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.

Structure Removed from Property Ends Investigation

Following up on a post from April 22, The Republican, of Massachusetts, reports that the dwelling on former City Councilor Angela Plassmann’s Northampton property that drew neighborhood complaints has been removed.  Despite her attorney’s insistence that the structure was a properly licensed RV, neighbors said it was “a manufactured home …

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LA Community Rising from the Ashes

Following up on a post from April 7, the Los Angeles Daily News says a majority of residents of Oakridge Mobile Home Park support an LA city plan to install 60 new manufactured homes in the community and rent them to qualified applicants as affordable housing.  A 2008 wildfire destroyed …

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Legislation Would Provide Legal Recourse for Community Disputes

The Oakdale Patch of Minnesota reports that Rep. Nora Slawik of the Minnesota House of Representatives has introduced bill number HF1430 to provide low-cost mediation when residents of a manufactured home community have a disagreement with community owners.  In the past, many communities have been family-owned and were responsive to …

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Manufactured Housing Shipments to West Virginia are Down

WRTF7 in West Virginia says the number of manufactured homes shipped to the state fell from 4,700 in 1995 to 1,833 in 2007.  Last year 1,100 were sold in the state.  Manufactured housing used to claim 60 percent of all housing starts here, according to West Virginia Housing Institute Executive …

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Dow at 3-Year High, Housing Stocks Up as Well

U.S. stocks finished at their highest levels in three years, upon news of earnings results and a better-than-expected report on consumer confidence.  The Dow rose .93 percent to close at 12,595.37.  The Manufactured Housing Composite gained 1.82 percent to close at 1234.10.  Palm Harbor Homes was up 100 percent, Skyline …

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Dow Dips Before Fed News, Housing Stocks Mixed

The Dow closed slightly down today from mixed results among stocks, and in anticipation of the Federal Reserve statement scheduled for later this week.  It finished the day minus 26.11 points to close at 12,479.88.  In housing stocks, Nobility Homes gained 3.25 percent, Cavco and ELS were both up .37 …

Dow Dips Before Fed News, Housing Stocks Mixed Read More

Elko, Nevada, Boasts Housing Sales Increase

Northern Nevada Business News reports the sale of new site-built and manufactured homes in mile-high Elko, Nevada, is up for the first quarter of the year over last year.  Real estate agents sold 21 in the first quarter of 2011, 15 percent more than last year, and at an average …

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Rays of Hope in the Housing Market

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reports sales of new single-family homes rose 11.1 percent in March to a seasonally-adjusted rate of 300,000 units, but the pace of new home sales was similar to the last six months of 2010.  NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe said, “A limiting factor …

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SC County May Expand Manufactured Housing Areas

The Times and Democrat in Orangeburg, South Carolina, reports the Orangeburg County Planning Commission is considering a resolution to allow manufactured housing to become more widespread in town.  Harold Young, Deputy Administrator of the Community Development Division, said there have been requests to locate more single-section manufactured homes in areas …

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Two of Five Best REITs are Top MH Community Owners

SmarTrend says the cash flow in two of the top five residential Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT)s are manufactured housing community owners.  With a price per share of $58.18 and a free cash flow of $3.76 per share, Equity Lifestyle Properties (NYSE:ELS) has a price to cash flow ratio of …

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Architect Designs Modular Home, Starts Business

The Miami Herald reports an architect’s quest for an ecofriendly home led to a business designing and building modular homes.  Michelle Kaufmann wanted smart design, energy efficiency, water conservation, recyclable materials and a healthy indoor environment in her own home.  She and her husband have developed a series of modular …

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Report from Maine’s Oxford Hills Home Show

The Sun Journal reports Dana Connors, President of the Maine Sate Chamber of Commerce, saying that manufactured housing is no longer second best.  He was speaking at the kickoff for the Oxford Hills Home Show in Oxford, Maine, April 15-17.  Mary Anna Palmer of Alternative Modular Homes in Oxford wrote …

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Community Helps Family Buy Much-needed Manufactured Home

The Rapid City Journal in South Dakota reports a family, whose nine-year old son has a severe neurological disorder, has received a brand new manufactured home through the efforts of a local church and radio station.  Tay-Sachs affects muscular control, preventing the boy from moving or speaking.  Most children die …

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Seattle Firm Has Its Eye on Multi-family Modular

From Washington, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports architectural firm CollinsWoerman has developed plans for a multifamily modular building above six stories with concrete floors and structural steel frame.  The walls will be complete with electrical and plumbing fittings, water heaters, sheetrock and cabinetry, and will be assembled much like a Lego …

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New Federal Program to Finance Energy Efficiency

According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and with backing by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), HUD had chosen 18 lenders from across the country to participate in an energy upgrade program for qualified borrowers.  Power Saver low-cost loans can offer up to $25,000 to credit-worthy homeowners …

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Tornado Inflicts Heavy Damage in Raleigh, NC

The Raleigh Public Journal reports the tornado that tore through North Carolina April 16 destroyed 63 single-family homes in Raleigh, according to the Raleigh Department of Inspections.  Fifty percent more stick built homes than pre-HUD code homes were destroyed.  Major damage occurred at 184 dwellings, and 851 suffered minor damage …

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Domestic Drywall Possibly Problematic

HousingWire reports there may be a problem with American-made drywall, not just drywall from China.  The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), partnering with Environmental Health & Engineering (EH&H), tested 11 homes and found five of them had hydrogen sulfide emissions, as well as sulfur and copper sulfide buildup, which are …

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Alleged Manufactured Home May Be in Violation of Ordinances

Gazettenet reports from Northampton, Massachusetts, that a structure on the property of now former city councilwoman Angela Plassman may be in violation of the city’s building code.  City Building Commissioner Louis Hasbrouck says if it is manufactured housing rather than a recreational vehicle, it would be in violation of the …

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Dow Closes Near Three-Year High, Most MH Stock Down

Strong earnings reports propelled the Dow to gain .42 percent to close up at 12,505.99, almost a three-year high.  Housing stocks mostly closed down for the day.  Sun Communities was up .59 percent, but Skyline Corporation lost 2.80 percent, Cavco was down 1.43 percent, Nobility Homes dropped 1.00 percent, United …

Dow Closes Near Three-Year High, Most MH Stock Down Read More

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