Blog Posting # 762, Copyright 6 October 2023. EducateMHC
Parallel Perspectives. HUD-Code manufactured housing is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable 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 business models! To input this blog or connect with EducateMHC, telephone (317) 881-3815, email: gfa7156@aol.com, or visit www.educatemhc.com, to order Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry. This is the sole professional community management text in print today! And SWAN SONG is a history of land lease communities, and official record of annual MH production totals since 1955, and my autobiography, From SmittyAlpha6 to MHMaven – describes combat adventures in Vietnam, and a 45 year business career in MH and community ownership/management, and consulting.
George Allen, CPM®Emeritus, MHM®Master, Emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’), RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, retired lieutenant colonel of U.S. Marines, and author/editor of 20 books re MH, communities, business & management wisdom, and prayer.
IMN in TN a BOOM or BUST?
OK, right up front I’ll tell you I did not attend the Information Management Networks’ (‘IMN’) inaugural Manufactured Housing Forum, an interpersonal networking conference supplemented with ‘educational content & industry insights’, in Nashville, TN., on 28 & 29 September. From what I hear and read, this ‘global organizer of institutional, finance, investment, and real estate conferences’ maybe did not deliver what was expected by manufactured housing and land lease community aficionados who attended. IMN claims 370+ attendees on-site. A sampling of responses received here to date:
“Some interesting take-aways. Almost every speaker, in recent years, bought a (land lease) community with cash or used seller-financing. Where they used debt, the GSEs were the preferred (originator/guarantor).”
“The most fascinating speaker was a 29 year old woman who somehow escaped China. She was fascinated with the concept of owning property since you can’t do that in China. When she graduated from Georgia Tech, she started buying (land lease) communities, and she and her partners now own 28….”
‘While I was there, the Government Accountability Office issued a report on government support for manufactured housing:www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-105615 It provides details of all programs, including those of the GSEs. A great resource. GAO wants Title I to step up.”
Attendance? “Maybe 100 or so on day 1. Day 2 seemed more oriented to (community) operators, many fewer (attendees) on Day 2.”
In a recent IMN communique, they announced the 2024 edition of The Manufactured Housing Forum would occur in Scottsdale (AZ?) on 7-8 May 2024.
MHStats & 18 January 2024 in Louisville, KY
In the widely read and referenced ‘MHShipment Volume @ August 2023 & Stock Market Report @ 5 October 2023’ – two economic statistical indicator reports combined into one, were these key observations:
- While production of 8,670 new HUD-Code homes in August was up from the previous month (July) by 41 percent, that total was 19 percent less than a year ago (August).
- Year to date HUD-Code homes production continues to be 27 percent less than a year ago – for the fifth straight month.
- Of the five publicly-traded HUD-Code housing manufacturers, stock prices of four were down from the previous month
- Of the five publicly-traded land lease community property portfolios (including REITs), stock prices of four were down from the previous month
- The Composite Stock Index (‘CSI’) – for manufacturers and community owners/operators together, was $673 on 5 October; down from the $790.07 base CSI during January 2022.
And then there was this announcement at the end of said combined MH statistics report:
“Land lease community real estate asset class entered an uncertain era during year 2022. For the first time since 1989 this unique, income-producing property type is without the annual ALLEN REPROT, & Allen Letter. Many owners/operators believe national leadership is faltering as political and regulatory ‘storm clouds’ gather. If willing to meet for a half day National Community Caucus on 18 January 2023 at the Louisville MHShow, let me know NOW via gfa7156@aol.com or (317) 881-3815. Fee? Only enough to cover meeting expenses.” GFA
Referral Fees & On-site Home Sales
Do you sell new HUD-Code manufactured homes on-site in your land lease community(ies)? As an incentive for homebuyers/site lessees (a.k.a. new community residents) to buy said homes do you market and sell them at or near cost? If so, you might want to emulate what this community portfolio owner/operator is doing:
‘Since there’s no profit to us in the sale of a home (only in site rent and long-term financing), we pay a $1,000.00 referral fee to licensed real estate agents, through to the end of 2023, for buyers referred to us who are approved and consummate a home sale with us.”
Will that sort of arrangement work for you? Run the numbers and decide if this is a good and timely idea for your community(ies)’ infill effort!
George Allen, CPM, MHM