Blog Posting # 799, Copyright 28 June 2024. EducateMHC
Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (‘MH’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable factory-built housing (a.k.a. offsite construction). And land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) comprise the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH! EducateMHC is the online advocate, historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as information resource for both business models, and to some extent, the recreational vehicle (‘RV’) industry as well. Access EduateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email: gfa7156@aol.com, & via www.educatemhc.com to purchase Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry, and SWAN SONG, a history of land lease communities & official record of annual MH production totals since 1955. 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 prolific, non-fiction author and international freelance consultant.
George Allen is the only 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, MHInsidermagazine’s Allen Legacy columnist and editor at large. He’s a Vietnam combat veteran and retired lieutenant colonel of U.S. marines, and author/editor of 30 books & chapbooks on MH, communities, business management and prayer.
Prelude to Blog Posting # 800 Next Friday
Have you ever purposely or accidentally participated in a truly historic event, where you knew what was happening at the time but didn’t think anyone would ever notice or memorialize it?
Well, that’s happened twice during my lifetime. And it was only earlier this week, as I was reading a recently published nonfiction book; I found where someone has described in detail, one of those momentous life changing historic events that occurred in my life.
And, since blog number 800 is a significant milestone for this blogger (i.e. 15+ years of such weekly communiques); I’ve decided to share that true tale with you in next week’s posting.
Hmm. Now I wonder if someone else might write about the other truly historic event in my life.
From Hot Topic to ‘Not For Me – Ever!’
Tiny Houses, usually between 200-400 square feet in living space, though some are as small as 64 square feet, have been a Hot Topic for several years. And according to a recent feature in The New York Times, titled ‘When Is a Tiny House Too Small to Be a Home?’, there are now Tiny Homes communities in “Austin, TX; Albuquerque, NM; Madison, WI; Seattle, WA, St. Louis, MO” and Los Angeles, CA – where, in the latter instance, there are 14 such communities. Most of these communities have been erected to house some of a city’s homeless population.
But now there appear to be cracks in the attractiveness and desirability of Tiny Houses as long term residences! After all, how many folk will voluntarily live in aluminum and fiberglass structures that “…squeeze two people into a space intended for one – a far cry from the quirky, infinitely photogenic cottages that have overtaken Instagram as a minimalist’s vision of sustainable living. Residents shower and use the toilet in shared bathrooms.” A jail cell without bars.
One of the Los Angeles communities of Tiny Houses, Branford Village, is located on “…city-owned land in the Sun Valley neighborhood…without trees or foliage, sandwiched between train tracks and a recycling center, off an industrial stretch of roadway….” Result to date? “Of the 369 people who have left Branford Village since it opened in February 2023, only 25 have moved into permanent housing. Of the others, 50 moved into another shelter, an institution or temporary housing; 92 returned to homelessness; and the remaining 202 found other housing arrangements, were asked to leave, or left for unknown reasons….”
So, how does HUD-Code manufactured housing fit into this unique affordable-attainable housing perspective? It doesn’t really, as our homes are a minimum of 400+/- square feet in size and built to a federal building code. However, there are independent (street) MHRetailers and land lease community owners/operators – who sell new HUD-Code homes on-site, who use Tiny Homes as a sort of ‘loss leader’. That’s to say they position a Tiny Home in a highly visible area on their sales lot or on a rental homesite, and advertise locally that the ‘minimalist delight’ is available to see and purchase. And folk do come to see. But, almost invariably, when individuals squeeze into the Tiny Home it’s readily apparent the living space is far too small for comfortable living, especially if married and or single with children. Then the helpful sales person offers to show them a much more spacious, full-featured HUD-Code manufactured home, already set up and landscaped on a rental homesite within said community.
The future of Tiny Homes? Oh, I think they’ll continue to be around for a while; after all, our nation’s affordable housing crisis is not going to go away overnight or even in the immediate future, as long as interest rates are where they are, and in many cases, even HUD-Code manufactured homes appear pricey. What do you think about this matter? Always interested in your input; just email me via gfa7156@aol.com
MH2X to Host First National Workshop
Wow! The grassroots MH2X program & project is alive and well for the first 30 MH-related businessmen and women who pay the $150.00 fee covering the 24 July workshop (9AM-5PM), worksheets, documents, coffee breaks, box lunch, and visit to an active-infill land lease community. Will you be one of the 30 individuals to convene at the Country Inn & Suites at 4500 Circle 75 Parkway, in Atlanta, GA.?
Here’s a list of just some of the salient topics that will be covered at this one day workshop: how to increase cash flow in and value of one’s land lease community; selling new vs. resale MHs; renting vs. selling homes onsite; lease-option vs. conventional ‘home only’ financing; NADA valuation of resale MHS; onsite tasks such as setup, decks, skirting, air conditioning, and landscaping; and so much more!
For more information and to register, visit MH2X Workshop. Once there, select ‘Introducing MH2X!, SECO Conference’ and follow the prompts.
George Allen
Blog Posting # 799, Copyright 28 June 2024. EducateMHC
Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (‘MH’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable factory-built housing (a.k.a. offsite construction). And land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) comprise the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH! EducateMHC is the online advocate, historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as information resource for both business models, and to some extent, the recreational vehicle (‘RV’) industry as well. Access EduateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email: gfa7156@aol.com, & via www.educatemhc.com to purchase Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry, and SWAN SONG, a history of land lease communities & official record of annual MH production totals since 1955. 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 prolific, non-fiction author and international freelance consultant.
George Allen is the only 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, MHInsidermagazine’s Allen Legacy columnist and editor at large. He’s a Vietnam combat veteran and retired lieutenant colonel of U.S. marines, and author/editor of 30 books & chapbooks on MH, communities, business management and prayer.
Prelude to Blog Posting # 800 Next Friday
Have you ever purposely or accidentally participated in a truly historic event, where you knew what was happening at the time but didn’t think anyone would ever notice or memorialize it?
Well, that’s happened twice during my lifetime. And it was only earlier this week, as I was reading a recently published nonfiction book; I found where someone has described in detail, one of those momentous life changing historic events that occurred in my life.
And, since blog number 800 is a significant milestone for this blogger (i.e. 15+ years of such weekly communiques); I’ve decided to share that true tale with you in next week’s posting.
Hmm. Now I wonder if someone else might write about the other truly historic event in my life.
From Hot Topic to ‘Not For Me – Ever!’
Tiny Houses, usually between 200-400 square feet in living space, though some are as small as 64 square feet, have been a Hot Topic for several years. And according to a recent feature in The New York Times, titled ‘When Is a Tiny House Too Small to Be a Home?’, there are now Tiny Homes communities in “Austin, TX; Albuquerque, NM; Madison, WI; Seattle, WA, St. Louis, MO” and Los Angeles, CA – where, in the latter instance, there are 14 such communities. Most of these communities have been erected to house some of a city’s homeless population.
But now there appear to be cracks in the attractiveness and desirability of Tiny Houses as long term residences! After all, how many folk will voluntarily live in aluminum and fiberglass structures that “…squeeze two people into a space intended for one – a far cry from the quirky, infinitely photogenic cottages that have overtaken Instagram as a minimalist’s vision of sustainable living. Residents shower and use the toilet in shared bathrooms.” A jail cell without bars.
One of the Los Angeles communities of Tiny Houses, Branford Village, is located on “…city-owned land in the Sun Valley neighborhood…without trees or foliage, sandwiched between train tracks and a recycling center, off an industrial stretch of roadway….” Result to date? “Of the 369 people who have left Branford Village since it opened in February 2023, only 25 have moved into permanent housing. Of the others, 50 moved into another shelter, an institution or temporary housing; 92 returned to homelessness; and the remaining 202 found other housing arrangements, were asked to leave, or left for unknown reasons….”
So, how does HUD-Code manufactured housing fit into this unique affordable-attainable housing perspective? It doesn’t really, as our homes are a minimum of 400+/- square feet in size and built to a federal building code. However, there are independent (street) MHRetailers and land lease community owners/operators – who sell new HUD-Code homes on-site, who use Tiny Homes as a sort of ‘loss leader’. That’s to say they position a Tiny Home in a highly visible area on their sales lot or on a rental homesite, and advertise locally that the ‘minimalist delight’ is available to see and purchase. And folk do come to see. But, almost invariably, when individuals squeeze into the Tiny Home it’s readily apparent the living space is far too small for comfortable living, especially if married and or single with children. Then the helpful sales person offers to show them a much more spacious, full-featured HUD-Code manufactured home, already set up and landscaped on a rental homesite within said community.
The future of Tiny Homes? Oh, I think they’ll continue to be around for a while; after all, our nation’s affordable housing crisis is not going to go away overnight or even in the immediate future, as long as interest rates are where they are, and in many cases, even HUD-Code manufactured homes appear pricey. What do you think about this matter? Always interested in your input; just email me via gfa7156@aol.com
MH2X to Host First National Workshop
Wow! The grassroots MH2X program & project is alive and well for the first 30 MH-related businessmen and women who pay the $150.00 fee covering the 24 July workshop (9AM-5PM), worksheets, documents, coffee breaks, box lunch, and visit to an active-infill land lease community. Will you be one of the 30 individuals to convene at the Country Inn & Suites at 4500 Circle 75 Parkway, in Atlanta, GA.?
Here’s a list of just some of the salient topics that will be covered at this one day workshop: how to increase cash flow in and value of one’s land lease community; selling new vs. resale MHs; renting vs. selling homes onsite; lease-option vs. conventional ‘home only’ financing; NADA valuation of resale MHS; onsite tasks such as setup, decks, skirting, air conditioning, and landscaping; and so much more!
For more information and to register, visit MH2X Workshop. Once there, select ‘Introducing MH2X!, SECO Conference’ and follow the prompts.
George Allen