stock markets are jumping all over the place as well.

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by Nadeen Green

This month I am deviating from my traditional "Fair Housing Lady" role to share a bit of information on social media marketing. (And to show, perhaps, that I am capable of knowing about more than one thing, which I am. And if I write about social media, you might think I am cool, which I am not.)

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by Edward 'Eddie' Hicks

The Manufactured Housing Industry needs to…
• improve the image of our homes and communities with the general public to overcome many years of belief that our homes depreciate, are cheaply built, are prone to failure in high winds and earthquakes, that our community residents are sub-standard citizens, and that our communities hurt neighbors home values.

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by Mark Hunter "The Sales Hunter"

When is the best time to sell a price increase? I get asked this question a lot and my response is "right now." After I say this and see the expression on the person's face, I then have to back up my response with my rationale.

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by Chrissy Jackson

Each section of this area deals with one specific topic that may or may not be included in a written set of Guidelines. Some of the sections are more commonly used than others; however, all have merit in their own way. As the Community Manager reviews the following sections for content, the questions that are asked help guide them through the thought processes to determine the need for this section in their Guidelines. Some of the questions asked below will undoubtedly lead to the creation of Guidelines while others will lead only to the implementation of policies.

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by Tracey C. Jones

The Parable of Talents found in the book of Matthew, Chapter 25, is one of my favorite illustrations of conquering the fear that prevents us from achieving excellence. In the parable, a man gives each of his three servants a bag of property, some say it was gold. The number of bags given was based upon each of the servants' ability. The owner then went on a journey and returned to see what his servants have done with what was entrusted to them.

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by Tracey C. Jones

In Four-Star Leadership for Leaders, R. Manning Ancell presents the first installment of a project unprecedented in scope: a collection of leadership-focused interviews with as many four-star generals and admirals as Mr. Ancell is able to meet. His work presents wisdom culled from experience in virtually every American conflict from the First World War through the Second Gulf War, wisdom that simply can't be gained through any endeavor save the crucibles of warfare and combat.

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by L. A. 'Tony' Kovach

For those who want to cut to the chase, this article may not be for you. For those who invest the time, there are rewards in the form of more business in the middle and end of this article.

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by Greg McClanahan

As customers come through the door of my dealership and I have the opportunity to spend time with them, I am always hopeful that I am giving them the best advice possible. Sometimes that means that I have to tell them that I am not their best solution.

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by Shawn P. Mullins

Every so often I am reminded of the story of the monkey who reaches into a jar for a shiny object. The monkey picks up this object and in doing so makes a fist with his hand. The only problem is that the monkey cannot get his hand out of the jar when making a fist.

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by George Porter

This is the third in a series of articles on a quotation from Charles Darwin. He stated that all species on the earth had three choices in life: adapt, migrate or die. It would seem all installation businesses share the same three choices. The first article concerned "adapting" and the second dealt with "migrating." This last in the series discusses the unpopular subject of "dying."

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by Ken Rishel

Despite the manufactured housing industry's dislike of change, it has changed over the years, and is still changing. History teaches that those that do not change eventually suffer, and that is the problem of the industry.

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by Dave Shanklin

1. MORTGAGE DEFAULTS

This has been the biggest nightmare for MH chattel loan officers. Short sales, foreclosures and applicants burdened with mortgaged homes that they can't sell. Our industry's lenders started to show signs that they might be softening their position on mortgage defaults on credit reports, but they're still turning down applicants with mortgages that have gone "belly-up."

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by Joanne Stevens

I originally penned this article in 2005. For the most part, what was true then is true today. Instead of a dot.com implosion, the stock market tanked in 2008. As for prices, did anyone foresee $4 per gallon gas? Bottom line, parks and communities continue to offer one of the best value propositions to the consumer.

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by Bob Stovall

Why?

It is both known and expected that prospects making a large purchase, such as a home, will take longer to finalize their decision than those making a smaller purchase. They are also expected to purchase them with less frequency. That is one reason why the small items around the cash register in most stores are called impulse items and why larger items, such as washers and refrigerators are called durables.

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HOME ASSESSMENT

The agreement that settled the law suit stipulated that the residents' homes would be moved to a homesite in a new community. Homes in Ryder Park were quite old, some dating back to the fifties, the newest were built in the seventies and the late 80's. Some eight foot wide homes were still in use, with the remainder being 10-12 and 14 foot wide homes in lengths up to 66'. Two homes in the community were multi-section units. Many of the homes had additions of various types, some suitable for all season occupancy and others just for warm weather use. A good number of the homes had carports, most of which were attached to the homes.

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by Zig Ziglar

If you find it difficult to make decisions, or you worry that your decisions are not good decisions, or you lack the confidence to make decisions in a timely manner… you're not alone! Many people express their concerns about their decision-making abilities. But if you ask them, "What's your routine for making decisions?" they often will tell you they don't have one. Truthfully they do, but they don't recognize it, or they don't like it. Their decisions are based on SOMETHING, and if they stop and think about it they'll discover what it is. However, it's much better to purposefully and thoughtfully develop your decision-making system, and then follow it whenever you need to make decisions.

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