Foreward.  Susan M. Wachter, writing as Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) said, “Most new homes in the United States are site-built to State and local codes, but an increasing number are “manufactured homes,” designed and constructed to meet the requirements of the preemptive Federal Manufactured Home Construction and …

“There’s nothing in the middle of the road  but a yellow stripe and roadkill.” – variation of a Texas maxim.   Seeking bipartisanship can be dangerous, as the dark humor noted above reminds readers. But let’s risk finding common ground for the next few minutes.   Affordable homes ought to be a non-partisan or bi-partisan issue.  The topic of this column, properly …

America woke up today to division. But perhaps 75 percent (+/-) of the nation’s people could come together on a plan that demonstrably could do the following. Increase the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by some $2 Trillion Annually, without new federal spending. Provide proven, new affordable home ownership opportunities that left and right agree could boost the personal wealth …

If you scratch deeply enough, people of good will can find some common ground with others of good will.  There will be disagreements between people.  It has been so, since ‘the fall,’ and is expected to continue that way until time comes to an end. With that principle in mind, we will look in this column at a Cautionary Tale …

“The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions.” – maxim origin, Bernard of Clairvaux.   Improving manufactured home resale values is an important topic for everyone involved in the housing industry.  We learned from the National Association of Realtors (TM) Certified Business Economist (CBE) Scholastica ‘Gay’ Cororaton that manufactured homes can and do rise in value.     Barry …

Today we’ll keep it shorter than normal, because we want you to be able to focus on the infographic and data provided below.   We could sum this up like this.  There is a lot of misinformation about modern manufactured homes, starting with terminology.  From there, one can move on to issues of quality, durability, appreciation, and more. The infographic, …

Roughly one out of eight Americans annually are shopping for a new place to call home. That means that right now, you and hundreds of thousands of others are researching on line. Some are just curious. Tens of thousands from coast-to-coast are looking today for answers to their housing questions. While no two people are identical, there are some common …

The sun rose slowly over Deadwood, SD that day. The hills and trees offered cover for a variety of animals, including big horn sheep, and mountain goats.   Outside the Inn at Deadwood, the manicured landscaping yielded naturally to the glass doors that welcomed tourists, gamers, and business professionals. It was in that convention center that a recent ‘peaceful battle’ …

          There are some who want to use race or injustice to justify taking property.  There are also those who want to misuse the political and economic system to take advantage of those who have less access to power.               Economic problems, educational and moral challenges, despair and other factors …

Kid Rock owns and loves a multi-sectional manufactured home, seen several times next to his Rolls Royce in his new hit music video, Po-Dunk. In one video – intentionally or not – multi-millionaire performer Kid Rock has taken aim at the stereotypes about manufactured homes, and the Americans who select this lifestyle. By celebrating the people and their homes, he’s …

A new report issued by Pew Research documents a trend that millions are all too familiar with. Namely, that renting households are up in the U.S.  What the report doesn’t do is point out the solution that’s hiding in plain sight. The solution and videos below follow a quick look at the troubling facts and trends that Pew documented. Pew …

“We recently did an audit of where we stand year over year, and we are up at a rate about double that of the industry’s growth,” said Stan Posey, sales manager at Sunshine Homes. “2016 was up about double the growth rate of the industry at large over 2015. So, the home buying market is responding positively to the residential …

As the Trump Administration continues to move forward with plans on making government more efficient, a number of proposed cuts, including funding to National Public Radio (NPR) and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), there appears to be a clear message: serve the public interest in an efficient, businesslike and honest manner. According to HousingWire, an area that could be …

A statement by HUD’s manufactured housing program administrator, Pam Danner, JD, to the Wisconsin Housing Alliance (WHA) became a hot topic of conversation during and after a recent gathering of industry professionals in San Antonio, Texas. Danner reportedly told the WHA that nationwide, there were fewer than 30 manufactured home buyers that went to dispute resolution. Another Washington, D.C. metro …