Food, water, clothing, and shelter. These describe the 4 essentials for human life. Additionally, some mention living-related items such as – health, sanitation, transportation, education/information, faith, technology, and entertainment – not necessarily in that order of importance. Professional or investment opportunities exit by serving one or more of those needs properly. ‘Serve the masses, live with the classes.’
How great is the need or opportunity in affordable housing?
· According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s Gap Report for 2019, there are some 7 million affordable housing units needed. There aren’t enough affordable rentals in any of the 50 United States.
· According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) seminal research in 2018 on manufactured housing, the average rental household earns more than the typical manufactured home family unit does.
· Additionally, “Each year, roughly 40 million Americans, or about 14 percent of the U.S. population, move at least once,” said USA Today on 7.5.2018.
Opportunities to sell quality affordable housing are vast. Manufactured homes are the most proven form of affordable home ownership, as NAR and numerous other third-party research by universities, foundations, nonprofits, and the federal government for over 2 decades has demonstrated.
Concerns over windstorms, energy, appreciation, crime, and other issues have largely been debunked by third-party research. Then why are manufactured homes selling at only about 1/4th the rate that they were in 1998, just over 2 decades ago? Why are manufactured homes still so misunderstood?
Even that brief outline begs several questions. Let’s ponder two.
· Given so much positive, third-party documented evidence in its favor, why is manufactured housing demonstrably underperforming as an industry?
· What does that underperformance mean in terms of obstacles and opportunities?
The production-focused Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) published a report in 2017. It made their case that a new post-production trade organization was necessary for the HUD Code manufactured home industry to advance.
Under a steady stream of criticism and pressure from inside and outside their organization, the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) recently pivoted on the topic of the importance of enforcing federal law with respect to the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act (MHIA) provision for enhanced preemption of HUD Code manufactured homes.
Another exclusive on MHProNews spotlighted a federal official’s comments in congressional testimony on the issue of “enhanced preemption.”
To keep this at 600-words, let’s draw this executive summary to a close with the following.
1) Enforcement of good federal laws already on the books ought to be high on the list of industry professionals, investors, public officials, and all people of good will.
2) Emphasis on law enforcement should include antitrust laws used to break up conglomerates that arguably harmed the interests of manufactured home professionals, homeowners, current homeowners, and potential buyers.
3) The MHIA and the Duty to Serve manufactured housing are also important.
4) Distinctions must be made between purported black hats and white hats.
Why hasn’t Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, media contacts or assets, plus additional capital been invested in robustly debunking the myths and misinformation limiting manufactured housing? Why hasn’t MHI effectively performed image and education? Why have they obscured rather than properly promoted good news?
What’s certain is there are examples of cases where proper local level education results in significant growth through consumer understanding. Proper education yields a parallel growth in sales.
Protect. Educate. Promote. Enforce good federal laws. Those keys unlock revival in market(s) wherever honest efforts are made. Public officials and advocates should study linked evidence and enforce good laws.
“We Provide, You Decide.” © ## (News, analysis, fact-checks, and commentary. See Related Reports, further below. Text/image boxes often are hot-linked to other reports that can be access by clicking on them. Third-party images and content are provided under fair use guidelines.)
By L.A. “Tony” Kovach – for MHProNews.com.
Tony earned the Lottinville Award in history from the University of Oklahoma. He has earned multiple awards in manufactured housing and in history. He’s a managing member of LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC, the parent company to MHProNews, and MHLivingNews.com.
Office 863-213-4090 |Connect on LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/latonykovach
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Smoke, Mirrors, Razzle Dazzle vs. Measurable Performance and Profitable Results
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