Industry Voices
- Hearing Explores Government Role in Multifamily and Health Care Facilities
- Manufactured Housing industry businesses along Shields Boulevard in Oklahoma City are still here and intact, as is MH Association of Oklahoma
- Only In America
- Definition of a Manufactured Home
- How About a Cup of Coffee?
- Manufactured Housing Institute CEO Richard Jennison's letter to Princeton's WordNet requesting Definition Correction
- Lisa Tyler - at Walden University – Request for Correction Addressed to Princeton's WordNet
- Georgia Manufactured Housing Association's Executive Director Sounds off on Princeton WordNet's “Definition” of Manufactured Homes
- Another letter to Princeton's WordNet Team about their Flawed Definition of a “Manufactured Home“
- Irresponsible Weather reporting by Media and National Weather Service
Words of Wisdom
- Stress is a performance - killer
- The Ripple Effect
- Tomorrow is Yesterday Before You Know it.
- Struggling with anything today?
- Is your communication grounded in honesty – no matter what?
- Goals, Dreams or just Wishing?
- Sorry, but the world doesn't revolve around you!
- Is It A Miracle or . . .
- Selling and the four agreements
- The Seasons of Life
Newsletter Archive
- Moore's Tornado. SSK's Sales Rock. Clayton's Duck Call. Immigration Reform Boosts Sales? NY MODs. Marcus Promotes 2. Friends+Family. Israeli MODs. More! 5/23/2013
- C-Suite Sees Suite. UMH A Buy. Zell: stocks will fall. Cordray: QM exception? Starts drop, permits rise. State Farm...MODs. Tribe & FHA boosts loans for HUDs, MODs. More! 5/20/2013
- Frustration and Gratitude. HUD Seeks new MH Contractor. Bahama MODs? SW Draws MH. Hensarling Fundraiser. UFPI Rises. Easy on FHA. Lower MHs for Seniors? More! 5/16/2013
- MH Gossip. Zell on MF. UMH Revenues Nearly Double! Moody's: Housing Takes Off! Nobility Rises. Korean MODs. Princeton's WordNet Redux. Scent of a Woman. More! 5/13/2013
- Red Hot May! Company banned. Green Courte Promotes Rudolf. Oak Creek Opens New MHR. ROC assumes management. Corp MODs ND. In SM era, are websites needed? More! 5/9/2013
- HR 1779 & MH. New March MHShipments. Warren on Women. MODs for Reservation? FED QE3 slows bond buys? Watt for FHFA. Thai MODs. More! 5/6/2013
- MH Mortgages Perform Well! Exclusive Mike Evans/Centennial Homes Interview! Mayflower. Lonnie Scruggs - RIP. What about Vegas? Self Evident Truths. More! 5/2/2013
- Reforming Dodd-Frank! FL MH Ins Crisis? ELS CEO Cuts Deal! Nobility Highlights. Legislator Honored. Solar MODs. Keep MID. SUN 1 Qtr. More! Phoenix Like! More! 4/29/2013
- African Coast. MH Dodd-Frank reform. SUN in NY. Jeb nixes Cordray. 474 MODs. Free MH Resources. New MH Community. New MOD plant for ND. UFPI pays, More! 4/25/2013
- Enlightened Self Interest. National Awards to MH Pros. DP Assist Bill. Death under MOD. Slavery! Rural Housing Finance Reform? MHC Tax Reform? UFPI's Best. More! 4/21/2013
Latest Comments
March 2010
1.Be cautious when cutting costs
Our last article outlined many of the essential concepts involved with creating an image and a theme. Now we can begin to look at the on site implementation necessary to make your strategy a success.
Brandon Silveria tells his story in a pamphlet published by the Century Council (1310 G Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, D.C. 20005-3000 [202/637-0077] 
When something in your organization or professional life isn't performing as desired, the wise person realizes it is time for a change. When you are embarked on a new career, path or role the question arises; do you experiment? Play around, test ideas, monitor results like a scientist would?
If I could ask you ten questions, the correct answers to which would ensure your growth, increased sales, and profits this year would you take the time to ask them of yourself?
The New York Times recently placed a moratorium on the phrase "tough economic times," in their editorial content, with good reason. In the past 24 months, various media outlets covering almost every industry have published articles making vague forecasts as to the depth, length and long term consequences of the recession.
Lending is ordinary in the world of home purchasing; but, a decade of easy money has left us spoiled and in debt. Logic would dictate… if one can use another person's money to build wealth… then why not? Of course we all know payback can be a grind. Common sense money is now playing hard to get during this time when jobs are down, debt is up, spending is down, and there is yet an ever ominous reality of an existing tidal wave of foreclosures is just waiting to flood the market and crash right through our falsely propped economy. 
We are on a quest to build a home that is very energy efficient without the green generation technologies. Our future homeowners will have their expectations exceeded by noticing their monthly utility bills cost less when they compare them to their previous residence location.
In my last article I took the bold and perhaps overly optimistic step of introducing the topic of Process Analysis and Design. While some might compare this effort to "pushing a chain uphill", I prefer to believe that every one of us has a basic interest in doing what we do in better and more productive ways. With that in mind, what I would like to do in this discussion is to consider current challenges and market conditions that create an environment where the quality and focus of our work processes has become even more critical.
As the economic dust settles across the landscape from sea to shining sea, many of us in the manufactured home Industry are asking ourselves, "what in the hell is going on?"
Why would a manufactured home dealer want to be known as expensive?? Well, what one person calls expensive another calls value. Consider cars for instance; the real cost is not the initial investment but the price per mile driven. A higher initial cost, well built, low maintenance vehicle (think Honda) will last longer, have less maintenance and higher resale value than a cheaper one (think Pinto, Yugo). And, coincidentally which product do you think has the most customer loyalty and referral value?
We are taking the alphabet, letter by letter, So perhaps you can do things a little bit better
Last month I challenged readers to think out of the box to find a different way to build and transport a typical home that has been built hundreds of times by most modular home manufacturers. The riddle was to design a 2000 square foot, 2-story Colonial home with a 10 ft first floor ceiling, 9 ft second floor ceiling, 10/12-roof pitch, and finished attic living space. The challenge was to fit the entire home on two carriers, no hinged roof, complete the plumbing and heating systems in the factory between floors, finish the attic living space in the factory and construct and ship the entire home in only four boxes.
For many previous readers, as well as those of you who may be reading one of my articles for the first time, this will be a highly unusual column. It is unusual in the sense that is not about specific sales "techniques," but in the same sense, the information contained herein is of utmost importance to your sales success. I will go so far as to say that if you do not understand the information in this article, you will miss way too many sales, end up frustrated way too often and spend a lot of time questioning your own abilities or perhaps the lack thereof.
Welcome to The Housing Marketplace and the beginning of your journey in successfully marketing a housing community. Throughout this series you will receive hundreds of ideas and methods to reach and to close the prospects needed to fill your development.
Affectionately known as Mister Rogers, Fred Rogers always had quotes tucked away in his wallet or written in the pages of his daily planner. His wife, Joanne, said; "Perhaps he liked having words of wisdom close to him, as if he wanted - or needed - to be constantly reminded of what was important in life."
Why do you have to put footings under a home anyway? Why aren't 4" solid blocks just as good? Well, in some cases they are, depending on the load they have to carry and the ground they have to sit on. It may be interesting for you to know that our little manufactured housing industry is well ahead of its time.
I can't tell you how excited I was when I learned that there was a new place to do serious writing for the Manufactured Housing Industry, namely the www.MHMSM.com ezine.
Are you frozen because of the economy and the extreme stress of today's business climate? If so, chalk it up to brain biology. A recent seminar on Neuro Leadership explained that under long term stress, the flight or fight mechanism that was taught in science really has a third response mechanism. That is "FREEZE". It seems as though much of the manufactured housing industry is in freeze mode.
Your company's website is one of the sources you can use to qualify leads. Asking the right questions when a prospect fills out an information request form is just as important as asking the right questions when they phone or visit.Daily Business News Briefs
Atty. Gen., MHC Owners Settle Suit
Following up on a post MHProNews last published April 8, 2013 regarding a lawsuit filed against an MHC owner for allegedly violating Penn. law requiring payment relocation expenses to residents of communities that close, realestaterama says Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane has settled with the owners. Kenneth Mayes, II and his sister, Sharon...
23 May 2013
Read moreThree Major Indexes Slide; Cavco Rises, Deer Valley Drops
U. S. stocks slid as markets were down around the world, led by the Nikkei in Japan. The Dow had fallen steeply at the beginning of the trading session but recovered to finish with a minor loss. CNNMoney reports the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell -0.08 percent, -12.67 points, to close at 15,294.50. The Nasdaq [...]...
23 May 2013
Read moreMHC Investors to Present at Forum
MarketWatch reports senior executives of MHC owner UMH Properties, Inc. will present at this year’s National Association of Real Estate Investment Trust’s (NAREIT) REITWeek Investor Forum June 5, 2013. Held at the Hilton Chicago, as MHProNews has learned independently, Northstar Realty Finance Corp. will also be among the presenters at...
23 May 2013
Read moreCatastrophe Housing—Containers or Modular?
Following up on a post from yesterday, May 22, about the three-story disaster housing by Garrison Architects New York City has chosen to meet emergency needs, treehugger compares shipping containers to modular housing, much as NYC did. Shipping containers can be easily stored for a dollar a day, stack 16 high, and are made to [...]...
23 May 2013
Read moreBipartisan Legislation will Ease Credit Access
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reports the inventory of newly-built homes because of the recession has led to both houses of Congress with legislation seeking to resolve some ongoing credit access problems for builders. S. 1002 Senators was introduced by Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga). Similar to the bill in the...
23 May 2013
Read moreTotal Home Sales Rise in April
MHProNews has learned from CNNMoney the National Association of Realtors (NAR) released figures today that show total home sales rose 0.6 percent in April to just under an annual pace of five million, up nearly ten percent from a year ago. Lawrence Yun. Chief economist for NAR, noting consumer traffic is up 31 percent over [...]...
23 May 2013
Read moreClayton-Bradley Academy Opens July 19
Following an article MHProNews posted April 1 regarding Clayton Homes CEO Kevin Clayton partnering with teacher Patricia Bradley to open a STEM school (science, technology, engineering, and math), knoxnews says classes are on track to start July 19, with Bradley as principal. The Clayton-Bradley Academy will begin with 140 students in K-6 and add...
23 May 2013
Read moreTracked Housing Stocks Range Widely:Skyline Rises, Cavco, LPX Drop
Investors got mixed messages from the Federal Reserve, causing them to back off from the market today after earlier hitting new highs, sending the three indexes into the red. CNNMoney reports the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell -0.52 percent, -80.41 points, to close the day at 15,307.17. The Nasdaq dropped -1.11 percent, -38.82 points, to [...]...
22 May 2013
Read moreModulars will be Equipped, Shipped and Clipped Together
According to the nypost, New York City has chosen a three-story, three-unit emergency modular housing prototype, complete with balconies, to be sited next to the Office of Emergency Management in Brooklyn. The upper two floors are 822 square-foot, three-bedroom units with a 480 square-foot handicap accessible apartment on the first floor. Designed...
22 May 2013
Read moreMarcus and Millichap Promotes Two
According to what multihousingnews tells MHProNews, Jonathan McClellan and Kyle Baskin of Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services have been named senior directors of the company’s National Manufactured Housing Group. Since joining the Cleveland, Ohio firm in 2006, McClellan has closed on 48 transactions totaling over $148.5...
22 May 2013
Read moreIowa Measure will Reduce MH Property Taxes
As follow-up to a story we posted April 18, 2013 concerning property tax rates in Iowa, Joe Kelly of the Iowa Manufactured Housing Association (IAMHA) informs MHProNews if SF 295 passes, property taxes on land lease communities will fall. The current rate is 100 percent of assessed value. With passage, the new measure would take [...]...
22 May 2013
Read moreLatest Daily Business News
- Atty. Gen., MHC Owners Settle Suit
- Three Major Indexes Slide; Cavco Rises, Deer Valley Drops
- MHC Investors to Present at Forum
- Catastrophe Housing—Containers or Modular?
- Bipartisan Legislation will Ease Credit Access
- Total Home Sales Rise in April
- Clayton-Bradley Academy Opens July 19
- Tracked Housing Stocks Range Widely:Skyline Rises, Cavco, LPX Drop
- Modulars will be Equipped, Shipped and Clipped Together
- Marcus and Millichap Promotes Two
- Iowa Measure will Reduce MH Property Taxes
- Three New Modular Homes Coming
- Water Set to be Shut Off
- Clayton Hires Reality Stars for TV Spots
- Immigration Reform Could be Boon to Housing Industry
- Dow and S&P Hit New Highs; Tracked Housing Stocks Mixed
- Cavco to Announce Quarterly Earnings Report
Featured Articles and Reports - May 2013 Vol. 4 No. 8
The FTC and Your Advertising
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
The Integrated Marketing Plan for Success
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
Is Social Media a Waste of Time?
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
“Caregivers, Grandkids & Service Animals – The Truth Will Set You Free!”
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)
“Don't Put it in Writing”
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)
Promoting Your Manufactured Home Community
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)
Major MH Lender Seeing Acceptance & Success With Step-Rate Loan Program for…
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
Manufactured Home Mortgages Perform As Well As Other Mortgages
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
So, what’d you think of Vegas?
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
GAO Review of HUD Program and HUD Manufactured Housing Program Budget
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
Ignorance is No Excuse!
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
A Cup of Coffee with… Michael Evans
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
The Age of Knowing
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
Is employee training a waste of time and money? It Depends . . .
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
Self-Evident Truths...for more Manufactured Housing Sales
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
ZigOn Integrity
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
Tiny Sales Lessons
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
52 Weeks to GUARANTEED Increased 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
