As regular readers of MHProNews know, Manufactured Housing has had three steady years of growing production since it hit bottom during the not-so-great recession. While we may not hit the hoped for level of 60,000 homes produced in 2013, still the growth has been steady.

But what will happen now that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) regulations are kicking in this month? With regulations that will make it difficult to originate low balance loans – especially to those who may have challenged credit or modest income – will shipments go down, as many fear?

Or will the industry find creative ways to adapt – as some predict – that will keep new home production level? Or…

…will the industry now rally and do what it takes to engage on a multi-level effort to both increase shipments and modify regulations?

Up, Down or Sideways?

With a broken crystal ball, there won't be a prediction coming from me any time soon. What your scribe will opine is that sometimes people wake up and act only when forced to do so.

Frankly, it is very possible that shipments could go UP. Yes, even in the face of these new regulations that will cut out loans that were previously being made.

But how? We will briefly explore that in this column.

What may happen is that independent operators – along with mid-to-large companies – may now feel compelled to explore or enhance the ways they reach out to those housing shoppers who have cash or have good credit.

A minority in our industry have been trying to do this all along, but regrettably most do what our latest interviewee, A Cup of Coffee with...Rick Rand, refers to as 'bottom feeding.'

IMHO – Rand's comment should not be taken as a put down to anyone – rather the meaning is that our industry all-too-often seeks or gets the weakest credit customers; the very ones who will be harmed the most as the CFPB regulations kick in.

Please see Rick Rand's fine column on their MHCommunity focused seminar, Lesson's Learned.

Financing on Manufactured Housing IS Available!

While lending standards and practices are morphing due to SAFE, Dodd-Frank and the CFPB's rules, there are plenty of financing

programs and the capacity to do many times the volume of business that our industry is currently achieving. Pros will be able to learn more about what financing programs are available from our major lenders free during the Louisville Show's Finance Panel, moderated by MH finance consultant and expert Dick Ernst from FinmarkUSA.com.

Learn more about the manufactured home finance panel discussion – and other business building seminars – at this link here.

Renting or Selling?

While everyone would rather sell a home than rent one, Manufactured Home Community Owner/Operators have been turning increasingly to straight rentals. While some are advocating and using the 'lease option' approach, others have dropped that due to concerns that regulators may see it as a 'disguised credit transaction.' An Industry in Focus report on that topic is linked here.

The ease and simplicity of rentals certainly has its appeals.

For some, this is a break with tradition! They see it as an option of last resort, understandably so.

Meanwhile, some have always used rentals in their community business models.

Having personally supervised/managed from 7 to 17 communities, duh, it is clearly better to sell a home than lease it. Especially if the sale is a true third party finance or cash sale, less capital, more profit and more stable residency occurs in a community when the homes are owner-occupied.

With rentas rates rising, as the Harvard study linked as a download from the article here demonstrates, the opportunities for manufactured housing are growing by leaps and bounds. But those opportunities will be successfully tapped only by those who are truly prepared to do so.

Change isn't coming, it's HERE

As we noted above, with new regulations, change isn't coming, it is now HERE. The CFPB has sent plenty of signals that they will enforce their regulations. We had a respected attorney tell one of our seminar audiences at Louisville last year that he won't be surprised if besides regulators, that you may see private attorneys seek out customers who are losing their homes 'sold' via captive finance and lease-option transactions, to see if they can sue community owners.

The point is the risks are many. We strongly advocate working with your state and/or national association to get HR 1779 and S 1828 passed, and to explore other options such as obtaining a Writ of Mandamus to compel regulators to do what the law requires on subjects like the Duty to Serve. Please see our special report on Writ of Mandamus here.

What does it take to sell more homes to customers with cash or good credit?

For years, we've given seminars on how to Attract and Sell More Customers with Cash or Good Credit as well as how to Dominate Your Local Market. During these sessions, we've promoted CRM use, even though we don't offer a CRM product. Please click here to learn more about CRM from two experts in that arena, which will be an additional free seminar presented during the Louisville Show.

Before you get or switch CRM systems, check out what the two pros presenting on that panel have to say!

The marketing and sales approach needed to attract customers with cash or good credit is DIFFERENT than what is typically used to sell the credit challenged buyers that show up at your retail center.

We routinely get ratings of 4 or 5 out of 5 from attendees of our free, popular marketing and sales workshops. Many have been standing room only, or packed rooms, like the photo of one of our seminars that you see here.

If your plans take you to Louisville on January 22, please attend our breakthrough marketing and training session. This show sanctioned event is at 11 AM in the Seminar Room.

While we naturally can't – and don't have time – to teach everything we do for clients who pay us thousands monthly to train their teams to market and sell manufactured homes in this new world, we do provide free practical tips that you can walk away with that day to put to work at your retail center, land lease community or development, etc..

Speaking of seminars, Webilizer reports that after the home page on the Louisville Show website, the top page visited is the Seminar Page!

Thanks to the sponsors and exhibitors at the Louisville Show, all of these show sanctioned sessions are free to industry members.

The North Wing of The Kentucky Exposition Center

Which way will your career or business go in 2014?

As passionately pro-manufactured housing industry professionals, we want to see your business thrive in 2014. The same can be said for every company and association that is exhibiting at Louisville. We expect some 2400+ professionals – all in – at the show this year! Pre-registrations have run well ahead of last year, even during the recent bad weather.

By the way, the 10 day forecast for Louisville is looking good.

There are good reasons why major players to mom-and-pop operations – and all in between – made the Louisville Show the industry's best attended event in 2013. Come see for yourself why attendees felt this was an upbeat place to be for three years running.

Bring your business card and photo ID, most industry pros can attend free, see this link on the Louisville Show site for details.

Don't let negative news stop you, turn that into the motivation you need to adapt and change to make 2014 the best year you've had for a long time, or maybe ever!

Don't go down or sideways. Make the resolution to grow in 2014! There are reasons why those who come to these events are often the leaders in their market.

We will be at Booth #115. Please stop by, say hi, and pick up your card for free and other resources that can grow your business in 2014. ##

(Buy-Rent image credit: RentDirect, cornered cartoon credit: CanaConcepts, KEC photo credit the KEC)

(Image credits, MHI and MHProNews)

L. A. 'Tony' Kovach
ManufacturedHomeLivingNews.com | MHProNews.com |
Business and Public Marketing & Ads: B2B | B2C
Websites, Contract Marketing & Sales Training, Consulting, Speaking:

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