Blog Posting # 770, Copyright 8 December 2023. EducateMHC
Parallel Perspectives. HUD-Code manufactured housing is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable & attainable factory-built housing! And, land lease communities, (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) comprise the investment real estate component of manufactured housing! EducateMHC is the online advocate, historian, trend tracker, and text resource for these two related business models! Reach EducateMHC by phoning (317) 881-3815; email: gfa7156@aol.com, or visit www.educatemhc.com, and to order Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry. This is the sole professional property management text in print today! SWAN SONG is a history of land lease communities & official record of annual MH production totals since 1955; and my autobiography, From Smittyalpha6 to MHMaven – describes personal combat adventures in Vietnam, a 45 year business career in MH and community ownership/management, and as author/consultant.
George Allen, CPM®Emeritus, MHM®Master, is only emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’), an RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, retired lieutenant colonel of U.S. Marines, & author/editor of 20 books re MH, communities, business management & prayer.
An Exciting Personal ‘Read’ & Holiday Gift!
Charles (‘Chuck’) Irion is a longtime business acquaintance and friend in the manufactured housing business, brokering and managing land lease communities in the Southwest. He is also an author, world traveler, philanthropist, and adventurer.
Chuck has authored 12 novels in two series: Murdered by Gods, and Summit Murder Mysteries. His five non-fiction books cover remodeling, autograph collecting, used car sales, and divorce, plus a cookbook titled, ‘Roadkill Cooking for Campers’.
His recent release, ‘FOUR’ is a standalone ‘men’s mystery & adventure’ novel; and in my opinion, is his very best work to date! Quoting here from the Amazon book website:
“FOUR means death for us all. In many Asian cultures, the number four (‘4’) is considered unlucky because the ‘word for number four, and ‘word’ for death, are the same!” So, in FOUR,
“Forces are in motion around the world. FOUR people have FOUR days to prevent World War FOUR, and save the world from destruction.”
One of the FOUR people driving this tale? “There was nothing but blue sky above and blue sea below, and from where Colonel George Allen was sitting; it was a little hard to tell the difference. He let his gaze roam the expanse, not really looking at anything in particular, but savoring the experience and the memories it brought back. Twenty-odd years ago, this would have been the view from the cockpit window of his F/A-18C Super Hornet, and not merely a high-def projection transmitted back to the Virtual Combat Center – VCC – aboard the USS Enterprise CFN-80- a Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier where Allen Lived the experience vicariously.” Pp. 31 & 32. This book is set 20 years into the future, 20 years after WWIII.
Irion drives his stories with action and intrigue, not sex scenes and profanity. A terrific ‘read’ or gift, and available via Amazon.com I’ve purchased five copies for family members and friends.
Getting Down to Business!
As MHI, MHARR, and EducateMHC, point out, the annual production of new HUD-Code manufactured homes continues on a downward slide! Through October 2023, our YTD production is down 24 percent from a year ago! MHI’s ‘seasonally adjusted annual rate’ (a.k.a. ‘SAAR’) also continues its’ downward trend, dropping from a 97,919 estimate in September to 97,919 through October. And EducateMHC estimates the ‘end of year’ SAAR to be in the neighborhood of 86,000 new HUD-Code homes to be produced during all of year 2024. ‘Ugh!’
With that gruesome (‘horribly repulsive’) foretelling, it’s encouraging to hear and read of individuals within MH, and among land lease community owners, who’re experiencing ‘good times’ and or expect year 2024 to be better, far better, than what we endured during year 2023. This from Amy Bliss, executive director of the Wisconsin Housing Alliance:
“Merry Christmas to you and your family as well George! Things are looking up in Wisconsin. We have a good deal of development being planned and hopefully (it) will come to fruition within 2024 or early 2025. First time we have heard of such talk, but the time is right because we need a lot of housing here, and people are starting to accept us (i.e. manufactured housing & communities) as a solution. I am feeling positive about the next couple years.” ‘Hoorah!’
So, make it a point to climb aboard the optimistic wagon of manufactured housing performance, and plan now to attend the annual Louisville MHShow, 17-19 January 2024! While I deferred (i.e. postponed) planning and hosting an industrywide meeting (to ID and discuss sensitive industry issues) at this seminal event, I – and many others, plan to be present to see and buy new manufactured homes and interact with our peers from throughout the U.S.
And, while you’re at it, mark your personal planning calendar with the date 9-12 September 2024. These are the dates for SECO 24, at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel in Atlanta, GA.
George Allen, CPM, MHM