Land Bank Banks on Modular Homes

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July 11, 2018

Champion Modular Home from Strattanville, Pa. — Installers assemble a new multi-level Champion modular home.

InnovaLaB Finds Breakthrough in Land Development with Modular Housing

InnovaLaB, the former Kent County Land Bank, has 125 home-ready parcels in the city of Grand Rapids with big plans to develop the properties with modular homes, three of which were set just last week.

InnovaLab modular home project — Three new modular homes were put on properties owned by InnovaLaB, the former Kent County Land Bank.

“The city has been working feverishly to solve not just the affordable housing situation, but the entire lack of housing in the city,” InnovaLaB Executive Director David Allen said.

Allen said Grand Rapids is among the U.S.’s least favorable cities in terms of housing availability per capita, rivaling other difficult to maneuver housing markets such as Seattle and Eugene, Ore.

Grand Rapids at any given time, Allen said, has about 100 homes for sale, priced from zero to $5 million. Homes deemed affordable, available for something near $200,000, are all the more difficult to find.

New Modular Home from Champion Homes — The nearly complete interior of a new modular home

How InnovaLaB Found Modular Housing

Solving these availability and affordability problems is what land banks do. And in recent conversation with Grand Rapids Interim City Manager Eric DeLong and Universal Forest Products CEO Matt Missad, one seemingly magic phrase was uttered to Allen: “You should look into modular, it’s not what you think it is.”

Allen agreed it was worth a look, and afterward reached out to Champion Homes’ Joe Kimmel, VP for the northeast region, an invitation was extended for Allen and his colleagues to attend the Louisville Manufactured Housing Show in January.

“Let me tell you, I was a skeptic,” Allen said of his approach to The Louisville Show. “I did not believe I would like what I found. I was telling myself all the way there, ‘You’re not going to like this’ and ‘I don’t think this is going to work’. Well, I was wrong. If I had a scale of 1-10, what I found was a 12. The homes I saw on display really exceeded my expectations and entirely changed my mind about what was possible.

“The quality, the design, everything, just so impressive,” he said.

Champion modular home assembled on site — Install crews used a crane to place and assemble the new modular homes in Grand Rapids.

The Change Began at The Louisville Manufactured Housing Show

Champion Modular had just re-launched its popular brand All-American Homes, and already was churning out new models at its Strattanville, Pa., plant. The model home they set up was a hit at the show, and Allen came away from Louisville feeling he had an answer for the Grand Rapids housing market.

So , through weekly meetings in the spring with Champion, including with the company’s lead designer Roberto Kritzer, Allen landed on 13 new home designs he felt would provide a good fit for every one of those 125 municipal lots and many others county and statewide.

“We came up with the three unique designs specific to start this project, and those are the three homes we just put in,” Allen said.

In July, InnovaLaB had an entry level modular home put on Cooper Avenue SE, a mid-price home that sits on Herrick Avenue NE and a more high-end home for Sigsbee Street SE.

All three homes were ordered from Champion Modular’s plant in Strattanville, Pa., and all arrived ready to set on their foundations within four weeks. Each home came in at about 70 percent the cost of what its site-built counterpart would be.

The median price per square foot in the U.S. is $148, and in city of Grand Rapids it’s about $129 per square foot and $142 per square foot median in the metro area.

DeLong, the interim city manager, said he had some understanding of modular housing through his brother’s professional experience, and understood that the product had taken great strides in quality, design and aesthetics.

“I felt that modular was a viable solution to the affordable housing problem here, and I’m pleased to see this pilot program going so well,” DeLong said. “The land bank has been really sensitive to the quality of design and how a home will fit the neighborhood. I drove by the 1010 Cooper house, and I think it looks really great, and it’s an affordable option. That’s something that’s hard to do, and that’s is being done. InnovaLaB has launched a pilot with a lot of promise.”

How Buyers Can Get In a New Modular Home

InnovaLaB has plans to set up a modular home center inside their Grand Rapids offices so interested buyers can go get a better feel for the product and pick out home amenities — from cabinetry styles to countertop materials and more.

InnovaLaB Leadership — InnovaLaB Executive Director David Allen.

Potential buyers can treat these new modular homes as they would any other home for sale. When completed and priced, the homes will be listed on the Grand Rapids MLS and open for viewing and offers. However, a selection of the lots being used were supplied to InnovaLaB by the city of Grand Rapids with a qualification that buyers for a home on those properties are confirmed to earn at or below the area’s median income, which currently is about $62,000 annually for the household.

Allen said if developers — whether in the for profit or non-profit sector — can make the math work for the land, the only obstacle is people’s general perception of factory-built homes.

“There is a lot of stigma with modular and manufactured homes, and we’re taking on that stigma starting with modular, and we do have plans moving forward for manufactured housing as well,” Allen said. “There are places of need where manufactured is the solution, too, and those are programs we will be talking more about at a later time.

“But, with what we’re doing with modular right now, I think we’ll see rapid progress,” he said. “We’ve caught the attention of the governor, who is asking for regular updates. And similar infill sites are being identified throughout the state for this purpose.”

Champion Modular Home — A newly installed two-story modular home in Grand Rapids, Mich.

The Word is Spreading About Modular for City Infill

InnovaLaB had a North Dakota expert on home siting and set up come in to work with a local team while dropping the new modular homes.

“It was great. At first it was entirely the North Dakota team doing the work and slowly our local guys got in there and were lending a hand,” Allen said. “By the the last home was set they were working 50/50, side by side. It was really great to see.”

Allen said the early success in Grand Rapids can inform similar projects in other parts of the state or country, including in Romulus, Mich. Romulus is in need of workforce housing and affordable housing to address construction and the permanent workforce needs related to a pair of distribution centers to be built.

Tim Keyes, the Romulus Economic Development Director, said the two distributions centers — for Amazon and Penske — will produce more than 2,000 jobs.

“We’ve had a lot of conversation internally about workforce housing,” Keyes said. “I’d love to see what my neighbors to the west are doing. It seems like a great concept and really could help us in making decisions for our housing needs.”

New Home Shipments Continue to Soar

By

Patrick Revere

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July 10, 2018

New Manufactured Home Shipments Up Again — New home shipments on the rise.

Year Over Year Home Shipments for May up 11.7 Percent

In May 2018, new manufactured home shipments increased 11.7 percent with 8,769 homes shipped. This is up from May 2017 when there were 7,848 homes shipped.

Total shipments for May 2018 are higher by 490 homes when compared to April 2018. Compared with May 2017, the trend is positive with shipments of single-section homes, up by 10.7 percent, and multi-section homes, up by 12.7 percent.

Total floors, which accounts for each section, shipped in May 2018 increased 11.9 percent to 13,598 compared to May 2017.

No Designated FEMA Units in May 2018 Numbers

Of the 8,769 homes shipped in May, there were no homes designated as FEMA units.

The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of shipments was 95,522 in May 2018, down 1.2 percent from the adjusted rate of 96,729 in April 2018. The SAAR corrects for normal seasonal variations and projects annual shipments based on the current monthly total.

In May, 133 plants representing 37 corporations reported production data to the Manufactured Housing Institute, which is one more of each than in April 2018.

— Shipment Data Courtesy of the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI)

Seabrook Manufactured Home Residents Excited For The Future

By

Patrick Revere

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July 6, 2018

ROC — Seacrest Cooperative recently became a resident-owned community.

Content Contributed by ROC USA

Seabrook, N.H. — After voting overwhelmingly in favor of purchasing their community, homeowners in Seacrest Cooperative made resident-ownership a reality.

ROC USA helped with the Seacrest sale — Resident Betsy Coggins joined Seacrest Board Members on June 27 as they signed the purchase papers for their community.

Residents purchased their 190-unit manufactured-home community, making it New Hampshire’s 125th resident-owned community (ROC) and the 21st in Rockingham County. The community was originally called Staples Mobile Home, Inc.

Resident Betsy Coggins was thrilled with the opportunity to purchase the park. She said she has many friends in other ROCs in N.H. and understood immediately what a great opportunity they had.

“It’s safety. It’s security,” she said. “We have control and say about what happens in the future.”

The co-op’s members, and their elected board of directors, worked closely for months with ROC-NH to make the purchase a reality.

Board secretary Nancy Lewis, treasurer Denise Tuccolo, and president Stuart Erbstein were some of the earliest supporters of resident ownership. At the first meeting where the possibility was put to the residents, Erbstein, who has a background in commercial real estate, told them buying the park was a no-brainer.

“We’re excited and relieved,” said Lewis. “It’s done! We own it and it feels great!”

Dave Palavanchuk, the co-op’s operation manager, said they will hit the ground running. He had already researched vendors for services like snowplowing, trash pickup, and landscaping.

ROCk papers — Residents of Seacrest become the new owners of their community.

“We’ve been busy, but all this groundwork will still be making a difference 40 or 50 years down the road,” he said. “Our cooperative will always be an affordable place to live in Seabrook.”

They finalized the $11 million purchase June 27 with a mortgage from the Community Loan Fund.

Board Members will work with Michelle Supry of ROC-NH, a program of the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, for the duration of their mortgage — at least 20 years.

MHI Legislative Fly-In Recap

By

Patrick Revere

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July 3, 2018

Interim CFPB Director Mick Mulvaney addresses MHI members at the 2018 Legislative Fly-In

Manufactured Housing Institute Members Fly to D.C. for Round of Meetings on Capitol Hill

2018 Legislative Fly-In, Washington, D.C. — MHI’s Director of Government Affairs Lesli Gooch takes the podium at the 2018 Legislative Fly-In.

Members of the Manufactured Housing Institute, the only national trade organization representing factory-built housing, had its members from across the country descend upon Capitol Hill last week for the 2018 Summer Legislative Fly-In.

MHI members representing 19 states conducted nearly 100 meetings with Congressional offices of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.

The Fly-In yielded immediate results, with the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Acting Director Mick Mulvaney telling attendees he will help ensure regulations do not stifle financing for manufactured homes. He also said members of Congress are asking that HUD Sec. Ben Carson expedite reforms on manufactured housing regulations.

Fly-In Attendees Have Access to Law and Policy Makers

The event in Washington, D.C. attracted top administration officials including Mulvaney and Federal Housing Administration Commissioner Brian Montgomery. In addition, FHA Chief of Staff Joe Gormley participated in a convening of MHI’s Technical Activities Committee to discuss concerns about the regulatory review pace and specific items that should be prioritized. Among these items are HUD’s regulation of add-ons, the on-site completion of construction rule, and the frost-free foundation proposal.

Capitol Hill visits were successful in demonstrating to Members of Congress the importance of manufactured housing as a critical source of housing for constituents.

MHI’s comprehensive advocacy strategy goes beyond the standard penning of emails and regulatory comment letters. The institute’s lobbying efforts work toward real-world understaning of issues and development of strong and lasting relationships with Congress and key administration officials.

Participants at the Fly-in, which is closed to the public, including media, offered a consistent message with viable requests in anticipation of tangible results.

MHI Honors Legislators with ‘Champion of Homeownership’ Awards

Several legislators were honored with awards for their being a “Champion of Homeownership”, including House Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas; Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind.; Reps Andy Barr, R-Ky., Bruce Poliquin, R-Maine., David Kustoff, R-Tenn., Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., David Scott, D-Ga., Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y, and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz.

Rep. Hensarling thanked members of MHI during his acceptance of the award, telling them manufactured housing is a noble profession.

“In my district we make and live in a lot of manufactured homes,” he said. “This is their version of the American dream and you make it happen. I was glad to champion this bill (Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act). Our work is not done until every American that wants a home gets one.”

Managing Your Community Managers: Lead Management

By

Ellie Walker

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July 2, 2018

Managing Your Managers Part Two- Lead Management

MHVillage has been a part of this industry long enough to know what consumers have come to expect when buying a home or moving into a community. If your company manages multiple communities, this article will help you manage your managers with respect to lead management practices.

As the industry continues to grow we continue to see professionals from other industries join us. We also see more companies acquiring multiple communities and adding to their portfolios. These situations combined can provide obstacles when it comes to streamlining the management of the managers at each property.

This article is the second in a three-part series that focuses on managing your community managers. (Check out part one focused on Marketing).

Why Lead Management is Important

According to Forbes, on average businesses waste 71 percent of their leads with only 27 percent of leads ever getting contacted and 35 to 65 percent never getting called at all.

(See the full article on “Why Companies Waste Their Internet Leads”)

Effective and efficient lead management is a key element when it comes to closing a sale of a home in a community or securing a valuable long-term resident. The more properties you have in your portfolio the more necessary a lead management strategy.

How and when is your next resident shopping?

Knowing how and when your customers are shopping are important details. This information helps refine your advertising, keeps your lead response time as short as possible and just, in general, better prepare your managers for the job at hand.

Some areas, depending on location, tend to get a lot of foot traffic, specifically on the weekend, while others might see a ton of website traffic and during the work week. To gather this information start with reviewing your website and online advertisements traffic. As for foot traffic, try extending your office hours 1 or 2 days of the week.

Fun Fact: The heaviest traffic on MHVillage’s mobile site is on Sundays, peaking at 8:00PM

Be prepared when your audience calls

Your managers need to have all of the information available and ready to give potential residents. Whether this is current digital PDFs with information that is easy to print or a sleek website to refer to that has accurate costs and contracts available. Having the necessary paperwork on hand and readily available shows your potential resident that you value their time and your community is organized and supportive.

Response time is everything

A large part of your plan for managing your managers should focus on the importance of response time. The closer your manager’s response can get to the 5-minute mark, the more likely they are to qualify and eventually convert a lead to a resident. There have multiple studies and research that has shown the age old “early bird gets the worm” adage remains a thriving bit of advice.

Most of us know the 5-minute mark has been proven to be 50 percent more likely to close a sale. Lately, we are getting closer to a 2 to 3-minute mark if possible. With the fast pace of our world consumers, in general, are getting more accustomed to instant gratification and instant response times. Making sure your managers plan and are supported to achieve satisfaction in this area.

MHVillage offers the MHVFastLead which you can set up within your account. This feature allows you to receive a text notification from our website whenever we send you a lead. (Note the lead itself will still be sent to the email on the listing, this notification just lets you know we sent it!). This feature is also free and included in every account!

To set this up, simply log into your account and head to the “Update Account Information” page. The details and timeframe options are all listing there towards the bottom of the page.

How do your managers keep up?

A strategic plan and established system in place provide your team with support and tools to effectively meet the above goals.

“70 percent of the buyer’s journey is completed before they even get in touch with a sales rep”

–InsideSales.com

Companies with multiple properties often establish a system where they categorize their leads by importance and reply in order. Another option would divide the different lead types and send them to different departments or sales reps in an effort to maintain the quick response time needed.

MHVillage sends the leads via email directly and in real time, but we also store them within the account. The lead section in the account also has the option to download them in spreadsheet form. This option lets you manage all of the leads generated from MHV in a convenient and easy to manage spreadsheet.

The art of following up

Following up is crucial in showing your potential residents that you care about them. Typically, a follow up via email can be the most effective. This is the case as long as you provide them with the information they need. Not only can an email follow up be convenient and faster it also provides a paper trail.

A good follow up email will contain the following key details:

Customer’s Name
Details about the home(s)
Additional home options that might be similar
Your direct contact information

Another tip would be to offer a time-sensitive incentive for the customer that would encourage them to reply sooner!

Hopefully, this information can help you and your team effectively manage the leads you receive your multiple properties.

If you have any additional questions about MHVillage and the lead management options we offer on our site, be sure and contact our customer service.

Multi-State Convention in Orange Beach, Ala. Draws Near

By

Patrick Revere

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July 2, 2018

The Multi-State Convention will be held at Perdido Beach Resort — The 6th Annual Multi-State Convention is Aug. 4-6 at Orange Beach, Ala.

Multi-State Convention Preview Aug. 4-6 Draws 360 Manufactured Housing Professionals to Coast Alabama

The 6^th Annual Multi-State Convention is around the corner and will serve as the primary summer meetings spot for manufactured housing professionals who do business in Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana.

Organizers from the state associations represented in Orange Beach anticipate about 360 attendees at Perdido Beach Resort.

Program for the Multi-State Convention in Orange Beach, Ala.

Midday Saturday at the Multi-State Convention each of the state associations will hold board of directors meetings, followed by the Welcome Reception for attendees and the simultaneous Kids Program for younger guests.

Sunday at the Multi-State Convention offers a choice of three outings: Golf, fishing or a cooking demonstration. That evening is the annual Dessert Extravaganza.

Monday opens with a breakfast buffet followed by the General Session with presentations from Rick Robinson, who is general counsel for the Manufactured Housing Institute, as well as Darren Krolewski from MHVillage, and representatives from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac who will provide updates on chattel lending.

That afternoon is a series of state-by-state breakout sessions, with another kids program that evening while attendees close the convention with a reception and banquet.

The Alabama Manufactured Housing Association will also hold continuing education programing on Tuesday Aug. 7.

“We try to do something with a variety of activities that will really allow people to spend time together,” Mississippi Manufactured Housing Association Executive Director Jennifer Hall said. “Now that the industry is doing so well, with all of the states having increases in shipments, everyone is so busy and maybe the most difficult thing is to find the time that’s needed for everyone to take a breath and catch up.”

Louisiana serves as the host association for the 2018 meeting and offers the theme of “Exploring New Possibilities”, which reflects the industry’s upturn and growth potential.

Clayton Homes’ Properties Group Buys Indiana’s Largest Site-Builder

By

Patrick Revere

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July 2, 2018

Arbor Homes Bolsters Clayton’s Growing Portfolio of Home Builders

Clayton Properties Group®, a division of Clayton Home Building Group® and a Berkshire Hathaway company, has acquired Arbor Homes, the largest Indianapolis home builder.

Founded in 1994 by President Curtis Rector, Arbor takes pride in being the largest locally‐owned and operated home builder in Indianapolis, known for their high‐quality, entry‐level homes.

In 2004, Arbor founded its sister company, Silverthorne Homes, to offer a luxurious, custom‐built home line with high‐end features as an alternative option for home buyers. Arbor and Silverthorne Homes have built more than 13,000 homes in 36 communities in greater Indianapolis.

“For 24 years we have been committed to providing quality homes at great value, as well as providing growth opportunities for our team members,” said Arbor President Curtis Rector. “Upon meeting the Clayton team, it was immediately apparent they shared similar values.”

The Clayton Properties Group business model is simple — partner with world‐class companies in strong growth markets that share the same goals in their culture, innovation and commitment to customer and team member experience.

The Arbor Homes ‘Fit’ with Clayton Properties Group

Arbor’s emphasis on extraordinary team member experience and world‐class customer experience align seamlessly with Clayton Properties Group’s business model and values. Arbor was named a 2017 and 2018 Top Place to Work by the Indianapolis Star.

The company has a strong focus on customer satisfaction and research, and in 2017, developed a leadership role specifically designed to drive customer experience initiatives and maintain a forward‐thinking approach to the home buying experience.

“Curtis and the Arbor team’s culture, business model and dedication to provide an exceptional team member and customer experience, make a great addition to our distinguished family of builders,” said Clayton Home Building Group President Keith Holdbrooks. “We immediately recognized their level of expertise and commitment to building high‐quality, affordable housing. With a current average home sales price of $199,000, Arbor Homes fits a niche price point between our off‐site and on‐site builders —we’re excited about the potential opportunities to shape the future of affordable housing.”

Home Builder Rankings from Builder Magazine

In 2017, Arbor closed on 998 homes, nearly a 15 percent increase from the previous year. The company is ranked 55 on the 2018 Builder Magazine’s Builder 100 list and is projected to close on approximately 1,200 homes in 2018.

“Joining Clayton gives us the platform to continue this journey on an even greater scale,” said Rector. “We are excited about this partnership and the future of Arbor and Silverthorne Homes.”

Arbor Homes is the seventh home builder acquisition for Clayton Properties Group, and the second this year. Clayton’s site built market reaches Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and now Indiana.

Clayton Properties Group is ranked 29 on the 2018 Builder Magazine’s Builder 100 list. With the addition of Arbor Homes, Clayton Properties Group is on pace to build over 4,000 site built homes this year.

For more information, visit www.claytonpropertiesgroup.com, www.yourarborhome.com or www.silverthornehomes.com.

About Clayton Properties Group

Founded in 1956, Clayton is proud of its history of providing affordable, quality homes. The company is committed to opening doors to a better life and helping to build happiness through homeownership. As a diverse builder committed to quality and durability, Clayton offers traditional site‐built homes and prefabricated housing, including modular homes, manufactured housing, tiny homes, park model recreational vehicles, college dormitories, military barracks and apartments. Clayton Properties Group is the site built division of Clayton Home Building Group and includes Chafin Communities, Goodall Homes, Summit Homes, Oakwood Homes, Harris Doyle Homes and Brohn Homes. Clayton is a Berkshire Hathaway company. For more information, visit www.claytonpropertiesgroup.com.

About Arbor Homes

Founded in 1994, Arbor Homes has grown into Indianapolis’ largest new home builder, with over 13,000 closings. Currently selling in 27 communities throughout the Greater Indianapolis area (including Columbus, Marion and Kokomo), Arbor Homes prides itself in building relationships with the communities in which it’s involved and the relationships it develops with its homebuyers. For more information about Arbor Homes, call 317‐827‐6684, visit yourarborhomes.com or connect on facebook.com/arborhomesindy.

$616 Million Approved for Florida Hurricane Recovery Plan

By

Patrick Revere

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June 28, 2018

HUD Support For Florida Hurricane Recovery Focuses on Housing, Infrastructure, Economic Development

Florida Hurricane Recover Fundings — HUD Sec. Ben Carson

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Sec. Ben Carson today announced he is approving a disaster recovery plan to help Floridians recover from Hurricane Irma. In November, HUD allocated $616 million to the Sunshine State to support long-term recovery efforts.

The Florida action plan approved today is funded through HUD’s Community Development Block Grant—Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Program which requires grantees to develop a thoughtful recovery program informed by local residents. Learn more about CDBG-DR and the State’s role in long-term disaster recovery (en español).

“This funding is part of the Trump Administration’s continued commitment to helping the residents of Florida impacted by Irma to recover and rebuild their homes and their lives,” said Sec. Carson. “As we move along the road to recovery, HUD will be right by Florida’s side to help in any way we can to make the state whole again.”

Gov. Rick Scott said, “It’s great news that we were able to secure critical funding from HUD that will directly benefit the families who were most affected by last year’s storms. This $616 million will enable communities to build new affordable housing and to replace homes lost in the wake of last year’s hurricane season. Through this program, we can continue to move forward with long-term affordable housing solutions for displaced families as well as provide grants to businesses who were impacted by the storm. We won’t stop working until all of Florida’s communities have fully recovered.”

Plans for Florida Hurricane Recovery

To address unmet needs, the State of Florida has identified several housing and economic development recovery needs arising from Hurricane Irma and has designed the following programs to address those unmet needs and assist in the recovery:

Housing Repair Program ($273.3 million) will rehabilitate housing occupied by low- and moderate-income families that was damaged by Hurricane Irma. The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) will centrally manage the four following activities on behalf of eligible homeowner and rental property owner applicants:

Repairs to, reconstruction or replacement of housing units damaged by Hurricane Irma,
Flooded and debris-strewn streets in Naples, Fla.

which may include bringing the home into code compliance and mitigation against future storm impacts, including elevation.
The completion of work to homes that have been partially repaired.
Repairs to, or replacement of, manufactured homes impacted by Hurricane Irma.
Temporary housing assistance based on individual household needs and their participation in the Housing Repair Program.

Additional Areas to Receive Recover Funding

Workforce Affordable Rental New Construction Program ($100 million) will facilitate the creation of affordable rental housing though a partnership with DEO and the Florida Housing Finance Corporation by leveraging CDBG-DR funds with low-income housing tax credits as well using CDBG-DR funds for zero-interest loans for smaller developments.
Land Acquisition for Affordable Workforce Housing ($20 million) provides funding for the purchase of land for development into affordable housing, especially in areas of the state where the scarcity of developable land makes it difficult to construct properties that can be rented at an affordable rate for the community’s workforce.
Voluntary Home Buyout Program ($75 million) encourages risk reduction through the voluntary purchase of residential properties in high flood-risk areas. Communities that participate in this program are encouraged to develop plans for the reuse of the acquired land to further reduce flood risk and/or serve as a recreational space for the public.
Recovery Workforce Training Program ($20 million) will bolster workforce training throughout the state with the goal of growing the skilled labor force needed to support the long-term recovery, primarily in the housing construction field.
Business Recovery Grant Program ($60 million) provides funding for eligible business owners who are seeking reimbursement for the cost of replacing equipment and inventory damaged by Hurricane Irma.
Business Assistance to new Floridians from Puerto Rico ($6 million) provides business plan guidance, accounting services, licensing information and other resources to support assistance in assimilating to the business climate in the State of Florida.

In April, HUD also allocated an additional $791 million of CDBG-DR funding to Florida for unmet need, infrastructure and mitigation purposes. HUD will shortly issue requirements governing those funds, and Florida, along with other states, will be required to submit plans addressing their use. Read more about the additional disaster recovery/mitigation funding to Florida.

How to Use Social Media in the MH Industry

By

Dawn Highhouse

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June 19, 2018

Recently I gave a presentation on using How to use social media in the manufactured housing industry in Minneapolis for the MMHA Spring Conference. While the presentation was too long for one blog post, I thought I would provide an update on some interesting facts about social media on how to use social media in the MH industry.

Despite its hype, social media is at its heart just another means to achieve your marketing goals. As such, it should be approached in the same way. Just like all parts of your business, you need to have a plan and goals, if you are going to achieve the best results. What kinds of goals? Here are some ideas:

Real Goals for How to Use Social Media in the MH Industry:

Improve Customer Service and Sales by giving people alternate ways to contact you. (Some statistics show that 30% of Millennials engage with brands on a social media networks at least once a month. While the 18-34 age range might not be your customers now – they will be!)
Monitor and Manage Your Reputation Online. (90% of consumers read online reviews before visiting a business. Some social media networks have a rating system.)
Improve Search Results. (Facebook and other social media networks show up in Google searches. Multi-star reviews can also help.)
Inform Customers about the Advantages of Manufactured Housing and Community Living.
Advertise Inventory, Announce Sales Promotions, and Encourage Sales. (Ads on social media networks let you target your customers by age, sex, location and more.)

Decide Which Network to Use

Different platforms have different uses. Instagram is great for showing off photos of manufactured homes, communities and community events. Twitter can be great for following local news and keeping tabs on what everyone is talking about. Pinterest appeals primarily to women and is great for How-Tos, product suggestions and decorating ideas. Have videos? YouTube is the 3rd most visited site, after Google and Facebook. LinkedIn, a Microsoft-owned company, is the leading professional social media platform.

And speaking of Facebook, Facebook remains the most popular social media network. If you are just getting started in all this, it is where we recommend you begin. More than half of U.S. residents use Facebook “several times a day.” It has messaging functions for talking with customers, customizable ads, and a rating system. If you have your Facebook Business page up and running, with regular content and responding to messages, then you can take the next step and look at other social media tools.

Posting on Your Social Media Network?

We’ve written before on some simple social media tips, but one great way to start is by thinking about what people ask you or your managers. What are the questions you get regularly? What do people want to know? Also, look at your goals – if your goal is to inform people about manufactured housing, there are some amazing resources in our industry you can link to.

Also, think about creating a calendar. Having a calendar can simplify life considerably. First hit the major holidays and events, and then fill in from there. Here are a couple ideas to get you rolling:

Introduce newest employees (or celebrate anniversaries)
Interview a customer or resident
Ask questions or conduct polls
Share your company’s story and its mission

Social Media – Then and Now

The time of being able to ignore social media is long gone. Just as we worked on our newspaper ads, then our direct mail, phone call sales and then email etiquette, social media has to be a marketing and customer focus for your business. Need help? Keep an eye on the Insider. We post marketing tips and tools regularly!

Managing Your Community Managers: Marketing

By

Ellie Walker

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June 19, 2018

As the number one website for advertising in the manufactured home industry, we work with a variety of different professionals. More and more we see companies that manage multiple communities with everything from two communities to 200.

This article is part 1 of a 3-part series offering tips when it comes to managing your community managers.

Managing Community Marketing

Marketing for multiple communities can be done different ways dependent on your area, and your audience. Some companies brand all of their properties with the company name or logo. Other companies want each of their properties to have their own identity, independent of the company.

The decision is whether you want a “branded house” versus a “house of brands”. For instance, Apple is a strong branded house. Nearly all that it makes bears the Apple name and/or logo. Proctor & Gamble is a house of brands. It has an unassociated corporate name that runs major brands like Tide, Gillette, Vicks and many others.

If you have communities that vary in style, price, age restriction, and location, consider pushing the individual community’s brand. The reason being, the audience will be quite different for each property.

However, a unified identity for your collection of communities may be the way to go if your portfolio gears toward age-restricted communities in South Florida. This will train your targeted audience to recognize the organization. Plus, they will know there are options should their first community choice be fully occupied.

Make a Marketing Plan

Once you have decided how you want to brand the communities, the next step is creating a marketing plan to deliver to the community managers. This step is crucial in effectively managing the representation across the board.

Creating a shared folder or common drive is a great option since you always can update the information and contents at any time. Plus, everything is digital these days, so by providing your managers with everything in this medium, it will speed up the process for them in general.

The plan should include:

Logos and Imagery

High-resolution logos and images are probably the most important element to provide your team. Include multiple styles of logos that are specifically the size for social media too. (Here is a great source for current size requirements on each of the most dominant social media platforms).

Language and Messaging

Providing your managers with some marketing text for the community and homes gives them a solid base. This helps establish the language, and voice of the community. Dependent on how your portfolio is managed it may be unnecessary to have all of the marketing language come from the top of the organization. Regardless, include text to get your team started, then they can take it from there.

Your message should be refined to precisely your place in the market, with your audience in mind, and kept consistent across platforms.

Maybe you start with a blank page, or create some kind of tool — like a positioning statement or value proposition exercise. Regardless, the language should be refined, and set to different lengths with the same central theme. Keep it in a file and the message can be used in a press release, on a flier and on a web page, or for a tweet easily and quickly.

Important Web Links

Include any necessary links within the MH space. This gives your managers a central location for general web links, but also specific pages where you might want to add a UTM code to effectively monitor the marketing.

Strategy and Checklist

Give your managers the tools to effectively and efficiently manage their property. By providing them a marketing strategy with set goals, you allow them to see the big picture and also maintain the company’s goals. A checklist of social media platforms and advertisement options will make managing the marketing for the community organized and concise.

Calendar

Create a marketing calendar for each community. This is another essential tool. Your team can plan in advance for advertised community incentives and specials.

Maintain the Marketing

Once you have the plan in place and distributed to your team, the next step is ensuring the maintenance of the marketing plan for your community. Regularly updating the marketing plan is the obvious first step in maintaining the marketing. You also want to stay current when it comes to social media platforms. (Pro Tip: Here is an article that has some great tips on managing the social media platforms for your company!).

Although adding new properties to a portfolio can come with its share of heavy lifting, if you have an established marketing plan already in place, it can really help ease the transition for everyone.

Also, if your communities aren’t being managed on MHVillage yet, did you know you can advertise them on our site for FREE? Check out this video for more information!

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