The Clayton Homes portion of our report will be the featured focus, found further below. That noted, per the NAHB, the following per their analysis of federal data released today.
The bold and brown on direct quotes from a person are added by MHProNews, but the text is the same as in the original release.
“New home sales dipped in November, but remained at a solid level as builders struggled to meet demand and gain access to building materials.
Sales of newly built, single-family homes in November fell 11% to an 841,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate, according to newly released data by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. Despite the monthly decline, the November rate is 20.8% higher than a year ago.
“Though the market remains strong, the pace of sales pulled back in November as inventory remains low and affordability concerns persist as builders grapple with a shortage of lots, labor and building materials,” said NAHB Chairman Chuck Fowke.
“The home building industry saw a historic gap between the pace of new home sales and construction of for-sale single-family housing this fall,” said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz. “As a result, the pace of new home sales was expected to slow to allow construction to catch up. This appears to have occurred in November as inventory of completed, ready to occupy new homes was down 43% compared to November 2019 at just 43,000 homes nationwide.”
A new home sale occurs when a sales contract is signed or a deposit is accepted. The home can be in any stage of construction: not yet started, under construction or completed. In addition to adjusting for seasonal effects, the November reading of 841,000 units is the number of homes that would sell if this pace continued for the next 12 months.
Inventory rose slightly to a 4.1 months’ supply, with 286,000 new single-family homes for sale, 11.2% lower than November 2019. Of the inventory total, just 43,000 are completed, ready to occupy.
The median sales price was $335,300. The median price of a new home sale a year earlier was $328,000.
Regionally, on a year-to-date basis new home sales were up in all four regions: 28.2% in the Northeast, 24% in the Midwest, 16.9% in the South, and 20.5% in the West.”
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) also noted that sales dropped due to shortages in inventory. See that recent report linked below.
All of these mainstream housing facts should be pointing to a robust growth in HUD Code manufactured homes. However, as MHProNews has reported, the reality is different than the expectation.
These mainstream housing and manufactured home connected insights help set the table for our featured focus this evening. Clayton is making new claims, which should be examined in the light of facts like the above and others found in our report and analysis below.
That noted, for first time readers, the featured focus follows thought provoking quotable quotes, today’s left-right headline recap, and two of the three market snapshots at the closing bell today. The manufactured housing market summary of publicly traded equities at the close today follow the featured focus and the linked recent/related reports.
Quotes That Shed Light – American Social, Industry, National Issues…
Headlines from left-of-center CNN Business
- The fight over stimulus
- The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, Dec. 18, 2020. Congress is facing down a midnight deadline to pass a pandemic relief measure as part of a massive government spending bill or rush through another stopgap to keep the government funded through at least the weekend while talks continue.
- ANALYSIS
- Donald Trump is right: $600 is not nearly enough. But $2,000 isn’t, either
- The pandemic is forcing some older workers to leave the workforce entirely
- ‘I have $4 to my name.’ An extended eviction ban isn’t enough for some struggling renters
- How small business would benefit from the new Covid relief bill
- 2020: The year the media split into 2 realities
- Lufthansa airlifts fresh food to England as UK border chaos continues
- SEC sues Ripple and two executives for selling XRP crypto: A $1.3 billion securities fraud
- Elon Musk claims Tim Cook refused to meet with him to discuss buying Tesla
- Billionaire Ray Dalio has a warning about America’s massive wealth gap
- Airlines welcome back thousands of furloughed workers
- It’s OK if you’ve used your phone too much this year
- Nikola has found the first customer for its garbage truck.
- Nikola and Republic Services scrap plans for electric garbage truck
- KFC launches game console that keeps your chicken warm
- SNACK TIME
- MOUNT AIRY, MARYLAND – MARCH 18: A Burger King restaurant displays a sign reading 'Open for Drive Thru and Takeout Only' amid the coronavirus outbreak on March 18, 2020 in Mount Airy, Maryland. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan ordered the closure of bars and restaurants, in an effort to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
- Burger King is giving away free dollars to spend on its new $1 menu
- How Slutty Vegan is growing during the pandemic
- Papa John’s brings stuffed crust to the pizza wars
- Taco Bell is bringing back Nacho Fries
- Popeyes adds chocolate beignets to its menu
- LOOKING AHEAD
- 2020 has been the worst. But these work changes are sticking around
- Sorry, but video meetings are never going away
- What private spaceflight has in store for 2021
- Why the video game boom is here to stay
- Starbucks plans to open about 22,000 stores in the next ten years
Headlines from right-of-center Newsmax
- Pelosi Urges Trump to Press Republicans to Back $2,000 Checks
- Election 2020
- Trump in WH Address: ‘Monstrous Fraud’ Gave Biden Election
- Loeffler Open to $2,000 Checks If ‘Wasteful Spending’ Repurposed
- Police Body Cam Footage Shows Warnock Dispute With Ex-Wife
- Steve Cortes to Newsmax TV: Biden Will Be ‘Most Doubted’ President |
- -elect Marjorie Taylor Greene to Newsmax TV: GOP Sens on Board |
- More GOP Lawmakers Join Electoral College Challenge
- Thune Sees Challenge to Biden Win Going Down Like ‘Shot Dog’
- The Trump Presidency
- Trump Veto Threat Raises the Prospect of Government Shutdown
- UN Criticizes Trump Pardons of Ex-Contractors
- Immigration Arrests Down 27 Percent
- Rand Paul: Stimulus ‘Foolish, Egg-Headed, Left-Wing’ Idea
- Is Manafort Next on Trump’s Pardon List?
- Trump Pardons 15, Including GOP Allies, Papadopoulos; 5 Sentences Commuted
- Progressives Back Trump on Bigger Stimulus Checks
- Pfizer to Supply US with 100M More COVID-19 Shots
- Boris Johnson Considers Locking Down More of England to Curb Virus
- Bill de Blasio: NYC Deputies Will Ensure UK Quarantine Compliance
- Pfizer to Supply US with 100 Million More COVID-19 Shots by July
- US Vaccine Rollout’s Next Challenge: Verifying Who Is ‘Essential’
- Scottish Leader Sturgeon Sorry for Breaking COVID-19 Rules
- 2020 Was Deadliest Year in US History
- California Desperately Searches for More Nurses and Doctors
- Vaccines Empower Hotels, Airlines to Hike Prices
- Fauci: Lil Wayne, Leo DiCaprio Getting Vaccine Would Boost Confidence
- Consumer Spending Drops 0.4@ in First Decline Since April as Virus Rages
- S. consumer spending fell 0.4% in November, the first decline since
- Layoffs Remain Elevated as 803,000 Seek Jobless Aid
- The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell by 89,000
- Progressives Back Trump on Bigger Stimulus Checks
Market Indicator Closing Summaries – Yahoo Finance Closing Tickers on MHProNews…
Featured Focus –
Where Business, Politics and Investing Can Meet
In a media release earlier today (12.23.2020 at 12:24 PM), Clayton Homes touts its purported “social responsibility” efforts. Following their media release, this report will provide additional information, MHProNews Analysis and Commentary.
Clayton Launches Clayton Impact Featuring Corporate Social Responsibility Efforts
New Site Details National Home Builder’s Commitment to Communities, Customers and Team Members
MARYVILLE, Tenn., Dec. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Clayton, a national home builder of site-built and off-site built homes, published a new microsite, Clayton Impact, featuring an overview of internal and external responsibility efforts. One of Clayton’s guiding principles is to “leave the company and the world better than we found it,” and the site shares those efforts across the company.
The Clayton Impact page features four focus areas for Clayton: philanthropy, sustainability, diversity & inclusion, and Team Member experience.
Philanthropy: The page highlights Clayton’s three pillars of philanthropic giving: affordable housing, education and community enrichment. Currently, Clayton’s affordable housing efforts include national partnerships with nonprofit organizations such as Family Promise® and Next Step ®, which help American families achieve housing stability.
Sustainability: At Clayton, sustainability is incorporated into its building process, the homes, and its home office. Building homes that are affordable, energy efficient and equipped with sustainable features allows more families the potential for long-term savings and benefits.
Diversity & Inclusion: Highlighted on the site is Boundless, a diversity & inclusion program that launched in 2020 after nearly a year of planning. Boundless involves all team members through awareness training, personal & career development, education & recruitment, community outreach and resource groups.
Team Member Experience: Clayton knows its success is dependent on its team members, and the company is focused on its commitment to enhancing the Team Member experience through financial, mental and physical health programs that touch all areas of the business.
“At Clayton, our mission is opening doors to a better life and we strive to develop housing innovations that improve lives and build a better tomorrow,” said Kevin Clayton, CEO of Clayton. “We will move our business forward by focusing on how we can improve our communities and team members through affordable housing, community outreach and personal development.”
The new Clayton Impact page is one step in highlighting Clayton’s efforts, both internally and within communities across America. Visit claytonhomes.com/clayton-impact to learn more about Clayton’s efforts to invest in its company, community and team members.
About Clayton
Founded in 1956, Clayton is committed to opening doors to a better life and building happyness® through homeownership. As a diverse builder committed to quality and durability, Clayton offers traditional site-built homes and off-site built housing – including modular homes, manufactured homes, CrossMod™ homes, tiny homes, college dormitories, military barracks, and apartments. All Clayton Built® homes are proudly designed, engineered, and assembled in America. In 2019, Clayton built 51,964 homes across the country. Clayton is a Berkshire Hathaway company. For more information, visit claytonhomes.com.
*CrossMod™ is a trademark of the Manufactured Housing Institute.”
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Additional Information, plus MHProNews Analysis and Commentary
First, Clayton Homes is a backer of Next Step USA. Clayton Homes and Berkshire Hathaway brands are also the single largest influencers.
Second, as part of Berkshire Hathaway, Kevin Clayton himself said that Warren Buffett drills into their managers the notion of the “moat.” Here is how Clayton phrased it.
Third, Buffett’s own son Peter Buffett blew the cover off how philanthropy works in practice.
The case can be made, based on Buffett’s and Kevin’s statements and the evidence presented, that several of the nonprofits operating in manufactured housing are examples of how Buffett is funding both sides of the fight, often via ‘dark money’ channels.
This is similar to the notion of communists like Vladimir Lenin, who said that it is good to control both sides of a battle. Here is how he expressed it.
Since Warren Buffett is a reader and said he enjoys history, it would be no surprise if he was familiar with that Leninist quotation.
MHProNews sent the following request to Caitlyn Crosby earlier today at Clayton Media relations.
“Caitlyn,
As you may recall, we are the largest and most-read trade media serving manufactured housing.
The claims made by Clayton Homes above are contradicted by a variety of sources. One is a third party report that we have seen an advanced copy of, they make the heavily footnoted argument that Clayton is engaged in purported antitrust actions.
Then, why does Clayton and MHI fail to respond to problematic reports by mainstream media?
Please email your/Clayton’s comments and reactions to me about the above for a planned report. Let us know who to attribute comments to, thanks.
Tony…”
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Clayton Homes did not respond. Thus, the concerns raised by MHProNews arguably remain publicly unchallenged by Clayton and their allies.
See the related and linked reports to learn more.
Related, Recent, and Read Hot Reports
Manufactured Housing Industry Investments Connected Closing Equities Tickers
Some of these firms invest in manufactured housing, or are otherwise connected, but may do other forms of investing or business activities too.
- NOTE: The chart below includes the Canadian stock, ECN, which purchased Triad Financial Services, a manufactured home industry lender
- NOTE: Drew changed its name and trading symbol at the end of 2016 to Lippert (LCII).
- NOTE: Deer Valley was largely taken private, say company insiders in a message to MHProNews on 12.15.2020, but there are still some outstanding shares of the stock from the days when it was a publicly traded firm. Thus, there is still periodic activity on DVLY.
Winter 2020…
Berkshire Hathaway is the parent company to Clayton Homes, 21st Mortgage, Vanderbilt Mortgage and other factory built housing industry suppliers.
· LCI Industries, Patrick, UFPI, and LP each are suppliers to the manufactured housing industry, among others.
· AMG, CG, and TAVFX have investments in manufactured housing related businesses. For insights from third-parties and clients about our publisher, click here.
Enjoy these ‘blast from the past’ comments.
MHProNews. MHProNews – previously a.k.a. MHMSM.com – has celebrated our 11th year of publishing, and is starting our 12the year of serving the industry as the runaway most-read trade media.
Sample Kudos over the years…
Learn more about our evolutionary journey as the industry’s leading trade media, at the report linked below.
· For expert manufactured housing business development or other professional services, click here.
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Disclosure. MHProNews holds no positions in the stocks in this report.
That’s a wrap on this installment of “News Through the Lens of Manufactured Homes and Factory-Built Housing” © where “We Provide, You Decide.” © (Affordable housing, manufactured homes, stock, investing, data, metrics, reports, fact-checks, analysis, and commentary. Third-party images or content are provided under fair use guidelines for media.) (See Related Reports, further below. Text/image boxes often are hot-linked to other reports that can be access by clicking on them.)
By L.A. “Tony” Kovach – for MHLivingNews.com.
Tony earned a journalism scholarship and earned numerous awards in history and in manufactured housing. For example, he earned the prestigious Lottinville Award in history from the University of Oklahoma, where he studied history and business management. He’s a managing member and co-founder of LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC, the parent company to MHProNews, and MHLivingNews.com. This article reflects the LLC’s and/or the writer’s position, and may or may not reflect the views of sponsors or supporters.
