Friday, April 18, 2025

Investing in Manufactured Housing REITs

July 12, 2021

UMH Properties MH REITs Report invest — A UMH Properties community in Ohio. Photo courtesy of UMH Properties.

MH REITs Report is a Quarterly Overview of Manufactured Housing Industry Real Estate Investment Trusts

The research team at Hoya Capital Real Estate is excited to continue our quarterly column published in partnership with MHInsider to provide insight and commentary on publicly-traded manufactured housing stocks. Every quarter, we’ll publish an update to discuss the stock performance, earnings results, and major news and events reported by manufactured housing real estate investment trusts, or MH REITs.

Overview of MH REITs

There are three U.S. exchange-listed Manufactured Housing REITs which collectively account for roughly $35 billion in market value: Equity Lifestyle (ELS), Sun Communities (SUI), UMH Properties (UMH). Additionally, newly-listed Flagship Communities (FLGMP) trades on the Toronto Stock exchange.

Manufactured Housing REITs collectively own roughly 350,000 manufactured housing and RV sites across the United States with a portfolio skewed toward higher-end communities with a more “retiree-oriented” demographic than the all-ages community.

Through a series of acquisitions, Equity Lifestyle and Sun Communities have recently expanded into boat marinas as well while the smaller UMH Properties and newly-listed Flagship Communities focus on traditional manufactured housing communities.

Manufactured housing REITs have emerged over the past decade from relative obscurity into several of the largest publicly-traded owners of real estate in the world. Beneficiaries of the lingering housing shortage across the United States resulting from a decade of underbuilding, manufactured housing REITs have been the single-best performing REIT sector since the start of 2010, delivering an incredible 22% annual compound total returns from 2010 through 2020.

Manufactured housing REITs outperformed the broad-based Equity REIT Index for a remarkable eighth-straight year in 2020, the longest streak of outperformance for any property sector since the dawn of the “Modern REIT Era” in the early 1990s.

From an investment perspective, despite their high growth rates, MH REITs are a traditionally defensive and countercyclical sector due to the “sticky” nature of MH demand and cash flows. While these REITs are not known for their high dividend yields, these REITs have delivered some of the strongest rates of dividend growth of any REIT sector.

Second Quarter 2021 MH REITs Performance

MH REITs were under pressure earlier this year by the ‘REIT Reopening Rotation,’ but this underperformance didn’t last long as MH REITs have been one of the best-performing sectors since the start of the second quarter. MH REITs are now higher by 21.8% this year, slightly lagging the 23.7% gains from the broad-based Vanguard Real Estate ETF (VNQ), but beating the 16.5% returns from the S&P 500 (SPY).

Consistent with the trends across the residential REIT industry over the past quarter, MH REITs significantly boosted their growth outlook over the last quarter, citing strong rental housing demand and substantial upward rent pressure. Same-store Net Operating Income (“NOI”) growth continues to accelerate following a brief pandemic-related slowdown as property-level growth is now expected to rise by nearly 7% for full-year 2021.

Growth in funds from operations – the earnings per share “equivalent” for REITs – is driven by the combination of same-store “organic” growth and by external growth through acquisitions and new development. Forward guidance over the past quarter was particularly impressive as ELS and SUI project growth in Funds From Operations (“FFO”) of nearly 14% this year – which would surely be one of the strongest growth rates in the REIT sector.

Utilizing a strong cost of equity capital, these REITs have continued to grow externally by adding units to existing sites and by growing via acquisitions and site expansions. MH REITs acquired more than $1.5 billion worth of properties over the last year, largely in one-off acquisitions while disposing of just $10 million in assets. The most significant deal in 2020 was Sun Communities’ $2.1B purchase of Safe Harbor Marinas, which owns and operates 101 institutional-quality boat marinas.

Manufactured Housing Industry Data Points

MH REITs’ amplified focus on analogous asset classes – RV parks and marinas – was perfectly-timed, providing an added external growth tailwind. “Work-From-Anywhere” has fueled soaring RV, boat, and vacation home sales. The RV Industry Association expects RV wholesale shipments to climb to their highest historical total ever. While the RV industry has faced similar supply chain issues as traditional homebuilders, the RVIA sees shipments rising to 576k units in 2021, which would be a 14.1% gain over the current comparable record high of 504,600 units in 2017.

The National Marine Manufacturers Association, meanwhile, reported that powerboat sales are also poised to set record-highs this year despite inventory levels that are “the leanest they’ve ever been.” With SUI’s major investment in Safe Harbor Marinas, these MH REITs are now the two largest owners of marinas in the United States, an asset class with nearly identical fundamental characteristics as their large portfolio of RV parks. Marinas offer substantial operating parallels to the company’s RV business and that there are roughly 4,500 marinas in the US, of which 500 would be considered “institutional quality.” Earlier this year, ELS also expanded its marina portfolio with a purchase of 11 marinas, containing 3,986 slips, for $262.0 million.

MH REITs Key Takeaways

Low supply and strong demand have driven stellar fundamental performance for MH REITs over the past half-decade, and the MH sector continues to deliver sector-leading NOI and FFO growth. Consistent with the trends across the residential REIT sectors over the past quarter MH REITs significantly raised their growth outlook, citing strong rental housing demand and substantial upward rent pressure. While MH REIT valuation are now back towards the top-end of their historical range following double-digit returns over the last quarter, don’t bet against MH REITs, the perennial outperformers of the real estate sector and key beneficiaries of the persistent housing shortage across the United States.

MH REITs REPORT Terms Defined

FFO (Funds From Operations): The most commonly accepted and reported measure of REIT operating performance. Equal to a REIT’s net income, excluding gains or losses from sales of property and adding back real estate depreciation.

AFFO (Adjusted Funds From Operations): A non-standardized measurement of recurring/normalized FFO after deducting capital improvement funding and adjusting for “straight line” rents.

NOI (Net Operating Income): Typically reported on a “same-store” comparable basis, NOI is a calculation used to analyze the property-level profitability of real estate portfolios. NOI equals all revenue from the property, minus all reasonably necessary operating expenses.

Hoya Capital Disclosures

I am/we are long ELS and SUI. I am not receiving compensation for it. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Index performance cited in this commentary does not reflect the performance of any fund or other account managed or serviced by Hoya Capital Real Estate. Nothing on this site nor any published commentary by Hoya Capital is intended to be investment, tax, or legal advice or an offer to buy or sell securities. Information presented is believed to be factual and up-to-date, but we do not guarantee its accuracy and should not be considered a complete discussion of all factors and risks. A complete discussion of important disclosures is available on our website www.HoyaCapital.com.

Alternate to 1031 Exchanges?

Contributing Writer

July 8, 2021

721 Contributions for Community Owners

By Thomas Coury

Thomas Coury Crystal View Capital 721 contribution capital gains strategy — Thomas Coury, Crystal View Capital

As a manufactured housing community owner, the thought of selling a property right now may be a little formidable. Many are generational owners with years of hard work put into their community, only now to be hit with a proposed retroactive capital gains tax increase.

Under the Biden administration’s new tax proposal there is a way for manufactured housing community owners to still significantly defer their capital gains tax. While just cashing out is easy and the most common solution, owners will likely be required to make a large tax payment at the sale. Currently, if a property is sold, owners would incur a capital gains tax rate of 15-20%.

Unfortunately, under the new pending tax code changes, we could see the capital gains rate up to 43.4%. This increase would take effect for sales of stock and businesses after the April 28, 2021 announcement. In addition, the more commonly known 1031 exchange that allows investors to defer paying taxes on real estate by rolling profits into their next property is proposed to be limited under the new tax code.

This tax proposal is supposed to target the ”wealthy,” but President Biden seeks to limit 1031 exchanges on transactions with profits exceeding $400,000. With that being said, most mom-and-pop-owned communities would still exceed this price point and likely not qualify for a 1031 exchange, resulting in an increased capital gains tax rate. Luckily, there is a better way for owners to sell their property and significantly defer capital gains tax at the sale — through the 721 transaction.

What is a 721 Contribution, 721 Transaction?

Under this equity swap arrangement, the proprietor can potentially sell their property, continue to receive cash flow, eliminate daily management responsibilities and benefit from significant tax deferral.

The 721 Contribution allows you as a property owner to become an investor in a private equity firm or REIT while adding your asset to an already existing real estate portfolio that is actively managed by a hands-on manager with a proven track record of delivering outsized returns to investors.

The 721 contribution is a less known but often more effective solution that allows the property to be easily transferred while significantly deferring capital gains taxes that have built up over the years.

While it should come as no surprise that many generational owners focus on selling for the highest price possible as they need to reinvest after-tax sale proceeds to live off and eventually pass down to heirs. An often less known and more profitable approach is to defer the tax and let a proven operator compound before-tax sale proceeds. Upon the investment, owners can receive a preferred dividend on the total equity investment in a fund, along with a share of profits in a fund all while having no more managerial duties and significantly deferring their capital gains tax.

The return on your investment could provide similar or even greater cash flow compared to managing and owning a property and potentially solve estate planning issues as it’s often simpler and more practical to pass down a passive investment versus a management-intensive piece of real estate.

Thomas Coury is the marketing and business development coordinator for Crystal View Capital, a private equity firm that specializes in acquisitions of manufactured housing communities and is a leader in providing manufactured community property owners the option of a 721 contribution. If a 721 contribution is of interest, please consult with a financial adviser or estate planning attorney to confirm that a 721 contribution could be the best option for your asset.

Sponsor, Exhibit Opportunities for SECO21 Sept. 27-Oct. 1

Patrick Revere

July 7, 2021

SECO21 returns Sept. 27-Oct. 1 in a virtual format that will build upon the experience attending manufactured housing professionals had last year, with increased interactivity and engagement potential including expanded opportunities to sponsor and exhibit at the event.

The SECO National Conference of Community Owners was organized for community owners, by community owners 11 years ago and each year has planned and hosted an event for industry professionals looking to network, buy properties, invest in the industry, or launch a new product or program for land-lease community operators.

A new, highly tailored interactive meeting platform will be put to use for SECO21, allowing the hundreds of event guests to attend mixers, sit in on topical presentations and professional panels, set meetings, and shop the industry’s most recent and relevant service and supply offerings.

This SECO virtual conference once again is a partnership between the event coordinators, a 501(c)3 registered non-profit, and MHVillage, the leading marketplace for manufactured and mobile homes.

Exhibitor, Sponsorship Opportunities at SECO21

Take advantage of the opportunity to showcase the product or service of your choosing as a sponsor or exhibitor at SECO 21. Event organizers anticipate SECO21 to be even more well attended than the inaugural virtual event that provided 38 corporate exhibitors for 487 attending professionals.

SECO21 National Conference of Community Owners

The new virtual event platform provides even greater opportunities for sponsorship and branding to engage with SECO attendees. Sponsorship opportunities include …

A presence within designated exhibit hall and networking times each day of the event
Visibility through promotional emails and advertising leading up to SECO21
Promotional mentions and opportunities to speak to attendees during SECO educational sessions
Opportunity for your promotional materials to be included in a physical “swag pack” mailed to each SECO attendee

“SECO21 has sponsorship packages available at the bronze, silver, gold, and platinum levels with unique opportunities to interact with attendees, including positions in the event program, one-on-one meetings with attendees, as well as in-session branded introductions of speakers and presenters,” SECO co-founder and organizer Spencer Roane said.

SECO National Conference of Community Owners will be held Sept. 27-Oct. 1 on video screens nationwide, with multiple tracks for newcomers to the industry as well as the most experienced land-lease operators.

For added information on registration, exhibiting, and sponsorship at the SECO21 go to www.secoconference.com.

Bookmark the MHInsider homepage, keep up with manufactured housing industry conferences and meetings, and check back regularly for manufactured housing news!

How the Negative Industry Perception is Bound for Change

Suzanne Felber

July 6, 2021

oak ranch and loma vista roberts communities — The welcome center at Loma Vista is a bright, inviting space.

Buckle your Tesla seatbelts, because manufactured housing and land-lease communities are getting ready to go on a fast-paced, exciting ride.

When Scott Roberts asked me if I followed Elon Musk on Twitter, I was embarrassed to say that I didn’t, but I sure do now. Roberts shared with me some of Musk’s latest posts: “Urgent need to build more housing in greater Austin area!” “Over 10,000 people are needed for Giga Texas just through 2022!” And “High School Grads: You do not have to have a college degree to work for Tesla straight out of high school. Tesla is recruiting high school students who can graduate high school and start a career at Tesla while continuing their education.”

What does this have to do with manufactured housing?

Everything.

These new entries into the workforce are our potential new home buyers, and for Roberts, Tesla GigaTexas is an easy five-minute drive from his Oak Ranch Community and nine minutes from Loma Vista, properties operated by Roberts Communities.

As much as things change, they stay the same. We start dreaming about having a home of our own from when we get our first Barbie Dream House or a treehouse in the backyard. But in a city like Austin with a median sales price for a site-built home in the suburbs being $344,000 and in the city of Austin, the median list price of a site-built home being $475,000, there is no way the workforce that Tesla is hoping to hire will be able to afford a place to live. An average one-bedroom apartment rents for $1,518 per month.

With prices like this, a home of your own seems out of reach for many.

When Roberts took over the family business in 1998, they were focused on 55+ communities. When he saw an opportunity to buy failed, empty parks and revitalize them, including Oak Ranch in Austin, he wondered why something that is so good for retirees couldn’t be just as good for families.

When Roberts purchased Oak Ranch, there were no homes, and only a shell of a community center. Roberts and his team converted the property from a local eyesore to a thriving, award-winning all-ages community of 491 homesites, all of which are now full. They also decided to build The Reserve, a 55+ community adjoining Oak Ranch with a separate entrance and community center. Roberts shared that filling The Reserve has been a more significant challenge, and to date, 130 of the 160 lots are full.

Oak Ranch in East Austin. Photos courtesy of Roberts Communities.

Roberts said he thinks that we will be seeing more communities where family and 55+ communities exist nearby or side by side but cautions that the boundaries between the two need to be clear to comply with fair housing laws. This includes separate rent rolls, contracts, a fence, and even gates between the two.

The convergence of property types may be a building trend, and it’s one that should come with some “stigma relief” for families and operators alike.

This isn’t only happening in Austin — retirees, active 55+ buyers, and families all are rethinking apartment life or living in a multifamily building in a tight, urban setting.

Land-lease communities can be what so many buyers are looking for; they need to be educated about the value and quality of life that today’s manufactured homes and communities can offer.

From Texas to Florida Affordable Housing is in Demand

Florida is experiencing a different type of boom.

People consider leaving behind their large homes and mortgages with colossal property and state income taxes in other states to move to Florida where they can downsize, do Zoom work from home, if they choose, and enjoy a new quality of life. Now being part of a community where people check in on each other and the term “know whom your neighbor” has a new meaning.

John Hall, President of Newby Management, said that of the 45 communities they currently manage, only four are not 55+ communities, and the residents of their 55+ communities are very protective of that age differentiation. They appreciate the social aspects of the active adult lifestyle and feel more in common with the other residents of their own age range, he said. It used to be that almost every manufactured housing community in Florida had a busy shuffleboard court. Now it’s being complemented in 55+ communities with pickleball, tennis, nature trails, well-appointed fitness facilities, and of course, a pool that preferably is large enough to swim laps in and host water aerobics classes.

But something that the residents refuse to give up is their vintage bingo machines. They are so popular with their retro tubes, lights, and wire cages that Newby Management has found a company to refurbish the ones they already have in their communities. Keeping common areas updated and continually refreshing the landscaping, signage, and look of the community is one of the things that sets a well-managed community apart from the rest.

Both Hall and Roberts agree that a 55+ community can be the easiest and most challenging to manage in various ways, and call for different management styles. Residents tend to have more time on their hands and are happy to tell you where the landscapers missed cutting a lawn section or whose home needs to be power washed. They tend to take much pride in their community and want to be included and informed about decisions that will affect their quality of life. They can be your best sales tools — they want to share their happiness with others.

Let’s face it — a perception that often is necessary to overcome, especially with seniors, is that all communities are owned by giant hedge funds or corporations in the business for quick cash. The prevailing perception, which has been earned only in small corners of the industry, is that homesite fees will rise beyond the residents’ ability to pay. Part of the challenge that we have to take on as an industry is to be better about sharing the real story about many of our community owners and managers (and that industry-wide lot rent increases are only somewhere slightly above 4%).

Even community owners and investment groups are starting to understand that messaging is an essential part of being successful in this industry. Paul Chase and Erick Mulicandov, principles of Iron Horse Properties, make it clear from the start that theirs is a long-term investment and that “we as owners put our head down on the pillow at night and feel good about what we do.”

If what site builders are doing is any indication, we will be seeing many more communities that have different clusters or villages in them with different styles and types of homes that attract different lifestyles and age groups.

Chris Nicely, president at ManuacturedHomes.com, shared that he sees this happening nationwide. Casata is a cluster housing concept that focuses on wrap-around services and lifestyle amenities being built in Austin. It is opening as a lease product for now and uses homes that Skyline Champion Corporation is building. They thought their market would be millennials just graduating from nearby colleges, but on opening day they toured with more than 200 people. More than half of those people ended up being active senior adults, so their marketing strategy may change.

Roberts stressed that flexibility is critical when planning a new community or changing direction on an existing one. He suggested building the initial homes and amenities at the back of the property and building towards the front. Hence, if situations change, there is an opportunity to divide the community and make part of it an all-age offering instead.

With all of these innovations and improvements going on, it seems that the perception of manufactured homes and land-lease communities is going from “only if I have to” to “consumer’s first choice”.

But we have to be the gatekeepers, earn and claim the chance to impress consumers and municipalities, to show what a good investment our homes are, and what a good neighbor our communities will be.

Iron Horse Properties is making a serious commitment to sharing with city and state leaders the new story about factory-built homes, not just buying or building a property and moving into a town. And Roberts stressed that “we want to stay affordable and achievable here. If we lose our direction, we can’t stay affordable to our customers.”

Home Prices Soar in ’21

Patrick Revere

July 2, 2021

case shiller index home prices all time high

Domestic Home Prices Rise 14.9% in 20 Cities

The Case-Shiller Index, a leading measure of U.S. home prices, shows the average cost of a home continues to increase in all measured markets, with all-time high home price surges in several cities.

Data released in late June for prices through April 2021 show the rise and more than 27 years of history are available for the data series.

Home Prices Year-over-Year

The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index, covering all nine U.S. census divisions, reported a 14.6% annual gain in April, up from 13.3% in the previous month. The 10-City Composite annual increase came in at 14.4%, up from 12.9% in the previous month. The 20-City Composite posted a 14.9% year-over-year gain, up from 13.4% in the previous month.

Phoenix, San Diego, and Seattle reported the highest year-over-year gains among the 20 cities in April. Phoenix led the way with a 22.3% year-over-year price increase, followed by San Diego with a 21.6% increase and Seattle with a 20.2% increase. All 20 cities reported higher price increases in the year ending April 2021 versus the year ending March 2021.

Home Prices Month-over-Month

Before seasonal adjustment, the U.S. National Index posted a 2.1% month-over-month increase, while the 10-City and 20-City Composites posted increases of 1.9% and 2.1%, respectively, in April.

After seasonal adjustment, the U.S. National Index posted a month-over-month increase of 1.6%, and the 10-City and 20-City Composites posted increases of 1.4% and 1.6%, respectively. In April, all 20 cities reported increases before and after seasonal adjustments.

Case-Shiller Analysis of U.S. Home Prices

“Housing prices accelerated their surge in April 2021,” S&P DJI Managing Director and Global Head of Index Investment Strategy Craig J. Lazzara said. “The National Composite Index marked its eleventh consecutive month of accelerating prices with a 14.6% gain from year-ago levels. This acceleration is also reflected in the 10- and 20-city composites.”

The market’s strength is broadly-based: all 20 cities rose, and all 20 gained more in the 12 months ended in April than they had gained in the 12 months ended in March.

“April’s performance was truly extraordinary,” Lazzara said. “The 14.6% gain in the National Composite is literally the highest reading in more than 30 years of S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller data.”

Housing price gains in all 20 cities accelerated, all in the top quartile of historical performance. In 15 cities, price gains were in the top decile. Five cities – Charlotte, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, and Seattle – joined the National Composite in recording their all-time highest 12-month gains.

“We have previously suggested that the strength in the U.S. housing market is being driven in part by reaction to the COVID pandemic, as potential buyers move from urban apartments to suburban homes,” Lazzara said. “April’s data continue to be consistent with this hypothesis. This demand surge may simply represent an acceleration of purchases that would have occurred anyway over the next several years. Alternatively, there may have been a secular change in locational preferences, leading to a permanent shift in the demand curve for housing. More time and data will be required to analyze this question.”

Phoenix’s 22.3% increase led all cities for the 23rd consecutive month, with San Diego (+21.6%) and Seattle (+20.2%) providing strong competition. Although prices were strongest in the West (+17.2%) and Southwest (+16.9%), every region logged double-digit gains.

Take a look at some manufactured housing industry trends and statistics, bookmark the MHInsider homepage, and check back regularly for manufactured housing news!

The Art of Hiring a Community Manager

Maria Horton

July 1, 2021

There is a unique process for hiring a property manager, and it’s one that has evolved greatly in the manufactured housing industry. In years past, a manager often was a senior retiree who could collect rents and enjoy either concession on their space rent or a rental home in lieu of payment for the job. Those days have escaped us.

Maria Horton, regional manager and marketing director for Newport Pacific.

At present, in order to hire a property manager, we must look for someone who is organized and is good with technology, a problem-solving decision-maker who possesses customer service skills.

A perk might be that the management position comes with a place to live and paid utilities. Industry wide, the hourly pay at times was less than minimum wage given the housing accommodations, something labor law no longer supports.

Besides, the multi-million-dollar assets we own and operate now require personnel to be carefully recruited, screened, and evaluated. In recruiting a candidate, look for experience. Look for a candidate who has worked in our industry or a similar one. Find someone who is familiar with laws that apply to housing. Inquire about the use of accounting and property management software. Make apparent the need for someone with writing skills, and ask the candidates to compose a letter as part of the application or evaluation.

How to Conduct an Interview with a Community Manager Candidate

Starting the interview process, remember you are the salesperson representing your company. Begin by selling this person on your company and why they may want to join your organization and operate a manufactured home community. Every part of this process is about you needing quality talent as much as it is about the candidate who wants a job.

Below are some questions we find helpful once the interview has begun in earnest. Remember you want the candidate to be excited about the prospect of joining your company!

Ask the candidate, toward the end of an interview, “After speaking with us and given what we’ve both learned, do you feel you’re a good candidate for this position?”

Ask the candidate to explain their answer. And, of course, to put out the questions in a bullet list like this makes the process seem like an interrogation. It doesn’t have to be. Try to keep the tone conversational, feel free to expand on the planned questions, and let the candidate responses guide you toward other lines of inquiry before returning to the planned set of questions.

Good Questions to Ask a Community Manager Candidate

General Questions

What is your employment goal?
Are you seeking a job or a career?
Are you interested in advancement?
What type of formal training have you had? Do you have any certificates that are relevant to housing and property management?
Are you willing to relocate to a different part of the country?
What are your salary requirements?
Do you need or want on-property housing?

Sales and Marketing Questions

Can you share with us your impressions about the letter-writing requirement for this position, and how well do you feel you did?
What is your strongest marketing skillset?
What other sales and marketing proficiencies do you have?
What experience do you have filling vacancies?

Technology Questions

Do you have advanced computer skills?
What kind of accounting and property management software do you use?
Are you familiar with AMSI?
Have you used a direct deposit machine?
Are you proficient with spreadsheets?

Management Questions

What do you like about being a property manager?
What do you dislike?
Do you work better independently or with a team, what has the mix been for you most recently?
How many staff members have you overseen in your prior experience?
Have you worked on multiple properties at the same time?
Have you worked as a project manager at your property? Have you worked with vendors?
Do you have knowledge of utilities, and if so can you explain your experience? (Power pedestals, water, sewer hook-ups)
How familiar are you with the state laws affecting this property?
What type of manager are you? Describe your people skills.
Do you have an example of how you motivate an individual or team through a difficult task, such as resident rule enforcement?
How would you handle a situation where you did not agree with your immediate supervisor? What do you feel is the best way to communicate with your supervisor?

There may be a new set of more sophisticated questions for a follow-up interview. And that’s better saved for a second installment.

Your property manager is first in line to represent your property, your company, and your residents. Hiring the right person is vital to your company’s reputation, and it’s more important than ever, in a difficult labor market, to efficiently search for, hire, train, and retain the best candidates for you and for the industry as a whole.

JLT Market Reports Available for Manufactured Home Communities in Colorado, Delaware, NJ, Wyoming

Patrick Revere

June 30, 2021

Filling Vacant Lots — Photo courtesy of UMH Properties, Inc.

Datacomp published July 2021 JLT Market Reports for manufactured home communities in Colorado, Delaware, New Jersey, and Wyoming, which include mobile home rent comps, occupancy, and other vital up-to-date data.

JLT Market Reports provide detailed research and information on manufactured home communities in 186 U.S.housing markets. Reports include the latest rent trends and statistics, marketing programs, and a variety of other useful management insights.

Datacomp’s JLT Market Reports are the nation’s #1 provider of market data for the manufactured housing industry. JLT Market Reports are recognized as the industry standard for manufactured home community market analysis.

July 2021 manufactured housing market data published in JLT Market Reports for Colorado, Delaware, New Jersey, and Wyoming include information on 239 “All ages” and “55+” manufactured home communities.

Altogether, the reports from the four states’ manufactured home communities include data representations for 62,891 homesites.

Regional Trends in Manufactured Housing Community Rent and Occupancy

The West region manufactured home communities show a year-over-year 0.8% increase in occupancy and a 4.3% increase in adjusted rents year-over-year.
Northeast region manufactured home communities show a year-over-year 0.4% increase and a 3% increase in adjusted rents year-over-year.

“Rent and occupancy in manufactured home communities is stable nationwide, evidenced by the anticipated moderate increases in lot rent across the four states published in the July 2021 JLT Market Reports, with only slightly higher than average increases regionally in one of the four states,” Datacomp Co-President and Chief Business Development Officer Darren Krolewski said.

What’s in JLT Market Reports?

Each JLT manufactured home community rent and occupancy report from Datacomp has detailed information about investment grade communities in the major markets. The detailed information includes:

Number of homesites
Occupancy rates
Average community rents, and increases
Community amenities
Vacant lots
Repossessed and inventory homes, and much more

JLT Market Reports also include management insights that rank communities by number of homesites, occupancy rates, and highest to lowest rents. Established reports show trends in each market with a comparison of July 2021 rents and occupancy rates to July 2020, as well as a historical recap of rents and occupancy from 1996 to present date in most markets.

The July 2021 JLT Market Reports for manufactured home communities in Colorado, Delaware, New Jersey, and Wyoming are available for purchase and immediate download online at the Datacomp JLT Market Report website, or they may be ordered by phone in electronic or printed editions at (800) 588-5426.

Each fully updated report for mobile home communities is a comprehensive look at investment grade properties within a market, enabling owners and managers, lenders, appraisers, brokers, and other organizations to effectively benchmark those communities and make informed business decisions.

June 30 Final Day for Networking Roundtable ‘Early Bird’ Pricing

Patrick Revere

June 29, 2021

George Allen stands center with the dozen MHM Certification graduates from the 2018 Roundtable in Indianapolis. Instructors Katie Hauck and Kathy Taylor are at the right with the table of class materials.

The Final Networking Roundtable, after decades of annual meet-ups across the country, has been set for Aug. 12 in Nashville. The event provides networking, discussion of important industry topics, the opportunity to make deals, and this year the honor of celebrating the career and achievements of the event’s founder, George Allen.

Networking Roundtable “early bird” pricing ends June 30, register today for the best deal.

In previous years, the Roundtable moved from Colorado, to Indiana, to Florida, most often in the late fall, attracting many of the most engaged and knowledgeable leaders in the business, from community management, to finance, retail, manufacturing, and services. Each year provides a schedule of panels and speakers covering industry trends and topics, as well as an opportunity for each attendee to introduce themselves and their company to the attendees.

The Final Networking Roundtable, at the Hilton Nashville Downtown in the middle of historic Music Row, has a limited amount of exhibit and sponsorship positions for manufactured housing industry professionals. The single day of programming will include a state of the industry address by Allen, as well as a keynote address, cocktail mixer, celebratory dinner, and a special presentation to cap the evening.

“The relationships and connections fostered by George have helped many attendees catapult their careers and given a voice to community owners and operators across the country,” event organizer Erin Smith said.

Bookmark the MHInsider homepage and check back regularly for manufactured housing news!

Can the COVID Housing Boom Continue?

Bryce Gill

June 25, 2021

post covid housing boom manufactured home community — Pantano Vista, Tucson, Ariz.

By many measures, the COVID recession is the worst since the Great Depression. Within two months, the U.S. lost 22 million jobs as most of the country went into lockdown in the early days of the pandemic. By comparison, the Great Recession in 2008 saw job losses of nine million peak-to-trough. Meanwhile, unprecedented restrictions on daily life over the past year have resulted in the closure of roughly one in five small businesses, with the service sector particularly hard hit.

First Trust Advisors Economist Bryce Gill.

Depending on what data you look at, though, you may not have noticed a recession at all. For example, personal income actually rose 6.1% in 2020, the result of the federal government stepping in and more than fully replacing lost income with stimulus checks and boosted unemployment benefits. Meanwhile, every major statistical group — from the top 1% to the bottom 50% — saw their net worth rise in 2020. Households saved more money than ever, paying down debt and improving their personal balance sheets.

Nowhere has this dichotomy been more apparent in the past year than in the U.S. housing market. Sales of new and existing homes rose 20.1% and 6.2% respectively in 2020, the result of people fleeing strict pandemic restrictions, large-scale urban unrest, and a desire for more personal space in the suburbs during the lockdown. The inventory of existing homes available for sale is currently at its lowest level on record back to 1999, and 74% of homes sold in February were on the market for less than a month! Meanwhile, the number of completed new homes available for sale is down 48.1% in the past year, the result of a massive increase in demand during the pandemic outrunning the ability of builders, who are hamstrung by social distancing regulations and disrupted supply chains, to bring enough new supply to the market.

How to Look at the Housing Market Post COVID Restrictions

Now that vaccines are increasingly widespread, portions of the country have begun reopening the economy.

Many are left to wonder what the outlook for the housing market is. Will sales collapse as apartment rentals in the cities once again become viable competitors for single-family homes? We don’t think so. We expect the housing market to continue to perform well, with sales stabilizing at higher post-pandemic levels for several reasons.

First, a trend toward work-from-home is likely to remain in place even as pandemic-related measures are eased around the country. Many companies that previously required workers to be in the office changed their policies during the pandemic and it will be hard to reverse them. Moreover, many companies that were initially skeptical about these policies are realizing how good they can be for the bottom-line by eliminating office space expenses. That means people who were previously tied to specific locations, typically in urban areas, will have more flexibility, making more space in the suburbs or rural settings an attractive proposition.

Second, there has been a huge shift in buyer preferences over the past year, with younger buyers who have preferred cities in the past finally seeing the value of owning their own home. In fact, for the first time, Millennial borrowers in 2020 accounted for more than half of all new mortgages. This shift in preferences hasn’t all just been age-based though. All demographics of people have been leaving high-tax states with strict pandemic restrictions for greener pastures, and in huge numbers. Looking at the most recent estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau from July 2019 to July 2020, just midway through the pandemic, demonstrates this. California, New York, and Illinois on net lost 278,374 residents while Texas and Florida on net gained 615,221. In the past year, new home sales are up 20.2% in the South but are down 11.6% in the Northeast and 8.1% in the West. We expect the South to continue to make up a larger share of overall home sales in the future as U.S. internal migration continues and less arduous zoning and construction regulations continue to give the region distinct advantages from a cost-of-living perspective.

A model home in Far Horizons East, a manufactured housing community in Tucson, Ariz.

Finally, there are significant demographic tailwinds coming together for home sales for the foreseeable future. According to Pew Research, Millennials in 2019 surpassed Baby Boomers as the largest living generation. The biggest cohort of Millennial births was in 1990, meaning that group is turning 31. And Census Bureau population projections show that the key homebuying population is those aged 30-49 years. Home buying is set to grow significantly through 2039.

However, in order to meet this rising demand for housing, the U.S. will need to solve the slow-rolling building crisis that has been ongoing for decades. In the early 1960s, the U.S. built roughly three new housing units for every 100 households annually. However, that number has steadily fallen over the years to just a single new unit for every 100 households in 2020.

One part of this decline in new construction over the years is increasingly stringent zoning and construction regulations, with current homeowners pulling up the ladder behind them in large cities to the detriment of a new generation. However, another major issue is the stagnation in productivity growth for single-family construction, which has resulted in fewer homes being built at higher prices. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that between 1987 and 2019, labor productivity fell slightly for single-family home construction.

On the whole, we’ve actually gotten worse at residential building in the past 30 years!

Innovation and the application of modern manufacturing techniques to residential construction will be crucial to alleviating this problem going forward. Pre-fabricated housing, where units are designed and manufactured off-site to benefit from economies of scale before being transported and assembled at the desired location, offers a promising way to meet this challenge. We have also only just begun to see the possibilities with 3D printing, with a developer in Mexico recently printing entire homes in under 24 hours.

As entrepreneurs step in and solve the current inventory shortage in new and exciting ways, one of the major headwinds in the U.S. housing market since 2008 will begin to dissipate. This paired with the pandemic-induced shift in living preferences, improved household finances, and advantageous demographic shifts should keep housing primed for continued growth in the years ahead.

Materials & Labor

Patrick Revere

June 25, 2021

There are two vital words echoing through the manufactured housing industry and surprisingly neither of them is “shipments”, “demand”, or “perception”.

Materials and labor.

Labor and materials.

Arrange them any way you like.

Suffice to say, manufactured home builders and probably to a lesser degree the full swath of manufactured housing professionals, would take a 2×4 to the forehead — if they could find one — for just one more good framer, account executive, painter, or transporter.

Materials is a nice, broad term, as is labor, which means if you’re having difficulty in it, you’re having a lot of difficulty.

Mike Wnek is the vice president of business development for Jacobsen Homes in Safety Harbor, Fla.

What About Lumber Prices?

Interior home decor options for new manufactured homes from Jacobsen Homes.

Lumber prices rose more than 240% since the pandemic shutdowns began. The dramatic increase is the result of low inventory in anticipation of a spring crash given COVID restrictions. While there was a short, sharp dip, the demand for lumber rose rapidly throughout the spring and summer as a move to the suburbs ensued aside massive homeowner push for expansions and improvements. Most building industry analysts and operators anticipated a longer and more disruptive lull in building and home buying. Yet, Home Depot, the country’s largest home improvement retailer, in 2020 experienced a year-over-year sales jump of nearly 20%, an increase of more than $20 billion from annual revenue of $110 billion in 2019 to $132 billion during 2020.

But the high cost and low supply situation is not limited to lumber. Windows are difficult to source. All varieties of kitchen appliances are on backorder.

Mike Wnek is the vice president of new business development for Jacobsen Homes, the top builder of manufactured homes in Florida.

“Even smaller needs like a certain type of tape for finishing a dishwasher…. The holdups are a real problem,” Wnek said. “And there’s no room to keep a home waiting in the wings. We know that these challenges will ease up, but that’s little comfort when you’re enduring them day-to-day.”

At most plants, a home that cannot receive windows stops the production line. And most facilities were running at full tilt leading up to the pandemic, forced now to play catchup amid unrelenting consumer demand and continued pipeline disruptions.

Finding Help When You Need It

Where do you go to find good employees when most of the labor force is being asked to stay home and paid to do it?

In an environment where COVID precautions clearly are needed, but essential work must continue, the organization and its customers again are left in the lurch. Wnek said Jacobsen typically employs about 160 people at its Safety Harbor, Fla., facility. However, during COVID the number of payroll employees had to rise to more than 180 as a buffer to protect against workers needing to stay home, either because they’re sick, have been exposed, or are needing to care for someone at home who has been.

“Again, you do what you have to do to keep the homes moving,” Wnek said.

Builders and state associations in Florida, and in other states, have formalized relationships with trade schools, community colleges, and workforce development organizations to find the help they need.

“A fellow can get a job at one of these new big box type companies like Amazon with a climate controlled facility and really good salary and benefits,” Wnek said.

“We’re competitive, but it’s hard to compete with those types of employers, and they’re all the way up and down I-4,” he said. “Fortunately, they haven’t come this far, into Safety Harbor, so we’re still doing alright with labor, but it is a challenge for us and everyone.”

Coming Out of Coronavirus Economy

It is a bottle-neck economy with backorders mounting. That’s to say, the demand for quality affordable housing and the path to homeownership has never been more valuable.

Any way you look at it, 2020 was a “good” year for manufactured housing in an otherwise awful year.

The new year is brightening. Vaccines will help return most Americans toward a relative if uneasy normalcy.

We also know job programs and talent recruitment efforts work in our favor during stable times, and material and pipeline disruptions are just that.

2021 Spells Eased Restrictions, Substantial Real Growth

Brian Wesbury, the chief economist at First Trust Advisors, said the robust job gains of the spring may translate into a jobs boom that could include 30-day reports of a million or more new jobs.

“We need it,” Wesbury and co-author Robert Stein penned in a report last month. “In spite of the surge in jobs in March, total payrolls are still 8.4 million short of where they peaked pre-COVID, with the leisure & hospitality sector, all by itself, accounting for 3.1 million of that deficit. Most of those gaps should be closed by the end of this year.”

First Trust’s ISM Non-Manufacturing index rose to 63.7 in March, nearly four points beyond expectation. The reading is the single best since recording began in 1997. All eighteen industries tracked in the index reported growth, a “feat rarely seen”.

Who is Buying A Home?

And then there’s the homebuying crowd.

Even through the winter and early spring, amid continued lockdowns and moratoriums, home buying stayed strong. Similarly, homestarts nationally waned only with seasonality and for a short time through the devastating weather in the central plains. Housing starts increased 19.4% in March to a 1.739 million annual rate, beating the anticipated 1.613 million. Starts are up 37.0% versus a year ago.

The gain in March was due to both single-family and multi-family starts, Westphal said. In the past year, single-family starts are up 40.7% while multi-unit starts are up 28.8%. Starts in March rose in the Midwest, Northeast, and South, but fell in the West.

The Case-Shiller index is up 11.2% during the last year, its largest single-year gain since 2006. The FHFA index is up 12% during that time, its largest gain since the index began in 1991.

“We anticipate a return to the upward trend in housing starts very soon, led higher by single-family homes,” Wesbury said. “First, despite a 10.8% decline in February, building permits for future construction remain near the highest level since 2006. Moreover, permits have now outpaced new construction for seven consecutive months. This has resulted in a backlog of projects that have been authorized but not yet started, which is now the largest in nearly 15 years. So, with plenty of future building activity in the pipeline and builders looking to boost the inventory of homes as well as meet consumer demand, look for both overall and single-family starts to post even higher highs in 2021.”

And, as First Trust colleague and economist Bryce Gill notes in the 2021 State of the Industry edition of MHInsider magazine, a huge shift in buyer preferences has occurred during the last year, very notably with younger buyers seeing an increased interest in owning their own home. Last year was the first in which Millennial borrowers made up better than half of new mortgages.

If general economic models hold, the manufactured housing industry is poised to do well.

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Overview of MH REITs

Second Quarter 2021 MH REITs Performance

Manufactured Housing Industry Data Points

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Hoya Capital Disclosures

721 Contributions for Community Owners

What is a 721 Contribution, 721 Transaction?

Exhibitor, Sponsorship Opportunities at SECO21

From Texas to Florida Affordable Housing is in Demand

Domestic Home Prices Rise 14.9% in 20 Cities

Home Prices Year-over-Year

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Case-Shiller Analysis of U.S. Home Prices

How to Conduct an Interview with a Community Manager Candidate

Good Questions to Ask a Community Manager Candidate

General Questions

Sales and Marketing Questions

Technology Questions

Management Questions

Regional Trends in Manufactured Housing Community Rent and Occupancy

What’s in JLT Market Reports?

How to Look at the Housing Market Post COVID Restrictions

What About Lumber Prices?

Finding Help When You Need It

Coming Out of Coronavirus Economy

2021 Spells Eased Restrictions, Substantial Real Growth

Who is Buying A Home?

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