MHI at the 2024 Congress and Expo will give attendees a more immersive and productive experience with a two-day event that has extended exhibit hours and enhanced educational sessions.
2024 Congress and Expo takes place April 3-4, 2024, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Attendees will get to see the latest product innovations in the exhibit hall, open Wednesday, April 3, from 1 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Thursday, April 4, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
In addition to longer exhibit hours, Congress and Expo will inform and inspire with a pair of general session speakers who have presentations designed to help manufactured housing professionals better understand the market. In all, Congress and Expo will provide a dozen educational sessions on a variety of topics.
The popular Developers’ Seminar at the Congress and Expo expands to one and a half days to dive deeper into the development process. Open to Congress and Expo attendees with an add-on registration, the Developers’ Seminar will take place Tuesday, April 2, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday, April 3, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Seminar attendees will learn more about building with manufactured housing, on topics that include site development, zoning, and financing from people who have been there, done that and come out on top.
The National Communities Council Spring Forum returns to the 2024 Congress and Expo as an add-on event on Wednesday, April 3, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The forum covers content specific to land-lease communities and allows community professionals to maximize their learning time.
MHI’S Congress and Expo will showcase products and services from about 150 exhibitors in the 45,000 square foot expo hall at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Congress and Expo is a trade event and only industry professionals will be admitted.
Congress and Expo 2024 Sponsoring and Exhibiting Companies
21st Mortgage Corporation ABT Water Management AccessParks Ace Tire & Axle Advantage Homes Adventure Homes Albano Dale Dunn & Lewis Insurance AmRent Atwell, LLC B.A.C.H. Land Development, LLC Backyard Products Berkadia Big Rig Media LLC Blevins, Inc. Boom Brine Development Brown & Brown California Southwestern Insurance Agency Capital One Cascade Financial Services Cavco Industries, Inc. CBRE Manufactured Housing Group – West Clayton Home Building Group Colliers Communications Consulting Group Conservice, LLC Cooper Cardinal CoverTree Credit Human Eastdil Secured LLC Efidol Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. Family Homes Gama Sonic Solar Lighting Home Depot Pro Renovation & Remodel ILT innovation Legacy Housing Corporation Lument Lyons Industries, Inc. ManageAmerica ManufacturedHomes.com Marcus & Millichap Metron Sustainable Services MFI Commercial MHC Funding MHP Brokerage MHVillage / Datacomp MHWC Minute Man Anchors Mobile Insurance NextCentury NMHC Group Northpoint Commercial Finance Oliver Technologies, Inc. Onyx Capital Other Street Advisors Partner Valuation Advisors Phase3 Photovoltaics, Inc. Philips International Princeton Capital Group QMC Metering Solutions Quality Home Transport Rent Manager RHP Properties, Inc. ROC USA Rose Paving Sands Investment Group Skyline Champion Homes Speedread Technologies, LLC Style Crest Inc Sun Communities, Inc. Sunstone Real Estate Advisors Tammac Tie Down Engineering Inc. Timberline Construction Group Triad Financial Services, Inc. UMH Properties, Inc. Universal Utilities Vanderbilt Mortgage & Finance, Inc. Wells Fargo Wild Energy Witten Vent Company Yale Realty & Capital Advisors Yardi YES Communities Zego (Powered by PayLease) Zippy, Inc. *Exhibitor list as of February 19, 2024. Companies listed in bold are event sponsors.
Barry Cole, left, with friend and colleague Ted Fischer.
Life Stories from a Manufactured Housing Professional (with Varied Interests)
Anyone who’s taken the time to sit and chat with manufactured housing industry veteran Barry Cole knows… well, anything is possible. And you should prepare to be surprised.
Perhaps he’s lived two lifetimes or more. But when Cole starts his professional story, and begins to tell of his childhood, it seems fantastical — like something from a feature film.
In fact it is, but from the mind of someone who didn’t really experience the story. The story is fiction. Cole lived it.
One word of note, from the source; typically the kid who lives at hotels and gets dropped at school by the bell hop gets beat up for a bit, has a 15 year old body guard and has to make some plans to normalize his relationships.
“It’s an odd life, and you have to get creative,” Cole said.
Charles W. “Curly” Cole, Cole’s father, was a protege of the legendary hotelier Conrad Hilton. Cole said his father, during the time he ran The New Yorker Hotel, an art deco masterpiece that remains in business today where he was the president of the hotel association and seemed to know everybody and was best pals with Yankees slugger Mickey Mantle, was close to many celebrities and had been “honorary mayor” of Hell’s Kitchen, alongside theater and screen icon Sydney Poitier.
The hotel was famous worldwide. It had an indoor ice rink, direct access to the subway, and was the first hotel to have a TV in each room.
His mother, Lola (Cogan) Cole, was a dancer, and worked with Carmen Miranda, Esther Williams, and Betty Davis. She is in the Three Stooges Hall of Fame Museum and was crowned “Queen of the Stardust Ballroom” in Hollywood and is in the California Swing Dance Hall of Fame. She met Curly Cole while singing in big bands and they married in 1945.
He lived in The Senator Hotel in Sacramento before the move to the New Yorker, and the family returned to California by the time he was out of grade school. During that time the family had interests far and wide, including in Albuquerque where the Cole Hilton was and remains the only co-branded hotel in Hilton history. They owned The Deshler in Columbus, Ohio, included in the best-selling book “Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure: The True Story of a Great American Road Trip.” Flamboyant Curly had ladies on swings in the lobby and horses in elevators going to the top floor.
It was with all that he saw in front of him and from those early “hotel offices” that Cole began to have thoughts about his own future, business ideas, and how to capture the imagination of customers.
High School Ideals
By the time he was back in Southern California in his high school years, Cole was the first President of West Coast Surfers.
“I was a terrible surfer and they felt sorry for me but I had a garage in Hermosa Beach storing boards,” he said.
He also started Cole Racing Enterprises, because he and many young people of that day thought Corvettes were beyond cool.
“I went to the drag strip and sold T-shirts with the logo,” Cole said. “We sewed in first and last names, too, or whatever they wanted. They were really great and people loved them.
“Then I got the cease and desist letter. Corvette got mad at me,” he said.
Live and learn.
He was a member of the Screen Extras Guild appearing in shows Hogans Heros, Time Tunnel, please don’t eat the daisies, the Man from uncle, Bob Hope Chrysler Theater, Felony Squad and many others.
Six Years of Service
During the Vietnam War, Cole enlisted in the Navy. He was active for two years at Port Hueneme, during which he worked in a records office and as a yeoman at builders school, then had two years of meetings, and two years of inactive service, he said.
“At some point I was asked how it was I hadn’t been assigned to a Sea Bee Construction battalion, which is how you ended up seeing combat,” Cole said. “I said ‘I don’t know, probably coincidental bad records.’”
Cole admitted that returning from the military he expected to be a famous actor. Instead, he got married to his first wife in St. Louis, moved back to California, and got a job selling beer.
“All I did was drink beer, play darts, and shoot pool all day while buying patrons drinks,” he said. “I got up to a 40-inch waist.
“Then I started selling mobile homes in 1972,” Cole said.
Cole gained his footing in retail sales in Compton, and also spent much time with the builders, in operations with Lancer Homes, Levitt Homes, and Westway Homes.
“In mid-1976 I was speaking with the paper easel and stick pointing to all the stuff HUD is doing and that we wanted everyone to start calling them manufactured homes… and 50 years later people are still calling asking about mobile home insurance and mobile homes.”
It was in those years that Cole’s desire to start his own operation re-emerged. In 1986, he started Red Label Housing, a retailer in Orange, Calif., which evolved into Community Mobile Home Sales in 1992 which was a top dealer for eight years.
In 1999 he launched Manufactured Housing Insurance Services, the entity under which he continues to do business in 38 states. He and his team provide only manufactured home insurance, an anomaly in today’s market.
Insurance In California
Manufactured housing insurance premium rates are regulated by the state. Fire risk, regulations, and fraud have caused much of the pain and carriers could not raise their rates to maintain profitability, Cole said.
It also has caused many providers to discontinue writing new policies, he said, in a state where they are losing billions as the state makes it unreasonable to raise rates.
“Aegis, Century National, Foremost, Cabrillo Coastal, Pacific Specialty, they and others have all left. American Modern and American Bankers are still here but will only do newer homes, homes built within the last 30 years and will only do business in designated areas. That leaves out most of the homes in the state,” Cole said. “When there is a catastrophe the unfortunate homeowner loses everything – memorabilia, cherished possessions, valued property, and lives.
“It’s a tough deal, it’s tough to get insurance. We get 300 calls a week and unfortunately many times respond and say ‘Sorry, wish you the best’ to most of them,” Cole added. All of this will be supported soon, because within a year all the renewals come, most of those customers will go with the California FAIR Plan.”
The plan is an initiative to help state residents get fire insurance, though it only covers the home. A second plan is required to cover contents.
“It’s a lot more cumbersome than our regular manufactured home insurance,” Cole said.
Cole has felt the pain himself, having his commercial coverage pulled after being with the same group for 24 years.
Manufactured Housing Insurance Services had 300 sub-producers at one point. He’s paring that back. Several years ago he sold off part of his insurance interest of 10 offices in Southern California to concentrate solely on manufactured housing clients.
It is a business he loves.
In addition to providing insurance for the industry’s customers, he also is a partner in 32 communities in California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, North Carolina, Utah, Virginia, and Washington.
Cole is a founding member of the California Manufactured Housing Institute, has served multiple terms as chairman, and continues as a CMHI officer to give resources toward state and regional efforts within the industry. Nationally, he has served on the Board of Governors for the Manufactured Housing Institute, has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, and in 2014 was elected into the RV/MH Hall of Fame and is Chairman Emeritus in Elkhart, Ind., an organization he has supported steadfastly throughout his career. Cole has been on the board of non-profit Affordable Community Living Corporations for 22 years and ACLC has placed over 300 veterans in Manufactured Homes.
Dipping Back Into Hospitality
After decades of work, Cole’s tireless energy and optimism for all things good brought him back into hospitality, but not hotels. Cole, along with being a manufactured housing professional, is a noted restaurateur.
“We have two restaurants in the desert, RD RNNR (‘roadrunner’) and the DSRT CLUB,” Cole said. “They get really great ratings, most days and nights there are lines to get in. RD RNNR is top rated in the area as a bar and restaurant, and the beautiful DSRT CLUB is new, it’s only been open a few months.
“It was fun when so many of my friends and colleagues, about 140 people, were in town last fall for an MHI meeting and dined at the RD RNNR. It was a great night, I felt like the maitre d in a classic old place, going to each table and saying hi, asking how things are.”
Cole said RD RNNR is a lively place frequented by the younger crowd, including many celebrities and the famous golfers who come to the Palm Springs area for the famous golf courses.
“DSRT CLUB opened for fine dining, a place that some of the older crowd likes to duck into because it’s a little quieter,” Cole said.
Unsurprisingly, Cole says he has no plans to retire. He continues to live and work primarily from Orange, Calif.
“My old friend, boxer Jerry Quarry, who fought Muhammad Ali, was living with me and convinced for me to a young lady named Donna working at American Mobile Homes to go out with me,” Cole said. “We did go out, and she never left, so Jerry had to move out.”
He and Donna have been happily married for 38 years.
“I have two girls, two grandsons, and four great-grandchildren,” he said.
When he’s not running his businesses or doting on his dog Sammi, he’s engaged in his favorite hobby, restaurant and bar hopping.
Manufactured housing industry professionals tour homes in Biloxi during the 2023 show.
The Biloxi Manufactured Housing Show and Expo returns to the Gulf Coast for the third year with about 90 exhibitors and dozens of homes on display from 11 builders.
“We have 49 homes, up from 35 homes the previous year,” Mississippi Manufactured Housing Association Executive Director Jennifer Hall said. “We are maxed out with that number. We do have some new manufacturers, too, and we’re excited about that.”
Hall said Dr. Lesli Gooch and Mark Bowersox from the Manufactured Housing Institute will provide an industry update from a national perspective, including an update on pending U.S. Department of Energy mandates for manufactured housing.
There also will be a lenders panel, and a presentation on tech and marketing trends from MHVillage Co-President and Chief Business Development Officer Darren Krolewski.
MMHA works with the Alabama Manufactured Housing Association each year to host the event at the IP Casino Resort in Biloxi, a carry-over from the former Tunica Show.
“A month ahead of schedule we were setting records for registration, vendors, and sponsors participating in the Biloxi Show,” AMHA Executice Director Lance Latham said. “We couldn’t be more excited for what’s in store this year in Biloxi! Trust me when I say this is one industry event you do not want to miss!”
“Everyone is excited about coming back to Biloxi for the show. They love coming down for show, for the casino, and for the area’s amazing restaurants,” Hall said.
In addition to the many attendees and exhibitors at the show, the two associations will host myriad public officials from surrounding counties.
“We will have public officials come tour the homes on Wednesday,” Hall said. “We have everything set up and looking so nice, it’s a great time to get people through these homes to see what they’re missing and help them gain perspective on the opportunity to provide more affordable housing in their cities.
Biloxi Show Schedule 2024
Monday, March 18 8 – 11 a.m. Exhibitors and manufacturers only pick up registration packets/name badges 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Registration open for attendees, foyer Studio B 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Exhibitors set up in the Exhibit Hall, Studio B second level 1 – 5 p.m. Home in the outdoor village open to attendees 4 – 5 p.m. Education session – Lending panel in Studio A 6 – 7:30 p.m. Welcome Reception
Tuesday, March 19 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Registration, foyer Studio B 8 – 9 a.m. Breakfast in Exhibit Hall Studio B 8 – 5 p.m. Exhibit Hall open in Studio B 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Display homes open in outdoor village 9:15 – 10:15 a.m. Education Session – State of the Industry/National issues from Lesli Gooch and Mark Bowersox, MHI Executives, in Studio A 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Education Session – Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac discuss manufactured housing programs in Studio A 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. Lunch in Ballroom on the third level 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. Education Session – Darren Krolewski from MHVillage covers emerging tech and marketing trends in Studio A
Wednesday, March 20 8 – 9:00 a.m. Breakfast in Exhibit Hall Studio B 8 a.m. – Noon Exhibit Hall open in Studio B 9 a.m. – Noon Display homes open in the outdoor village 9 a.m. – Noon. Local officials to tour the display homes
HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, pictured preparing for testimony in Congress Jan. 11, has announced she will resign her post March 22.
Final Day March 22, Deputy Secretary Adrianne Todman Named Interim
Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge has announced she will leave her post March 22, and will be replaced on an interim basis by Deputy Secretary Adrianne Todman.
Fudge said in interviews that she has “mixed emotions” about retiring after decades in public service and that HUD “was the ideal opportunity to culminate a career focused on doing the most good for the most people, including those who have often been left behind or left out.”
While Fudge’s departure is somewhat of a surprise, it’s not uncommon for cabinet positions to open in the face of a presidential election. Fudge is the second member of the Biden-Harris White House cabinet to step away, preceded by Labor Secretary Marty Walsh exiting that post in 2023.
“It has always been my belief that government can and should work for the people,” Fudge wrote. “For the last three years, I have fully embraced HUD’s mission to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. The people HUD serves are those who are often left out and left behind. These are my people. They serve as my motivation for everything we have been able to accomplish.”
Fudge served in the lead role at HUD for more than three years, navigating the department through the COVID-19 pandemic. She said she will return to Ohio and private life.
“It’s time to go home,’’ Fudge told USA TODAY in an exclusive interview on her resignation. “I do believe strongly that I have done just about everything I could do at HUD for this administration as we go into this crazy, silly season of an election.”
With that, Fudge told the outlet that housing should be a top issue for both Republicans and Democrats.
‘‘It is not a red or blue issue,’’ the secretary was quoted as saying. “Everybody knows that it is an issue so it’s not a one-sided issue. It’s an American issue.’’
“Under Marcia’s transformational leadership, we have worked hard to lower housing costs and increase supply. We’ve proposed the largest investment in affordable housing in U.S. history. We’ve taken steps to aggressively combat racial discrimination in housing by ensuring home appraisals are more fair and by strengthening programs to redress the negative impacts of redlining,” the statement read. “Thanks to Secretary Fudge, we’ve helped first-time homebuyers, and we are working to cut the cost of renting. And there are more housing units under construction right now than at any time in the last 50 years.”
Prior to her tenure at HUD, Fudge served as U.S. Representative for the 11th Congressional District of Ohio and was a member of several Congressional Caucuses and was past chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. As a Member of Congress, she earned a reputation of tackling the unique challenges of her district by working with her delegation and across political ideologies. Fudge’s career in public service began in the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, rising to the rank of director of Budget and Finance.
Interim Secretary Todman previously worked as a legislative director for Congressman Ron de Lugo, a delegate of the U.S. Virgin Islands. She also served as a policy aide in HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing, spent time with District of Columbia Housing Authority, and was selected in 2017 as the CEO of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials before returning to HUD.
$225 Million Made Available to Support Manufactured Housing Communities
The White House has released a plan to increase the supply and lower the cost of housing, including a multi-pronged approach to protect manufactured housing and to provide support for home-only loan programs.
“Manufactured housing provides an essential path to increasing overall housing supply and offers significant savings over site-built housing. Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing steps to preserve and rehabilitate existing manufactured home communities and to make it easier to finance the purchase of manufactured homes,” the White House release stated.
Part of the plan to protect manufactured housing communities includes access to Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement (PRICE) grants, a fund of $225 million that now is available for the purchase of new homes in a community, as well as for infrastructure improvements, and for resident services.
This is the first time the federal government has made grant funding available specifically for investments in manufactured housing communities.
“Manufactured housing offers a proven solution to America’s affordable housing supply crisis,” HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge said. “Today’s actions bring us one step closer to a future where everyone has access to housing that meets their needs.”
The FHA, in its Title I Final Rule published with the National Register, has increased loan limits to 115 percent of value for manufactured homes, tying to industry average, would increase a loan limit for a single-section and multi-section manufactured home from $69,678 to $106,405 and $195,322, respectively.
“HUD’s Title I program has been an important source of financing for manufactured homes, but low loan limits have made the program dormant in recent years,” the White House stated in its release. “The rule will increase loan limits to be in line with current market prices and enable HUD to regularly update the limits in the future. To support this action, Ginnie Mae revised eligibility requirements for Issuers of its Manufactured Housing Mortgage-Backed Securities program. These actions are intended to reduce barriers to entry for Issuers and increase participation in its securitization program for Title I loans.”
An expansion of Title I lending, for purchase and refinancing, has been a top priority for the Manufactured Housing Institute and its work on Capitol Hill in recent years.
Additionally, a clarification grants the use of CBDG Funds in acquisition of manufactured housing units, in the service of manufactured housing units, and for providing resilience to manufactured housing communities.
The White House plan, in non-manufactured housing-specific language, is looking to HUD to ensure the elimination of non-rent fees — for application and screening, for instance — in public housing and subsidized programs. Language in the plan also provides a set of tenant rights for military services members, adds resources to prevent unfair evictions, and provides renters’ rights during tenant screening.
MHInsider is the leader in manufactured housing news and is a product of MHVillage, the top place to buy, rent, or sell a manufactured home or mobile home.
The S&P Corelogic Case-Shiller Index shows national home prices remain up 5.5 percent year over year, but have declined slightly each of the most recent two months for which reporting data is available.
Seventeen of 20 major metro markets reported month-over-month price decreases, the report released Feb. 27 stated.
The U.S. National Index showed a continued decrease of 0.4 percent, while the 20-City Composite and 10-City Composite posted 0.3 percent and 0.2 percent month-over-month decreases respectively in December.
“U.S. home prices faced significant headwinds in the fourth quarter of 2023,” S&P Dow Jones Indices Head of Commodities, Real & Digital Assets Brian D. Luke said. “However, on a seasonally adjusted basis, the S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Indices continued its streak of seven consecutive record highs in 2023. Ten of 20 markets beat prior records, with San Diego registering an 8.9 percent gain and Las Vegas the fastest rising market in December, after accounting for seasonal impacts.
“2023 U.S. housing gains haven’t followed such a synchronous pattern since the COVID housing boom. The term ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’ seems appropriate given broad-based performance in the U.S. housing sector,” he said. “All 20 markets reported yearly gains for the first time this year, with four markets rising over 8 percent. Portland eked out a positive annual gain after 11 months of declines. Regionally, the Midwest and Northeast both experienced the greatest annual appreciation with 6.7 percent.”
Looking Back at 2023
The year “appears to have exceeded average annual home price gains” over the past 35 years, Luke said.
“With trend growth at the national level of 4.7 percent, a 5.5 percent return demonstrates solid, steady growth. While we are not experiencing the double-digit gains seen in the previous two years, above trend growth should be well received considering the rising costs of financing home mortgages,” he said. “We previously suggested that the surge in home prices during the COVID pandemic could have accelerated home ownership temporarily. The past two years reflect consistent growth slightly above trend, suggesting a more secular shift in home ownership post pandemic. In the short term, meanwhile, we should be able to measure the impact of higher mortgage rates on home prices. Increased financing costs appeared to precipitate home price declines in the fourth quarter, as 15 markets saw lower values compared to September.”
Bryan Czajkowski, image courtesy of ManufacturedHomes.com
Bryan Czajkowski, a dedicated professional and a proud father to his young son, passed away in mid-February, leaving friends and colleagues stunned and mourning.
Mr. Czajkowski, the senior regional sales manager for ManufacturedHomes.com, was a single father with a huge heart for his boy.
Rick Robinson said the last time he saw his company colleague, he was on the dancefloor poised between a pair friends in the industry with his pointer fingers placed atop each of their heads saying “Now, dance like a ballerina.”
“Anyone who knows him understands he’s the life of the party,” Robinson said. “‘Dance Like a Ballerina’ I think could be an apt expression to carry the memory of Bryan and his playful nature.”
Mr. Czajkowski’s friend Carlos Sanchez has organized a GoFundMe page to both spread the word of the untimely death and to raise funds to help cover costs for funeral arrangements and to aid his son.
“Bryan was known for his booming laughter, quick wit, and larger-than-life personality,” Sanchez said. “His infectious energy drew people to him effortlessly, and he leaves behind a multitude of friends who were touched by his warmth and humor.”
A private viewing was held on Feb. 20.
This page will be updated with more information on memorial services as details become available. Please give if you can, and let Mr. Czajkowski’s genuine nature and love for family, friends, and colleagues endure.
Two Dozen House Reps Urge Appropriations Committee to Act on Standards Recommendation
The Manufactured Housing Institute reported recently in a newsletter to members that Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina sent a letter to the House Appropriations Committee urging it to include the manufactured housing energy standards limitation amendment he sponsored be included in the Fiscal Year 2024 Energy and Water Appropriations bill.
The language has been adopted by voice vote during House considerations on the topic.
“Manufactured housing is truly one of the best opportunities for helping families make the dream of home ownership a reality,” Norman stated in the letter. “As a representative of South Carolina, a state with the largest proportion of manufactured housing in the country, I cannot allow ill-advised DOE energy standards to inappropriately threaten the affordability of these homes.”
The letter was signed by 23 other law makers:
Rep. Andy Barr of Kentucky
Rep. Larry Bucshon of Maryland
Reps. Tim Burchett, Diana Harshbarger, Andrew Ogles, and John Rose of Tennessee
Reps. Bill Posey Byron Donalds of Florida
Rep Earl L. Carter of Georgia
Rep. Jeff Duncan of South Carolina
Rep. Scott Fitzgerald of Wisconsin
Rep. Mike Flood of Nebraska
Rep. Lance Gooden, Troy E. Nehls, Randy K. Weber, Sr., and Pete Sessions of Texas
Rep. French Hill of Arkansas
Rep. Michael V. Lawler of New York
Rep. Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania
Rep. Mary E. Miller of Illinois
Rep. Alex X. Mooney of West Virginia
Rep. Ann Wagner of Missouri
Rep. Rudy Yakym III of Indiana
“The Manufactured Housing Institute appreciates the leadership of Rep. Norman and the support of other House members to promote homeownership affordability for manufactured homes and to protect the 50-year framework under which HUD has exclusive jurisdiction over the establishment of strong safety and construction standards for manufactured homes, including with respect to energy efficiency,” MHI stated in its newsletter. “We strongly urge Congress to include this solution in the final spending package.”
Is the name of the seller the same name on the title?
Many states require a bill of sale with the title transfer application. If the bill of sale has a different name for the seller than what is listed on the title, the state will send the paperwork back without transferring the title into your name.
Additionally, if something is written in the wrong section of the title, the application could be rejected. For example, if the original owner/seller accidently signs in the wrong spot, and you fail to catch the error and send it to the state to transfer title into your name, the state will return the application requesting a signed affidavit from the original owner explaining the error and how it was corrected. Now you need to track down the original owner.
Finding the Title Holder
Locating the original owner can be timely and costly. Often the address on the title is not the current address and you have to spend time tracking down the where the current owner lives. Has he or she moved to a different state. Is he or she alive?
If you locate the current owner and that person is till alive, it can go one of three ways:
They are not willing to help you
They are willing to help if you compensate them
They are willing to help without compensation
If the current owner is deceased, you will not be able to provide the state with the requested affidavit. When the current owner is deceased, the state has estate guidelines they need to follow to successfully transfer the title. Now you’re writing to the deceased current owner’s family and asking them for help on the home you purchased from a seller whose name was not on the title.
As you can imagine, this is going to be a difficult conversation.
In the Case of Duplicates
Have you asked yourself if the title they are showing you is the most current title? If you do not receive the most current title, you cannot transfer the title into your name.
Before you purchase a home, take the time to complete a VIN check. Most states have a website where you can type in the number and some of the basic information on the home will appear. Look for the current issue date of the title and make sure it matches with the title you will be getting when you purchase the home.
Tracy Renna is the founder and CEO of MH Title Brokers LLC. Renna assists attorneys, title agencies, dealerships, and many other affordable housing specialists. She serves Florida’s rapidly expanding affordable housing market by solving mobile home title problems throughout the Sunshine State.
Dune's smart water submetering solution fits in the palm of your hand.
For manufactured home communities all over the country, water metering proves to be an ongoing challenge in many respects. Besides the accuracy and efficiency of water metering solutions on the market today, there’s also the question of introducing modern technology into the equation while keeping costs down for both park owners and homeowners.
A new startup, Dune Labs, was founded by Garo Sarkissian and has entered the manufactured housing market with a clamp-on smartmeter, aptly named “Dune,” which markets itself as an IoT solution to measure, analyze, and ultimately make more efficient use of water in manufactured home communities.
Using Dune Labs’ smartmeter solution provides benefits for both park residents and owners/managers. The resident is charged for the exact amount of water used at their property, and the owner/manager is provided with actionable insights and leak alerts that, over time, can result in added monetary savings for both parties.
Those insights and alerts are provided directly from the submeters in real-time to park owners and managers via their property management software, so they can repair leaks and advise residents on water conservation tactics.
“It’s a very owner friendly structure that helps property managers,” Sarkissian said in an interview with the MHInsider.
And with the millions of homes in manufactured home communities, the opportunity for a unique submetering solution like Dune’s seems limitless.
“It’s programmable and flexible enough to help us understand exactly what the water use is. We use all kinds of algorithms, but essentially we’ve programmed this thing to know what is a toilet flush and what is a shower, versus a dishwasher and hand washing,” Sarkissian said. “The granularity we have is really impressive.”
The CEO, who founded without external venture capital funding, added that the meter flags unusual usage that stands out from day-to-day expected patterns from any given home.
“There is a lot of recovery in toilet leaks. You also can tell if someone has an indoor greenhouse, for instance. These usages stand out,” he said.
Of course, entering the manufactured home industry can present its own challenges — but they’re challenges that Sarkissian is eager to face.
“There are so many customers out there, and we have a unique technology,” Sarkissian said. “In this situation it’s not a mindset where we need to get as big as possible as soon as possible. This is something that’s never been done this way, and it’s important to do it right.”
Take, for example, the challenge that comes from entering a state like California, where water often costs more than electricity on a monthly basis. Marketing a submetering solution there takes on a different form based on the demand for water in that market.
Regardless of the market, Dune Labs promises zero or very little capital investment is needed for community owners to get started with the Dune submeter solution. And since Dune clamps onto existing plumbing systems and provides as much accuracy as in-line metering solutions, the cost savings can begin almost immediately after installation.
Dune customers sign a four-year contract, with the monthly cost at around $11 a month, which Sarkissian notes is usually made up by the amount of water saved with Dune’s help.
Since the beginning, customers have received Dune positively.
“The overall impact has been great,” Cristian Sosa, managing director of Cooper Cardinal, said. “The water usage of all our tenants has gone down since being installed, which results in lower water and sewer bills for us.”
The future for Dune in the manufactured housing industry seems bright. With an upcoming appearance at The Louisville Show and plans to keep expanding their multi-family operations, communities across the country will have the chance to see Dune for themselves and bring water savings to their park.
More than 1,500 manufactured housing professionals are expected in Las Vegas April 7-9 as the Manufactured Housing Institute’s Congress and Expo returns to the...
With more homes, more exhibitors, and more buzz than ever before, the 2026 Biloxi Show is expanding, and fast.
The Biloxi Manufactured Housing Show &...
