George Allen / EducateMHC Blog Mobile Home & Land Lease Community Advocate & Expert

May 15, 2011

Beware 1 August 2011; See Open Ltr; & Triple Anniversary Celebration

Filed under: Uncategorized — George Allen @ 4:43 am

August 1st Might End MHBusiness Chattel Finance as We Known It & September 14-16 to Celebrate 3 MHBusiness Anniversaries!

I.

Dodd – Frank Act, as it stands ‘today’, will likely break our MH $ Business!! Huh? That’s right. Letters are already going out to MHRetailers and LLCommunity folk (I’ve seen them), warning of the likely end, on 1 August 2011, of all chattel finance for manufactured homes selling for less than $78,000.00! Tragically, most MHIndustry & LLCommunity businessmen and women aren’t even aware of this end game scenario – our industry’s veritable Armageddon, despite best efforts by MHI and others to stop it!

Rationale for above headline & statement? MHI’s Dodd-Frank Task Force uncovered provisions in the Act that force lenders (‘Including LLCommunity self – finance programs!’), into increased fixed transitional costs amounting to about $4,000.00 per loan, above existing costs. Furthermore, since the great majority of chattel loans fall into ‘high risk’ and or ‘high interest’ categories, ‘closing costs’ are limited to 6% of the amount being financed. To recover those additional costs, plus existing costs, a chattel loan will have to be for more than $78,000.00! And with the exception of California, and some East coast states, the majority of chattel loans made today, are well under that dollar amount, unless made elsewhere, for example, in ‘A’ grade luxury LLCommunities.

Need more information on this downright scary subject? Phone Thayer Long @ MHI: (703) 558-0678. And perhaps YOU have a solution none of us have considered to date!

II.

Triple Anniversary, 20th annual Networking Roundtable to occur 14 – 16 September at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa on the western outskirts of San Antonio, TX. Probably the nicest venue we’ve enjoyed to date for the annual International Networking Roundtable! This is a ‘by invitation only’ event, intended for owners/operators of landlease communities, but all major realty lenders will be present, along with a few HUD Code CSH home manufacturers, nearly two dozen specially – selected presenters, and event sponsors. For a registration brochure, phone the MHIndustry HOTLINE: (877) MFD-HSNG or 633 – 4764. Don’t wait to be solicited. Only contact lists we exercise for this seminal event are Allen Letter professional journal subscribers and the exclusive 500+/- name data base of LLCommunity portfolio owners/operators in North America. Don’t delay. Attendance is limited to first 200 registrants and sponsors!

How’s this a triple anniversary celebration? Simple. Year 2011 commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’), our industry and asset class national advocacy body, headquartered in Arlington, VA. Year 2011 commemorates the 20th annual International Networking Roundtable. How many recall our first Roundtable event in Clearwater, Florida in 1991? And, year 2011 commemorates the 15th anniversary of MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division! And how many recall the first meeting of NCC’s predecessor, the Industry Steering Committee, when 18 LLCommunity owners/operators convened in Indianapolis, IN., on 31 August 1993? Yes, this is a very special opportunity to celebrate three key anniversaries in MH & LLCommunity history. Plan today to participate!

What’s on the program? Nearly two dozen presenters, including two panels, variously holding forth on the Rebranding of LLCommunities; ‘lease option’ alternative to captive finance, ‘buy here – pay here’ & rentals; Siting ‘park models’ on functionally obsolete rental homesites; Lifestyling ‘Community Series Homes’ to Sell; ever popular realty lenders’ panel; a panel comparing ‘book value’ & ‘market value’ methodologies for home appraisals; and, a host of other informative topics. Also an Investors’ Forum, featuring dozens of LLCommunities ‘for sale’! Be sure to read June’s Allen Letter professional journal for program details, plus a Roundtable registration form will be enclosed! To subscribe, phone (317) 346-7156 or via website: community-investor.com Another topic: ‘Past, Present & Future of LLCommunity Research, Communication, Education, Networking & Resources’. This particular session will likely, and markedly, influence the very nature of your LLCommunity(ies) going forward!

III.

An Open Letter to National & State Representatives, Counties & Municipalities Impacted by Recent Storms, as well as FEMA, Manufactured Home Builders, and Landlease Community Owners/operators Nationwide!

During the last two weeks, as storm waters ravaged south central U.S., two Georgia LLCommunity owners/operators, David Roden and Spencer Roane, conceived and articulated a practical plan and means to provide quick, cost – effective, attractive housing for flood water – displaced citizens; a plan free of most shortcomings and problems associated with efforts post – Katrina housing.

Enter the Community Series Home or CSH. Designed and built during the past two years, for in – landlease (nee manufactured home) community placement, these smaller but functional, attractive – inside and out, sturdily built, affordable HUD Code homes, are ideal for quickly housing storm victims and other displaced individuals and families! Add to that, the plethora of vacant rental homesites within 50,000+/- LLCommunities across the U.S., and there’s a WIN WIN proposition in the making, for everyone involved! And just think; no more ‘overnight trailer cities’ in the secular press! In addition, since LLCommunity owners/operators already market, sell and often self – finance CSH homes on – site, reselling them once FEMA needs are past, will be a whole lot easier than getting rid of unsightly Katrina homes, featuring oversized hallways and bathrooms, and undersized bedrooms.

Are you enthused about this practical plan for providing quick, cost – effective, attractive housing, and LLCommunity access, for flood water – displaced citizens? If so, encourage you to soon contact one or more of the following key ‘players’ in this timely scenario, and offer your support and assistance:

• David Roden @ (423) 760-4818 & davidroden@mtnviewestates.com

• Spencer Roane @ (678) 428-0212 & spencer@roane.com

• Don Westphal @ (248) 651-5518 & don@dcwestphal.com (Keeper of CSH info!)

• Lois Starkey @ (703) 558-0654 & lstarkey@mfghome.org (MHI’s MHSpecialist)

• Lisa Brechtel @ (703) 558-0666 & lbrechtel@mfghome.org (LLCom. Specialist)

• George Allen @ (317) 346-7156 & gfa7156@aol.com (Source of BDM List: HUD Code home manufacturers’ Business Development Managers marketing Community Series Homes)

Know what? This is the first, potentially large scale, eminently society – serving, manufactured housing – focused concept and plan, I’ve seen in a very long time! This is a viable opportunity for several segments of the HUD Code manufactured housing industry and landlease community asset class, to ‘work well together’ for the greater cause of helping folk experiencing hard times and tragedy; at the same time, putting our ability to quickly provide truly affordable housing, and an attractive community lifestyle, ‘center stage’, for all to see, experience, and appreciate! Let’s go for it! GFA

IV.

‘Yours truly’ debuted on youtube this past week, interviewed by Suzanne Felber of LifeStylist.com at the Manufactured Housing Congress in Las Vegas, NV. Interested in seeing it? Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?jwns2Aql19U By the way, if you presently stock and sell Community Series Homes on – site in your LLCommunity(ies), don’t miss Suzanne’s feature article in June’s Allen Letter professional journal, titled: ‘Lifestyling Community Series Homes to Sell!’ She’ll also be a presenter, on that hot topic, at the Triple Anniversary, 20th annual Networking Roundtable in San Antonio!

V.

Mark your calendar! Next one day Manufactured Housing Manager (‘MHM’) professional property management training and certification class will occur 20 July 2011, from 7:30AM to 4PM, at the Retirement Estates of Big Flats Community Center in Horseheads, New York. Only $250.00 per MHM candidate. MHMs receive a copy of Landlease Community Management text, monograph of contemporary MHIndustry ‘readings’, gold MHM pin and calligraphy – printed MHM certificate! To register, phone (800) 721 – HOME or (518) 867-3242. Hosted by NYHA. I’ll be instructing. Ask your state MHAssociation to sponsor an MHM class during 2011! For info: (317) 346-7156.

1 August 2011. This is the date the 2011 Class will be inducted into the RV/MH Heritage Foundation’s prestigious RV/MH Hall of Fame, in Elkhart, IN. There’ll be about 400 RV/MH aficionados present for the banquet that evening. If you’ve never visited ‘our museum & library’, plan to do so now. For information: (574) 293-2344.

***

George Allen, Realtor®, CPM®Emeritus, MHM
Consultant to the Factory- built Housing Industry &
The Landlease Community Real Estate Asset Class
Box # 47024, Indpls, IN. 46247 (317) 346-7156

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