We offer a smorgasbord of free Industry News, Tips and Views Pros Can Use © resources that properly applied are proven they can grow your career and/or business. All of them have their own unique value.

Attitude

Let's begin with a factor in all success that is too often overlooked. We've all heard the saying that attitude determines your altitude. For those who need a check up from the neck up – and we all do at times – become a part of the IN crowd that uses and shares the INspiration Blog routinely.

You and your team are on line daily, often doing things that won't build your performance or career results.

A Free Twice Weekly Industry Update

You can sign up free for our industry's best news, tips and views update at this link:

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Over 15,000 messages go out weekly to inboxes of pros like you! Many regular readers use this as an easy way to navigate all of the updated news, tips and commentary found on the site. You can see an archive of prior emailed news updates at this link. Many of the top owners, executives, managers – along with rank and file – industry members are on this e-mailed update, read by thousands. This is good for those serious about manufactured housing from a professional viewpoint.

A Free Image Campaign

Start your Industry Image Campaign Locally, Free! See how at the article on the previous link. For those who want to take a more robust part in this campaign, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and say MH Industry Image Campaign in the subject line.

About Tornadoes vs. MH

A tool for defeating the “Tornado” myths out there is at the page linked below.

http://www.manufacturedhomelivingnews.com/articles/31-dramatic-video-of-a-manufactured-home-hit-by-a-tornado-and-high-winds

B2B News and More

There are B2B pros active in our industry who routinely use our Daily Business News as a source for possible 'leads' for their business. Further, some of the stories suggest ideas that can be used by retailers, communities and others in the factory built housing space. Daily stock reports on publicly traded factory built housing connected firms, general housing news that could reflect indirectly on the manufactured and modular home industry and news about all forms of factory built housing are featured here in a short news brief format.

http://www.MHProNews.com/blogs/daily-business-news/

Calendar of Events

These events are typically done by recognized industry trade associations or trade shows, as opposed to private or corporate events.

http://www.MHProNews.com/events/calendar

Classified Ads and Jobs Board
Our classified ads are found here, and our Jobs board is found here.

Corporate Press Releases

http://www.MHProNews.com/business-development/corporate-press-releases

Cup of Coffee with...

Our popular A Cup of Coffee with... interview series has featured some of the top professionals in our industry, as well as some rank and file, consultants or management level interviews. These are routinely among our most read articles, often months or years after they are initially published.

http://www.MHProNews.com/home/featured-articles/cup-of-coffee-interviews

Cutting Edge

Our Marketing and Sales blog carries updates about once a week on ideas, tips, trends or examples of the kinds of systems we use for clients to drive more and better qualified traffic and sales. The Cutting Edge is linked here.

Featured Articles

On the top red navigation bars are drop down menus, that include the Featured Articles and years of articles going back to our very first issue in October of 2009. We rarely 'pull' or unpublish an article, so if you are a heavy reader, you can find content on how to, legal, inspiration, management, marketing, sales and more by going through the Featured Articles for every month.

http://www.MHProNews.com/home/featured-articles/march-2013

Industry In Focus Reports

This module found on the MHProNews.com home page in the right column, below the banner ads, features more in depth reports or analysis on issues of interest or importance for factory built home professionals, investors and others researching manufactured housing.

http://www.MHProNews.com/home/industry-news/industry-in-focus/

Industry Voices guest blog

This blog is a 'letters to the editor' or OpEd section where Industry professionals can sound off to the Industry at large. Send proposed letters or Opinion columns with a subject line Industry Voices to

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http://www.MHProNews.com/blogs/industryvoices/

Masthead blog

The Masthead is a traditional term for the perch on top of a tall sailing ship as well as the listing of a publications name and editorial staff. From our Masthead, you will see editorial commentary by our publisher and industry consultant, L. A. “Tony” Kovach on events, news or issues of interest to manufactured housing owners, professionals, public officials and investors. One of our most popular blogs, read by those on Main Street, to the capitols, Wall Street and beyond.

L. A. 'Tony' Kovach's Masthead Blog

MHI News

The Manufactured Housing Institute's news module is found on the MHProNews.com home page in the right column, below the banner ads and following the MHARR news and Industry in Focus reports.

http://www.MHProNews.com/mhi-news/

MHARR News

The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform's news module is found on the MHProNews.com home page in the right column, below the banner ads and following the Industry in Focus reports module.

http://www.MHProNews.com/latest-news-from-mharr/

MHLivingNews

This is our consumer and public focused website that features 'good news' about manufactured and modular homes, along with a photo gallery, videos articles that debunk common industry myths and much more. Some are using this a marketing resource, see this article for more details.

http://www.manufacturedhomelivingnews.com/

MHProNews NewsLine Archive

This module contains all of the twice weekly emailed news, tips and views updates that are found on the MHProNews.com website. You can sign up for a free subscription of this popular update at http://www.MHProNews.com/subscribe

Note that our emailed newsletter and/or the archive are a handy way to track the ongoing updates on our site.

http://www.MHProNews.com/newsletter/

Sponsors Page

Our main advertisers and sponsors have their information linked from this page, often along with banner advertising found on the home and interior pages and most blogs.

http://www.MHProNews.com/advertise/sponsors

Words of Wisdom blog

This blog has routinely featured Tim Connor, CSP, author of over 80 books on management, sales and other personal development topics, including the best selling book Soft Sell.

http://www.MHProNews.com/blogs/timconnor/

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The picture painted by Dr. Frank E. Nothaft to members of the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) at their February 2013 Legislative Conference and Winter Session would lead many to believe that the outlook for housing – and our industry – are both looking up. Let's take a snapshot of some of the highlights of the facts and figures presented by Dr Nothaft, Chief Economist for Freddie Mac, used here with permission.

1)Housing affordability is high.

2) New home building bottomed out in 2009 and is rising again.

3) Conventional home prices and sales are rising, which should also contribute to increased manufactured home sales.

4) Indeed, manufactured home shipments have risen for two years. Manufactured home shipments also started January 2013 with another nice bump up in sales over January 2012.

5) While all of these graphs/charts are revealing, this next one may be particularly powerful. The oversupply of homes, both rental and for sale, is nearing a 10 year low. Let's recall the law of supply and demand, which tells us demand plus low supply equals rising prices. Rising conventional house prices and rising rents all bode well for manufactured housing.

February 2013 unemployment numbers are also showing another modest improvement.

With:

• the stock market responding well to the sequester and other factors,

• with modular shipments up,

• the reasons for the cautious optimism shown by attendees at the Louisville Manufactured Housing Show is becoming ever more clear.

• Rising pre-registeration for the 2013 Tunica Manufactured Home Show are also pointing towards a sign of growing MH Retailer, MH Community and builder/developer confidence, that may yield the biggest event in years.

These and other factors tell us things are looking up for manufactured housing.

To be sure, there are still challenges to navigate and there are certainly missed opportunities that need to be capitalized upon, as other MH Industry in Focus or The Masthead blog columns suggest.

But the outlook by some pros who project a 15% increase in new manufactured home shipments for 2013 seem to be supported by the facts and indicators noted in this Industry In Focus report. ##

By L. A. "Tony" Kovach - email  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . 

Ours is an amazing industry that ought to be holding its head high daily, one that deserves to see long lines of consumers, media and public officials knocking at our door, asking us to share more of what we do so well. No one can touch our entry level product for durability and price. Our residential style product rivals or exceeds that of conventional home builders, is greener, and saves money. That is all good news which should be the lead story on broadcast, cable, online or print media on a routine basis.

But instead, we get news stories like the one referenced in this Daily Business News brief linked here. The full original story by the Salt Lake Tribune carries the typical slants we have sadly come to expect. While there is a nod by the Tribune towards 'balance,' in fact, by ending and focusing more on the sour notes, the story makes community owners and our industry look bad. For example, the Trib article referenced a 9 year old AARP report at the end of their article. The thrust or the article is to make residents of manufactured home communities appear oppressed and abused by management.

Repeated examples of “news” like this harms us with consumers, politicos and public officials.

This is part of what reflects how all too often our industry has been cornered.

MH-ADL?

We as industry professionals must realize that we will never escape such “news coverage” until we start doing a robust job of promoting ourselves in every major market in the country. The Anti-Defamation League fights anti-antisemitism. Where is our equivalent?

We must also be keenly aware that creating happy consumers is not only the right thing to do, but also the smart thing to do in terms of building our industry's image. When hearings are held by a small group of anti-industry protestors, where are our happy homeowners to counter those voices?

Whenever we stand up for our industry, we are arguably also protecting the self-image of our home owners and also protecting the value of their homes.

Common Sense Promotion

There are promotional activities that don't require millions of dollars – as nice as that would be – to do a GoRVing style campaign. I admire and respect what the RV industry has done with that effort. Our industry repeatedly passed on that opportunity, and I'll bet there are those who look back and say to themselves “what was I thinking?” But let's not get stuck in the past, rather, let's look to the present and future to identify what we need to do to improve our professional performance.

Promotion requires is engaged professionals at the state or market level.

This is ideally association based work, but it could also be done by a group of forward-looking professionals in a market if an association can't or doesn't want to get involved.

A committee of volunteers among owners and managers – composed of professionals who can cogently formulate a reply to the media – ought to be the members of such a committee. Among the benefits of doing so is that those who volunteer would likely gain over time an enhanced reputation in their market.

Such a media committee would look at the kind of negative news that has come out in recent years in their or other markets. They would come up with sound replies. They ought to rehearse and drill once a month with the facts on how they would 'reply' to a news reporter. Whenever a negative story comes out, they would step forward, contact the outlet involved, and offer to become “professional resources” for the local media when stories involving our industry arrise.

That would be a prudent beginning.

Beyond such a media committee:

• Every state should pay a few grand to create a website that would be a consumer/media/public officials resource.

• That website should be maintained with routine local 'good news' updates. Get happy resident and happy home owner testimonials on video, along with written stories and photos. Get the picture?

• Every association member – or media committee member, etc.- ought to have links from that website and every member gets to proudly display a sign saying they are members of that group.

• Such an online resource would boost sales, plus give associations that create such a tool a strong method for attracting and maintains membership. Such association's mantra would be“We protect and promote your business!”

• Most associations already have a code of conduct and it must be so for all, because when we have happy customers, that is crucial in the modern internet era where a bad news story could go viral and create harm.

• When a business has truly done wrong, that should be acknowledged and ought not to be defended. As one wise association exec said last year, 'our job is not to protect those who do wrong.'

On the local, state and national level, our industry has allowed itself to get cornered. We didn't have the wisdom back in the late 90s to do what was necessary then, and we see ourselves get battered and bruised by issues like the SAFE Act, Dodd-Frank and local/state legislation such as the story linked above. That Salt Lake Tribune stories is symptomatic of similar such 'news stories' in states from coast to coast. Industry image clearly ties in with this, and a lack of proper media engagement fuels it too.

Coming out of the corner, swinging

Will we tap into the opportunities caused by:

• Resale home inventories are down.

• New home construction is rising.

• Rents are rising.

• Incomes are down.

• 10,000 boomers a day are retiring.

• All of these facts plus the need for some 20,000,000 new housing units by 2030

are strong motivators that promise big potentials for record profits for factory builders, retailers, communities and others involved in our industry.

But until we step out of the corner, we will continue to be third choice, or last resort housing for millions of Americans instead of being respected for the amazing phenomenon we truly are.

Factory built homes ought to be the future in America! That will become reality as soon as you and enough other professionals stop talking about it and say, here is the line. We are going to stop “taking it” and start promoting it.

We either define ourselves, or others will define us

When we are defined by others, we get cornered and harmed. That sad fact is that tens of millions of Americans get harmed right along with us in the process.

Change often doesn't happen until people are forced to change. So in an paradoxical way, the good news is that we are cornered. We have hit that point where we must change - we must evolve - or we will get more marginalized and eventually fade away.

The fact that some companies do a good job proves that others can too, and that collectively we could do better and move from survive to thrive as a result.

Write and email or pick up the phone and get your association engaged in this issue. Don't take the 'oh, we tried that years ago' nonsense as an answer. That is slow suicide for professionals.

Are you willing to come out from the corner? Are you willing to help a small group of others start a movement in your state to do the same? Please feel free to contact us here at MHProNews.com as a resource in starting any such effort. ##

This is as good a time as any for our industry to take the blinders off. Blinders may keep a horse 'focused' on the race by limiting their field of vision. But when it comes to blinders on people, we often need to see more, not less, to grasp our amazing array of opportunities available to factory-built housing pros. Let's look at a few.

• The graying of America. 10,000 people a day are retiring. Consider these facts from the Social Security Administration:

In 2013, almost 58 million Americans will receive $821 billion in Social Security benefits.

December 2012 Beneficiary Data

If you owned a home 'free and clear' you could get by on that kind of income. If you had a nice nest egg, then such income could make nice 'spending money.' If you had a very low cost housing (hint, hint), then this level of income might work. These retirees are an ideal target market for our industry! They have the challenge and 'pain,' we have the cure. Will we as professionals do what it takes to bring these millions 'home' with manufactured housing?

Or consider another, very different example which represents an opportunity in disguise.

Low Income and Subsidized Housing

The Center on Budget and Public Policy sees the world differently than we might, but their chart on who receives government support for subsidized housing is interesting:

In the CBPP's December 19, 2012 update, they stated:

“Federal rental assistance programs enable more than 4.9 million low-income households in U.S. to rent modest housing at an affordable cost.”

In federal budget year 2011:

“Safety net programs: About 13 percent of the federal budget in 2011, or $466 billion, went to support programs that provide aid... various forms of in-kind assistance for low-income families and individuals, including food stamps, school meals, low-income housing assistance, child-care assistance, and assistance in meeting home energy bills; and various other programs such as those that aid abused and neglected children.”  (Editor: highlighting added).

CATO Institute Facts

“Federal operating subsidies have risen from $6.5 million in 1969 to $4.4 billion by 2009. These operating subsidies are in addition to the $2.5 billion or so annually that HUD distributes for capital spending on public housing projects...About 1.1 million households currently inhabit federally financed public housing...”

Note that we are talking about 6.9 billion dollars divided by 1.1 million or $6,272.73 per household a year for those programs. That's $522.73 a month, which could make a nice payment on a good, basic manufactured home.

From the Rental Subsidies section of CATO's report:

“Though crime-ridden public housing projects are the most infamous symbol of federal housing policy, much more funding today goes toward rental subsidies for low-income families in private dwellings. About 2 million households receive federal tenant-based aid, at a taxpayer cost of $16 billion in 2009. In addition, about 1.3 million households benefit from project-based aid, which subsidizes rent in particular buildings at a taxpayer cost of $7.5 billion in 2009.”

What the math above ought to suggests to us in manufactured housing is that $23.5 billion is being spent on federal rental subsidizes. Another $6.9 billion on federal public housing projects. This would be $9,212.12 per household currently collecting federal subsidizes. That's 767.68 monthly, an even nicer monthly payment on a manufactured home.

How much more is being spent at the state or local levels?

I'm not aware of any organization currently focused on what these vast sums could represent in the way of opportunities for manufactured housing. There are so many ways to approach the issue!

But one common bottom line ought to be that manufactured housing could be a means to cut these costs over time because our homes cost less to build, maintain, heat and cool that conventional housing does.

Might we, for example, create a program that takes current rent subsidized residents and turn them into owners of manufactured homes that would rapidly be paid for and thus eliminate the subsidy to them?

This is an issue that MHEC and MHI members ought to look closely at, because it will take a specific plan plus grass roots activity to turn the potential into reality.

America needs 20,000,000 new homes by 2030

In our seminars and here at MHProNews.com, we often make the point that just to keep pace with population growth, the U.S. needs 20,000,000 new homes by 2030. With incomes down but expectations still strong, certainly these are strong motivations for advancing the cause of manufactured housing directly to the home buying public.

We are awash in opportunities, these just mention a few.

In order to capitalize on these opportunities, manufactured housing professionals need to establish a plan and become engaged with their existing state, regional or national associations. Your modest investment in time and treasure could open up a wealth of opportunities that would collectively propels us to sales levels well beyond what our industry has ever experienced before. ##

Professional interest by government officials, investors and professionals like yourself in manufactured and modular housing are hot topics today. How do we know?

Every time you or anyone else visits a website, a digital impression is made that is recorded as a “visit,” “session” or similar term. While we don't see 'you' personally on this webpage, there is generic information about visitors that is captured by software. For example:

• the country of origin,

• are you working for a federal agency,

• are you on a PC, Mac or mobile device,

• what kind of web browser you are using and so on.

Because of tracking software we know that:

• the FEDs are visiting MHProNews.com, and so too are

• investors on Wall Street and

• professionals from approximately 130 countries around the world!

This report is from the month of January 2013. Even with New Year's and other holidays, the Louisville Show and more events that can keep readership 'down' during the month, our main URL recorded 112,414 visits (there are other URLs we have that record thousands more visits, not reflected in this report) and more than 2,077,046 “hits” on our industry trade media website.

For example, one well know Wall Street firm alone made 16,214 hits on our main URL (primary web address).

Here are the top 30 domains and nations – from among 130 – that visited during the month of January, 2013.

Note that while a .ca extension (Canada) recorded .36% of our traffic in the list above, other tracking reports we have suggests that Canadian traffic ranges in the 3% total of our visitors, which makes sense based on the size of their population vs. that of the United States.

Note too that non-profits (.org) visits represented 23,956 hits during January on our main URL.

Educators (.edu) represent 3,132 hits, just ahead of the Russian Federation, Australia, Netherlands, France, China and Brazil, but behind Germany and India.

What does this mean?

1. There is world-wide interest in factory-built housing. Some 5% (+/-) of our visits on MHProNews.com come from other nations.

2. Domestically, federal officials and agencies - along with state and local ones – routinely visit our website. They are following our industry's news and commentary here, are you?

3. Investors from the U.S. and around the world are on our pages. We know this from phone, email and other sources of contact independent of the logs shown above.

Did you know?

• The Chinese recently purchased an idled domestic HUD Code Home production facility.

• Are you tracking the stocks of HUD Code manufactured home corporations, like ELS or Cavco? Investors are!

While image, regulatory and other issues persist, manufactured and modular homes have the potential to become a dominant force, a major player in the future of home building in America. The reasons for this are well known among our regular readers,

• Population growth demands some 20,000,000 new housing units are needed in the U.S. by 2030, according to Census Bureau data and other sources.

• Incomes are down from 4 years ago.

• The desire for home ownership is still expressed by 2 out of 3 in the U.S..

• Quality, affordability, speed of construction, greener building and other factors all favor manufactured homes.

• There are good reasons why

Other nations, starting with our Canadian neighbors to the north, have a much more favorable view of factory building than many Americans not in our industry do. We know from marketing projects that the 'image issue' can rapidly be melted away with the right local marketing outreaches and user friendly sales approaches.

The bottom line is that the interest in our Industry is there among professionals coast to coast and around the world. What we do with that interest can spell growth and profitable opportunities for many, along with new jobs and careers in the factory built-homes industry. ##