L.A. 'Tony' Kovach

The SAFE Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 (the “SAFE Act”), which requires states to license loan originators, substantially restricts the ability of a small retailer or community operator to sell manufactured homes to purchasers/residents that do not qualify for financing from traditional third-party lending sources.  These problems are exacerbated by …

Do De Minimis Exemptions Provide Relief to the Manufactured Housing Industry? Read More

by Josh Ducharme Are you currently offering captive financing for manufactured homes? Does it make sense given the new regulatory era ushered in by Dodd-Frank? There are common-sense, regulatory compliant options for business owners who want to address the non-compliant captive financing within their portfolio and do it in a …

Stop Stressing about ‘Captive Finance,’ ‘Buy Here, Pay Here’ loans vs. Successful Manufactured Housing Lending Read More

In Alana Semuels’ The Case for Trailer Parks, The Atlantic picks up on a prior MH report made in 2011 by Derek Thompson during the IBISWorld flap which headlined – incorrectly – that Manufactured Housing (MH) was “a dying industry.” Semuels’ article weaves between the sensationalistic, to ‘cutesy-humorous’ and complimentary-to-the-MH-Industry. …

An analysis of The Atlantic’s – The Case for Trailer Parks – Manufactured Home Industry commentaries Read More

by Dick Ernst As many in the manufactured housing industry know, the new Dodd Frank Regulations, specifically the Home Owners Equity Protection Act (HOEPA), which for the first time includes Purchase Money Transactions is very problematic for the manufactured housing industry. The reasons are more obscure than even those that …

Deconstructing the High Cost Mortgage Loan Read More

Odds are excellent that most manufactured housing professionals have not yet seen the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) consumer information handout piece on the manufactured housing program. Entitled “Your Manufactured Home,” the flyer looks like what you see below, which was thoughtfully passed out by HUD MH Program …

HUD’s Manufactured Housing Program Consumer Handout – Your Manufactured Home Read More

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) “is committed to ensuring that consumers have access to responsible credit in the manufactured housing market,” Director Richard Cordray said in an agency report. “Manufactured housing is a critical source of affordable housing for some consumers, particularly those who are older, live in a rural …

CFPB Report alleges Manufactured Housing Lending is Expensive, sparks controversial comments from CFED, MHI and other MH industry professionals Read More

by L. A. “Tony” Kovach This is a great example of how tips or suggestions on topics come in routinely to my email, by phone, text, social media or through  iReportMHNewsTips@mhmsm.com. There’s a growing interest among millennials in housing beyond rent! House buying is good for the business – and …

Think Google Facts, Charts, Trends every Manufactured Home Builder, MH Retailer, MH Community, Association, Investor or Housing Pro Must Consider in Marketing and Sales! Read More

The Tiny House movement has caught the media’s eye, has given rise to a cable TV show and has caused some to wonder why manufactured housing isn’t getting the same kind of love as Tiny Houses are? Well, Newport Pacific’s Modular Lifestyles division is tapping into the many green, off-grid …

Off Grid backyard “Quest” factory-built home wows media at Sacramento, CA state capitol Read More