Blog Posting # 855; Copyright 31 October 2025. EducateMHC
Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (‘MH’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable, factory-built housing (a.k.a. one of four types of offsite construction: manufactured, modular, panelized housing & Park Model RVs), routinely paired with traditional stick-built single-family residential housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). Land lease communities, a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) are the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. And, along with various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans, and real estate- secured mortgages) constitute the post-production segment of the MH industry.
EducateMHC is an MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source! Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, or www.educateMHC.com, to purchase ‘Community management in the Manufactured Housing Indu8stry’ (This book belongs in every land lease community nationwide!), and ‘SWAN SONG’ – 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 as a USMC lieutenant, a 45 year entrepreneur business career in MH & community ownership, as well as freelance consulting and authoring of 20 nonfiction texts.
George Allen is the sole emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’), a founding board member of MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division, an RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist & editor at large for ‘MHInsider’ magazine.
FOUR STEPS & SIX RULES OF THUMB
In my ‘Chapbook of Business Management & Wisdom’ you’ll find the Five Ms of Management*1, Six Steps to Closing a Sale*2, and an eight step Problem-Solving Procedure*3. However, what you won’t find are the Four Steps to Selling & Financing New Homes Onsite Within Land Lease Communities, and the Six Right Ps of Marketing New Homes Within Land Lease Communities. These two procedures have been commonplace throughout the land lease community real estate asset class since 2017. They were introduced at the first ‘Two Days of MH Sales Seminars & Plant Tours’ presentation that occurred at the RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart during the spring of year 2016. And they’re repeated here as a training aid for new community owners/operators throughout the U.S. And that two days sales training program continues annually under the leadership of Indiana’s IMHA/RVIC at the Hall of Fame.
FOUR STEPS TO SELLING & FINANCING NEW HOMES ONSITE WITHIN LAND LEASE COMMUNITIES
- Getting Ready! This involves maximizing curb appeal, freshening offsite and onsite signage, improving advertising online and in the local press, reviewing and improving apropo policies & procedures, being sure of homebuyer/site lessee profile, and ensuring appropriate business licenses are in place.
- Buying New Homes. What size & quality needed and wanted? Appropriate factory nearby? Use of Community Series Homes (‘CSH’) &/or CrossMod® models? What support is available from factory?
- Selling New Homes & Lifestyle. Leasing homes? Property & product USPs (‘Unique Selling Propositions)? Using Six Right Ps of Marketing? More to follow on this….
- Financing New Homes. What $ resources are available, including cash, lease-option & contract sales? Importance of pre-qualification & compliance!
Those four steps simply get one started selling new HUD-Code homes onsite within land lease communities. What additional steps do you think should be added? Let me know via gfa7156@aol.com
SIX SRIGHT Ps OF MARKETING NEW HOMES WITHIN LAND LEASE COMMUNITIES
- Right Product model, home size, appearance, floor plan, features & amenities, e.g. A CSH is known for its’ durability, enhancing features (front end loaded porch) and WOW factors! And CrossMod® homes are ideal for single-family residential subdivisions.
- Right Place or location within the property, and how oriented to the sun and wind, as well as good drainage and proper installation.
- Right Price per type deal*4, also customer’s Annual Gross Income or AGL, and local housing market’s Annual Median Income or AMI, relative to 30% Housing Expense Factor (‘HEF’) and site rent rate.
- Right Promotion per USP (Again, ‘Unique Selling Proposition’) – for house and property e.g. Energy Star & front porch loaded, using print and online advertising, fresh signage off and onsite, plus resident referrals.
- Right People based on anticipated sales volume and # of vacant rental homesites to fill. Staff capable, experienced, motivated and properly trained & supervised by professionals?
- Right Process includes planning*5 and procedures to ID and meet shelter needs & wants of target audience and mix in specific local housing market.
End Notes:
- Five Ms of Management: Manpower (Think personnel & labor) Machinery (Think equipment & tools), Material (Think inventory & service), Methods (Think policies & procedures), and Money (Think income & expenses).
- Six Steps to Closing a Sale: Preparing, Listening, Establishing Confidence, Overcoming Objections, Popping the question (a.k.a. AFTO or ‘Ask for the order!’) and Waiting for an answer. These insights originated with Darryl Benjamin
- Select a Problem, a task; Define it, document it; Study It, question every detail; Research & Organize Data; Refine & Digest Data; Produce & Rework Ideas; Implement & Monitor; Follow-up & Recap Results.
- Use of 3:1 Rule. Where land lease community site rent is one third that of 3BR2B apartment rent in the same local housing market.
- ‘Proper Prior Planning Prevents Pitifully Poor Performance!’
The aforementioned ‘Chapbook of Business & Management Wisdom’ is available for purchase via www.educatemhc.com
George Allen