MHI National Industry Awards

Click here to go to the MHI website for more information.

Here are the following awards categories:

• Land-Lease Community of the Year (includes four regions of the country)
• Retail Sales Center of the Year (includes four regions of the country)
• Design Awards for Manufactured and Modular Housing – includes production home award categories by square footage and a Small Home Award
• Manufactured or Modular Home Interior Design/Home Merchandising – includes two categories – Manufactured or Modular Home Interior Design (located at a Retail Sale Center, a model home in a land-lease community, or an interior design by a manufacturer) and Land-Lease Community Clubhouse Interior Design (New Construction or Renovation)

 

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Step 1 – Register on the site

To enter an awards category, you must register in the online awards system by clicking on the ‘Register’ link on the top of the page.  If you have already registered on the site, please login to manage your entry information.

Step 2 – Submit your entries.

You can submit multiple entries, upload all required entry materials for judging, and pay your entry fees through this online awards system.  The deadline for entries, fees and materials is March 24, 2017.

Award winners will be notifed by April 19, 2017.

Awards will be presented at the 2017 National Industry Awards Luncheon on May 3, 2017 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada during the 2017 National Congress & Expo for Manufactured and Modular Housing.  For more information on the 2017 National Congress & Expo for Manufactured and Modular Housing being held on May 2-4, 2017 at Caesars Palace please visit www.congressandexpo.com.

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2017 Louisville Manufactured Housing Show

The 2017 Louisville Show will treat you to a spectacular array of NEW HOMES, PRODUCTS, AND SERVICES. Whatever your inventory requires, you’re likely to find the most exciting single-section and system-built homes. It will be a feast for the eyes for all of you, with endless possibilities and combinations. It’s also an excellent opportunity to cut great deals; be the first to see new product/home introductions; talk with R&D and marketing execs; compare prices, service, and follow-through…and network with industry professionals.

Attached is the schedule of the show’s seminars and here is a list of the exhibitors that will be at the show.

Service & Supplier Exhibitors:

ADVENTURE HOMES
CHAMPION HOMES
CLAYTON HOME BUILDING GROUP
COMMODORE HOMES
DEER VALLEY HOME BUILDERS
DUTCH HOUSING
FAIRMONT HOMES
FLEETWOOD HOMES
FORTUNE HOMES
HARMONY HOMES
MANUFACTURED HOUSING ENTERPRISES
MIDCOUNTRY HOMES
REDMAN HOMES
SKYLINE CORPORATION
SUNSHINE HOMES

2-10 HOME BUYERS WARRANTY, 21ST MORTGAGE CORPORATION, ABT WATER MANAGEMENT, ALLIANCE CREDIT, AMERICAN INSURANCE ALLIANCE, AMRENT, APEX BILLING SOLUTIONS, BELLACORE, BENNETT TRUCK TRANSPORT, BLEVINS, CAPITOL SUPPLY & SERVICE, CASCADE FINANCIAL SERVICES, CLARUS ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCTS, CLAYTON BANK AND TRUST, CORDELL INTERNATIONAL, COUNTRY PLACE MORTGAGE, CROFT LLC, C U FACTORY BUILT LENDING, CUTTING SYSTEMS, DEHCO, DIMENSIONALL, DONALD C. WESTPHAL ASSOCIATES, DOVER ROLLERS, DURA-BILT PRODUCTS, ELECTRIC EEL MANUFACTURING, EVERLOCK SYSTEMS, GENERAL SUPPLY, HERITAGE DISTRIBUTING, HOMECAREPLUS, ILLINOIS MANUFACTURED HOUSING ASSOCIATION, INDIANA MANUFACTURED HOUSING ASSOCIATION, JAMIE’S INTERIORS, KENTUCKY CODE OFFICIALS, KENTUCKY MANUFACTURED HOUSING INSTITUTE, LAND HOME FINANCIAL, L P BUILDING PRODUCTS, MANUFACTUREDHOMES.COM. MANUFACTURED HOUSING INSTITUTE (NCC), MHLIVINGNEWS.COM / HPRONEWS.COM / MHC-MD.COM, MHRE, MHVILLAGE, MHWC, MICHIGAN MANUFACTURED HOUSING ASSOCIATION, MINUTE MAN PRODUCTS, MOUNTAINSIDE FINANCIAL, NADAGUIDES, NET-WIRED, NEXT STEP NETWORK, NORTEK GLOBAL HVAC, NORTHPOINT COMMERCIAL FINANCE, NTA, N TECH INDUSTRIES, LLC DBA HARBOR FLOOR PRODUCTS, OHIO MANUFACTURED HOUSING ASSOCIATION, OLIVER TECHNOLOGIES, PARKLANE FINANCE SOLUTIONS, PERFORMANCE EQUITY PARTNERS, PFS CORPORATION DBA PFS TECO, R-CO PRODUCTS, R.E MICHEL COMPANY, RAIN MAKER SOFTWARE, REMOTE TRAX, RENT MANAGER, RUSTIQUE ENTERPRISES, RV/MH HALL OF FAME MUSEUM & LIBRARY, SEDCO PIER, SHAW INDUSTRIES, STYLE CREST, SUNLIGHT CREATIONS, SURVIVE-A-STORM SHELTERS, TIE DOWN ENGINEERING, TINK/TRANSLIFT, TOP FLITE FINANCIAL, TRIAD FINANCIAL SERVICES, UNIVERSAL UTILITIES, S. DARLEY & COMPANY, WESCO DISTRIBUTION, WHITLEY MOBILE HOME, WISELY COMMERCIAL REALTY, WISCONSIN HOUSING ALLIANCE

 

Home sales continue to rise

Now that the massive number of foreclosures on the market is drying out new-home sales is starting its run with the strengthening economy.  In July new-home sales increased by 40% in the Northeast and 18% in the South reaching the highest levels of sales since 2007.  You read that right, 2007, we are seeing pre-housing collapse numbers.  On Tuesday the Commerce Department stated that the demand for new homes has eclipsed the pace of construction.  Tian Liu, chief economist for Genworth Mortgage Insurance said that he sees tremendous potential for new-home sale growth as the demand continues to create a supply shortage of newer existing homes.  Construction companies throughout the East have add 215,000 jobs to their workforce and are still running behind the demand for new-home construction.

Though new-home sales does not directly impact or correlate to manufactured home sales it does show the potential for greener pastures in our industry as one of our two largest competitors, existing homes, are running in short supply and forcing Americans to either site-build or come see us.  Let’s hope with rising demands, millennial’s obsession with speed and efficiency, and consumer education that we will begin to ride the next great wave of home sales.

Manufactured Home Shipments

Again we are seeing an increase in housing sales.  Nationwide this year’s year to date is 19.3% higher than last year with unit sales increasing by 5,249 homes.  Overall the housing market is looking good, and we are beginning to be able to take advantage of it.

Maine and Connecticut, +97.4% and +188.2%respectivly, are the two states that have seen the biggest increase in manufactured housing shipments as the housing and job market stabilization is finally planting roots on the Northeastern coast.

Some in the Midwest such as the Dakotas and Wyoming have seen a decrease in manufactured housing sales but this is mostly due to the seasonal and volatile nature of jobs in the Oil industry.  The drop in sales in this region is more reflective of the Oil industry than it is the housing industry.

Overall sales are up nationally and I’ve spoken with several bankers and realtors from my area expressing that the flood of foreclosures that had been on the market has begun to dry up and property values are on the rise.  Due to the rising property values and the shrinking inventory of existing homes in the housing market, new buyers are being forced to either site-build or turn to manufactured housing as a way of becoming homeowners or purchasing their next home.

Crisis: A Balancing Act

When trying to make decisions and predictions for the future on a large scale it is often best to observe how similar decisions have affected a smaller sample system.  For instance, our Nation is facing a potential housing crisis if the wrong decisions are made, and looking at Washington State as a smaller sample of what may happen to the entire country will give us some insight on how decisions we make now could generate a negative surprise in the future.

Right now we are facing a dilemma between preserving the environment and preserving affordable housing.  We have to protect land from development in order to have sustainable wildlife, national parks, and farming, but we also have to continue access to developable lands to keep land and housing costs from driving people into homelessness.  If we look at Washington State’s battle with this issue we can see how the scales can tip over time.

In 1990 the state of Washington began discussions on the “Growth Management Act” because the state had a booming population and there were concerns that it would outgrow its available resources.  The “Growth Management Act” was put into place in 1994 and has been great at preserving Washington’s natural lands.  In 1994 7,332 manufactured homes were placed in Washington State.  In 2013 661 were placed, a 91% decline in 20 years.  This is because the preservation of lands, which in and of itself is a good thing, is causing the state to have exponentially increasing land and home prices.  According to a recent study (4-2016) the median price for a home in Washington State increased by 11% over the previous twelve months.  Land and housing is a very important commodity and manufactured home communities can play a key role in sustaining a practical and affordable means to house hard working Americans.

It is important to preserve lands and keep America’s resources plentiful, but we also need to think of how today’s decisions can impact the future.  We were founded on the right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness, but sometimes we get in our own way.

Selling Homes To A Generation of Perpetual Children

Over 32% of 18-34 year old’s in the largest generation our country has ever produced somehow cannot seem to move out of their parent’s house.  Let me repeat that for clarification, millennials are the largest generation America has ever produced.  They are not simply the largest now because baby boomers are on the decline, millennials are a larger group right now than baby boomers were at their peak.  If this massive group of people is waiting so long to branch out onto their own, what impact does this trend have on the housing market?

Is there anything you are doing right now to account for this shift?  Is marketing toward this age group even an effective way to manage your time and resources?  During my career with home sales I have found myself in a couple of different selling positions.  Position one, I am trying to convince a customer to buy my house instead of my competitor’s. Position two, I am trying to convince a customer to buy my house instead of rent an apartment.  Position three, I have already sunk the deal and am just trying to sell up and cross sell price driving options.  In all three of these positions I am selling to a customer who is actively shopping for a home, at no point am I trying to sell to someone who is uninterested or unable to buy my product.

Is this the key to the dilemma?  Should we just stop trying to pull 20 year olds out of the basement and focus on people 30 and above?  There is still a large portion of the 18-34 age group that are potential home buyers and they will come to us when they are ready to purchase a home, but maybe it is not in our best interest to try to find them.  Eventually 18 year olds will be 35 and enter the age group of home buying should we just hang tight and focus on them when they are ready?

7 ways you don’t want to enable buyers to abuse you

Fred Ashforth, sales coordinator at Titan Homes, found this article and was sharing it with his co-workers. The article was then brought to my attention by my sales rep, Ron Major, at our Open House last weekend.  I discussed it with my team this morning at my sales meeting. I thought I would share it with all of you! Have a great weekend!

From Close the Deal: Smart Moves for Selling by Sam Deep and Lyle Sussman©2000

 

1. Don’t give buyers free consulting.

Yes, buys should get all the information they need to make an informed buying decision. They shouldn’t, however, “pick your brain” or let you serve as an unpaid consultant. You can help buyers discover that you can help them solve their problem. Don’t show them how until they become customers.

 

2. Don’t prepare detailed, costly proposals without assurance that the proposal will receive serious consideration.

Buyers should receive a written proposal if they ask for one. Some buyers ask for one after a decision has been made, just to get multiple bids. Don’t play the game. Get a guarantee that the proposal will be reviewed fairly.

 

3. Don’t allow you and your proposal to travel up and down the buyer’s organizational hierarchy.

In your up-front contract, clarify the buyer’s decision-making process. Get an agreement that each presentation you make will be followed by a mutually agreed upon action by the buyer. Stick to your position.

 

4. Don’t tolerate open-ended indecisiveness.

If buyers think you’ll hang around indefinitely, they are in no hurry to make a decision. Extract an up-front agreement on some length of the buying cycle. If time starts to drag, impose the limit.

 

5. Don’t let your products or services be demeaned.

Some buyers will minimize what you do and what you sell. If you allow that to pass without a challenge, you’re reinforcing the notion that you’re just another salesperson with a product no better than anyone else’s. If you don’t show respect for your product, and company, who will?

 

6. Don’t let your company or coworkers be demeaned.

Be open and candid in accepting responsibility for past failures. At the same time stand up for the integrity, competence and commitment of your team. Buyers who demean your people to your face are saying even more to others behind your back. Be sure they have the facts about any situation s they claim to have knowledge of. Defend the honor of the good people who work in your company. Your loyalty will not be lost on buyers.

 

7. Don’t enable buyers to put you in ethical or legal dilemmas.

Should you bend over backwards to get a sale? Certainly. Should you marshal all the resources at your disposal to make the buyer happy? You bet. But don’t ever let that mean that you compromise your integrity or sell your soul.

 

Selling to Millennials

The housing industry is now onto its next big wave of potential consumers, the Millennials.  The Millennial population (87 million) is the largest generation in America cruising over the Baby Boomers (78 million).  Currently 65% of Millennials are over the age of 25 and have become financially stable yet a very small percentage has purchased a home.  So why, why is it so difficult to sell a home to a Millennial?  Let’s avoid talking about how the economy isn’t phenomenal and how student debt is hurting the middle class and young Americans.  About 31 million Millennials are unfit for home buying because of financial instability, but what about the other 56 million, what are we missing?

One of the most distinct features of the Millennials is they are extremely cautions buyers.  Millennials have grown up during an economic crisis centered on housing and just about every one of them is connected to someone who felt the negative effects of home ownership.  The best approach to counteract this fear of mortgages is to stress that home prices and interest rates are at a low point, making now the safest time to buy.

Another feature of Millennials that separates them from generations before is that being a home owner just doesn’t carry the same significance as it did with their parents and grandparents.  Being a home owner no longer acts as a symbol of status, it is not a badge of accomplishment to Millennials and it generally is not viewed as the gateway to building a family and creating an identity.  If anything Millennials see home ownership as a burdensome commitment.  When selling a home to a Millennial, especially if it is a first home, help them keep in perspective that this does not have to be a forever home and that they do not have to be tied to this decision forever.

Having a quick turnaround on answering questions for Millennials is also incredibly important when making a sale.  Millennials have grown up in a world of instantaneousness.  Do not wait to give the customer gratification.  If a customer asks a question, do not keep them waiting, even if you don’t have an answer for them yet.  Always respond.  Saying, “Hello, I don’t have a solid update yet but I’m looking into this for you” is much better than leaving them waiting.  Also, if you are breaking into the world of Social Media marketing and correspondence with customers make sure you know how to use it.  If you are not an expert with Facebook, Twitter, or other Social Media platforms, either get some practice beforehand or stay away from it.

Most Millennials are eco-friendly and conscientious about their impact on the environment.  When selling new homes highlight the eco-friendly features they have.  If a home has energy efficient appliances, high insulation values, or specialized windows, make a big deal out of it.  Never underestimate the importance of such features to Millennials.  Highlighting these features could steer them away from the drafty existing home market altogether.  Along with energy efficiency, make sure the home has plenty of energy or rather, plenty of outlets.  Most Millennials are not looking for a ton of flair and extravagant designs in their homes, if you provide them with a simple, open concept floorplan that is loaded with outlets so that they can keep their devices charged up and mobile throughout the home, your customer will provide all the flair necessary.

With some practice and a bit of understanding of the Millennial mentality selling to Millennials will begin to feel like selling to all other consumers.  Recognize the need of the consumer, find the product that fits the need, and introduce the product.  The sales methods stay the same, the sales pitches need to change.

Modular Homes

In a recent article Ken Reinard of Professional Building Systems gave his take on the new growth being seen in the manufactured housing industry, and more specifically, Modulars.  Reinard said that over the past five years he has struggled to keep full employment for PBS’s work force and that the opening of a sister plant specializing in multi-family housing is what helped keep PBS floating during the over half decade of debacle left behind from the housing meltdown.  Reinard said that he is seeing people buying single family homes again, and this is apparent in PBS’s need to begin hiring fulltime positions for their single family plant.

Growth in the manufactured housing market is in large part due to a better economic position for most middle class Americans and to more favorable lending terms.  Further growth in Modulars is due to its own specific reasons, being the age of consumption for millennials, consumer education, and affordability.  While Singlewide and Doublewide consumers still consist of the same two groups of people that they always have, young people of low income and elderly people of fixed income, Modulars are beginning to break into new groups of consumers.

Thanks to increased affordability consumers who traditionally were looking into higher end double-wides are now breaking into the Modular scene and thanks to strategic marketing and consumer education, people who had the funds to buy an existing home or hire someone to site build are heading toward Modulars because they understand that they are getting similar and often better quality in a Modular but for 20%-30% less in costs.  All things considered the entire manufactured housing industry is seeing a period of growth, but Modulars are growing at an increased rate because they have been able to pull would-be site built and Doublewide customers away from those options.

How are you positioning yourself in the Modular home market?

Click here to read the full article

Joint Investigation

Warren Buffett and his holdings in the manufactured housing industry have been in the news lately and none of it has been positive.  While congress is trying to roll back some of the tight regulations brought forth from the Dodd-Frank act, house Democrats are calling for a joint investigation from the Department of Justice and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.  Whether Democrats are truly targeting Berkshire-Hathaway’s subsidiaries Clayton Homes, Vanderbilt Mortgage, and 21^st Mortgage over predatory lending allegations or if Democrats are simply attempting to demonstrate the importance of Dodd-Frank during debates we cannot be certain, however, allegations do exist.

The allegations surrounding Clayton Homes and its lending partners are of discriminatory lending toward low to moderate income minorities. Clayton customers have Reported to The Seattle Times saying they were, “misled into high cost loans they could not repay”.  Legislators are looking for the involvement of the CFPB because predatory lending practices, especially practices involving racial discrimination, would be a violation of the Dodd-Frank Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and the Fair Housing Act.

Clayton has not had much commentary on this matter but has said that their lending affiliates Vanderbilt Mortgage and 21^st Mortgage are strictly monitored by both State and Federal regulators and that they offer lending products to a wider range of credit scores and due to their wider credit score acceptance they service loans for low to moderate income minorities at a higher density than their competitors.  Clayton also stated that for borrows with a credit score lower than 600 the average note rate was the same for both whites and non-whites.

Sam Gilford of the CFPB said allegations of predatory lending are concerning but declined to say if there were plans to open an investigation.