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May 2010

A Journey in Successful Marketing - Buying Motives of Seniors

by Joe Adams

Part 1 - Introduction

Before we understand the buying motives of seniors, we must first define who is a senior. Seniors are people who watched Leave it to Beaver, Lassie, and Father Knows Best in the 1950's. They became the rebellious youth during the sixties. They fought in Vietnam and attacked the reasons they were fighting there in the 70's. These people then became the 'me generation' of the 80's and supposedly were only interested in spending money on themselves. Today, they have become the adults whom their children and grandchildren call the 'older generation'.

Google opportunities your business can't miss

by Rachael Biermann

Rachael Biermann photo When it comes to the search engines and Internet, Google is king. Google averages about 2 billion searches a day, which is about 300 million people per day. There are opportunities with Google that your business should be taking advantage of. Are you? And with these opportunities being completely free, there's no reason why you shouldn't start exploring them right now!

The Four Pillars of Retailing - Pillar I - Getting the People Right

by Chad Carr

Editor's Note: Last month, we published The Four Pillars of Retailing, a synopsis of four key areas that retailers must master in order to sustain profitable operations over time. In this series of articles, Chad Carr of Rainmaker expands on those Four Pillars starting with what pro-active steps owner's need to take to be properly staffed in their dealership.

Chad Carr photo At a time when many retailers are thinking of reducing staff to lower expenses, it may seem a bit strange to be talking about hiring the right people. But in this market, having the right people is more important than ever.

Timing is Everything

by Tim Connor, CSP

Tim Connor photo Selling can at times be a very frustrating career. Messages left with no return calls. Repeatedly re-scheduled appointments. Promises broken or delayed. Getting blindsided at the last minute. Being misled or just set up. And, cancelled orders on sales when you had already spent your commission. I have experienced all of these on numerous occasions and I can tell you sometimes I just want to scream - "What's wrong with people?"

The benefits of a slow economy

by Tim Connor, CSP

Tim Connor photo So, we're all facing challenging times! There are two attitudes you can take as a manager, executive or business owner when the economy slows or goes in the tank - you can:

Balancing Act

by Suzanne Felber, Lifestylist®

Suzanne S. Felber thumbnail photo Finally - Spring has arrived, and as I've been traveling across the country working on various communities, shows and manufacturer's new concepts it's become obvious that people are much more optimistic about their future and the path our industry is on. Instead of just surviving, we are getting ready to thrive again. With that comes a great opportunity to look at our homes with a new perspective and see if our model home centers, show houses and communities are merchandised properly and targeted towards the buyer we are hoping to attract and sell our homes to.

Practical Financing Tips for Retailers/Developers - new staff Orientation

by Sue Frost

Susan Frost photo While manufactured housing can be identifiably different than a traditional site built or modular built home; there are specific advantages and challenges in the financing and set up of this type of structure. Many traditional site builders are turning to manufacturers, dealers, engineers and consultants who are experts in manufactured housing to help them deliver quality set-ups to their homebuyers. The availability of financing can influence the feasibility of any project.

Who's Got You Covered? A Basic Primer on Fair Housing Insurance

by Nadeen Green, Senior Counsel with For Rent Media Solutions™, Anne Sadovsky, CSP, CAM, CAPS, RAM and D J Ryan, Fair Housing Specialist, Kimball, Tirey & St. John, LLP.

Pick up any magazine, visit any website, or attend a manufactured housing education conference, and as a property owner or manager it is likely you will find something about fair housing. This issue is important to the industry for many reasons, including the dollar impact of not being in compliance with the fair housing laws. If you are charged with discrimination, the defense costs are high, not to mention

Upgrading Your Manufactured Community, Part II - What Values Remain?

by Chrissy Jackson

Chrissy Jackson photo It is a fact that residents who remain in a manufacturd home community that is deteriorating or in an area that is going downhill generally do so because of economic reasons and lifestyle choices. Even though they may complain about the way things are, they might not move were the opportunity to present itself. The community is a comfort zone for some of the residents. No matter how bad it gets, it is their home and they continue to live there, hoping against hope that things will get better one day.

Do your Job!

by L. A. "Tony" Kovach

L.A. 'Tony' Kovach photo A couple of weeks ago, a teenager ahead of me was sporting a sweatshirt that boldly proclaimed this message: "Do your Job!" It immediately resonated with me as being an excellent - and timely - message for all Americans today.

Imagine for a moment if everyone truly 'did their job,' and did it well. What if executives and managers made sure their firm's were profitable through ongoing development of their staff, top notch marketing, professional selling and great service to their customers. What if

Growing Numbers attended the Great Southwest Home Show in Tulsa

by L. A. "Tony" Kovach

L.A. 'Tony' Kovach photo Manufactured Housing professionals from 14 states attended this year’s Great Southwest Home Show (GSWHS) held in Tulsa, OK April 29th, 30th and May 1st.

Click "Read more" to see photos

Manufactured Housing Consensus Committee Photo Report

April 2010 Meeting – Photo Report

by L. A. 'Tony' Kovach, MHM

L.A. Tony Kovach photo The Manufactured Housing Consensus Committee (MHCC) met in Tulsa OK on April 28-30th. The MHCC meeting coincided with the Great Southwest Home Show in Tulsa (see separate article in this issue).

Our quest to energy efficiency and "Net Zero" for the home market

by Steven Lefler

Steven Lefler photo Who builds factory-built energy efficient homes? What would be the reason to sell a Title 25 energy efficient home? When would a buyer want to buy one of these homes? Where would you put one of them? How does one request to build an energy efficient home? Why make a home's floor plan and layout easier for a senior?

Best Day of My Life

by Greg McClanahan

Greg McClanahan photo When I was becoming a proficient coloring book artist in elementary school, the simple advice was - "Keep Inside the Lines." My choice of colors and artistic flair seemed less important than my accuracy. I just remember being complimented when I exerted enough hand control to not go outside the lines.

The Sales Revolution

by Mike Moore

We have radically changed most business processes over the past 30 years but left the sales process alone and watched as it damaged the buyer and seller relationship. It is the most important relationship any business can cultivate. The relationship needed to grow healthy, profitable businesses. It's time to change our intentions, update the sales process and heal the dysfunctional buyer and seller relationship.

But Your Honor...

By George Porter

George Porter photo Whenever you hear someone begin a sentence with the words, "but your honor," he is generally learning a very expensive lesson. I've heard several stories about this form of education and it might be worth a few minutes of your time to read through them and see if they can possibly reduce your tuition in the school of hard knocks.

I received a call one day from a person in the local area asking me if I could possibly help with a legal problem he had. He said he had

Compliance is More than the Right Contract

by Kenneth Rishel

One of the questions that people often ask is where they can get a copy of a compliant and legal contract because they hope that document will take care of all their legal and compliance needs. Unfortunately, the wistful thinking of getting a document and copying it is why so many portfolio owners are having problems.

Traffic sources that can generate leads, Part 3 - Video Marketing

by Bob Stovall

Bob Stovall Every where on the Internet you look these days you'll find video. Video that informs, video that sells, video that shows how to use products and services. Businesses have discovered that placing a video on their website produces a more qualified lead who asks better questions. Click the "Read more" link to see a video on how you can use videos in your business.

Daily Business News Briefs

Canadian Development may Include Manufactured Housing

A fifteen acre parcel of land in Kings County, Nova Scotia, Canada has been approved for retail and residential development, as the Kings County Council voted unanimously to give the second and final reading to the rezoning proposal for the property in Kentville. The redevelopment by Kent Building Supplies Limited would include a new retail [...]...

18 Jun 2013

Housing starts increased 6.8 percent in May to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 914,000 units due to a jump in multifamily construction. Single-family production remained steady at 599,000 homes, but multifamily activity grew 21.6 percent to 315,000 units. Regionally, the South posted a gain of 17.8 percent in combined starts and the West a...

18 Jun 2013

Most Tracked Housing Stocks Advance, as do the Three Major Indexes

All three indexes advanced, with the Dow moving up over 120 points, as inflation remains low and housing starts increase, despite concerns of what the Federal Reserve may reveal Wed., June 19, about possibly tapering the quantitative easing. CNNMoney reports the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained +0.91 percent, +138.38 points, to end the day at...

18 Jun 2013

Improving Manufactured Housing’s Image to Increase Sales

With image being a key component to selling more manufactured homes to cash and credit worthy buyers, that may explain the growing daily commentary in favor of the start of the ManufacturedHomeLivingNews.com image campaign. Nancy Geer, Executive Director of the New York Housing Association said: “Manufactured Home Living Website is a great r...

18 Jun 2013

Portfolio of Manufactured Housing Communities Changes Hands

Birmingham, Mich. based Q10 l Lutz Financial Services has arranged $108 million for the acquisition of a portfolio including 47 manufactured housing properties and three apartments. Neither the seller nor the buyer nor the number of homesites were identified by Lutz, a commercial real estate financial services firm. As nreionline tells MHProNews,...

18 Jun 2013

The transportation package that was passed by the Virginia General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Bob McDonnell includes tax increases that go into effect July 1, 2013. The titling tax for manufactured homes remains at $10, but the retail sales and use tax, which covers modular homes, will increase from five percent state [...]...

18 Jun 2013

Emergency Modular Housing May Go to Oklahoma

MODS International Marketing of Appleton, WI is set to deliver shipping containers converted into modular housing for the tornado victims in OK. MODS (Modular On Demand Structures) specializes in providing emergency housing for long and short term. The units arrive fully furnished, as MHProNews has learned from newson6.com. Costing $40,000 each,...

18 Jun 2013

New Executive Director for Alabama Manufactured Housing Association Announced

The Alabama Manufactured Housing Association (AMHA) has announced the decision of their board of directors to promote Doris Hydrick to the position of Executive Director as of July 1, 2013. Ms. Hydrick served as assistant director for 16 years, with responsibility for planning meetings, education seminars, and regulatory matters, and was also...

18 Jun 2013

Housing Market Index Posts Largest Gain in over Ten Years

For the first time in seven years, builder confidence for newly-built single-family homes has surpassed the 50th percentile mark, which indicates builders see the market as good rather than poor. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) gained eight points to 52. Based on a survey the NAHB has been...

17 Jun 2013

Affordable Modular Homes Available; Applicants’ Credit Lacking

The North East Community Action Agency (NECAC) in Hannibal, MO has joined the Next Step Network which gives them the opportunity to buy modular homes from Clayton Homes at 10-15 percent below market price. The goal is to provide low cost housing for people of modest means. Carla Potts, NECAC’s deputy director for housing development, [...]...

17 Jun 2013

Universal Forest Products, Inc. Spikes; Three Major Indexes Gain

Even though investors are edgy about the possibility the Federal Reserve will announce Wednesday that it will begin to wind down its quantitative easing, the markets managed to advance for the day, with the Dow picking up over 100 points. CNNMoney reports the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained +0.73 percent, +109.67 points, to end the [...]...

17 Jun 2013