Potpourri of MHIndustry & LLCommunity no–so–trivia news & views from California to Connecticut!

 Ready? Here goes…

 California “…families who’ve lost their homes are moving into their motor homes until they can get their feet back on the ground and credit cleaned up. Saw several of these out in the Hemet area, where rent is $400.00/month.” In an email from a California – based LLCommunity owner/operator.

 Connecticut. Know the Jensen family of Jensens, Inc., in Southington, CT? Founded by Danish immigrant Kristian Jensen, decades ago, the family business is now run by third generation Kristian Jensen III, ACM. MHI members know Kristian Jensen, Jr., ACM best. He’s a 2009 inductee into RV/MH Heritage Foundation’s prestigious Hall of Fame!

 Pennsylvania. Trouble! ‘PA passed legislation during Fall 2008 to meet SAFE Act mandates, successfully getting manufactured housing written out, since already licensed under Motor Vehicle Sales Finance Act. This didn’t pass HUD’s review – wanting inclusion of homes on leased land.’ LLCommunity owners/operators & MHRetailers must now be double–licensed to do business. (edited) Other states dodged this bullet.

 Southeast sage. “We’ve got the attention of HUD Code home manufacturers; in fact, all the segments of the industry who considered us (LLCommunities) ‘ugly stepchildren’ back then. Fancy ideas proposed in glass tower ‘suites’ (e.g. buy up entrepreneur – owned MHRetail centers and make them company stores, etc.) have been tested and failed. The MHIndustry has now gone thru the best of times and the worst of times. ‘Affordable housing’ is now more important than ever!” (edited) A loud ‘Amen!’ & ‘Let’s go!’

 Indiana. Did you know? Reid Litwack’s ODOROX equipment appears to rid old and new manufactured homes of every possible odor! Introduced at 18^th annual International Networking Roundtable and now used in many LLCommunities. (317) 660-7814.

 Ohio. Remember Terry & Kathleen Lyden, the brother & sister dynamic duo of Aquameter days? Well, they’re back as Utility Revenue Services, working with portfolio owners/operators to effect utility rate reductions and refunds! (614)286-5202.

 Ohio again. Bruce Nell is now working with George Allen, CPM & MHM, to take LLCommunity operating statistics research, publication and distribution to a higher level. Want to be part of this unique and timely team? Call Bruce @ (614) 540-2950.

 North Carolina. What is it ELS, Inc., & other major ‘players’ do to trim expenses and maximize profitability? Sign – up with Connexion Technologies to get better business deals regarding CATV & related operating expenses. Grant Kitching (919) 735-7240.

 Kentucky & maybe Oklahoma. Someone’s listening to Southeast Sage! See previous paragraph. Tentative plans have been laid to take heretofore state association–hosted National SYMPOSIUM Movement seminars to the regional show level. Watch for opportunity to attend ‘How to Market, Sell & Self–Finance New Homes into LLCommunities! Focus? LLCommunity readiness, Title I, & loan compliance!

 Illinois. Why one prospective MHI member won’t be attending the institute’s Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA. “I have a negative opinion about proposed bylaw change requiring prospective members to join at the highest applicable dues level. MHI should be open to all; allowing new members to join at any level, with the goal of selling them on the benefits of membership, then upgrading them later.” Makes perfect sense to me.

 Illinois again. Stephen Wheeler of Housing Advisory Services eases access to public funding for homeowner manufactured housing rehabilitation on–site in LLCommunities. Sound too good to be true? Find out for yourself: (312) 404-0288.

 National. Letters and questionnaires pursuant to preparation of 21^st annual ALLEN REPORT (a.k.a. ‘Who’s Who Among LLCommunity Portfolio Owners/operators in North America!) have been mailed. Response deadline is 30 September 2009 via FAX @ (317)346-7158. Missed you? Phone (317)346-7156 for questionnaire. When & where to be published? Hopefully in CommunityInvestor magazine @ 1/1/2010, or Allen Letter.

 Michigan. Don Westphal, at 18^th annual Networking Roundtable, volunteered to serve as a ‘national clearinghouse’ for interior and exterior designs and product specifications describing the new ‘community series’ of manufactured homes! Want to input your preferred features and ‘specs’? Call Don via (248) 651-5518. Many already have done so!

 Iowa. Joanne Stevens, CCIM & ACM, facilitated the first ever Small Community Owners Forum (i.e. LLCommunities with less than 100 rental homesites) at the 18^th  Networking Roundtable. 50 owners participated. Interested?  Joanne: (319) 378-6786.

 Georgia. A new business opportunity for LLCommunity owners/operators! To reduce property insurance premiums and participate in possible profitability of a new ‘captive insurance’ firm, contact Jay Zandman for details ASAP: (800) 211-0468 x 117.

 National again. Informal FOCUS Groups, comprised of LLCommunity owners/operators have met periodically for many years. A new FOCUS Group of non–competing owners/operators is being formed. Interested? Call (317) 346-7156 for more information.

 Know what? These 16 not–so–trivia news and views vignettes scratch the surface of what’s ‘going on’ & ‘not going on – but should be’ throughout the MHIndustry & LLCommunity real estate asset class today! This Blog, now in its’ 53^rd edition, is the sole resource attempting to take business communication and discussion where it’s never been before: public, online and offline! If you seriously want to participate in this unity movement, read this Blog every week and take the time to respond. Can’t promise I’ll always get back to you, but I certainly will try.

 Furthermore, consider this! If Susan McCarty (daughter) and I do not feel we have enough financial support, via display advertising sales commitments and paid subscriptions, by mid–November, there will be no CommunityInvestor magazine! This  publishing effort is my largest attempt, to date, to bring unity to the MHIndustry & LLCommunity asset class, so we can move forward together to restore our economical, high quality, energy efficient, eminently transportable, non–subsidized form of factory–built housing, and related community lifestyle, as our nation’s homegrown, preeminent form of truly ‘affordable housing’! Will you help? Then be proactive and respond accordingly to ‘this Blog’ and or phone (317) 346-7156 with your commitment to advertise in the magazine and or subscribe to the published product. OTHERWISE, as of January 1, 2010, you’ll have nothing from which to obtain MHIndustry & LLCommunity  news and views, than the Journal and the Allen Letter, and a few online publications vying for your attention.

 George Allen, Realtor®, CPM®, MHM®

Box # 47024

Indianapolis, IN. 46247

(317)346-7156

21 September 2009
Copyright 2009
First North American & Electronic Rights Only
BLOG # 52

Blogger’s Note. Blog # 52 commemorates the exciting beginning of a new era in manufactured housing trade journalism in at least two distinct ways:

• It’s the first blog to be featured on the new, OFFICIAL MHIndustry & LLCommunity website: www.community-investor.com

• Its’ subject matter announces the first new initiative in statistical data collection and distribution, throughout the landlease (nee manufactured home) community real estate asset class, in 21 years! After you’ve read it, please respond!

And that, my friends, scratches the surface of ‘all that’s going on in and around the manufactured housing industry and LLCommunity asset class today’! Seriously. If you can’t answer the following questions, you owe it to yourself and your business interests to contact me for answers. ‘If selling new HUD Code homes on–site, are you working with a manufactured housing Business Development Manager or BDM?’ You should be! ‘Have you attended a state MHAssociation-hosted Symposium, for LLCommunity owners/operators, during the past six months?’ That’s where you learn about the ‘new Title I program’! ‘Do you know the difference between new ‘community series’ manufactured homes and the heretofore ‘developer series’? If not, you’re not buying smart! And, most exciting of all: ‘Are you aware of the possible launch of a new MHIndustry & LLCommunity trade publication, titled CommunityInvestor during January 2010? If desirous of more information, and interested in subscribing, phone me @ (317)346-7156 or ask questions via gfa7156@aol.com

Now, here’s what 500+/- portfolio owners/operators of LLCommunities, throughout the U.S. and Canada, are receiving in the mail between 15 & 30 September 2009.

An Open Letter to Landlease (nee manufactured home) Community Owners

It’s time for a paradigm shift in statistical data collection and distribution re the landlease community (‘LLCommunity’) real estate asset class! While the manufactured housing industry regularly measures its’ benchmark numbers (albeit still counting home ‘shipments’, not ‘sales’), LLCommunities have moved little beyond identifying 500 major owners/operators and sizes of their property portfolios. We need much more!

During the current ‘down’ period of this real estate cycle, everyone is clamoring for transparency. The finance market is all but frozen for home and LLCommunity financing. Continuing ‘business as usual’ will result in us missing out on billions of Federal dollars and bank loans when they flow back into the real estate marketplace! These are dollars that should and will be available for home buying site lessees and LLCommunity owners.

Every major investment real estate asset class collects statistical data germane to its’ unique nature, usually relating to product inventory; construction, expansion and closure trends; operating expense figures; physical and economic occupancy; and homesite rental rates. While LLCommunity owners have their Rules of Thumb, we need data accuracy, transparency and accessibility for parties providing capital for home and realty financing!

This Open Letter to Landlease Community Owners/operators asks you to participate in the statistical data collection and distribution paradigm shift absolutely necessary to put our unique income – producing property type on a level playing field among all other realty asset classes! How do we accomplish this? Two ways:

• Complete & return enclosed 21st annual ALLEN REPORT questionnaire before the deadline of September 30, 2009. The formal report will be published during January 2010 either in the Allen Letter or possibly CommunityInvestor magazine.

• Contact Bruce Nell, senior managing director of PGP Valuation’s National Practice Group – MHC, via (614)540-2590 or bruce.nell@pgpinc.com indicating your willingness to participate in this historic effort to measure our asset class!

Thank You in advance for your cooperation in this important & historic project.

George Allen, Realtor™, CPM™, MHM™
Consultant to the Factory – built Housing Industry the Landlease Community Real Estate Asset Class
GFA Management, Inc. dba PMN Publishing
Box # 47024
Indianapolis, IN. 46247 085
(317)346-7156 & gfa7156@aol.com (614)

Bruce Nell, Senior Managing Director
Nat’l Practice Group Leader
PGP Valuation, Inc.
870 High St., Suite #11
Columbus, OH 43085
614-540-2950

There are no plans for the ALLEN REPORT to cease or change; simply, we must add substantially and accurately to the LLCommunity data collection and distribution effort!

*****
Bet you’d like to know how this initiative came about. Pretty simple actually. Periodically, during the past 25 years, as a Certified Property Manager™ member of the Institute of Real Estate Management (‘IREM’), I attempted to interest that professional property management international trade body to include our unique income–producing property type in their annual compendiums on operating expenses for apartments, office buildings, and shopping centers – but to no avail. A few years ago I attempted to similarly interest MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC”) in creating a similar annual report featuring the LLCommunity asset class. That initiative got bogged down in association politics. So, at this year’s 18th annual International Networking Roundtable in Bloomingdale, IL. (9 – 11 September 2009), and during Bruce Nell’s presentation ‘Toward An Asset Class Data Base!’ a group decision was made to attempt a statistical data collection and distribution cooperative partnership between PGP Valuation, Inc., and GFA Management, Inc. The initial effort, to this end, has been to enclose the above Open Letter to Landlease Community Owners/operators with the 21st annual ALLEN REPORT cover letter and questionnaire sent to 500+/- portfolio owners/operators of LLCommunities throughout the U.S. and Canada. It will be interesting, and hopefully exciting, to tally the responses to both requests for statistical data input! You can follow the progress of this timely and historic effort within the pages of the monthly Allen Letter and possibly, CommunityInvestor magazine! GFA

****

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

Postscript.

If you own five or more LLComunities and or 500 or more rental homesites, and have not received the above–referenced cover letter and questionnaire, and Open Letter, but would like to participate in either or both statistical data collection efforts, please let Bruce Nell and or me know ASAP.