To win at chess, you have to have strategy, offense, defense and a strong finish; a solid 'end game.'

What and how will you and your business or career be doing a year or more from now? The choices we make today help determine the answer to such questions. Dr. Stephen Covey in his classic book, 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, tells us that we should be pro-active (vs. reactive) and that we should begin with the end in mind.

So what are your current manufactured or modular housing plans? What choices will you make? How do they fit into creating your winning strategy for a solid 2013 'MH End Game?'

Retailers, Communities, Builder/Developers

Let's begin with a fact and a basic premise. Some today are more profitable than they were in years gone by. As one wise senior manager told me yesterday, if your business model isn't evolving, then it is dying.

The factory built home retailers and communities he sees doing the same old things as 5 or more years ago, he sadly concludes are heading to the dust bins of history. Ouch.

Some complain about a lack of financing. True, we don't have the same lenders we did a dozen years ago. But word has it that the ones we have today are stable and profitable! Last year in Louisville and in Houston, finance expert Dick Ernst made the point in front of hundreds of MH Pros, MH Business Owners and Executives that we have plenty of capacity for more MH Lending.

The proof will be at the LouisvilleShow.com.

"New" MH Lenders? Come and See In Louisville

We tend to think of lenders as being established or 'new,' at least to our MH Business. There are some established lenders who are planning to expand or are already expanding their MH presence in factory-built home financing.

There are new programs that are geared toward easy compliance with the CFPBs flood of regulations. If you sell homes at retail or have clients that do, the MH Finance Panel is for you.

See page 2 of the download at this link for the times of ALL the Money Tree Seminars.

Add Growth 10-15%? Senior Market! MH Reverse Mortgages? "Yes, You Can!"

On January 22, one of the many pre-show presenters at Introduction to Manufactured Housing Opportunities Day event (click that link) will be an experienced reverse mortgage professional. For those customers 62 and older, there are ways – right now, today! – to sell them a manufactured home using a reverse mortgage. He says that those who add this to their sales tool belt typically see 10-15% growth in their sales.

This isn't technically 'new,' but I'll bet that 99% of those in our industry would say 'that's new to me!'

That reverse mortgage seminar will ONLY be at the pre-show event. There is a hard limit of 50 people. Click the Introduction to Manufactured Housing Opportunities Day to sign up.

Developers or expansion minded communities. Want to beat those multi-family housing pros at their apartment game?

New MHC Developing? Use the 207m and 221d4 programs!

Another one of the pre-show programs is going to feature the often overlooked 207m and 221d4 programs, along with other MH Community Development, Re-Development Commercial Lending programs. Click the Introduction to Manufactured Housing Opportunities Day (INTRO) to sign up.

Much to the surprise of the organizers of the historic event above, which the Clayton family of HomesBuilders, CU Factory Built Lending, Triad Financial, Mountainside, MHI, the NCC, Rob Coldren from HK&C Law, 21st Mortgage and others are presenting at and/or sponsoring, the registrations for the pre-show event are coming from both those outside of our Industry to those inside looking to learn more to earn more.

See the INTRO link for info. There is a hard limit of 50 for the event, and once the registration button on the page comes down, it means that the seminar capacity has been reached. I've personally spoken with pros from the West to the East Coast (as in NY!) who are coming.

What is YOUR winning end game? Will you be there?

Will you learn how to do these reverse mortgage deals and open up a new market for your retailing? Will you learn how to beat the apartments at their own game with the 221d4? Or discover the amazing terms with the 207m to buy or refi your MHC?

One of the biggest players in the industry signed up to attend INTRO, so have the mom and pops plus those in between. When you see the ever-evolving panel of speakers, amazing topics like those above, you know that you should be there too.

Good Offense, Solid Defense

The reasons to do whatever it takes to go to the Louisville Show or the special INTRO event could be summed up like this. Good offense (scoring more sales, earning more profits) and good defense (like keeping yourself out of legal hot water!).

No excuses. Do whatever it takes to be in Louisville.

We have a year

The CFPB news linked here gives us a year to get it together. The Midwest Manufactured Housing Federation states (MMHF – the Louisville Show's parent body) of (alphabetically) Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio will be at the Show. Word has it that Tennessee and Wisconsin will be there. The national Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) will be there, along with the National Communities Council (NCC).

Check in with them. Get engaged in your existing state, regional and national associations. Learn more to earn more. It is your best bet for protecting – education – promoting (PEP) for your business and career!

The "Youngest Exhibitor!"

We will be at the Louisville Show. The "Youngest Exhibitor" will be in booth #115. Come get your photo made for free with him, because as Billy Joel said, 'Every girls crazy about a sharp dressed man!"

Word has it there are more women than us fellas, and that they make over 2/3 of the home buying decisions!

So meet our 6 year old, Tamas Kovach (pronounced – Tah Mash Co-Vatch – like a watch), the "Youngest Exhibitor." Get your photo made and we will email it to you along with a permission to use in your MH marketing (restrictions apply, only 'good clean' uses, no raunchy stuff!).

Let me tell you, we've used Tamas' photo in our marketing with clients who retail homes, and it is one of the many things that works. It grabs attention.

Try it yourself; come and see. The emailed photo you can get will come with tips to make it pay! If you sold one or more extra homes as a result, you'd more than make the trip pay.

There are way too many reasons to come to the Show to count, so check out the LouisvilleShow.com website. See the blog with updates at the bottom of the page. Register for the Introduction to Manufactured Housing Opportunities Day event while you can (there are no limits to the number of Industry pros who can come to Louisville). Our Matthew Silver, Soheyla, Tamas and myself will all be there. Tim and the others can't make it this year, maybe next time!

Your decisions today to attend Louisville and INTRO can help you to create your winning MH End Game for a brighter tomorrow. We hope to see you, booth #115. Make 2013 a banner year to remember. ##

PS: Check our many Exclusive and Red Hot Featured Articles for January and see the

other new stories at MHLivingNews.com too.

L. A. "Tony" Kovach

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latonyk@gmail.com or tony@mhmsm.com

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Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right. – Henry Ford