George Allen / EducateMHC Blog Mobile Home & Land Lease Community Advocate & Expert

May 27, 2017

Two Blockbuster Articles Coming; plus, Energy & Consumer Activists

Filed under: Uncategorized — George Allen @ 5:28 am

Blog # 448; Copyright @ 28 May 2017; community-investor.com

Perspective. ‘Land lease communities’, previously manufactured home communities, & ‘mobile home parks’, comprise the real estate component of manufactured housing.’

This blog posting is the sole national advocate voice, official ombudsman, & historian, research report, & online communication media for North American LLCommunities!

To input this blog &/or affiliate with Community Owners (7 Part) Business Alliance, a.k.a. COBA7, use Official MHIndustry HOTLINE: (877) MFD-HSNG or 633-4764

COBA7 Motto: ‘U Support US & WE Serve U! Goal of its’ print/online media = to
‘Not only inform & opine, but transform & improve MHBusiness model performance!

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INTRODUCTION: ‘A Time to Honor’ & ‘A Time to Question’, are respectively, the ‘most fun’ article, and ‘most difficult’ expose’, I’ve penned in a long long time. I like honoring our mutual, but dislike being a naysayer! And if you didn’t know energy and consumer ‘activism’ is a-coming, you’d better become sensitive to both intrusions upon your business interests. Written your ‘industry-saving’ letter to Dr. Ben Carson, Secretary, HUD, yet? Here’s the correct zip code.

I.

A Time to Honor & A Time to Question

I’ve penned two articles that’ll be published in upcoming issues of the Allen Letter professional journal, likely, July and August issues. Truly believe it’s past time, in the first instance, to identify and honor pioneers and leaders in manufactured housing and land lease communities, who’ve shared their respective business experiences and Lessons Learned, in autobiographies – encouraging others and you to do likewise. In the other instance, much has been opined during past decades, about the ongoing consolidation of HUD-Code housing manufacturers (Gobbling up other manufacturers and independent – street – MHRetailers nationwide), as well as land lease communities, into conglomerates and property portfolios respectively. But little has been written about the consequences thereof.

Manufactured Housing & Community Pioneers is the title of the first (two part) article; subtitled, ‘So Far, Sorry to Say, It’s been a Man’s World!’ In Part I, we identify seven autobiographies, in and out of print, beginning with Kristian Jensen, Sr. an immigrants tale of success, in his A Danish American. The article works its’ way thru the late John Crean of Fleetwood Enterprise fame, to contemporary industry personality Jim Clayton; then, onto the Cohron twins (Harrell & Darrell) in Indianapolis, Mike Conlon in North Carolina; the late George Goldman, and finally, Alvan L. Schrader – the author and LLCommunity owner/operator feted at the 25th Networking Roundtable in Nashville, TN., last Fall.

In Part II of Manufactured Housing & Community Pioneers, we describe a five step process pursuant to writing and self-publishing one’s autobiography. The suggested procedure is to pen and hone many memoirs (‘short stories from one’s life experiences), to be later collected, printed and bound as a book length story. And while not explicit about this in the blog, know that if or when you need advice and publishing assistance in the future, can reach out to PMN Publishing – the only manufactured housing and land lease community publishing company, via Official MHIndustry HOTLINE: (877) MFD-HSNG or 633-4764.

Now, A Time to Question? The title and subtitle are likely the longest in recent manufactured housing history, but together they drill down to the very core of the op/ed story finally told. Here goes: The Fruit of Voluntary & Involuntary Consolidation in Factory-built Housing Appears to be Peer Domination. And the subtitle? ‘How Pappy Peacebucks (a fabricated name) & His Big Business Power Brokers & Cronies Dominate Factory-built Housing; Its’ Personal Property Housing Finance Market; &, the Industry’s Unique, Income-producing Property Type’ (a parody of sorts)

The articles are already penned, awaiting placement in the Allen Letter professional journal. You do not want to miss either one! In the first instance, it’s my way of honoring four longtime friends ‘in the MH & RV businesses’; being inducted into the RV/MH Hall of Fame, in Elkhart, IN., on 7 August 2017, just two months away. Hope you’ll join me there, as we honor Michael Sullivan, CPM; Spencer Roane, MHM; Christine Lindsey, MHM; and RV guru David Gorin. Plus, there’ll be six additional inductees, in this Class of 2017, from the RV & MH industries. For more information and to register, phone (574) 293-2344. Expect to dine and celebrate with between 400 & 700 of ‘the finest’ from the manufactured housing and recreational vehicle industries.

To receive 12 issues of the Allen Letter professional journal, affiliate with the Community Owners (7 Part) Business Alliance, or COBA7 for $134.95/year, or $544.95/year – to receive the annual ALLEN REPORT, annual National Registry of ALL Lenders, and ten more Signature Series Resource Documents or SSRDs. How to do so? Phone (317) 346-7156.

II.

Energy Conservation Activism Coming…

Here’s what a manufactured housing colleague in California wrote to me recently, describing a new wrinkle in buying resale homes in that state:

“I bought an old single section ‘mobile home’, in one of our land lease communities, from a local real estate agent. Turns out, here in California, there’s a new (?) disclosure form, designed to quantify the cost to operate said home (i.e. energy efficiency) – urging homebuyer to be aware, and possibly beware. Then comes the HOME ENRGY RATING SCORE (‘HERS’) index, ostensibly designed to not only ‘score’ the home, but suggest cost-effective improvements thereto. And there at the end, is a disclosure form to be signed by the homebuyer a
and home seller.” (Paraphrased. GFA)

An interesting feature of the Home Energy Rating Book are these pithy quotes:

• Whether you are buying or selling a residential property, or staying in your current home, every Californian should know his or her home energy rating.

• You wouldn’t buy a new car without knowing its’ ‘miles per gallon’ rating. So, why buy a home without a ‘home energy rating?’

• A $100 per month reduction in your utility bills frees up enough cash to pay for a $17,000 increase in your mortgage (Assuming six percent interest over 30 years).

• After your mortgage payment, your energy bill is often the second largest monthly home ownership expense.

So, thought you’d like to see what may be making its’ way East during the months and year ahead. After all, told you here earlier, of strict energy conservation standards already arriving in New England this year.

III.

Consumer Activism Is Here!

For years, even decades now, we’ve talked and written, using letters to represent and abbreviate ‘manufactured housing’ lingo. For example: MHousing, MHCommunity, MHImprovement Act of 2000, MHIndustry, MHAlive! (Think Tank), MHicki & MHarrio (Poetic license nicknames for MHI & MHARR), MHBusiness, and on and on.

Well, there’s a new MH contraction on the scene: MHAction; short for Manufactured Housing Action. This is a loose collection of homeowner/site lessees living in land lease communities nationwide. In this instance, MHAction calls on their peers to “Join MHAction Community Leaders in a nationwide discussion, on June 1st, regarding one of the largest LLCommunity portfolio owner/operators, …” relative to ‘rapidly escalating lot-rents’ and community maintenance issues. For more details, email: info@mhaction.org

Point? All of a sudden, it appears we, as an industry and realty asset class, are fighting increased government $ regs and new landlord tenant legislation, e.g. rent control, in several states. And now this, a call to action nationally. Not the best ways for us to improve our industry/asset class’ image on the local and national scene. Perhaps the time has come for MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division to openly address this serious matter (At their Washington, DC., meeting in June? Don’t count on it, as this is simply a fly-in to visit federal legislators). And COBA7? Sure. Plans are already plans afoot to address ‘industry image & national advertising campaign’ at MHAlive! (Think Tank) meeting, 9-11AM on 7 August, at the RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart, IN., and at the 26th Networking Roundtable, 6-8 September, in Indianapolis, IN. For info on both these events and to register, phone the Official MHIndustry HOTLINE: (877) MFD-HSNG or 633-4764.

IV.

Oops! Got the Zip Code Wrong!

When writing your letter to Dr. Ben Carson, Secretary, HUD, in Washington, DC., be sure to use the correct zip code, that being 20410. Did you get that? It’s 20410 And if you haven’t yet written, please do so NOW. Several COBA7 ‘blog floggers’ (readers) have already sent me copies of letters they’ve penned and mailed to Dr. Carson.

Sorry ’bout the postal zip code error. GFA

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George Allen, CPM & MHM
Box # 47024, Indianapolis, IN. 46247
(317) 346-7156

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