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MHI Annual Awards Honor Outstanding Members

Five Annual Manufactured Housing Institute Awards Bestowed on Members Who Have Performed as Industry Leaders

ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 27, 2017 — The Manufactured Housing Institute honored five individuals for their outstanding achievements, dedication and service to the industry. MHI announced the honors during its Sept. 18 Annual Meeting in Orlando.

MHI Chairman’s Award

Don Westphal, Principal of Don Westphal Associates — In over fifty years of work designing manufactured home communities, RV resorts, and subdivisions, he has participated in the planning of more than 400,000 individual lots in nearly 500 communities.  A testament to his work, seven communities that he planned have been recognized with Land-Lease Community of the Year Awards at the MHI National Manufactured Housing Congress & Expo.  In 2006, he was inducted into the Manufacturing Housing and Recreational Vehicle Hall of Fame.

Westphal created the MHI Developer Seminars which resulted in many new developments utilizing HUD-Code and modular homes and would not have been possible without his initiative and participation. He also has co-authored two books for MHI that are sold through MHI’s online bookstore – Navigating the Manufactured Housing Zoning Process and Renewing your Manufactured Home Community.

He has served on the MHI Board of Directors through his leadership positions as Vice Chairman and Chairman of the MHI Suppliers Division and Chairman of the Manufactured Housing Educational Institute.  He has represented the Michigan Manufactured Housing Association on the board of governors of the MHI National Communities Council and the Federated States Division, served as Chairman of MHI’s Site Development Committee and Co-chaired MHI’s Urban Demonstration Project.

Frank Walter Standards Award

John Weldy, Director of Engineering for Clayton Homes — Weldy received the award selected by the MHI Technical Activities Committee to recognize one individual from an MHI-member company for their dedication in advancing the professionalism of the federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards and the industry.

Weldy has more than 22 years of experience working in the manufactured housing industry. He is a registered professional engineer in 39 states and holds the International Code Council certifications for residential inspection for all disciplines.

By sharing insights and experience, he has helped guide MHI’s and the industry’s regulatory initiatives.  He is a member of HUD’s Manufactured Housing Consensus

Committee where he has served as Chairman of the Technical Systems subcommittee and provides the industry with excellent representation in this important component of the regulatory system.

State Association Executive of the Year Award

Betty Whittaker, executive director of the Kentucky Manufactured Housing Institute — This is a peer award from the manufactured housing state association executives.  Whittaker, a 20 plus year industry veteran, worked tirelessly this year on one of her most challenging issues: the passage of a bill that allows a home to be severed from the land and then get a new title to the home. This new law became effective in July 2017. She was up against 120 County Clerks who opposed the bill. She also worked with the Governor’s office and other groups to tirelessly lobby for sales tax reform for manufactured housing and to change regulations to eliminate water testing requirements for communities that sub-meter.  She continues to keep these topics on their radar screen and has proven to be a great source for the Governor in drafting updates to state manufactured housing regulations.

mhi annual awards networking orlando

Jim Moore Excellence in Communications Award

Arkansas Manufactured Housing Association (AMHA)

Jim Moore, the late executive director of the Pennsylvania Manufactured Housing Association — Moore was committed to industry communications.

The AMHA created a video series to educate consumers and dispel myths, misconceptions and stereotypes about today’s modern manufactured homes. They held focus groups to identify concerns potential homebuyers had about the quality, value and safety of manufactured homes. AMHA took those insights and addressed them in videos highlighting construction standards and techniques, enhanced affordability due to bulk purchases of building materials, and the advantages of a controlled factory environment, as well as recent improvements in safety and durability. Association member manufacturers provided video and photos reducing the overall production costs for the project.  Since completing the series last fall, the videos have been viewed on the association’s Website more than 22,000 times.

Totaro Award

Dick Ernst, President of Financial Marketing Associates — MHI’s Financial Services Division created this award to recognize outstanding individual accomplishment, lifetime support and outstanding contributions to the manufactured housing financial services industry. It is named for Richard “Dick” Totaro, who was a driving force behind the creation of the MHI Financial Services Division. Totaro worked tirelessly, acting in the best interest of the industry.

Ernst has dedicated his entire career to the manufactured housing financial services industry. He’s had a consulting firm for 34 years, which specializes in factory-built housing finance and regulatory matters.

Ernst is regarded as one of the most knowledgeable individuals in the industry about the Dodd-Frank Act and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB’s) regulations regarding consumer financing for manufactured homes, and the GSE’s Duty to Serve requirements related to chattel lending. He attended numerous meetings with FHFA, participated in FHFA’s listening sessions, and served as a critical resource to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and FHFA in advancing MHI’s efforts. He’s also led MHI’s efforts to improve lenders’ ability to access and participate in both the FHA Title I and Title II Loan Insurance programs for manufactured housing.

In addition, he has worked to help ensure manufactured housing is a part of Administration and Congressional discussions about improving access to credit for affordable housing.

Ernst has also held several roles at MHI including serving three terms as Chairman of the MHI Financial Services Division, two terms as Treasurer of MHI, 19 years on the MHI Board of Directors and Chairman of the Government Relations Committee.

MHI is the only national trade organization representing all segments of the factory-built housing industry.  MHI members include home builders, lenders, home retailers, community owners and managers, suppliers and 50-affiliated state organizations.

Louisville Show Attendees Cautioned About Possible Hotel Scam

Scam Alert - Louisville Show Attendees

The Louisville Manufactured Housing Show, held Jan. 17-19, has issued a warning to attendees and potential attendees that a possible fraudulent scam has been uncovered involving an individual or individuals calling to offer assistance with hotel reservations.

The Louisville Show 2018 has no agreements with providers for this service, and is not making calls to registered or likely attendees about room reservations. Below is a portion of the statement released by the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The caller or callers have acted “as a ‘Hotel provider for our show’,” according to a statement by Show organizers. “They are contacting individuals in the Louisville Manufactured Housing Show community, soliciting ‘business’. Specifically, they will offer to make hotel reservations within the Louisville Manufactured Housing Show room block at the Louisville Manufactured Housing Show rate on your behalf, and they may also misrepresent that they are calling from the HOTEL.

The Louisville Manufactured Housing Show is not utilizing the services of any housing service reservations for the Louisville Manufactured Housing Show”.

Hotel reservations in relation to The Louisville Show should be initiated by the card holder/attendee and those reservations should be made directly with the hotel.

The Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau stated similar hotel reservation scams have been perpetrated in relation to other conventions or industry gatherings in the city as well.

Any questions or concerns about this unfortunate development should be directed toward The Louisville Show organizers by contacting them through the website or calling (770) 587-3350.

The Louisville Show 2018 organizers offer apologies for those who must now concern themselves with the possibility of a scam related to the Show’s lodging.

Cities and Counties Must Abide by Fair Housing Laws Too!

MHI Fair Housing Newsletter – Sept. 2017

As the nation’s largest provider of non-subsidized affordable housing, manufactured home communities deal with fair housing laws and issues on a daily basis.

Community owners and managers must consider the impact of the Fair Housing Act in nearly every interaction with their tenants. This is the case with proper screening of prospective tenants to considering requests for that allow emotional support animals.

However, housing providers are not the only ones that must abide by the Fair Housing Act. Cities and Counties must consider how their ordinances and actions — especially land-use planning laws — impact protected classes.

The Fair Housing Act makes it illegal to discriminate in any type of housing based on:

  • Race
  • Color
  • Religion
  • Sex
  • National origin
  • Disability
  • or familial status

In summary, these groups often are referred to as “protected classes”.

Fair Housing Laws Tested

In May, the United States Supreme Court issued a ruling that cities and counties were legally responsible for making sure their ordinances and enforcement actions did not have a discriminatory impact on “protected classes” of people.

The very first case filed after the Supreme Court decision involved a manufactured home community in Richmond, Va.

The allegation was that the government was using selective enforcement of certain ordinances against a community that was largely occupied by minorities. The case ended up settling in favor of the community and its residents.

MHI is tracking several cases that HUD has determined a government ordinance or action has had a disparate impact on protected classes.

Additionally, MHI has been assisting several states in developing cases for HUD to consider.

Therefore, if you believe residents of your MH community have been discriminated against by the ordinances or actions of a local government, contact your state association executive director.

MHI will work to see if there is a basis for filing a complaint with HUD for fair housing discrimination.

Fair Housing MemberEditor’s note: MHVillage and the Manufactured Housing Institute have agreed to partner on fair housing initiatives, and as part of that agreement, MHVillage will publish the MHI monthly newsletters on the topic with this blog as well as its consumer blog www.MHVillager.com.

New MHVillage Feature: MHVfastLead

MHV Fast Lead

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.
MHVfastLead
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?

link to mhvillage why

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 websiteWhat is SEO? 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

The Louisville Show 2018

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

Countdown to SECO

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

Captions Lines

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.

Home listing with a caption line

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:

Manufactured Home listings with 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:

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

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

As example of a great caption line

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:

A bad example of a caption line

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.

Caption line example from MHVIllage

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

USGS Space Shot Irma

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

community data reports

MHVillage offers a Community Data Report by State!

U.S. Map Community Data ReportThe 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.

Checklist Community Data ReportAdditionally, 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!

EVENTS

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