Blog Posting # 842; Copyright 9 May 2025. EducateMHC
Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (‘MJH’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable, factory-built housing (a.k.a. offsite construction), routinely paired with traditional stick-built housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). Plus, land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’), comprise the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. And, considering various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans & real estate secured mortgage), describes post-production segment of MH.
EducateMHC is the official MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source. Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, and www.educatemhc.com, to purchase Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry (This book belongs in every land lease community nationwide!), and SWAN SONG – History of land lease communities & official record of annual MH production levels since 1955.
And my autobiography, From SmittyAlpha6 to MHaven, 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 30 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, RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist and editor at large for the MHInsider magazine.
TOTAL U.S. HOUSING COMPLETIONS DURING MARCH 2025
‘Onsite & Offsite Construction Totals Combined!’
This Total U.S. Housing Completion Report combines input from the U.S. Census Bureau (i.e. monthly onsite construction completions); and, offsite construction completions via combination of formula (re: modular & panelized units estimated to be 2% of onsite construction completions), Institute for Building Technology & Safety (‘IBTS’) monthly survey data of HUD-Code manufactured housing production and shipments; and finally, RVIA website announcement of Park Model RV production data for the month of March 2025.
Bottom line? Unlike the U.S. Census Bureau Report that tallies only onsite construction completions; adding to it, IBTS’ HUD-Code housing production volume, as well as a modular & panelized housing formulaic estimate, and RVIA’s Park Model RV unit count, this ‘Total U.S. Housing Completions Report’ presents a far more accurate, albeit all-encompassing picture of total U.S. housing completions for the month being reported!
For the month of March 2025, the U.S. Census Bureau reports 129,083 new single-family, site-built, privately-owned housing completions (i.e. 1,549,000 divided by 12 months); while the monthly grand total, inclusive of four types of offsite construction (Again, HUD-Code housing, modular units & panelized homes, plus Park Model RVs total 11,849 units) is 140,932 for the month of March 2025 – 11,849 fewer housing units than the onsite housing completion total reported by the U.S. Census Bureau.
So, what tells the more accurate and useful housing story? Just the limited view of onsite construction alone, OR the total that presents onsite and offsite construction totals together?
Once again, this ‘Total U.S. Housing Completions Report’ is a work in progress. Please let us know what you think of this all housing inclusive concept via gfa7156@aol.com
MH Industry Loses a True Pioneer!
Olen George ‘Bud’ Parkhill, Jr., died on 28 April 2025. He was a longtime personal friend, loyal supporter of the manufactured housing industry in Illinois, and licensed airplane pilot. So, what makes him a true pioneer of this industry? Well, Bud was born 18 March 1942, and when he turned 22 years of age in 1964, started developing Candlewood Manufactured Home Community in Mahomet, IL. Today, more than 500 rental homesites in size, he finally sold the unique, income-producing property just two years ago. Anyone who successfully starts a manufactured home community 61 years ago and nurtures it for 61 years is indeed a pioneer!
George Allen