New MHVillage Feature: MHVfastLead

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September 26, 2017

MHVfastLead Improves Response Time

We all know response time is crucial when it comes to sales. We also know that home sales, specifically, require customers be responded to in the most efficient and timely manner. Which is why we have developed the MHVfastLead.

This features allows you to receive a text notification from MHVillage, every time we email you a lead on your listings.

What is the importance of responding quickly to a lead?

“Salespeople have 100 times greater chance of making a successful contact with a lead within five minutes of an inquiry, as opposed to 30 minutes.”

-Dr. James Oldroyd who published a “Lead Response Management Study” via “Inside Sales” (check out this article from All Business for more details)

How can the MHVfastLead improve my response time?

One of the benefits of online marketing is its immediate gratification factor. This means consumers are used to shopping, making contact and hopefully receiving a response in record time.

While this is great for the consumers, this can prove to be difficult for home sellers. We recognize the difficulty of responding to customers while working in the field or giving a tour of a home. This feature is an efficient way to be be notified of a lead, so you can respond to them as quickly as possible.

The MHVfastLead also is customizable!

While we understand notifications are helpful, you may only want to receive those during your designated business hours.

With this in mind we give you the tools to set days and times that you will receive the text notifications.

On the days and times you are not receiving the notifications to your phone, you will continue to receive those leads via email, just without the text notification.

How can I try this feature?

Start by logging into your account and from your account page select he “Update Your Account Information” option. Below your account information you will see the date/time options and checkbox to start receiving the MHVfastLead text notifications.

If you have any questions about this features please contact our customer service!

Why Should I Link to MHVillage?

By

Dawn Highhouse

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September 25, 2017

Does your company have its own website? If you’re not linking that website from MHVillage, you’re missing a great marketing opportunity – and a powerful tool for your own website.

Here’s what makes a link so powerful.

We are talking about sending a stream of people who are currently planning on buying a manufactured home directly to your site. Not only that, but adding a link will help buyers using Google and other search engines to find your site.

This is a very important piece of advertising!

Here are a few things to know:

Information sources home buyers use in the home search

Internet: 57%
Real estate agent: 17%
Lender: 6%
Friend or Relative: 6%
Drove by: 6%

From the National Association of REALTORS® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

Home Listings

Every home you sell can have a link to your website. Our Premium level ($9.95 per home/per month) has a field to add that link. A Premium listing also comes with a number of additional features like unlimited photos and the ability to link to a virtual tour. Use this function, and get four times the views compared with a Basic listings.

Seller Tip: Instead of just adding a link to your homepage, consider linking to a page within your site that motivates a seller to action. Consider a pre-application page or a page to set up an appointment to view your homes or community. Or take an idea from the Real Estate world and encourage buyers to sign up for a regularly emailed list of your new homes.

Community

Put a link on your Showcased community. Showcase communities are $34.95 a month. Like Premium listings, the Showcase feature comes with many added benefits – unlimited home photos, better search placement, and more fields for information. However, there is one other big advantage to a link on your Community page: it is “permanent”. Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t change it – like everything on MHVillage, you can upgrade or downgrade at will and edit your link address at any time.

This biggest reasons to put your link on MHVillage is something we haven’t even talked about yet: SEO.

What is SEO?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility of a website or page in a search engine’s organic search results. In general, the higher the rank on the search results, the more visitors and potential buyers will see what you offer.

There is a lot to SEO, more than we have time for in this article, but one of the techniques for improving where your site appears is having links from other relevant pages to yours.

If you want, think of pages like balloons. The more balloons you link together, the higher they can go. However, you don’t always need a lot of little balloons – sometimes all you need is one big one. That’s where MHVillage comes in. Our site gets more than 60,000 visitors on average each day.

Sales Center

Not too long ago I wrote an article, on how to write a great caption line, one that will motivate buyers to take action!

Make the Most of an Opportunity at The Louisville Show

By

Patrick Revere

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September 20, 2017

Find the Path to Success at The Louisville Show 2018

One of the most critical elements to getting the “jump” on competition is being ready and fully prepared for the opportunity.

Fortunately, there’s a unique and accessible forum to gather opportunities and combine them with timely insights to create the ultimate successful business strategy.

The Louisville Manufactured Housing Show is recognized as the industry’s premiere indoor manufactured housing show.

For more than 50 years, the annual show brings out an array of new home designs, the latest in technology, the best in suppliers’ offerings and a look at all the newest amenities and system-built options the industry offers. There is a wealth of information in one place.

Build the blueprint to success at the 2018 Louisville Show Jan. 17-19

Last year’s show attracted 1,922 builders/developers, retailers, community owners/operators, and installers representing 749 different companies. Exhibitors were pleased with attendance and traffic flow.

Sneak Peek at Programming

Organizers for The Louisville Show continue to develop what is certain to be a robust, information-packed speaker and seminar schedule.

Consultant Ken Rishel, seminar program organizer, provides a sneak peek of the developing program. Areas of interest include a presentation by community owner and industry leader George Allen on “How to Buy Homes at The Louisville Show”, a section from Consultant Ken Corbin on how to conduct homes sales, and topics around financing customer homes by Dick Ernst, president of Financial Marketing Consultants.

The Louisville Show will release a formal SEMINAR SCHEDULE later this month.

By coming to Louisville, participants can assemble the components of a plan to help situate them as an industry leader in the Midwest and beyond.

“When you exhibit at Louisville, you will give buyers the luxury of an actual walk-through of your home, service or product in a unique, hands-on environment,” Show Producer Dennis Hill said. “You will be able to relate to your customer base, better understand their needs, and be able to answer questions on the spot.”

Service companies and suppliers at Louisville will number in the hundreds. Supplier exhibitors, crucial to our industry, provide vital services and products. The newest technology, products and services will be shows in the exhibitor showcase.

Louisville is sold out of original service and supplier booth spaces

Held at the Kentucky Exposition Center, more than 57 model homes will be on display, along with an expanded offering of industry seminars, and more than ample time to network with industry contacts and friends.

The Crowne Plaza Hotel will again serve as the Show Headquarters. The Crowne Plaza is across the street from the Kentucky Exposition Center. It is a mere three minutes from the Louisville Airport.

There is ample, safe parking at the Kentucky Exposition Center. Reservations can be made at: https://aws.passkey.com/e/49170992.

The Louisville Show takes advantage of a critical time in the manufactured housing industry calendar, as builder/developer groups, retailers, community owners/operators and installers want to place orders and have inventory delivered in time for the early selling season.

The Louisville Show once again will use QMS of Alpharetta, Ga., to facilitate its online registration system. Their weblink service provides fast and efficient registration both before and during the show.

The show schedule allows everyone the time to investigate and compare competing manufacturers and supplier exhibitors.

The Louisville Show Hours:
Wednesday, Jan. 17
Exhibits Open 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 18
Exhibits Open 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 19
Exhibits Open 9 a.m. – Noon

For more information on the 2018 Louisville Manufactured Housing Show, contact:

Dennis J. Hill
Show Coordinator
(770) 587-3350
showways(at)bellsouth.net

Countdown to SECO

By

Patrick Revere

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September 14, 2017

2017 Southeast Community Owners Symposium in Atlanta/Marietta Boasts Deep, Diverse Agenda

The Countdown to SECO 17 is on, with less than one month before the meet-up of more than 350 small to midsize community owners at what has become the region’s premiere manufactured housing industry conference.

Hilton Atlanta/Marietta Hotel & Conference Center is the new host venue for SECO 17 Oct. 11-12. Reduced rate rooms at the Hilton are long, long gone, but convenient and comfortable nearby vacancies are available!

SECO’s agenda is deep and diverse in topics aimed at helping to fill vacant sites, manage communities more efficiently and add revenue to the bottom line.

Programmers for SECO have organized more than a dozen presentations from noted industry professionals speaking on their individual areas of expertise. The discussions include the following:

Consultant Ken Corbin on “Selling Homes & Filling Spaces”
Chris Nicely, CEO of Next Step on “Pre-Purchase Counseling of Homebuyers”
Luminary George Allen’s ever-popular “Status of the Industry”
Financial Planner Brett Danko on “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the Federal Reserve (But Were Afraid to Ask)”
MHVillage’s very own Darren Krolewski on “Selling CSH Homes via Internet Marketing”
Veteran Community Owner Michael Power on “How You Can Fill Four to Seven Community Owned Homes per Month, Each and Every Month, No Matter How Soft the Market”
Mogul Jefferson Lilly on “Non-standard ways to improve LLC Cash Flow and Value”

Join us, MHVillage/Datacomp, a Platinum Sponsor of SECO17, next month in Marietta!

SECO17 is less than one month away – Register now!

Countdown to SECO is about Pre-SECO Seminars!

Time is running out to register for Pre-SECO sessions, a bonus day on Oct. 10 that is certain to get the juices flowing. The extra day includes information, presentation and discussion by Rent Manager on its Basic & Advanced products, a talk on Internet Marketing with Dawn Highhouse, Director of Digital Marketing for MHVillage, and a presentation on Lease-Option Seller-Financing by Pentagon Properties President and SECO co-founder Spencer Roane.

SECO presents material of great value, and also provides unparalleled networking opportunities, and five new Community Series Homes attendees can tour. And, don’t miss the opportunity to win one of those homes for your community, or the estimated $35,000 value of the home, in the SECO 17 Community Series Home raffle.

Make Your Home Listings Stand Out with Caption Lines

By

Dawn Highhouse

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September 12, 2017

Today we are going to highlight a special feature on MHVillage home listings. In fact, the importance of this feature is sometimes overlooked. Today we will discuss Caption Lines. We’ve written about them before, and once again wanted to point out this marketing tool.

Caption Lines are one extra line of text that appears in the search results on Featured or Premium MHVillage listings. This line of text appears in the search results, along with the thumbnail photo and basic information about a home. Of course, you have the Description section of a listing for details about the home. Caption Lines are just a snippet of text, designed to grab the buyer’s attention and encourage them to read more.

The Caption Line is the text in red, “GREAT LOCATION ACROSS FROM THE CLUBHOUSE.” Every Featured or Premium listing will let you add this custom text. It is important to realize that this text can be a powerful tool. This is your opportunity to specifically highlight something about the home that would catch a buyer’s attention.

Here are some additional examples of Caption Lines:

Notice that the first and second home listings have Caption Lines, while the third does not. The first two expressly point out information to the buyer. In one case, the home seller is letting the potential buyer know this home is furnished. (That could be a special draw to vacationers, for example.) The second home listing makes sure to highlight the lower price and the location of the home. In other words, these two listings are calling out important information.

On the contrary, the third home listings is missing a Caption Line. Even though it is an option with their marketing package, they chose not to use it. We would consider this a missed marketing opportunity.

How to Write Great Caption Lines

The first thing to remember is that facts are not important with this tag line – you want EMOTION. Look at the following three ideas:

Pristine view of Mt. Rainier
Waterfront property with excellent bass fishing
Remodeled kitchen with top-quality cabinets

Each caption sparks interest and invites the home buyer to learn more.

As can be seen, Caption Lines are a fantastic sales tool. From time to time, however, we occasionally see sellers duplicate the home information in their Caption Line. Here is an example:

The Caption Line simply states the name of community – as you can see, that is already on the home listing. A better use of this space would be to highlight something specific in order to encourage a buyer to click on the listing and learn more.

As shown above, a properly written Caption Line can be a powerful tool.

Please note that URLs, (i.e. website addresses,) email addresses, and phone numbers are NOT allowed in the listing caption, and will be removed. (There are other fields available for you to enter this information.)

In short, when listing your manufactured and mobile homes on MHVillage, you need to be using this feature. Questions? Contact the Customer Service Team – we are here to help!

FMHA Calls for Information After Irma

By

Patrick Revere

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September 12, 2017

FMHA Calls for Information After Irma to Connect Resources to Areas of Need

Hurricane Survivors Florida — USCG Search & Rescue Team in Jacksonville

Manufactured home communities in the path of Hurricane Irma have experienced varying degrees of damage and flooding, and the Florida Manufactured Housing Association has put out a request for information that can bring resources to people in need and tell the stories of storm survivors.

“We’re still trying to assess the extent of the damage. We’re getting varied reports all over. There’s a lot of damage in the Keys and up the west coast and into Tampa,” FMHA Executive Director James Ayotte said. “The east coast has a lot of flooding from storm surge, if not damage from the wind.”

Hurricane Irma Makes Landfall Sunday Morning

Hurricane Irma made landfall in South Florida on Sunday morning. Power is out to more than half of the state residents. Flooding and property damage is widespread for home owners.

Ayotte said FMHA is organizing a crew to fly over the region and will document the area’s condition.

A Continued FMHA Call for Information After Irma

Meanwhile, the association would like to hear from homeowners and residents who need help, or have resources to provide, and also would like to document how the storm affected individual manufactured homes.

Rescue Workers in South Florida — USCG Search & Rescue Team in Hastings, Fla.

“We’re open for business, and working with state and federal entities to get the aid people need,” Ayotte said. “If people need assistance, please contact us and we can accommodate that. We have members who have inventory, with homes and sites that are available right now.”

Many Floridians are stranded or isolated for a variety of reasons, including communication and infrastructure disruptions, as well as because of health or socio-economic challenges. So, FEMA, the U.S. Coast Guard and other state and national recovery teams have been working round the clock to lend assistance.

“As an industry, it’s of great interest to us how manufactured homes, particularly the ones built since 1994, are holding up,” Ayotte said. “We want the stories, we want people to share with us what they’ve experienced.”

Individual residents and community owners/managers should call FMHA at (850) 907-9111 to report the condition of homes, share experiences from Hurricane Irma, as well as to express any needs or ideas for providing relief.

MHVillage Community Data Report

By

Ellie Walker

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September 12, 2017

MHVillage offers a Community Data Report by State!

The Community Data Report has information from MHVillage, with a database of more than 36,000 communities nationwide, and the Manufactured Housing Institute’s Community Attributes System (MHICAS).

This report includes locations, rents and year-built; all in a downloadable spreadsheet.

Additionally, the Community Data Report lets you add customized information. Choose to include everything from phone numbers, site counts, and vacant sites to age or pet restrictions.

As a result, prices vary based on which details you want to include. The cost of reports will also vary from state-to-state.

What Benefits Come from a Community Data Report?

We have found there is a range of professionals regularly ordering community data reports in an effort to maintain awareness and update their information about communities in our industries.

This information is useful for investors, companies looking to purchase communities or companies that offer services to communities. If you manage your own community, this product offers you a look at your local market, which can provide valuable insight when it comes to effectively managing and marketing in our industry.

If you are looking for reports that are more detailed and/or customized we recommend contacting Datacomp Appraisal’s JLT Market Reports.

We also offer a sample report right on our webpage for you to view/download, ensuring the information is presented in a clean and efficient format for your internal use.

If you have any additional questions or need more information, give us a call or email at feedback@mhicas.org today. We have staff members on hand that are ready to help!

The Frog Reduces Time, Energy Expended to Pour Concrete Pads

By

Patrick Revere

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September 12, 2017

New Product Replaces Mud Buckets,’Gas Caddy’

Joe Frisina developed a product that leaps into action when a need arises to pour concrete pads, piers or other kinds of foundation concrete.

The Frog attachment for concrete came about to meet the Frisinas’ needs, in moving and setting homes for the family business, RoMar Homes. After using it for a while, the inventors came to understand how helpful it could be to other professionals who need to pour concrete pads.

“We were pushing wheelbarrows around like most other people who do this,” said Frisina, who co-owns Frog Attachments with his father and brother, both named Dominic. “That’s slow, and can be dangerous depending on how solid the footing is right on the bank of where you’re pouring.

“This provides an added 10-foot reach, and it’s very helpful,” Joe Frisina said.

The Frog received its patent in December 2016. Shortly after it won Most Innovative Product at World of Concrete 2017 in Las Vegas.

Larry Clark of New Jersey Paving purchased The Frog at the show in Vegas.

“Instead of getting a sloppy column, you get a perfect pour. There’s no waste. And it doesn’t look like it’s been splashed on, because it hasn’t,” Clark said. “People come by and say, ‘Man, where did you get that?’ It’s nice to have the best equipment so you can do a perfect job.”

A New Product to Pour Concrete Pads

The Frog has many uses, but a primary use is creating quick, economical and stable foundations for manufactured housing.

“When a community owner has to take out an old home, the existing foundation is either not grandfathered or just obviously needs to be replaced, and this provides a way to do that concrete work and saves a lot of time and labor.

“Last year I did a home with 41 piers,” Frisina said. “That’s typically a six- to eight-hour job. I brought the Frog in and used it for the 30 piers I couldn’t reach. We were able to get the job done in two hours and forty minutes.”

The product reduces the number of laborers needed. It reduces fatigue and cuts down on project time. Therefore, it also allows for the scheduling of more jobs. All of these aspects lead to greater efficiency and increased profit.

The attachment weighs a bit less than 350 pounds and operates with a crew of three, Dominic Frisina Sr. said.

The Frog attaches to a standard skid-steer. A concrete mixer fills the tube with 12 cubic-feet, or four wheelbarrows, of concrete. The skid steer gets in place, lifts and pours.

It’s made from high-density polyethylene and has a steel support and framework.

Frisina said The Frog sells for $4,495 and is shipped anywhere in the continental U.S. If the customer is within 100 miles of the family’s business in Espyville, Penn., Frisina will deliver it in a truck for a reduced price of $3,995.

California Property Manager Speaks to Net-Zero Energy

By

Patrick Revere

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September 8, 2017

MariaHorton_net-zero_energy — Maria Horton from Newport Pacific talks about net-zero energy homes.

California Standard Toward Net Zero Energy Influence States Across the Country

A California-based property management group urged attendees at the 26th Annual International Networking Roundtable to pay special attention to the energy performance of homes they build and the homes they place in MH communities.

Maria Horton is the director of marketing for Newport Pacific, of Irvine, Calif.

“We have to have extremely energy-efficient homes,” she said in a late Thursday seminar at The Alexander hotel in Indianapolis.

California regulations on energy efficiency are tightening, and Horton contends that her state is the beginning of a wave that will work its way across the country.

One of the key phrases driving the trend is “Net Zero Energy”, which means a home or community is able to produce as much energy through solar and wind as is consumed. The other catchphrase that works hand-in-hand with the net-zero notion is “intentional communities’, meaning residents of a community work together to create lifestyle and services efficiency from electric vehicle charging stations to cooperative gardens.

“No one solution is going to make all the difference,” Horton advised the Networking Roundtable audience. “It’s a mix of solutions that will get your where you want to be.”

How to Get to Net Zero Energy

Among the building blocks toward accomplishing net-zero energy is the use of mineral wool insulation in the walls, EnergyStar appliances, radiant barrier roof sheathing, and double-pane windows. All of these solutions help to keep cool air in and warm out during the summer. The opposite occurs in the cold months, with elements maintaining warm air and keeping out the cold.

“The insulation is so important and impacts everything else in the house,” Horton said. “It’s really amazing how will this mineral wool keeps the heat in.”

Newport Pacific owns and managers manufactured home communities in Southern California. The goal is to gain the net-zero balance, and the movement is gaining attention.

The new beachside tiny home village in San Luis Obispo is the former Village Mobile Home Park, a distressed property that is being redeveloped for student and worker housing.

“We have officials in cities outside of California calling us to ask our help,” Horton said. “It’s very exciting. It’s so important for us to make a difference for people.”

Newport Pacific has worked with Cavco to gain energy efficiency in homes that will go to its customers, and the manufacturer’s customer base has embraced more and more of these solutions over time, leading with the EnergyStar appliances.

“Our clients are really beginning to ask for that now,” said Steve Quick, vice president of business development for Cavco. “We don’t really need to push this. It’s almost become self-directed.”

How to Rehab a Community Home

By

Patrick Revere

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September 7, 2017

Rehab a community home manager — Community owner Michael Power talks to the Roundtable attendees about rehabbing community homes.

Time is Money When Involved in the Rehab of a Community Home

Industry veteran Michael Power provided a wealth of information midday Thursday on how to rehab a community home with efficiency and profit in mind.

Power has been a partner in ownership of 25 manufactured home communities during his career. He also has rehabbed more than 2,000 homes and purchased 1,000 new homes in the operation of communities in North Carolina.

“If you have home rehab needs, get in there right now… the clock is ticking,” he told more than 100 attendees during a presentation at the 26th Annual George Allen International Networking Roundtable in Indianapolis.

How to Prepare for a Rehab Project

Power’s tips ranged from how to shop and clean to how to hire help and finalize the staging.

On buying products — such as paint brushes, gloves, and cleaning solvents — he advised owners and managers to avoid time spent going from place to place.

“Pick one place and stick with it. Buy the best stuff, and stick to a brand,” Power said.

When it comes to repairs and updates, be reasonable about how “perfect” you want to make the home. Home shoppers make decisions based on location in the park, the color of siding and skirting or the tree in the yard before they’re going to base it the most current color or stylish design.

And remodeling, he said, really is about patching holes, painting and laying new carpet.

“It’s really not that difficult,” Power said. “You don’t have to hire a giant company. If you’re hiring, get the person who has their name on the side of the truck and comes with two workers. It’s the best value option.”

Power also suggests taking out old, solid doors.

“Get doors that have a pane of glass,” he said. “Let a little light in.”

After the rehab, lightly scent each room with a pleasant aroma that will allow a shopper’s olfactory system to say “Oh, this is a nice place.”

Finally, make the place functional — put up shower curtains, lay down mats, provide tissue and paper towels and make sure every fixture has a fresh light bulb of the proper wattage.

“Rehabbing properly can really optimize your occupancy and tee you up to be able to buy new homes to replace the older ones in your community when that time comes,” he said.

MHVillage and Datacomp are Platinum Sponsors for the Roundtable and will provide information and insight from Indianapolis throughout and following the event.

MHVfastLead Improves Response Time

What is the importance of responding quickly to a lead?

“Salespeople have 100 times greater chance of making a successful contact with a lead within five minutes of an inquiry, as opposed to 30 minutes.”

How can the MHVfastLead improve my response time?

The MHVfastLead also is customizable!

How can I try this feature?

Information sources home buyers use in the home search

Home Listings

Community

What is SEO?

Sales Center

Find the Path to Success at The Louisville Show 2018

Build the blueprint to success at the 2018 Louisville Show Jan. 17-19

Sneak Peek at Programming

Louisville is sold out of original service and supplier booth spaces

The Louisville Show Hours:Wednesday, Jan. 17Exhibits Open 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

2017 Southeast Community Owners Symposium in Atlanta/Marietta Boasts Deep, Diverse Agenda

Countdown to SECO is about Pre-SECO Seminars!

How to Write Great Caption Lines

FMHA Calls for Information After Irma to Connect Resources to Areas of Need

Hurricane Irma Makes Landfall Sunday Morning

A Continued FMHA Call for Information After Irma

MHVillage offers a Community Data Report by State!

What Benefits Come from a Community Data Report?

New Product Replaces Mud Buckets,’Gas Caddy’

A New Product to Pour Concrete Pads

California Standard Toward Net Zero Energy Influence States Across the Country

How to Get to Net Zero Energy

Time is Money When Involved in the Rehab of a Community Home

How to Prepare for a Rehab Project

EVENTS

EDITOR PICKS

POPULAR POSTS

POPULAR CATEGORY

The Louisville Show Hours:
Wednesday, Jan. 17
Exhibits Open 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.