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May 2011 Vol. 2 No. 8

Featured Articles May 2011

Featured Articles and Reports
for Vol. 2, No. 8, 2011

Alphabetically by Category

BOOK REVIEW

Tracey C. Jones – Resources for Manufactured Housing Business Success
• True Blue Leadership

COMMUNITIES

Edward 'Eddie' Hicks – Manufactured Home Communities
• A Primer on How to Make Nice Returns with Community Investments

Chrissy Jackson – Land Lease Community Management
• Standard Sections of Guidelines for Living

Joanne Stevens – Manufactured Home Community Value
• Working with Realtors to Sell Mobile and Manufactured Homes in Communities

Don Westphal – Manufactured Home Community Planning
• Extreme Makeover, Community Edition – aka Ryder Park, Milford, Connecticut – Part One

FINANCE

Paul Bradley – Manufactured Housing Industry Financing
• What Happens When the Children End Up with Mom and Dad’s “Mobile Home Park”?

Chad Carr – Company Financial Evaluation
• By the Numbers – Part 3: Identifying Problems in your Business

Kenneth Rishel – Manufactured Housing Industry Finance Commentary
• Collateral Performance Can Make or Break You

Dave Shanklin – Manufactured Housing Industry Financing
• Low Rates Extended and Popularity Cycles of MH Communities

GENERAL INDUSTRY/COMMENTARY

George F. Allen – Manufactured Housing Industry Commentary
• The Bugbear of Defining ‘Affordable Housing’

Michael Barnabas – Manufactured Housing Industry Solutions
• Manufactured Housing Businesses and Homeowners Working Together?

L.A. 'Tony' Kovach – Manufactured Housing Industry Perspective
• Invite Involve Include – A Light Mantra for Manufactured Housing Progress

George Porter – Manufactured Housing Retail and Media Education
• Adapt, Migrate or Die – Part II: Migrate

INSPIRATION/PEOPLE SKILLS

Tracey C. Jones – Resources for Manufactured Housing Business Success
• The Judas Principle

Greg McClanahan – Soft Skills and Personal Development
• Just Stay ...

Zig Ziglar – Motivation & Inspiration
• ZigOn…Personal Discipline

LEGAL

Nadeen Green – Legal, Fair Housing
• Logging Can Preclude Flogging

MANAGEMENT

Tim Connor – Management
• Are You Hiring the Right People?

MARKETING

Bob Stovall – Manufactured Housing Use of Internet & Social Media
• Learning Never Ends

SALES

Tim Connor – Sales
• Maintain Control of the Buying Process

Mark Hunter – Sales
• Are You Giving Away Your Profit?

Mike Moore – Sales
• Salespeople Infected with ‘Sales Repellent Virus’

TRANSITIONS

Scott Stroud
• The Housing Industry Loses an Icon

The Bugbear of Defining ‘Affordable Housing’

by George F. Allen

George Allen photo

How Do YOU Describe and Measure Affordable Housing and Housing Affordability?

First, the bugbear. Per Webster’s College Dictionary, bugbear is ‘a persistent problem or source of annoyance.’

Manufactured Housing Businesses and Homeowners Working Together?

by Michael F. B. Barnabas

t may sound like a heretical idea to some. But let's explore the idea of Manufactured Housing business people and homeowners working together.

It is good for us first to review why some manufactured homeowners and business people do not already work together for mutual advancement, and equally important to note that some already do.

What Happens When the Children End Up with Mom and Dad’s “Mobile Home Park”?

by Paul Bradley

Paul Bradley photo

We have seen and experienced the consequences of heirs taking over “Daddy’s mobile home park” (read, land lease community) numerous times. Frankly, the consequences have left me thinking that there has got to be a better way.

Why? Well, in crass terms, money!

By the Numbers – Part 3: Identifying Problems in your Business

by Chad Carr

Chad Carr photo Editor's Note: Last month, Chad described how a dealership can (and he believes should) restructure its income statement to provide a more meaningful representation of what is going on in the business. In this installment, he shares how to calculate critical profit control points for your dealership. Click here to review By the Numbers – Part 2 and readers may request a copy of Rainmaker's recommended Chart of Accounts by calling (800) 336-0339.

Are You Hiring The Right People?

by Tim Connor, CSP

Tim Connor photo

Now more than ever in the manufactured housing industry, it is critical that all of your new hires will contribute to improved productivity, sales and organization health and success.

Maintain Control of the Buying Process

by Tim Connor, CSP

Tim Connor photo

One of the biggest mistakes poor salespeople make in the manufactured housing industry is they lose control of the sales process. There are many ways they accomplish this feat. Here are a few for your consideration:

Logging Can Preclude Flogging

by Nadeen Green

Nadeen Green photo

Most folks in the business know that providing reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities (PWDs) is the right thing to do for two reasons. First, it is a mandate of the civil rights law that we know as the Fair Housing Act.

A Primer on How to Make Nice Returns with Community Investments

by Edward ‘Eddie’ Hicks

Eddie Hicks photo

There are a lot of manufactured home LLCommunity (community) buyers out there who have the mistaken impression that this type of real estate investment can be purchased at prices providing high returns.

Guidelines for Living - Standard Sections of Guidelines for Living

by Chrissy Jackson, ACM, PHC

Chrissy Jackson photo Effective Date. Show the date the Guidelines become effective, or the date the amendments become effective. Check the state law, and with a competent attorney. In some states, it may be a requirement to show the date of notice of the amendments, as well as the effective date.

True Blue Leadership

by Tracey C. Jones

Tracey Jones photo Don’t believe it! Whether it’s the manufactured housing industry, any other industry or your personal life, you’re never too old to learn new tricks.

For thousands of years, dogs have been our dedicated partners, sharing in the tasks and the pleasures, the bitter struggles and the glorious achievements that accompany the building of human civilization.

The Judas Principle

by Tracey C. Jones

Tracey Jones photo I was recently at a meeting where a member shared that a teammate had committed an act that was incongruent with what we stood for. The member was clearly shaken as he recounted the events that had transpired. How could one of us who had been so close have done something so at odds with what we stood for?

Invite Involve Include – A Light Mantra for Manufactured Housing Progress

by L. A. 'Tony' Kovach

L.A. 'Tony' Kovach photo Invite - Involve - Include. I recall the first time I heard this phrase, and it had nothing to do with manufactured housing. It was in the context of building up a group very much outside of our Industry. How do you get any group or association to grow?

Just Stay...

by Greg McClanahan

Greg McClanahan photo As a young marine walked through the emergency room door, a nurse quickly took the tired, anxious serviceman to the Intensive Care Unit and to the bedside of his father who had been intermittently calling for him over the past couple of days.

"Your son is here to see you," the nurse said to the old man.

She had to repeat the words several times before the patient's eyes opened.

Adapt, Migrate or Die - Part II, Migrate

by George Porter

George Porter In the previous article, we discussed the need to ADAPT and how someone in the installation business might accomplish this. This time we will be talking about what you could do if you can't, or don't want to, keep up with the ever-changing rules and requirements of installation and feel you need to MIGRATE.

Collateral Performance Can Make or Break You

by Ken Rishel

A nyone engaged in captive finance needs to understand the importance of collateral performance. In a nutshell, the homes being financed are the underlying collateral for the loan being, so how well they actually do that is important.

Low Rates Extended and Popularity Cycles of MH Communities

by Dave Shanklin

Dave Shanklin photo There are two topics to share this month.

1. “Incredibly Low Rates”

Sales of used mobile and/or manufactured homes in Land Lease Communities (LLC’s) have heated up considerably on the West Coast, mainly due to the season, market conditions, and GREAT RATES from our industry’s main lenders.

Working with Realtors to Sell Mobile and Manufactured Homes in Communities

by Joanne M. Stevens, CCIM

Joanne Stevens photo Fact: The number of Realtors has declined nationally by over 300,000 agents between 2008 and the present. Today's Realtors are actively looking for new avenues to generate commissions, gain market share, create a satisfied customer base, garner referrals and more. Now more than ever, the need for low cost affordable housing is at an all time high.

Learning Never Ends

by Bob Stovall

Bob Stovall photo The last Tuesday in April, I spent much of the day in my annual re-certification course for my Kentucky Manufactured Housing Installer Manager license. The re-certification course is required to renew the license. It is taking place at the offices of the Kentucky Manufactured Housing Institute (KMHI) in Frankfort.

The Housing Industry Loses an Icon

by Scott Stroud

For 30 years Jerry Rouleau served the housing industry as a sales and marketing consultant, author and speaker, working with builders and housing producers across the country. On March 15, 2011, Jerry’s two-year battle with cancer ended.

Extreme Makeover, Community Edition – aka Ryder Park, Milford, Connecticut – Part One

by Don Westphal

Extreme Makeover photo Last month I introduced this new series, which I call Extreme Makeover: Community Edition. It has nothing to do with the TV show, but the reality of transforming Ryder Park into the community it is today did, indeed, require an extreme makeover.

ZigOn… Personal Discipline

by Zig Ziglar

Zig Ziglar photo Personal discipline, when it becomes a way of life in our personal, family, and career lives, will enable us to do some incredible things. One of my favorite sayings is, "When you discipline yourself to do the things you need to do when you need to do them, the day will come when you can do the things you want to do when you want to do them."

Salespeople Infected with ‘Sales Repellent Virus’

by Mike Moore

What if I told you most salespeople are infected with a ‘sales repellent virus’ and this 'virus' has been handed out, usually unknowingly, for free, for years, by their companies, sales managers and sales trainers? Even more importantly, when a salesperson is left alone, they catch this ‘sales repellent virus’ and even help spread it themselves.

Are You Giving Away Your Profit?

by Mark Hunter

Mark Hunter photo Want a quick way to destroy sales motivation and profit at the same time? Picture yourself as a sales manager who suddenly receives a phone call from a salesperson who is on the verge of selling a home. Here’s a sample of that typical conversation:

Salesperson: “We have to cut our price to make the sale. It’s just for this one sale. I won’t need to do it again.”

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