Following up on a story we initially published March 17, 2011, MiamiHerald reports a multitude of homeowners in South Florida have filed separate legal claims against a German producer of Chinese drywall and the local distributor, alleging the drywall contains toxins that can cause breathing problems, emit foul odors, and …
MHProNews has learned that the U.S. Commerce Department reports newly-built, single-family home sales rose 5.7 percent in September, recording their best growth in five months, to a seasonally-adjusted rate of 313,000 units. “The improved rate of new-home sales in September is on par with NAHB’s forecast for the overall number …
MankatoFreePress reports a unique program to rid St. Peter, Minnesota, of pre-HUD Code manufactured homes will be expanded to include properties in two additional land lease communities (LLCs) in town–Summit and Mar Wey. The program began last winter in the Green Valley community, where four homes have been razed and …
Incentives to Replace pre-HUD Code Homes, Rehab Newer Ones Read More
HousingWire reports Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance says over the last month, the time required to approve a mortgage grew from 30 days to between 45 and 60 days. The company’s Housing Pulse survey states lenders are having to spend more time dealing with mortgage refinancing. Appraisal issues with property damage on …
BlueRidgeNow reports from Etowah, Tennessee, Ceil Salvadori is developing 27 acres into five lots for horse lovers who will have a barn, pasture land, and a modular house, or “ranchette”, for a residence. Four of the five lots have frontage on the French Broad River in southeastern TN. The houses …
Horse Lovers Unite! Equestrian Community to have Modular Housing Read More
FridleyPatch from Minnesota reports it’s been eight months since the Park Plaza manufactured home community became a cooperative. Facilitated by the Northcountry Cooperative Foundation (NCF), at the time Park Plaza was the fifth MHC in Minnesota to become a co-op, and the second sold by Phil Johnson to residents. He …
Alexa Blog says Zeman Homes of Chicago has contracted with MA Interactive of Northfield, IL to develop a website more tuned in to the digital landscape, raising its profile and reaching more MH customers. Led by Michael Templeton and Allen Yakowitz, MA provides a range of internet marketing services. The …
MercerIslandPatch notes the innovative modular house the U.S. Plywood Association assembled for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, the “American Home of the Immediate Future”, is currently occupied by its third owner on Mercer Island, a suburb of Seattle. Some of the original bright paint is intact. Unlike the many futuristic …
SavannahNow reports an improperly subdivided lot cannot be sited with a modular home, according to Chatham County Superior Court Judge Michael Karpf. John Barr, Jr.’s, petition to site modular homes in Tybee Islands Eagles Nest neighborhood was denied because his son, the original property owner, violated a 2001 zoning ordinance. …
Court Ruling Favors Neighborhood over Modular Homes Read More
WSLS in Virginia reports Nationwide Homes in Martinsville is backlogged with orders for modular homes through January. Dan Goodin, sales vice president for Nationwide, says he intends to hire 20-30 people starting next month to keep up with a 30 percent increase in demand. Martinsville has the highest unemployment rate …
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reports that confidence among home builders for single-family dwellings rose four points to 18 on the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), the largest monthly increase since the tax credit program of April 2010. Based on builders’ perceptions of current home sales and …
pressofAtlanticCity reports the opening of a new modular home builder and sales office in Ship Bottom, New Jersey, has been delayed while the state Department of Transportation (DOT) approves changes to the site that once housed a gas station. Developer Nicholas Garofolo has plans for the once-acre site to include …
Modular Builder Opening Design Center Near Jersey Shore Read More
HousingWire reports from San Francisco that while the number of houses sold increased Sept. 2010 to Sept. this year by 6.6 percent, the usual Aug.-Sept. seasonal drop in home prices was 10.2 percent. John Walsh, president of DataQuick says what’s interesting is what is not happening. He says, “While there …
builder reports a consumer friendly user interface to customize your own modular home is now available on line. Borrowing from automotive and aeronautical design and engineering departments, as well as gaming developers, modular builder Blu Homes of Waltham, MA has developed the Configurator, allowing customers to visualize the interior and …
dailytelegraph tells us from Sydney, Australia, the U.S. is not the only country where the gap between income and real estate prices is widening. Sydney’s home prices are expected to rise 19 percent in the next three years, to a median of $770,000. “The big problem with affordability is housing …
nola reports a 61-year old Louisiana woman has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for defrauding modular home buyers out of some $200,000 in a post-Katrina scam. Cecilia Slattery filed articles of incorporation in 2008 for JCV, dba New Era Homes, and befriended ten people by buying them dinners …
Woman Gets Stiff Sentence for Stiffing Modular Home Buyers Read More
MarketWatch reports Champion Commercial Structures, a division of Champion Homes, is teaming up with USModular to engage in multifamily construction projects. The pairing will bring Champion’s modular production process together with USModular’s general contacting experience. Dan McMurtrie, corporate development vice president with Champion, says, “”Our partnership with US Modular allows …
Two Factory-built Producers Pursuing Multifamily Market Read More
The Boston Globe reports the Associated Press says, following the same action in the state senate last month, the New Hampshire House of Representatives passed a bill that prevents local communities from regulating sprinklers. Gov. John Lynch had vetoed the bill, but the House overrode his veto 266-61. The legislation …
HousingWire reports the Mortgage Banker’s Association (MBA) says the measure of loan application volume rose 1.3 percent on a seasonally-adjusted basis this past week. The refinance and purchase indices each increased just over one percent, driven by government loans. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) increased 0.07% to 4.25, while the …
OriginationNews reports that two years after leaving affordable housing developer Bridge Housing Corporation to run the Federal Housing Administration’s (FHA) multi-family program, Carol Galante is operating the entire agency. After David Stevens left the FHA to head the Mortgage Banker’s Association (MBA), Galante has become the acting commissioner. She now …
