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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

New Homes Sales Rose in April

OriginationNews says the Census Bureau reports new home sales rose 3.3 percent in April following a 7.3 percent drop in March. MHProNews.com has learned sales of new single-family homes rose to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 343,000 in April from a 332,000 mark in March, besting Wall Street analysts who had predicted 330,000 to [...]...

23 May 2012

Housing Stocks Close Mixed, but Skyline Justifies its Name

CNNMoney reports the Dow Jones Industrial Average, after brushing with 12,325.00 during the day, climbed back in the last half hour to close at 12,496.15, losing a mere 6.66 points, -0.05%. The weakness in tech stocks and fears of Greece leaving the Eurozone fueled investors’ fears. The Nasdaq gained +0.39 percent to 2,850.12, while the [...]...

23 May 2012

In 1970, 30 years after Sears ceased offering prefabricated housing, Shelter-Kit of Tilton, New Hampshire began offering small homes and cabins that could be assembled by aspiring homeowners with no construction experience. MarketWatch tells MHProNews.com customers can choose from a wide variety of options in designing their home, including...

23 May 2012

Forbes reports on the heels of Universal Forest Products, Inc. (UFPI) strong first quarter 2012 results, whereby Q1 2011 showed a loss of -0.19 per share to first quarter 2012 return of +0.21 per share, and the recent acquisition of MSR Forest Products LLC, Zacks issued a #1 Rank (Strong Buy) for the stock. Zacks [...]...

23 May 2012

BellehavenPatch tells MHProNews.com Fairfax County, Virginia is considering developing the North Hill site in Hybla Valley into an MHC for 67 homes and a greenspace. Meanwhile, AHP Virginia LLC has a counter proposal that would involve building apartments on the site, housing 204 families, nine percent of which would be targeted to low-income...

23 May 2012

Philadelphia Airport Building Modular Housing

DelcoNewsNetwork tells MHProNews.com Tinicum Township officials, as part of a $23 million efficiency upgrade at Philadelphia International Airport, approved a land waiver request to build a 791 square foot modular building near the UPS facility on Hog Island Road. The building would house UPS workers moving from a facility at Ridley Park. The...

23 May 2012

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) says reports from across the country show existing home sales edged up 3.4 percent April over March, 2012 for every region of the country. While the increase is a positive sign, the seasonally-adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 4.62 million home sales, just below January’s pace of 4.63 million, remains...

23 May 2012

Improved Housing Market Bolsters Many U.S. Stocks

CNNMoney reports the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit 12,575.00 during the day but settled down to 12,502.81, -0.01%, -1.67 points as the day’s trading ended. The rise of sales of existing homes boosted the market, but a downgrade of Japan and a weak global market tempered that news. The Nasdaq dropped -0.29 percent to 2,839.08, [...]...

22 May 2012

The 13 county Indianapolis metropolitan area marked an 18 percent rise in existing home sales in April from one year ago. As the IndyStar tells MHProNews.com, the Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of Realtors (MIBOR) says 2,215 homes were sold in April, an increase over the 1,877 sold in April 2011. The median sales price rose to [...]...

22 May 2012

The Chronicle tells us another modular player has entered the housing game in the oil boom of North Dakota. Colorado-based Confluence has already set the first of ten units of apartments called Confluence at Harvest Hills, as the initial 12 modules were sited May 15. Occupancy of the first unit is set for Aug. 1, [...]...

22 May 2012

VTDigger says Tropical Storm Irene flooded portions of the Vermont State Hospital in Waterbury, Vermont, and since then some of the patients are being held in state prisons. Now the state is looking into a modular high-security unit in Waterbury to house mental patients being held under court order. Noting that it’s more expensive to [...]...

22 May 2012

Featured Articles and Reports - May 2012 Vol. 3 No. 8

Prev Next Page:

Everything Old is New Again

by Katy Weldon Something amazing is happening to older mobile and manufactured homes in certain areas of California. They are in demand! Mobile and manufactured homes built in the 1970’s and 1980’s... Read more

MARKETING

Your Attention Please

by Jeff Templeton A recent study found that the average American sees approximately 1600 advertisements a day. In a single day! Those ads are seen online, in newspapers, magazines, billboards, TV,... Read more

MARKETING

Featured Articles May 2012

Featured Articles and Reports for Vol. 3, No. 8, 2012 Alphabetically by Category COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT & FAIR HOUSING (LEGAL) • “What’s in a Name?” by Nadeen Green, JD The fact that you are reading MHProNews.com to... Read more

index

Creating a Budget

by Chrissy Jackson Simply put, a budget is a tool. When effectively used, this tool can enable you to have a manufactured home land lease community that is financially sound. A... Read more

COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT & FAIR HOUSING (LEGAL)

“What’s in a Name?”

by Nadeen Green, JD The fact that you are reading MHProNews.com to gain insight into the manufactured housing industry shows that you are engaged and embracing the world of online information... Read more

COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT & FAIR HOUSING (LEGAL)

Terms of Engagement

by Andrew Peters It’s easy for professionals in the housing industry to forget just how extensive the language of mortgage lending can be. We’re often quickly reminded, however, when we try... Read more

FINANCING

Promissory Notes How to take, buy or create a Note, then sell it for cash

by John Merchant, JD Many manufactured home communities and some MH retailers have – over the years – created their own notes. The following is an outline of the things and... Read more

FINANCING

While Waiting on The Supreme Court: What is happening to Health Care Cost…

by Kurt D. Kelley, J.D. For the last six months, I’ve served on The Woodlands, Texas Chamber of Commerce Health Care Program Committee. These efforts culminated on April 27th with a... Read more