Berkshire Hathaway owned Clayton Homes and Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance (VMF) are well known, dominating brands in manufactured housing.
So, it should be of interest to the industry’s independents, who often have no choice but to deal with the marketplace realities of Clayton and VMF. This Daily Business News on MHProNews report will briefly tee up the following VMF video, and then lay out a focused analysis and commentary.
Welcome Home Customer Experience Video
Let’s stipulate that Clayton Homes and their ‘captive’ or related lender, Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance (VMF).
It’s thus also fair to say that the various paid or unpaid people on this video by VMF meant what they said.
But does the fact that they have to make a video at all may be a signal of problems in the public perception of the brands based in metro Knoxville, TN?
Or that 6 months after they published this video on YouTube, that they’ve only had 55 views is another possible signal.
An amateur video, with terrible quality produced by a “pissed customer” has had over 5500 more views than this professionally made video by Clayton’s VMF. That’s sobering, because it is viewers that either do or don’t become buyers.
Another video – this from a Knoxville, TN based news outlet – also from 2018 reflects concerns over racism, predatory lending, and more. That is echoed by a one-time Clayton team member. It has dozens of times more views that the VMF videos does.
Real Problems That Ignoring The Signs Won’t Fix
There is a genuine problem that manufactured housing professionals are recognizing. Shipments during an affordable housing crisis are declining, not growing as the Berkshire brands dominated Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) predicted. The linked report below speaks volumes, ICYMI, just click the text/image box for the details.
Manufactured Home Production Decline Accelerates in November 2018
MHI is arguably offering only photo ops – literal head fakes – in response to blank-and-white data. No explanation, no plan, on fixing what is obviously wrong. Just posturing with politicians, the same things that have occurred for years on end. Yet, here we are as an industry, with sliding production?
Beyond their own head-fakes and red-herrings, they are apparently using surrogates to do more of the same.
The status quo should not be tolerated, unless the individual firms that make up the industry want to go the way of the buggy whip. Clayton, VMF, 21st, and MHI “leadership” has been a bridge to nowhere.
Just as the manufactured home communities’ sector has launched a new post-production sector association, so too a new independent retailers – and other post-production firms – association is also needed. That proposed trade group should be one that can make the distinctive case for manufactured housing, apart from the seemingly toxic nature of the Berkshire brands and their Arlington, VA based MHI.
New post-production leadership is needed, and fast. See the related reports, linked below. “We Provide, You Decide.” © ## (News, analysis, and commentary.)
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Related Reports:
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Clayton Homes Fights Zoning, for “First Class Manufactured Homes” – Mainstream Media Reports
Former Manufactured Housing Institute President, Manufactured Home Owners, Urban Institute, and You – manufacturedhomelivingnews.com
” During my time at MHI, I was often asked the same question, “What must happen for business to return – for manufactured housing to begin growing again? ” My stock answer would usually start with ‘financing’ and end with a general comment about the need to bring ‘value’ to our customers.”
Bridging Gap$, Affordable Housing Solution Yields Higher Pay, More Wealth, But Corrupt, Rigged Billionaire’s Moat is Barrier – manufacturedhomelivingnews.com
America woke up today to division. But perhaps 75 percent (+/-) of the nation’s people could come together on a plan that demonstrably could do the following. Increase the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by some $2 Trillion Annually, without new federal spending.
“What Are We, Chopped Liver?” MHI Member December 2018 Reactions
