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Champion Construction Services Aims to Add Value Through One-Stop-Shop Approach for Communities

By
Patrick Revere
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CCS champion construction services home placement finishing manufactured homes avon park fl
A CCS project in South Avon Park, Florida.

What began as a regional effort to help Champion Homes retailers in Pennsylvania and the Northeastern U.S. has expanded into a new business unit called Champion Construction Services. It’s already operating throughout much of the Midwest and Eastern U.S. and may expand nationally.

CCS, which is a part of Champion Homes, offers owners and operators of manufactured housing communities and retailers a service to set and finish homes on-site. As an extension of Champion Homes, CCS provides on-site completion that can ease the weight of infill on community managers. Customers receive a valuable turn-key service including the homes that Champion builds and the set-and-finish services that CCS provides.

“This all started with a vision from the Champion executive management team,” said Stephen Ryan, vice president of Champion Construction Services. “After a year or so, Terrence Andros and I were brought in to lead the business unit.” Andros, director of business development at Champion Construction Services, said that both he and Ryan have a background in the community side of the business. They have more than 40 years of combined experience in asset management, operations, and inventory management.

“The communities we’ve worked with wanted a single point of contact – someone who would set up the home from beginning to end,” Andros said. “Champion saw that we could develop this service. We do the setting and finishing of homes, and we create value through offering faster speed-to-market performance for our customers.”

Andros noted that CCS’s goal is to complete a set within a designated amount of time after the homes are delivered.

“The idea is to reduce the time the community spends waiting on completion of the homes. Sometimes communities can have homes sitting for many months or even a year unfinished, which shouldn’t happen,” Andros said. “We aim to complete homes in 45-60 days depending on scope of work. What sets us apart is the improved speed-to-market performance we offer in getting the home ready for occupancy. With greater speed-to-market efficiency, community groups can offer more inventory for sale.” 

In addition to its home-setting line of business, CCS offers a site evaluation service where the team will examine vacant infill sites to determine a buildable envelope, take measurements, note any obstructions or encroachments, and locate utilities for customers. The team also researches setbacks at the local municipality.

“We offer a one-stop shop service, and we aim to provide a seamless experience from the time the home is purchased to when the Certificate of Occupancy is issued,” Stephen Ryan, vice president of Champion Construction Services, said. “The customer buys a home from Champion, and the construction phase occurs in the Champion manufacturing facility. Then, the job is completed on-site with CCS. The customer works with Champion for all these steps in the homebuying process, and that communication within the Champion family is vital.”

Operate Quickly, Communicate Well

CCS is looking to scale. The business unit already operates in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Maine, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, Arkansas, and Alabama.

There are plans to expand into Kentucky, Texas, and Colorado, as well.

“There are a lot of new community groups that have entered the business in the last 10 years, and when they see the one-stopshop service we offer, they’re often really excited,” Ryan said. “We’re seeing a lot of interest in the continuity we can provide with Champion Homes for manufacturing and CCS for setup.”

Prioritizing strong communication, CCS aims to serve as an extension of the customer’s management team.

CCS recognizes the opportunity to help community managers and wants to ease their workload so they can focus on their core business — fulfilling their residents’ needs and bringing in new community members.

As an example of CCS’s streamlined approach, they use a scheduling management program to help simplify the process of planning tasks and tracking workflows.

“We offer a one-stop shop service, and we aim to provide a seamless experience from the time the home is purchased to when the Certificate of Occupancy is issued,” Ryan said. “The customer buys a home from Champion, and the construction phase occurs in the Champion manufacturing facility. Then, the job is completed on-site with CCS. The customer works with Champion for all these steps in the homebuying process, and that communication within the Champion family is vital.”

Carry-Through Experience

A contract is signed with CCS for homesite preparation and setup when the customer orders a house. While the home is being built at the Champion factory, CCS acquires permits, builds the pad, and organizes any on-site needs. The house is then delivered to the prepared site and CCS completes the set, interior finish, electrical, plumbing, AC, and any exterior packages like a carport or garage.

Ryan explained that CCS will help facilitate factory service so small service items don’t delay the house becoming a home for end customers. 

This important offering addresses a pain point that community owners often experience.

“The customer really benefits from the management and product experience we bring,” Ryan said. “And a major advantage of working with us is the existing relationships we have with our internal team at the factory.”

Andros emphasized the unseen value that CCS can provide for community managers. By serving as an extension of the community management organization, CCS can save them a significant amount of time and money, he said.

“When they work with us for turn-key services, they can have a single point of contact, one contract, and one check. When they compare that to the cost of doing it themselves — including managing multiple sub-contractors, insurances, and issuing multiple AP requirements — they can see the value we provide,” Andros said. “Instead of the community having to hire millions of dollars in resources to build a team, we’re their single point of contact. At that point, we handle the paperwork and project management, so they don’t have to do it themselves.”

The ultimate result can be a more effective business model because the set-up provider and the factory are in direct communication, providing significant benefits as a byproduct of this internal relationship, Andros said. 

“We can identify opportunities for making the setting and finishing experience even better, communicate them to the factory, and make changes that can help elevate the industry as a whole,” Andros said. “The result can be a better build quality coming out of the factory and a better overall product for the industry.”

MHInsider is the leader in manufactured housing news and is a product of MHVillage, the top marketplace for manufactured homes.

MHInsider Retailer Q&A with Freedom Homes of Pearl

By
Patrick Revere
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manufactured home retailer qa clayton homes

Each year in the spring, MHInsider works with a group of manufactured home retailers to help readers get a feel for the marketplace; what’s selling, who’s buying, what type of volume are you experiencing, how much are higher rates affecting your business, what trends do you notice in most desired home features? This year, MHInsider is working with Home Center General Manager Joshua Mcgee.

The questions are abundant. Let’s start with some basics…

How long have you been operating?

I have been in the industry for 11 years serving the Central Mississippi market. I worked in sales for over 10 and a half years before transitioning into my current role as general manager at Freedom Homes of Pearl six months ago.

Is the average home you sell increasing in size, getting smaller, or staying about the same?

The average home size has remained consistent throughout my time in the industry. I’ve seen most homes range between 1,200 and 1,500 square feet.

How many homes do you sell annually?

On average, we sell between 70 and 90 homes per year. This number has remained relatively stable over the years but can fluctuate based on market conditions, interest rates, and customer budget preferences.

What is your average time from the order of the home to set up?

We keep our best-selling floor plans in stock to help reduce wait times. If a home is readily available, delivery can happen within days. For homes that need to be ordered, the process from delivery to setup typically takes five to eight weeks, assuming the site is prepared in advance. It’s important to remember that there are several factors that can influence the schedule.

What is the most common add-on feature in your market?

Site improvements are the most requested add-ons, including power, septic systems, water connections, and land clearing. Additionally, the Generac home generator is a popular option in our market due to frequent weather-related power outages.

How have you seen your business evolve over the last few years?

With the rising cost of living, customers are increasingly interested in affordable high-quality home options. Both nationally and locally, the growing housing shortage has made it more important than ever to innovate to meet our customers’ needs — and modern manufactured homes are positioned to help increase the supply of new, attainable homes.

Many buyers are starting to notice the quality and efficiency of today’s modern manufactured homes. For example, our energy-efficient homes include features like an ecobee® smart thermostat, Lux low-e windows, Shaw® carpets and more, helping homeowners significantly reduce utility costs and making homeownership more affordable over the life of the home.

What do you think is the greatest challenge facing the industry right now?

For potential home buyers, affordability remains a top concern as the cost of living continues to rise. As an industry, stigma and zoning continue to be two of our biggest challenges.  For instance, the city of Jackson had a moratorium for over 20 years on manufactured homes within city limits. Recently, because of rising housing prices, city officials have lifted those restrictions and now allow manufactured homes in certain areas. This is a positive step toward addressing housing shortages and providing more affordable options for buyers.

Are there specific strategies you’ve identified to keep homes moving?

We closely monitor market trends and customer preferences to ensure we always have the right inventory on hand.

What customer trends do you see in terms of use-of-space and/or lifestyle amenities/materials choices?

With people spending more time at home, we’ve seen growing popularity with our flex spaces, which are versatile multi-purpose rooms that can be used as an office space, exercise room, game room or anything else that suits the homeowner’s needs. Having adaptable living spaces ensures that our homes accommodate changing lifestyles and evolving buyer preferences.

Why do you feel it’s important to attend events like Louisville, Biloxi, Congress and Expo and others?

I’m especially excited to attend the Biloxi Home Show this Spring – it’ll be my first time going. Industry events like these provide an important opportunity to seek inspiration from other builders, be introduced to new possibilities, and connect with other leaders in the industry.

MHInsider is the leader in manufactured housing news and is a product of MHVillage, the top place to buy, sell, or rent a manufactured or mobile home.

Painter of the Palisades Reflects on Her Home, Her Work

By
Patrick Revere
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Marisa Murrow palisades parks painter painting manufactured home community coastal

Southern California is a draw for many reasons, and longtime residents of the region have many stories to tell about the beauty and quality of life that surrounds them.

For Marisa Murrow, a painter, her life of travel and artistic creation led her back to the place where she was raised, a place where she would find a new appreciation for those formative years and new vision for her artistic endeavors.

In recent years, she has consistently painted an unlikely subject matter, she said; mobile home parks.

“The series is as much about the homes as painting itself,” Murrow told her audience at a recent meeting of the Western Manufactured Housing Communities Association (WMA).

“I find the subject matter keeps me curious and challenged as an artist. I am very attracted to the idea of community and the sameness of these particular structures,” Murrow said. “They are a metaphorical celebration of human connectivity. To get to know someone beyond the surface, we need to go inside: a place where we are all ‘decorated differently’ by the experiences we have.”

Maria Horton, from Newport Pacific, was among the attendees at the annual meeting late last year, and struck up a conversation with the artist.

“My first thought was related to the beauty of her work,” Horton said. “I had seen these locations years before and was surprised by how they stood out in Marisa’s work.”

The beauty of these manufactured home communities — ​​Tahitian Terrace, Palisades Bowl, and Malibu Village — was captured in her paintings, so colorful and bright, Horton said.

Paintings Gain Increased Importance

Murrow is native to Pacific Palisades, where her open air studio is equally as appealing as the work that comes to life there.

“Taking notice of the slipping hillside after the rains, I sometimes wondered if there would be a massive mudslide in the park,” Murrow said. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think this beautiful community right next to the Pacific Ocean would catch fire. I was in shock when an art collector told me mobile homes exploded one right after the other. She said it looked like hell on earth.”

These tight-knit coastal communities are a place where people share common ground. She grew up in those hills overlooking the water — she and her neighbors swam in each other’s pools, sold lemonade on the corners, and walked to school together.

Murrow said curiosity and a good challenge are motivation toward making art.  The loss of place that shaped her, that inspired her, is devastating.

“The beaches and roads are closed indefinitely from the Palisades through a long stretch of Malibu,” Murrow said. “Unable to pick up a paint brush in this moment, I found solace in volunteering at an evacuation center near my studio.”

Through this process, a purpose presented itself. With donated flowers and experience working as a floral designer, Murrow began making arrangements on a bi-weekly basis to bring some cheer to the recreation centers and other places residents in need are being sent.

Artists don’t just create — they connect, they heal, they help others see in ways we didn’t know we needed, she said.

“Creativity carries people through. I have come to realize, when things fall apart, it is healing to get to work, reach out,” Murrow said. “Give. Because in the giving, we get back what we thought we lost.”

MHInsider is the leader in manufactured housing news and is a product of MHVillage, the top marketplace for manufactured homes.

What You Need to Know About the Corporate Transparency Act

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Contributed Content
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manufactured housing industry small business law CAT

UPDATE: FinCEN Halts Enforcement on $500 Per Day LLC Penalties

By Ferd Niemann

manufactured housing industry owner attorney author podcaster

The Corporate Transparency Act, effective from Jan. 1, 2024, introduced a transformative shift in the regulatory framework for business entities in the United States. This new legislation would have required a range of businesses, including limited liability companies, corporations, limited partnerships, and their beneficial owners, to file specific information with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

A primary aim of the CTA is to combat financial crimes, such as money laundering and/or the financing of other crimes. It seeks to enhance transparency in business ownership. Its extensive scope includes large corporations, small businesses, and even entities established for estate planning purposes.

However, in early 2025, FinCEN announced it would halt enforcement on existing and future filings until the legislations could be rewritten — narrowed — most notably to apply to foreign entities only.

Original Exemptions and Implications

The CTA exempts 23 types of entities from the reporting requirements. While each exemption should be reviewed carefully, the most common exemptions are qualified charities, and business entities satisfying all three of the following criteria:

  1. Has an operating presence at a physical office within the United States 
  2. Has at at least 20 full-time employees
  3. Has more than $5 million in gross receipts or sales the previous year, publicly traded entities or those otherwise regulated by the federal government

Note, many real estate investors purchase property via a special purpose entity, such as an LLC – many LLCs will not satisfy the above exemption requirements.

Defining Beneficial Ownership

A key aspect of the CTA is the requirement for the disclosure of beneficial ownership information. Beneficial ownership information includes certain information from individuals who either directly or indirectly exercise substantial control over a reporting entity, or directly or indirectly own/control 25 percent or more. 

Further, if a trust satisfies either of the above two requirements that define beneficial ownership, the trustee or beneficiaries may be considered beneficial owners under the CTA. Whether an individual has “substantial control” over a reporting entity requires an analysis of the provisions of the CTA.   

Detailed Reporting Requirements

The new rules require company information and beneficial owner information be reported.

Company information refers to a reporting entity’s basic organizational information. This consists of: 

— The full legal name and any trade or d/b/a names of the company
— The street address for its principal place of business
— State, tribal, or foreign jurisdiction of formation
— Employer Identification Number or foreign tax identification number

Beneficial Owner and Company Applicant Information is the main purpose of the reporting requirements under CTA and must be reported for each beneficial owner and company applicant. 

For each individual, this information should consist of: 

— Full legal name
— Date of birth
— Residential address (with limited exceptions)
— An image of and the unique identifying number shown on, any one of the following: A current U.S. passport, a current state-issued driver’s license, a current state, local, a tribal identification document; or if none of the foregoing are applicable to such individual, the individual’s current foreign passport.

Alternatively, reporting entities and individuals have the option to apply for a unique FinCEN identifier number from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. Once obtained, this identifier can be used in place of providing detailed personal information directly to FinCEN. It is crucial for entities and individuals to keep this information current. Therefore, similar to the necessity of updating and correcting beneficial ownership reports, any changes in the details provided in the FinCEN identifier application must be promptly reported through a revised application. This process ensures that the FinCEN database remains accurate and up to date, facilitating more efficient and effective oversight.

Reporting Timelines and Processes

The CTA sets specific deadlines for reporting. Those entities in existence as of Jan. 1, 2024, must submit BOI Reports by Jan. 1, 2025. Entities established between Jan. 1, 2024, and Jan. 1, 2025, are required to file BOI Reports within 90 days of their formation or public announcement. For entities formed on or after Jan. 1, 2025, the reporting window is 30 days from the date of formation or public announcement.

In addition to these initial reporting requirements, entities are obligated to report any significant changes. This includes updates to beneficial owners’ addresses or changes in the business address of the reporting entity. The 30-day window for reporting these changes underscores the need for ongoing vigilance and record-keeping.

Impact on Small Businesses

While the CTA primarily targets illicit financial activities, its impact on small businesses cannot be overlooked. Small business owners, often with limited resources, must navigate these new regulations, which could pose administrative challenges. Understanding the exemptions and seeking guidance when necessary can help mitigate these challenges.

Compliance and Penalties

Adhering to the CTA is mandatory, and non-compliance carries severe consequences. Non-compliance, defined by either failing to report or providing fraudulent information, can lead to civil penalties of up to $500 per day until the violation is rectified. Note that this is per company/LLC! In more severe instances, such as willful provision of false information, the penalties increase significantly, including fines up to $10,000 and imprisonment for up to two years. The severity of these penalties highlights the critical importance of understanding and complying with the CTA’s requirements.

Practical Steps for Compliance

Business owners must take practical steps to ensure compliance with the CTA. This includes conducting a thorough review of business structures to determine if they fall under the CTA’s purview, and identifying the beneficial owners who must be reported. It also involves setting up processes to collect, verify, and update the required information. Businesses may need to invest in new systems or seek external assistance to manage these requirements.

The information provided in this article does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice. All information contained herein is for general information purposes only. Readers should contact their own attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular legal matter.

Ferd Niemann is a community owner/operator and real estate investor, financial analyst, entrepreneur, and attorney whose career has focused on myriad areas of real estate. In addition to his manufactured housing investments, Niemann has invested in storage units, apartments, restaurants, medical startups, and a handful of other ventures.

The Biloxi Show Takes Center Stage

By
Patrick Revere
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new manufactured home trade show the biloxi show 2025

The Biloxi Manufactured Housing Show and Expo is now in its fourth year, and has cemented itself as a primary attraction for industry professionals looking to keep up on the latest in new home offerings.

Held March 17-19 at the IP Casino Resort, The Biloxi Show features homes from 16 brands — including several manufacturers that have offerings from multiple home building locations.

Attendance was exceptional, and streams of manufactured housing professionals toured the nearly 50 homes in the outdoor village, and visited nearly 100 service and supply exhibitors from all parts of the industry including lenders, product suppliers, insurance providers, agency and software offerings, and transport and setup professionals to engage with on the expo floor.

ip casino biloxi 2025 manufactured housing industry trade show

“We’re excited about the Biloxi Show,” Boo Haughton of Regional Builders Group said. “We’ve got some new product there. We are going brought a double wide, a new single wide, and then a concept house.

“The Biloxi Show means a lot to every manufacturer in North Alabama, especially us,” he said. “We get to display everything new, new product line, new color choices, new everything.”

Featured speakers include Theresa Payne, deputy assistant secretary at HUD, and Mike Price, the senior policy analyst from FHFA on industry progress and vision. MHI CEO Lesli Gooch reviewed 2024 and provided a state of the industry discussion, and MHVillage’s Darren Krolewski covered effective social media strategies.

“2025 was the greatest year yet in Biloxi, the mix of homes, the number of exhibitors and the quality of educational sessions with expert speakers provided a great experience for anyone who attends,” Mississippi Manufactured Housing Association Executive Director Jennifer Hall said.

MMHA works with the Alabama Manufactured Housing Association each year to host the event.

In addition to the many attendees and exhibitors at the show, the associations each year coordinate on a plan to host public officials from the area, providing insight for those stakeholders in elected seats or policy positions.

“Each time we host a group of public officials, the reaction we get is the same. There is always that ‘Wow’ factor, and the amazement of what we can do with our homes,” Hall said. “We hear a lot of our public officials say ‘I had no idea you could get these features in a manufactured home’, and that’s what we’re looking to accomplish. We need people to see our industry’s capabilities, and when they do, they become fans. They advocate for us.”

Manufacturers Showing Homes in Biloxi

Avery Cabin Company
Champion
Chariot Eagle
Clayton
Destiny Homes
Fleetwood
Franklin Homes
KABCO Builders
Legacy Housing
Live Oak Homes
New South Quality Homes
Palm Harbor
Regional Builders Group
Sunshine Homes
Timber Creek Housing
TRU

MHInsider is the leader in manufactured housing news and is a product of MHVillage, the top marketplace for manufactured homes.

New Schedule for HUD Code Updates

By
Patrick Revere
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HUD building in DC

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has pushed back implementation of recent code changes until Sept. 25.

“MHI consistently emphasized the need for additional time to ensure a smooth and cost-effective transition for manufacturers, suppliers, retailers and community operators,” the Manufactured Housing Institute stated in response to the new deadline. “By securing this delay, MHI has successfully eased the burden of what would have been an unrealistic timeline for compliance, allowing businesses to properly adjust designs, modify supply chains and ensure regulatory compliance without unnecessary disruption.”

The industry embraces the updates, and wants to ensure they’re effectively administered. 

The updates from September include changes complex engineering specifications, electrical codes, and construction requirements. Originally, the industry was asked to be ready for changes in March.

“MHI’s efforts, combined with strong engagement from manufacturers and key stakeholders, resulted in a unified industry voice that resulted in this necessary extension, ensuring a more practical and achievable transition period,” MHI stated.

In its communication, MHI said remains committed to protecting the affordability and accessibility of manufactured housing while ensuring that regulatory changes support — rather than hinder — industry growth and innovation.

“We will continue working closely with policymakers to advocate for reasonable, well-structured regulations that uphold safety and quality without imposing undue burdens on manufacturers and consumers,” MHI stated. “As we move forward, MHI encourages all members to stay engaged and proactive in the regulatory process, and we will provide ongoing updates and guidance to help you navigate the extended compliance timeline successfully.”

In a follow-up announcement to the new schedule, HUD announced it has agreed that future changes to the code would come with implementation dates to further clarify and ease updates for industry professionals.

MHInsider is the leader in manufactured housing news and is a product of MHVillage, the top marketplace for manufactured homes.

A Look at Duty to Serve

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Contributed Content
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new home owners kitchen duty to serve fhfa lending goals

The New Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Plans

By Ray Leech

ray leech DTS duty to serve plans home finance fannie freddie personal property loans chattel
Raymond Leech

The requirement to create the Duty To Serve (DTS) Underserved Markets Plans by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac was established by Congress in the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. Both agencies are required to develop ways to improve mortgage access for very low-, low-, and moderate-income families across the three underserved markets. These markets include: Manufactured housing, rural housing, and affordable housing preservation.

As we begin 2025, let’s look at the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac three-year Plans for 2025 through 2027 and summarize their proposals for manufactured housing.

Fannie Mae Plan

The Fannie Mae plan begins with an overview of the market, pointing out most buyers continue to rely on chattel or personal property loans to finance MH homes.

They identify several areas of focus for their strategic planning, including continuing to support energy-efficient MH home construction, broadening MH eligibility for two-to-four-unit homes as an infill housing solution, and addressing the stability of renters by promoting use of voluntary rent restrictions within MH communities to address workforce housing needs.

Challenges continue in the MH market including how units are titled, which determines how they can be financed, the declining number of MH communities, and the fact that fewer MH homes are being constructed, with the lowest level of production since 2016 — less than 90,000 new homes built in 2023.

As part of its three-year Plan, Fannie Mae set the following targets for purchase money mortgages for MH units:
2025 ………6,300 loans
2026 ………6,800 loans
2027 ………7,400 loans

For comparison, in 2023, Fannie Mae purchased 5,689 purchase money mortgages.

Another objective is to expand the adoption of conventional financing for manufactured homes by addressing the risks of MH lending through updates to their products and processes. This would include adding MH appraisal data to the Collateral Underwriter® (CU) system which helps lenders manage collateral risk as part of their underwriting and QC process.

In the plan, Fannie Mae noted that in 2018, MH units became eligible for the HomeStyle® Renovation and Energy products, but there has been barely any origination of either for MH units. They plan to research why these products have not been utilized more, and determine best practices and possible enhancements to grow this business.

Fannie Mae also wants to increase loan purchases of manufactured housing community units owned by government entities, nonprofit organizations, or residents. And increase purchase of MH loans in communities with rent restrictions, such as Community Land Trusts.

Freddie Mac Plan

Regarding the Freddie Mac plan, it wants to continue moving the single-family manufactured housing market forward in several significant ways. 

Increase number of loan purchases secured by manufactured homes titled as real property.

Continue manufactured housing financing offerings and enhance them to expand market support, as appropriate, based on industry feedback and with consideration for safety and soundness.

Integrate a curriculum into their Develop the DeveloperSM program to educate real estate developers on using manufactured homes in new housing developments and as infill. This will increase the number of knowledgeable developers and will lead to increased supply of affordable homes for sale, especially in rural areas.

In the past three years, Freddie Mac had a baseline average of 5,957 loans purchased including 6,248 loans in 2023. 

Regarding the goal on purchase loans, it has specified the following targets for the next three years:
2025 ………6,550 loans
2026 ………6,800 loans
2027 ………7,100 loans

Freddie Mac plans to focus on product enhancements to encourage small balance mortgage lending on manufactured homes, based on research completed in 2023. In 2025, it plans to gather feedback from 10 industry participants on this issue, and determine possible product features if needed to support this type of lending product.

As part of their plan, they want to continue to work with communities that have special challenges because the borrowers own the home, but rent the pad on which it sits. Freddie Mac did research on MHCs and claimed to have found issues with tenant protections, which they documented in a white paper in 2019. In 2021, they made a decision to require tenant protections for all future transactions and in the next three years, they plan to encourage the broad adoption of these tenant protections while maintaining sound lending standards. They hope that this requirement will result in tens of thousands of additional pad renters benefiting from protections that they claim typically exceed those provided by state or local law every year.

Finally, to help address affordability challenges, Freddie Mac plans to establish a new loan product that provides more favorable financing to borrowers that agree to the preservation of affordable pad lease rents as a condition of the Freddie Mac loan agreement. This could institute a new market standard for rent preservation that presently does not exist for MHCs.

FHFA Announcement on The GSE Plans

On Nov. 25, 2024, FHFA issued a press release in which FHFA Director Sandra L. Thompson stated:

“These new Plans underscore the commitment of FHFA and the Enterprises to ensure that the housing finance system responsibly supports borrowers and renters across the country. It is critical that innovative ideas for addressing liquidity needs in underserved markets be implemented and scaled up in rural communities and other areas facing access and affordability challenges.”

The release mentions manufactured housing as well, stating:  “Both Enterprises’ DTS Plans also enhance their programs for manufactured housing communities to better support owners that voluntarily limit rent increases for leased pads.”

Under the current DTS and FHFA regulations, Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac could modify the plans if future events affect its ability to achieve their initial objectives. MHInsider will continue to monitor the status and progress of these plans in the coming years.

Berkshire Bank Product Manager Raymond Leech has worked in the mortgage industry for more than 30 years, having developed and managed construction and renovation mortgage products, as well as working on FHFA Duty To Serve efforts involving manufactured housing, rural housing, and affordable housing.

MHInsider is the leader in manufactured housing news and is a product of MHVillage, the top marketplace for manufactured homes.

Conservice Expansion Continues with Onboard

By
Patrick Revere
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tech hallway conservice onboard expansion

The nation’s largest utility management provider has continued to grow, this time with the addition of a bulk internet management provider.

 Conservice, which in 2021 purchased an ESG service provider, has about 75 percent market share in utilities management. This time the expansion is in the internet services space, an offering that has come to be just as vital to residents as traditional utilities like running water and electricity.

Onboard, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, was purchased by Conservice in 2024. Onboard’s team of telecom experts leverage initiate, deploy, support, and manage bulk internet packages for property owners and their residents.

“Managing and supporting bulk internet programs is a natural expansion of Conservice’s utility management services,” Mike Doucette, Onboard’s head of business development, said. “Affordable connectivity offerings attract and retain residents, while property owners can see increased NOI with offerings tailored and managed by Onboard.”

In a bulk model, the property owner may pay $35 per unit to provide the service to each resident while Onboard works closely with the owner to ensure the offering is priced appropriately – and competitively — in each market to the resident. Among the internet providers Onboard partners with are  several of the nation’s largest along with regional and local options.

To begin the process, Onboard secures from an owner a letter of authorization to speak with providers on their behalf.

What differentiates the Onboard product from its competitors, Doucette said, is the reputation for high-quality client relationships and detail in excellent  service — all qualities that Conservice has championed for nearly 25 years.

“After the contract has been signed, how do you get your residents excited and informed about the offering?  That’s where Onboard truly shines, by continuing to manage and support the program long after deployment,” Doucette said. “That includes driving residents to a custom branded portal to sign up, implementing drip marketing campaigns to drive awareness, and ensuring owners stay ahead of evolving industry regulations.

“It’s a comprehensive white glove service that is backed and enabled by our tech platform,” he said.”We’re thrilled to now be part of the Conservice family, and together our services can revolutionize properties’ technology and utility management.”

MHInsider is the leader in manufactured housing news and is a product of MHVillage, the top spot to buy or rent a manufactured home.

Marketing and Sales in Manufactured Home Communities

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Contributed Content
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marketing in manufactured housing community sales aerial view community

How To Get Attention and Sell More Homes

By David Finney

If you’re staring at empty spaces or empty homes, you have a problem to solve. Where are your buyers?

Before you start putting up lender banners, blindly boosting Facebook marketplace posts, sending mailers to existing residents, hosting fish fries, or any other promotional endeavor, you need to ask yourself “Why?”. 

Why don’t I have interest in that shiny new multi-section home? Why can’t we sell more affordable homes in a housing affordability crisis?

If you’re a business owner, manufactured housing or otherwise, there are three reasons that buyers in your market are not purchasing your product:

  1. Buyers don’t know you exist
  2. Buyer’s don’t want what you’re selling, and/or
  3. Buyer’s don’t trust you

It may be one of these, any mix of them, or a little of each. Let’s look at each possibility, and examine some solutions.

Buyers Don’t Know You Exist

If no one knows you’re there, you’ve got a marketing problem. Marketing is how businesses get attention — it is how they become known.

All businesses have to market. Some use word of mouth, some advertise on various media platforms, while others employ guerrilla marketing tactics. 

Do your buyers know you exist?

This is the key question in determining whether your marketing is working, or not. The first step is to define what buyer you’re asking about.

For most community operators and retailers, your buyers are in the lower to lower-middle income brackets, and between the ages of 25 and 44. For most markets, this is the $40 to $70k per-year household income brackets.

Do most of those in your market area in that category know you exist? If the answer is yes, your marketing is working. If the answer is no, you need to turn up the volume.

Buyers Don’t Want Your Product

There is an important distinction I need to make here… when I say buyers don’t want your product, I don’t mean that they don’t need it. Your sales and marketing will create the want, and in our industry’s case, market conditions create the need. It’s no secret that every community in the United States needs more housing.

The problem is that there’s not enough want. How do we make a prospective homebuyer want to purchase a manufactured home? Good marketing piques a buyer’s interest, and a good sales strategy turns that interest into want.

To see if you’re creating the “want”’ from your market, look at your conversion rate for all leads (phone, web, walk ups). How many prospects that expressed interest in purchasing a home bought one? There is no ideal conversion rate. All industries, sectors, and sales organizations differ.

However, I can tell you that 0.1 percent is way too low and 100 percent is too high. The problem with a low conversion rate is clear. And too high of a conversion rate usually means that your marketing is ineffective and only those that are very eager to buy are inquiring. 

Take a look at pricing and understand that if slim margins are associated, the sales process will prove to be unsustainable. If it’s too low, you need to look at your sales system.

Is the sales team working to earn that appointment (8-10 touchpoints per lead)? Do they know the ins and outs of the home and the community so that they can feature-benefit both? Are they asking the right questions during the sale to learn what problem a new home in your community can solve for your prospective buyer?

Our industry is in a place now where there is plenty of need, but there’s not a whole lot of want. Marketing and sales systems must both work to create the desire to purchase and live in a manufactured home.

Buyers Don’t Trust You

Conversation creates rapport, rapport builds relationships, relationships build trust, and trust closes deals. If you’re in sales, you’ve likely heard some sort of variation of that mantra. It’s what every new salesperson learns in their 101 sales training class. Your salespeople aren’t just in the manufactured housing business, they’re in the relationship business.

The more trust they build, the more homes they will sell. To create more trust in your sales process, you need to take an honest look at that process and determine what you can change to make the process more transparent and of more benefit to the customer.

Buyers trust things that are transparent and things that clearly benefit them.

Here are some examples of changes that we’ve helped retailers and community operators make to improve their transparency:

Clear Pricing

If a customer visits your website, sales center, or office, can they easily determine prices? In today’s e-commerce, and the  abundance of information, buyers do not trust sellers who are unclear on pricing. It makes them feel as if the seller is hiding something, and if buyers think a seller is hiding something, they are not going to trust them.

Consistent Pricing

Does your pricing vary from customer to customer? A cash price and a financed price? There are circumstances under which pricing changes, if it’s connected to an associated valued service or expansion of the offering. But today’s buyer has come to expect a consistent price for a product.

Clear Agreements

As a document becomes longer, more complex, and full of “legalese”, the less a customer will trust the business asking for their signature. Yes, there are certain elements of an agreement that must be present, but there also are elements that you can remove. Perhaps you had one bad apple that caused your attorney to go overboard and add lengthy language to an agreement to cover a situation that will likely never happen again? Try and read your agreements from the perspective of a buyer – do they create trust, or dispel it?

Next Steps

As we all know, the manufactured housing industry is in a tremendously advantageous position for growth. The nation’s growing affordability housing crisis shows no signs of slowing, and we have the perfect solution. But to do that, we need to change and grow. We need to create more awareness and more trust. We need to show the millions of prospective home buyers the value, and durability of our product. 

David Finney founded Bild Media in 2019 to help independent dealers and manufacturers tell their market about the incredible quality and value that a manufactured home offers. He has over a decade of industry experience in marketing and business development at 21st Mortgage Corp. Finney has owned multiple local businesses, and is very aware of the struggles of owning a business, and what it takes to market and advertise in a community.

MHInsider is the leader in manufactured housing news and is a product of MHVillage, the top place to buy, sell, or rent a manufactured home.

Unlock the Potential of Cost Segregation for Manufactured Housing Communities

By
Contributed Content
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manufactured housing community cost segregation strategy
author Eden Markowitz Madison Spec cost segregation strategies for manufactured housing communities

Manufactured home communities are a unique and valuable asset class, offering a steady income stream and long-term appreciation. However, many owners may not be fully aware of the hidden financial benefits their properties can offer.

Cost segregation, a tax strategy that accelerates depreciation and increases cash flow, is particularly effective for this asset class. By understanding how this strategy works and why it applies so well to manufactured housing communities, owners can uncover significant tax savings, offset income, and maximize the value of their investment.

What is Cost Segregation?

Cost segregation is a tax planning tool that allows property owners to reclassify components of their property into shorter depreciation categories. Instead of waiting the typical 27.5 or 39 years to recover costs, components such as land improvements or certain structural features can be depreciated over much shorter periods — Five, seven, or 15 years, for example.

Two key elements enhance the effectiveness of cost segregation:

  1. Bonus Depreciation: Current tax laws allow a significant portion of qualifying assets to be fully depreciated in the year they are placed in service. For community owners, this means substantial upfront tax savings.
  2. Accelerated Depreciation: Even without bonus depreciation, reclassifying assets into shorter depreciation schedules can significantly increase annual deductions, improving cash flow year after year.

Why Manufactured Home Communities Are Ideal for Cost Segregation

Land-lease communities are uniquely suited for cost segregation due to their high proportion of shorter-life depreciable assets. Here’s why:

Land Improvements: A significant portion of a community’s value often lies in land improvements, which have a 15-year depreciation schedule. These include infrastructure like roads, sidewalks, driveways, and parking lots — components that make up a substantial part of a community’s value.

Movable Homes: Unlike traditional residential structures, park-owned movable homes can be classified as 5-year assets. Additionally, utility hookups including water, sewer, electrical, as well as items like signage and furnishings, are also categorized as short-life assets, yielding significant first-year tax benefits when combined with bonus depreciation.

Missed Opportunities: Many CPAs mistakenly classify all park assets under longer depreciation schedules, leaving significant tax savings on the table. Proper cost segregation ensures these misclassifications are corrected, unlocking potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in missed deductions.

Benefits for Small and Large Investors

Cost segregation isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy. It offers tailored benefits depending on the investor’s profile:

  • Smaller Investors: For those filing as individuals or small business owners, cost segregation can offset not only passive income but also active income under certain conditions. This creates an opportunity to reduce personal tax liabilities while increasing available cash flow.
  • Institutional Investors: Larger operators with LP investors can leverage cost segregation to enhance cash flow and provide significant tax benefits to their limited partners. This added value can strengthen relationships with investors and boost the property’s overall ROI.

Lookback Studies: Capturing Missed Opportunities

What if your property wasn’t recently purchased? Cost segregation isn’t limited to new acquisitions. Lookback studies allow owners to retroactively capture missed depreciation from previous years without the need to amend previous tax returns. This means that even long-held communities can still benefit from this strategy, often resulting in sizable tax refunds.

Case in Point: A Community in Wichita

To illustrate how cost segregation can create substantial tax savings, let’s examine a real-world example:

In October 2024, a community in Wichita, Kan., was acquired for $1,444,000. The property included 41 homesites. Twenty-three were tenant-owned homes, 15 park-owned homes, and there were three vacant sites. The land was valued at $216,600, leaving the remaining $1,227,400 eligible for depreciation.

Here’s how cost segregation unlocked immediate tax savings for the owner:

  • 47 percent (5-year property): Assets like park-owned movable homes, utility hookups and other short-life property components such as signage and certain furnishings.
  • 34 percent (15-year property): Land improvements, including roads, sidewalks, driveways, landscaping, and parking areas.
  • 19 percent (27.5-year property): Longer-life assets like community buildings, leasing offices, or permanent structures on the property.

    Impact of Cost Segregation:
    With a cost segregation study and the benefit of 60 percent bonus depreciation, the first-year depreciation deduction totaled $625,532. Without cost segregation, the owner would have been limited to a first-year deduction of just $9,304 under traditional depreciation schedules.

This substantial tax savings provided a significant boost to the owner’s available cash flow, creating opportunities to reinvest in the property, fund other acquisitions, or improve their overall financial flexibility.

Value for Properties of All Sizes, Configurations

Whether the community includes just a few units or is a large-scale operation, cost segregation can deliver significant benefits. Because so much of the property qualifies as depreciable assets — movable homes, infrastructure, and land improvements — the strategy proves valuable across all price points.

For instance, a $500,000 mobile home park could yield proportional tax benefits just as compelling as a $10 million property. The key is understanding how to categorize assets correctly and maximize their depreciation potential.

Consult Your Advisor

By exploring opportunities like lookback studies and properly classifying movable homes and land improvements, owners can make smarter tax decisions that drive long-term profitability. If so, consult with a CPA or tax advisor to evaluate eligibility and ensure the property is maximizing tax savings under current regulations.

Eden Markowitz is a cost segregation expert with Madison Specs. He has a proven track record of helping real estate investors maximize their tax savings through strategic planning. Eden’s deep expertise in accelerated depreciation helps his clients unlock substantial financial benefits. His commitment to delivering outstanding results and maintaining strong client relationships underscores his role as a trusted advisor in the real estate industry.

MHInsider is the leader in manufactured housing news and is a product of MHVillage, the top marketplace for manufactured homes.

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