Preface. This article will first outline a five-point plan for affordable housing and manufactured home living recovery. Then, it will give some specific examples of why this plan makes more sense than others that are being discussed. Interlaced with that will be facts, evidence and specific examples of how the battle for affordable housing has been weaponized by some powerful …

Realtor.com says that Kristina Smallhorn goes by the moniker, “Your Real Estate Whisperer.” She tells those pondering the housing markets ‘secrets’ and insights that others may not realize. Manufactured Home Living News (MHLivingNews) stumbled across Smallhorn’s video last night, and we knew right away that we had to share it. Not because we think she’s made is a perfect video, …

Complex problems cited in the headline can be simplified by making this specific point. Affordable housing and income or wealth inequality are in several ways related issues. Home ownership is the most common form of wealth building in America. There are already good laws ‘on the books’ that make more affordable housing available. There are also good laws that make …

Let’s begin with what many will want to know every day, not just Veteran’s Day. Yes, you can buy a manufactured home with a VA – Veterans Administration – loan with as little as zero down payment. Millions who have a DD214 could qualify.     That said, veterans by definition are individuals who have or still do serve their …

Yesterday was Halloween, which makes today All Saints Day. In years gone by, it was customary in several Christian countries to ‘dress up’ in costumes that were supposed to remind someone of a specific saintly person. Halloween is a contraction that means “All Hallow’s (i.e.: holy, saintly) Eve” – the night before All Saint Day. Just writing those facts – …

It is difficult to put into words the love that someone can feel for a nation thousands of miles away that you’ve never stepped foot on. But let’s try. Since the time that Adam and Eve were ejected from the Garden of Eden for errantly trusting the sly words of a talking snake, history could be seen through the following …

“So, the McMansion is dead, long live the mobile home?” That was the question CBS Sunday Morning asked designer Jennifer Siegal – who is known for turning the image of ‘the trailer house” on its head. Her reply was “Absolutely.” This CBS News video was previously featured here some years ago, but it is time to bring it back for …

First, the good news. Then, we’ll follow the good news up with what’s problematic. This will be systematic: quotes, facts, and eye-opening insights. “People live better when they have less financial stress,” Lindsey Bostick said. “They can do more of what they really want to do with their lives when they pay less for their home.” She explained that, “I …

Rent control is a hot topic in the U.S. as well as in Canada. It is an issue for those in apartments or other forms of rental housing, as well as numbers living in manufactured home land lease communities. The CBC News video below spells out the challenge in multifamily housing, north of the border. It will help tee up …

What follows below is a letter to the editor of MHLivingNews from a community resident-leader. It is worth mentioning that this person has lived and owned in conventional housing before moving into a manufactured home in a land-lease community. He loves his manufactured home, as he has said on his own blog. He enjoys the community, neighbors, and lifestyle. But …

There is no date on the article, but it appeared in a Google search on a topic that is relevant to the manufactured home industry and its current doldrums. Based upon its contents, it would appear to be less than 2 years old.   The reason that this a good look at this article is important to current owners of …

The truth has been hiding in plain sight for years. But politics, the revolving door, and other factors have kept Americans – living in one of the wealthiest nation per capita on planet Earth – out of the top 40 countries in the world in terms of the percentage rate for personal home ownership.   How did that relatively low …

The data found below from the Zillow Group comes from their 2016 and 2018 research surveys of home buyer desires and actual purchases. By showing both sets of data, MHLivingNews readers will get a sense of the trends.   Properly understood, the Zillow data reveals, among other details, what people believe they wanted vs. what they in fact purchased. Before …

Superficially, manufactured housing is an easy to understand product, service, and industry. It costs far more to build a house on site – so-called ‘stick building’ – then it does to build one in a factory and was permanently installed on a buyers preferred home site. It costs more to build apartments than it does a manufactured home community. The …

It is important to get a balanced view of anything that involves a major decision. Here on MHLivingNews, we’ve done a mix of stories for years, spotlighting the good, the bad, and the misunderstood about all kinds of housing, including those homes built in a factory.    How do you tell the difference between a proverbial ‘white hat’ company and …