COBA7 Joins MHARR & MHI as National Advocate for Land-lease Communities & Manufactured Housing

Blog # 424 Copyright 2016 COBA7 @ 11 December 2016; community-investor.com

Perspective. ‘Land-lease communities, previously manufactured home communities, & ‘mobile home parks’, comprise the real estate component of manufactured housing.’

This blog posting is the sole national advocacy voice, official ombudsman & historian, research report & online communication media for North American LLCommunities.’

To input this blog &/or affiliate with Community Owners (7 Part) Business Alliance, a.k.a. COBA7, use Official MHIndustry HOTLINE: (877) MFD-HSNG or 633-4764.

COBA7 Motto: ‘U Support US & WE Serve U!’ Goal of its’ print/online media = to ‘Not only inform & Opine, but to transform & improve MHBusiness model performance!’

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INTRODUCTION. Yes, businessmen and women respond to just about every weekly blog posting at community-investor.com. Do you? Part I, following, contains recent responses. Part II is, in truth, an historic announcement, as COBA7 announces as new national advocate for land-lease communities in North America, and HUD-Code manufactured housing.

I.

COBA7 Affiliates Respond to New Year Resolutions & ‘Tipping Point’ WHITE PAPER Expose’

“Excellent resolutions. I have one more. The election of Donald Trump presents the industry with a unique opportunity to put pressure on our federal regulator (i.e. HUD) to fully implement the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 (a.k.a. ‘MHIA@2000’), and stop the expansion of industry-smothering regulation. We need a unified industry effort to get the federal program heading in the right direction. I am not talking about uniting MHI & MHARR, but I’m advocating for convening a coalition of industry leaders to develop a strategy to specifically deal with HUD. Much the same way it was done in getting MHIA@2000 enacted.” – now 17 years ago! This from one of the most respected association executives in the manufactured housing industry.

And on the heady and timely question of increased regulation, less regulation, or deregulation of manufactured housing, this ‘vote’:

“I vote to deregulate completely. We have the manufacturing capability to comply with locals (building codes) and most rural county regs.” Someone from the manufacturing segment of the MHIndustry.

And then there’s this, relative to the ‘Tipping Point’ WHITE PAPER Expose’. “I agree with your White Paper argument. I had the same individual ask me last week: “How do you explain to your residents that rents should be 2X where they are, because low rents are one of the largest issues out industry faces?” I said, “I don’t think it’s one o f the big issues – frankly, a strong value proposition for the consume is a far bigger issue.” Really, an industry that provides a strong value proposition thrives, those that don’t, go extinct. The HUD-Code and land-lease community (industries) are not thriving, in my view. ” This from the owner/operator of one of the largest property portfolios in North America.

As an appropriate aside to this response, know ‘value propositions’ with one’s homeowner/site lessees is a key challenge identified in the 28th annual ALLEN REPORT, scheduled for distribution as a lagniappe in the Allen Letter professional journal during January 2017. So, if you’re not affiliated with the Community Owners (7 Part) Business Alliance, or COBA7 at the Option II or III level, do so NOW, before the New Year. This year’s ALLEN REPORT, a.k.a. ‘Who’s Who Among Land-lease Community Owners/operators Throughout North America!’, is the largest one compiled and published during the past 28 years! To affiliate, phone the Official MHIndustry HOTLINE: (877) MFD-HSNG or 633-4764.

II.

COBA7® Declares Its National Advocacy Role for Land-lease Communities, Large & Small, Nationwide!

Post production segments of HUD-Code manufactured housing (e.g. suppliers, finance firms, state associations, & LLCommunities) are stepchildren to this type factory-built housing – or so it seems – when one examines the focus of MHARR & foci of MHI.

The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform, since 1985, has limited its’ membership, and legislative/regulatory focus, to matters of concern to small and mid-sized regional HUD-Code home manufacturers. 100 percent of MHARR’s income is from member manufacturers. MHARR’s offices are in Washington, DC., and it enjoys the industry wide reputation for being manufactured housing’s ‘watchdog’ in the nation’s capitol.

The Manufactured Housing Institute, or MHI, throughout the history of manufactured housing, has claimed to represent business interests of all segments of the HUD-Code manufactured housing industry, including the largest of HUD-Code home manufacturers (Controlling an estimated 80 percent of national market share); most state MH trade associations; land-lease community owners/operators; personal property & realty finance firms; independent (street) MHRetailers; OEM/after-market suppliers of products and services. The majority of MHI’s income is from member housing manufacturers, by way of floor dues. MHI’s offices are in Arlington, VA.

Given the continuing, and now, 17 year paradigm shift, beginning at the turn of the 21st Century to this present day, the land-lease community post production segment, in particular, can no longer afford stepchild status! Despite MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division being in place since January 1996, this unique realty asset class, during the past six years – upon the disappearance of 10,000+/- independent (street) MHRetailers – has ushered in a NEW ERA, one where property owners/operators are openly viewed as the next generation of MHRetailer & lender, and deserve an effective level of national advocacy not heretofore and presently provided.

To this end, the Community Owners (7 Part) Business Alliance®, a.k.a. COBA7®, a for profit division of GFA Management, Inc., dba PMN Publishing – eventually to become a not for profit entity, was launched during January 2014, to serve land-lease community owners/operators in seven distinct ways:

• Ongoing statistical research relative to the realty asset class; highlighted annually in the ALLEN REPORT, a.k.a. ‘Who’s Who Among Land-lease Community Portfolio Owners/operators Throughout North America!’

• Updating & distribution of 12+ Statistical Resource Documents, or SSRDs, covering every aspect of LLCommunity operations, e.g. realty & personal property $ finance; 40 freelance consultants of all types; directory of print & online media; official MH lexicon; ‘GSEs, Federal Agencies, & NGOs’; professional property management certification alternatives; an Industry Briefing Sheet; directory of national advocacy entities; directory of all factory-built housing firms; an official paradigm shifts list, dating from 1970s to present day; directory of real estate brokerages serving LLCommunities; and Official State of the MHIndustry Report.

• Preparation & distribution of a weekly blog posting at community-investor.com; and, two subscriber-supported monthly business newsletters, the Allen Letter professional journal, & the Allen CONFIDENTIAL!

• Plan & facilitate superb interpersonal networking and educational offerings, to include deal-making opportunities.

• Instruct & certify professional property management training via the Manufactured Housing Manager®, or MHM® program

• And as need be, function as national advocate for land-lease communities nationwide and in Canada; as well as providing ombudsman and historian services.

Revenue to operate COBA7® comes from a variety of sources that include: registration fees for annual Networking Roundtable; paid affiliation with COBA7® at one of three levels depending on degree of ‘products & services’ land-lease community owners/operators desire from the coalition; MHM® tuition; paid access to exclusive 500+/- name data base of portfolio owners/operators, various consulting assignments, e.g. pre-due diligence inspections, Mystery Shopping, & expert witness work testimony.

Years 2016 & 2017. A presidential election with its’ surprising results, presents business opportunities otherwise not available, let alone envisioned six months ago. So, during this time of expected change, starting as it will be, ‘from the top’, something similar should occur throughout the HUD-Code manufactured housing industry. Why? For the aforementioned NEW ERA to continue and grow, i.e. increased volume of new home shipments going directly into LLCommunities, large & small, throughout the U.S., owners/operators must seize control of their business environments and destinies!

And what might those steps entail?

1. MHARR & MHI to formally accept and recognize COBA7® as a primary national advocate for land-lease communities, large & small, nationwide! For example, MHI charges dues of state MH associations, and others, but has not, to date – despite invitations to do so – affiliated with COBA7, to receive its’ newsletters, Signature Series Resource Documents (e.g. ALLEN REPORT & various directories), and other land-lease community products & services.

2. COBA7® to immediately identify and reach out to all federal agencies and regulators presently affecting land-lease community operations, e.g. DOE, HUD, FHFA & its’ related GSE. Furthermore, COBA7® plans to be present at all future public hearings and meetings of these agencies, especially when LLCommunity matters are on the agenda. For example; in a recent DOE hearing, COBA7 was the sole entrepreneur MH business present.

3. MHARR, MHI, & COBA7® to soon meet, to discuss and brainstorm measures needed to restore manufactured housing to prosperity, likewise among land-lease communities, large & small, nationwide. A possible point of initial focus might be the timely and shocking message conveyed in the ‘Tipping Point’ WHITE PAPER expose’ distributed in a late November blog posting at community-investor.com, and the December issues of the Allen CONFIDENTIAL! and Allen Letter. COBA7 & representatives from SECO (Southeast Community Owners) will be at the Louisville MHShow, 18-20 January 2017. How ’bout MHARR & MHI? Want to meet informally to plan how to grow and perpetuate this NEW ERA of cooperation between manufactured housing producers and land-lease community owners/operators?

As they say, ‘The ball is in your court!’ Now is time for action!

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