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.

RV/MH Hall of Fame Museum Making Way for Rentals

RVBusiness reports there has been no response from the GoRVing Coalition to the mid-April RV/MH Hall of Fame meeting that produced a plan for financial stability for the museum, located in Elkhart, Indiana.  The coalition said it would end its $200,000 a year support unless a business plan was developed. …

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Texas Housing Market More Stable than Elsewhere

HousingWire reports the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas says the absence of large quantities of subprime loans in Texas may have kept the state from the depths of the housing crisis.  Their percentage of foreclosures is half the level of the rest of the nation, and according to CoreLogic, the …

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Factory-built Community to be Acquired by Non-profit

New Jersey reports that Mercer Mobile Home Park in Robbinsville, New Jersey, is being bought by a non-profit group, Allies Inc., with part of the funding coming from Robbinsville’s affordable housing public trust fund.  The 140 homesite community will meet the city’s requirement for investing in affordable housing.  Many of …

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Wood Products Stock is Rising

Smallcap Network notes four suppliers of wood products have seen gains in their stock since last November.  The Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (NYSE:LPX), which makes building products for manufactured housing, jumped from $7.90 a share to $9.45, a gain of nearly 20 percent.  Leucadia National Corporation (NYSE:LUK) saw their stock price go …

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Aging Factory-built Homes May Lose Coverage

From Texas, the Beaumont Enterprise reports State Farm Insurance canceled the homeowner’s policy of Jon and Beverly Nicholas, and not because of a claim or having done something wrong.  Despite their 35-year relationship with State Farm, which gave them a discount for several policies, this couple’s factory-built home in Lumberton, …

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Banks Swimming in Cash, Few Borrowers Getting a Drink

CNNMoney.com/Fortune report that while deposits increased at three of the four largest banks, loan balances dropped in what the banks called recovery from the housing crisis.  Loans declined seven percent over the last year, while deposits at the four largest increased five percent.  Citibank’s (NYSE:C) loans are down 13 percent …

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Dow Surges Upward, Most Housing Stocks Follow

As good news emerged from earnings of the technology sector, the Dow gained 186.79 points to close at 12,453.54.  Cavco surged up 7.57 percent, Skyline Corporation gained 4.32 percent and Nobility Homes moved up 1.35 percent.  Deer Valley Corporation, often quiet, lost 19.19 percent.  The Manufactured Housing Composite gained 5.20 …

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Texas Governor Makes Appointment to MH Board

The Office of the Governor of Texas reports that Anthony Burks of Fort Worth, Texas, has been appointed by Governor Rick Perry to serve on the state’s Manufactured Housing Board.  Burks is president and co-founder of Vendigm Companies LLC, a founding board member of the Construction Industry Outreach Advisory Council, …

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Devastating Tornado Brings Stories of Survival

The New York Times reports that while a number of factory-built homes were demolished, the series of tornadoes that swept through North Carolina flattened a Lowe’s home improvement store in Sanford, and knocked down the back wall and tore the roof off of a State Employment Security Commission brick building …

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Longtime MH Dealer Honored at Tunica Show

The Atmore Advance in southern Alabama says Harold Allen, a 43-year veteran of selling manufactured housing, was awarded the number one dealership for Platinum Homes, Inc., for the fifth straight year.  Joe Clark, zone manager for Platinum, presented the award to him at the Tunica Show last month.  Established in …

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Housing Supply Still Outweighs Demand

CNNMoney says although existing home sales increased 3.7 percent in March over February, sales were down 6.3 percent from March 2010.  Compared to a year ago, the median home price fell 5.9 percent.  New home construction permits increased slightly in March, but according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), …

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Louisiana City May Lift Ban on Manufactured Homes

From Louisiana, the Daily Comet reports the Thibodaux City Council is debating changing the local ordinance to allow factory-built homes in a previously restricted area in this city just west of New Orleans.  Three of the four residential zones already ban manufactured housing in response to residents who claim it …

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Treasury Department Defends Dodd-Frank, CFPB

HousingWire reports that Neal Wolin, Treasury Department Deputy Secretary, defended the Dodd-Frank Act (Dodd-Frank) against critics, charging that the reforms requiring banks to maintain a larger financial safety net for future crises will delay the current economic recovery.  Wolin said the current system favors short-term gains over long-term stability and …

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Dow Marks Slight Gain, Housing Stocks Up or Even

The Dow moved up slightly as investors anticipated corporate earnings reports and housing update, gaining just under half a percentage point to close at 12,253.93.  Cavco was up .87 percent, Skyline Corporation gained .53 percent, Nobility Homes and Deer Valley remained flat.  The Manufactured Housing Composite gained .89 percent to …

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Home Ownership Confidence Shaken by Housing Crisis

Bloomberg News reports a new survey says the number of people who think a new home is a safe investment dropped from 83 percent in 2003 to 64 percent at the end of last year.  The National Association of Realtors says historically homes have been a safer investment than equities, …

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New Jersey REIT Acquires Three MH Communities

According to the Sacramento Bee in California, the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) reports that UMH Properties Inc. (a real estate investment trust, REIT, in New Jersey) has agreed to pay an estimated $13.3 million for a trio of manufactured home communities in Tennessee with an average occupancy rate of about …

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Astounding Price Tag of Modest Factory-built Home

America On Line (AOL) tells of a $2.5 million factory built home in tony Malibu, California, set on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Monica Bay.  The two-bedroom, two bath, 2,300-square-foot home occupies a homesite that rents for $2,000 a month.  According to realtor David Carter, several …

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Modular Builder in Seattle Acquires Counterpart in Oregon

The Herald and News says modular home builder Integrated Building Systems (IBS) in Klamath Falls, Oregon, has been acquired by OneBuild, Inc., of Seattle.  OneBuild also specializes in modular home construction, and plans to expand production in the Klamath Falls factory in southern Oregon, and add 30 construction-related jobs to …

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Proposed MH Community Near Calgary Defeated

Airdrie City View of Alberta, Canada, reports a proposed 2,000 homesite, adult manufactured home community nearly ten years in the planning has been voted down by the Rocky View County councilors after almost five hours of debate.  Initially approved by the councilors in 2002, the development was to include a …

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NAHB Survey Indicates New Home Building is Flat

The National Association of Home Builders(NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released a report saying builder confidence slipped in April one point to 16.  Now in its 20h year, the HMI comes from builders’ projections for the next six months based on inquiries and traffic.  A score over 50 indicates …

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