Matthew Silver

Following a 25-year career operating a custom hardwood furnishing business and occasional writing, Matthew Silver has been writing professionally for over a dozen years, six of those for the factory-built housing industry. Otherwise, he may be found performing folk music in the Indianapolis area.

MH Shipments Record 1st Increase in Five Months

MHProNews has learned from the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR), according to data from the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), for the first month since Sept. 2012 the manufactured housing industry recorded an increase in production in Jan., 2013. HUD Code manufacturers turned out 4,242 homes, …

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Investors Unfazed by Budget Cuts

The sequestration budget cuts did not seem to deter investors as all three indexes inched higher, the Dow getting ever closer to its all time high set in Oct. 2007. Joe Bell, senior market analyst at Schaeffer’s Investment Research, says, “It’s encouraging to see the market shrug off things that …

Investors Unfazed by Budget Cuts Read More

Home Prices to Rise 3.3% Annually

According to nationalmortgagenews, Fiserv Case Shiller predicts by the end of the year home prices will be on the rise in every metro area in the U. S., and conditions point to a continuous recovery in the housing market through 2017. Fiserv says the data that shows price increases were …

Home Prices to Rise 3.3% Annually Read More

Cuts could Cut those Wounded even More

HousingWire tells MHProNews the $85 billion sequestration cuts may affect several housing initiatives, including ones aimed at low-income households and individuals. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) says the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) admitted the time frames for FHA loans may be impacted; furloughs at the Dept. of Agriculture may …

Cuts could Cut those Wounded even More Read More

New York City to Sell MOD

The dailyfreeman informs MHProNews that a modular home on the verge of being sold to a low-income family in Kingston, NY is the center of some controversy, due to the former mayor’s connection to the company that originally sold the home to the city and Ulster YouthBuild in 2011. The …

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Killam becomes Interactive

Killam Properties, Inc. says the company has partnered with Corporate Research Associates to offer residents of its manufactured housing communities and apartments the opportunity to offer suggestions and opinions through on-line surveys. Participation is voluntary, personal information will not be shared, and responses will be collected in aggregate and not …

Killam becomes Interactive Read More

Modular Proponent Steps Down

MHProNews has learned from enterprisenews that Richard Sergi will step down as executive director of the Brockton Housing Authority (BHA) after 22 years in the post, as he battles cancer. The Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of Housing & Redevelopment Officials awarded Sergi with their President’s Award in 2011. …

Modular Proponent Steps Down Read More

MH Purchaser Displeased with Home

The setexasrecord tells MHProNews an east central Texas woman has filed suit against Oak Creek Homes of Vidor, TX accusing the dealer of deceptive trade practices and breach of warranty for a manufactured home she bought in Sept. of 2010 for $55,406. Noting the home has been repaired ten times …

MH Purchaser Displeased with Home Read More

UMH Goes Shopping

StreetInsider informs MHProNews that UMH Properties, Inc. (NYSE:UMH) has finalized its deal for ten all-age MHCs for $67,500,000, a total of 1,654 developed home sites to add to its portfolio. The acquisition includes five communities in Ind., four in Penn., and one in Mich., with an average occupancy of 85 …

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Patrick Jumps up, but Most Stocks we Cover are Quiet

Wall Street investors were in no hurry to move far from the wall of the dance floor on the first day of March, but did manage to keep the three major indexes on the positive side, despite concerns abut gridlock in Washington and uncertainty overseas. CNNMoney reports the Dow Jones …

Patrick Jumps up, but Most Stocks we Cover are Quiet Read More

Tight Credit Choking Recovery?

According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), even as the housing market begins to improve, the bottleneck of tight credit for builders as well as for consumers remains an obstacle to a much more robust recovery. Some materials producers closed plants and idled workers, and they are reluctant …

Tight Credit Choking Recovery? Read More

A New Meaning for “Tight Squeeze”

guardian.co.uk tells MHProNews 100,000 people in Hong Kong live in tiny cubicles, about the size of a large closet in the U.S., but tall. Home prices are 12.6 times the average median income, resulting in the government subsidizing nearly half of the population’s housing.  The Society for Community Organization in …

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Elkhart Ind. is Bustling

Lippert Components, Inc., component supplier to the manufactured housing and recreational vehicle industries, is part of a strong industrial growth pattern in Elkhart, Ind, as etruth informs MHProNews. Lippert began as a steel fabricating plant in rural Michigan in the 1950’s, and has been fabricating chassis for manufactured housing since …

Elkhart Ind. is Bustling Read More

Home Prices up 35%?

Speaking at a webinar about the improving housing market, Raj Dosaj, vice-president of the behavioral library and home price index at LPS Applied Analytics, says home prices could rise 35 percent without being beyond affordability. Displaying a graph that showed the ratio of the average mortgage payment to median income …

Home Prices up 35%? Read More

Rise in Short Sales Increases Price of Distressed Homes

2012 saw underwater borrowers turn to short sales by a three to one margin over foreclosures, CNNMoney tells MHProNews. Foreclosures accounted for 11 percent of all sales, a drop from 13 percent the previous year, while short sales rose five percent year-over-year to 32 percent. Noting foreclosures on average in …

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Dow Falls Short of Record; Tracked Housing Stocks Lackluster

As the Dow fell short of its all-time high, investors backed away from U. S. stocks as tepid economic data trumped the drop in first-time unemployment claims. CNNMoney reports the Dow Jones Industrial Average rolled back slightly from its new five-year high, dropping -0.15 percent, -20.88 points, to end the …

Dow Falls Short of Record; Tracked Housing Stocks Lackluster Read More

New Development Going Strong in VA

Updating a story we posted Jan. 25, 2012, about a marina development in Poquoson, Vir. that included a 50 site MHC, the dailypress informs MHProNews the entire Whitehouse Cove project is flourishing. While so far only 13 of the homesites are occupied, eight more are committed and the developer thinks …

New Development Going Strong in VA Read More

Bill would Streamline MH Recovery

ValleyMorningStar reports from Austin, TX, State Senate Bill 499 would streamline the process that allows MH owners who have un-imbursed legal claims against MH dealers to access reimbursement from a fund established by the state. The Manufactured Homeowners Recovery Trust Fund pays actual damages through a budgeted $300,000 yearly fund. …

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Pre-fab to Rise 15%, but not MH

RnRMarketResearch reports demand for prefabricated housing will expand 15 percent annually through 2017, but manufactured housing’s share of that will fall as conventional mortgages become easier to obtain. The study, based on data from 2002, 2007, and 2012, is combined with current market conditions, industry structure and competition in its …

Pre-fab to Rise 15%, but not MH Read More

Foreclosure may not Stop the Taxes

CNNMoney informs MHProNews that home foreclosure may not end a borrower’s monetary responsibility if the bank does not transfer the deed or hold an auction. Almost two million properties started but never completed the foreclosure process, which can leave the borrower holding the bag for property taxes, fees, and association …

Foreclosure may not Stop the Taxes Read More

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