Make Your Views Known! (&) Juxtaposition of MHARR/MHI Priorities!

Blog # 443; Copyright @ 23 April 2017; 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 advocate 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 it’s print/online media = to
‘Not only inform & opine, but transform & improve MHBusiness model performance!’
______________________________________________________________________

INTRODUCTION: Some will view the following blog message as akin to spitting into the wind, pissing up a rope, or standing on Superman’s cape. Maybe. But how else will we, the grassroots businessmen and women who comprise the greater manufactured housing industry & land lease community asset class, make our views known and get them acted upon? If you have workable ideas, please tell me via gfa7156@aol.com
Ready? Let’s go….

I.

You’ve Asked For It; Now It’s Happening!

WHAT?

Opportunities to Express Your Views Regarding Manufactured Housing Issues

I knew this was an area of considerable pent-up demand throughout the manufactured housing industry and land lease community real estate asset class, but had no idea how timely, volatile, and far reaching this matter is.

TIMELY, because until the national election of a new administration this past November, the MHIndustry & LLCommunity owners/operators had endured, and continue to face, an onslaught of new regulatory measures relative to HUD-Code home fabrication and installation, as well as difficulty sourcing chattel capital needed to finance new home sales transactions on-site.

VOLATILE, because Free Enterprise businessmen and women, particularly of the smaller variety, have too oft been left out of ‘communication & policy-making circles’ of at least one national advocacy entity – thus, they’re tired of being victims of trade association benign neglect, and focus of regulatory agencies in Washington, DC..

FAR-REACHING, in that pent-up demand for opportunities to express views regarding manufactured housing issues, extends coast-to-coast throughout the industry and realty asset class! How do I know this? During the past two months, I’ve visited and or talked with frustrated Free Enterprise businessmen and women, even a few like-minded state association executives, in PA & NY; New England; FL & GA; the Midwest; and AZ & CA. They, for the most part, are fed up with the status quo, and want to address regional and national forums where their views can be expressed publicly.

Already, four such opportunities are scheduled during the remainder of year 2017. Why not pick one or more of the following venues to attend, to make your views regarding manufactured housing issues known – for passage onto our national advocates, and others, who influence the present and future of our industry and realty asset class.

• Annual Conference of the Illinois Manufactured Housing Association (‘IMHA’), 17 May, at the Rosemont Hilton/Chicago O’Hare in Rosemont, IL. Here, a ‘State of the Manufactured Housing Industry & Land Lease Community Asset Class’ presentation will be followed by an hour long Open Discussion of Manufactured Housing Issues! To register, phone Frank Bowman via (217) 528-3423 or visit www.imha.org Trust me; you don’t want to miss this unique and historic opportunity to Make Your Views Known to MHIndustry Leaders & Trade Press!

• MHAlive! There’ll likely be a ‘think tank’ session, from 9-11AM on 7 August, at the RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart, IN. The board room is already reserved for this seminal event – and we can move into the amphitheater or library if need be. For info, phone (317) 346-7156 or gfa7156@aol.com. And plan to attend the Hall of Fame Induction Banquet that eve, phone (574) 293-2344 for tickets. As I’ve told you before, Mike Sullivan, CPM; Spencer Roane, MHM; Christine Lindsey, MHM; and, David Gorin, of RV fame are among the ten to be feted at this event.

• 26th Networking Roundtable, this year, introduces the ‘first ever’ National Manufactured Housing Input Day! This occurs 7 September, during this 6-8 September event in Indianapolis, IN = birthplace of manufactured housing! The plan is to build upon discussion items gleaned from the previous two venues, to prepare an MHIndustry & LLCommunity issues agenda for year 2018! So, don’t miss this opportunity to input! For an invitation to participate, gfa7156@aol.com

• SECO Summit in the South, 11&12 October, at the Marietta Hilton Hotel & Conference Center in Marietta, GA. This is the fastest growing regional MH trade show in the U.S.- exhibiting new Community Series Homes! While not yet on the formal agenda, there’ll be opportunities for you to express your views, positive & negative, about the industry & asset class – along with their issues. Contact? genevieve@SECOConference.com

Yes, I realize this is heavy-duty East coast and Midwest venue scheduling. However; if your state MHAssociation is planning a major gathering of members during 2017, consider adding an opportunity for manufacturers and community owners/operators to express their views on manufactured housing industry issues. And if you need an impartial moderator to stimulate conversation, and take your members’ message (i.e. views) to our national advocates, let me know via gfa7156@aol.com

As a related aside. Observe how the three final bulleted venues are not listed on the quasi-official meetings schedule posted by one national advocacy entities. Ask ‘Why?’

And by now, you should be asking yourself. ‘Why are there no opportunities for this sort, for sharing important and timely manufactured housing issue(s) at the MHCongress in Las Vegas, NCC leadership forums, and periodic meetings of national advocacy entities?

***

Postscript to Part I & Introduction to Part II

Read this carefully & thoughtfully. All you’re about to read in Part II following, in the first instance, was in my opinion, crafted in an (association) vacuum, with little to no input from direct, dues-paying members; and in the second instance, only with input from small regional HUD-Code housing manufacturers. That’s what Part I seeks to address and correct during the months ahead. What? 1) Identify industry and asset class issues of concern to grassroots businesses, large and small, throughout the U.S! Then, 2) Offer said input to MHARR, MHI, & COBA7 for consideration and possible action. And finally, 3) If ignored, publicize these issues in the print and online trade press for all to see and read.

***

II.

WOW!

Here’s a Heady Juxtaposition of Contemporary MHIndustry Issues, Side by Side, Both Published the very same day!

Let’s begin with the HOUSING ALERT, dated April 19, 2017, from the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI’). Here’s the solitary headline:

“Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act Included in Financial CHOICE Act”

Now, that’s good news to everyone in manufactured housing and those owning/operating land lease communities, re: MHI’s’ “…reform legislation (that) provides regulatory relief for main street and community financial institutions.” For additional information on this timely and important legislation, contact MHI’s Senior VP of Government Affairs & Chief Lobbyist, Dr. Lesli Gooch, at (703) 229-6208 or lgooch@mfghome.org

&

Then there’s this REPORT AND ANALYSIS, dated the same day, April 19, 2017, from the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Affairs (‘MHARR’). Their headline reads:

EXCLUSIVE REPORT & ANALYSIS, listing no fewer than seven bullet points:

• HUD Defies President Trump’s Regulatory Reforms. (Time after time after time)

• Latest HUD Meeting shows need for (MH) program shake-up (Starting at the top)

• De Facto Regulations dodge regulatory reforms/2000 Law (Dr. B. Carson: Help!)

• Industry must resist HUD Installation power-grab. (Stakes? State/federal control)

• Strict Oversight of HUD Program Budget Must Continue. (Factories/contractors)

• DOE Manufactured Housing Energy Rule Takes Another Hit (Flaws cripple rule)

• MHARR Response Highlights Urgent Need for Securitized Chattel. (FHFA to ensure secondary market for seasoned loan securitization is mandatory for GSEs)

Now, all that too, is good news to everyone in manufactured housing, and owning or operating land lease communities. But MHARR’s continuing, strenuous efforts to secure regulatory relief for the industry and asset class must be occurring in a near vacuum as well, since one rarely reads or hears of parallel or similar efforts by any other national advocate for manufactured housing and land lease communities! For additional information on these seven matters, contact Mark Weiss, esquire, at MHARR via (202) 783-4087.

All this begs several pithy, and certainly timely, questions:

Why can’t these two national advocates for manufactured housing ‘get their act together’, in our (businessmen & women nationwide) behalf, and present a united and powerful lobbying presence to legislators in our nation’s capitol? (‘Ah, the perennial – and heretofore ignored and unresolved manufactured housing industry conundrum!’)

Where’s COBA7 in this mix? It’s now well established, the Community Owners (7 Part) Business Associates, is the sole provider of valuable research, resources, print & online publications, networking & deal-making opportunities, and professional property management training & certification for land lease community owners/operators nationwide – but is not yet their lobbying arm, leaving that to MHI’s NCC division. LLCommunity members, of any advocacy entity, should be asking: ‘What tangible products & services am I receiving from this trade group, or am I just paying for lobbying?’

MHARR frequently calls for the formation of a new national advocate for post-production segments of the manufactured housing industry and land lease community asset class. Might this be an unnecessary addition to national advocacy, if/when said segments actively and effectively share in the ongoing leadership of existing national trade entities? Do you see either alternative happening anytime soon? (‘Neither do I!’)

***