Pioneer Dies; New Autobiography; Five Meetings; Correct Shipment #s!

Blog # 392 Copyright 2016 COBA7® 17 April 2016; community-investor.com web site

Perspective: ‘Land-lease-lifestyle Communities, a.k.a. manufactured home communities and ‘mobile home parks’, comprise the real estate component of manufactured housing.’

This blog posting is the national advocacy voice, official ombudsman (press), research reporter, & online communication media for all LLLCommunities in North America!

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® is the sole national trade entity focused exclusively on land-lease-lifestyle communities! Motto = ‘U Support US & WE Serve U! Goal for its’ print/online media = ‘Not only inform & opine, but transform & improve MHBusiness Model Performance!’

INTRODUCTION. Two weeks of MHIndustry NEWS in this week’s blog posting!

I.

Manufactured Housing Industry Loses a Pioneer!

Judith (‘Judy’) McIntosh Carr, was founder of Judy Carr & Associates, in 1980; and until her untimely recent death, was active with her husband Bill, and son Chad, in day to day operations at Rainmaker Software – serving the manufactured housing & RV industries.

Memorial Services, a reception, and open house were held for friends and relatives, on 15 & 16 April in Davenport, Iowa. Send cards and remembrances to Bill Carr, 1803 Westminster Cr., Davenport, Iowa 52807.

Judy taught me an early and invaluable lesson about business evaluation during the late 1970s and early 1080s. When I asked her, ‘Why were you too busy to help me with advice, when I was first starting out – but warmed to my queries a few years later?’ Her reply? By then, I’d proven I was in the MHBusiness for the long haul, and not another of the numerous ‘flash in the pan’ folk we see pass into and out of the MHIndustry. And Judy was right, as it’s now been nigh unto 38 years Carolyn and I’ve fee-managed and owned LLLCommunities, a.k.a. MHCommunities, and before that, ‘mobile home parks’. .

II.

‘No Respect At All…’ A PATH TO MILLION$
Did you know? Throughout the 70 year long history of manufactured housing, there have been only four autobiographies authored and self-published by notable industry pioneers?

A Danish American, by the late Kris Jensen, Sr, an early Connecticut LLLCommunity developer/owner; father of the late Kris Jensen, Jr., and great grandfather of Kris Jensen, III. I keep hoping the family will update and republish this inspirational paperback book.

The Wheel & I is a case bound, boxed book by the late John Crean, founder of Fleetwood Homes. One candid ‘read’ for sure, where he writes in language as foul as it gets; talks of nondenominational whorehouses (whatever they are); describes a ‘mobile home’ as ‘a 65’ maggot’; and, explains how “We always used tiny women to model, to make the homes look bigger.” Bet you didn’t know all that.

First a Dream, in two editions, by Jim Clayton. Probably the most compelling of all four books to date. Jim included my book review, published in The Journal, in the appendix of his second edition; however, without the paragraph in which I criticized him for publicly venting, toward former employees who’d ‘done him wrong’.

The Trailer Twins, by Darrell, and the late Harrell Cohron, of Indianapolis, IN. Two very private guys who developed thousands of rental homesites, but are unknown outside of Indiana. And that might be a good thing, given at least one of the ‘business secrets’ revealed in the pages of this easy read.

Now, there might well be others, but most of the semi-autobiographical books I have in mind are more HOW TO tomes, regarding various subjects germane to LLLCommunity development, investment, and management; as well as manufactured housing sales tips.

Now, along comes Alvan L. Schrader’s ‘No Respect At All…’, A PATH TO MILLION$ – a straight-forward autobiography, chock full of amusing and engaging personal tales, plus Lessons Learned in business and otherwise. Some topics have been covered in another review I penned, describing this 261 page book. Here following are additional poignant, sometimes humorous anecdotes.

Did you know ‘selling is like shaving’? “You must do it every day or else, in time, you turn into a bum!” p.135

“…my 5/250 rule of thumb being, any business we operate has to be close enough to drive to in five hours, and no further than 250 miles! Anything beyond that distance cannot support our vertical integration concept of six opportunities for profit from each customer.” P.165 I found this rule to be confirming, as our LLLCommunity is 240 miles and four hours drive from home in Indianapolis.

Ever have someone say to you, “Let’s have lunch; I have a great deal for you.” Well, when someone tells Al that, he avoids having lunch with them, “…because it costs me money or time or both, and includes doing a few favors for them.” Though there was at least one occasion where the ‘deal’ “…turned out to be a very interesting opportunity to buy his business, and take over a going concern that fit in nicely with our other businesses.” – all on page # 177

“A friend of mine made a good comparison a long time ago when he said, ‘Running a family business is like flying a 747; 90% boring and 10% sheer fright.’.” p.180

And then there’s Al’s lifetime investment real estate motto, with which we also ended the other book review: “I want to wake up on the first of every month with a whole lot of people owing me money.” P.253.

To order a copy of Al’s book, at a reduced cost – only $25.00 postpaid, simply phone (317) 346-7156. And know this, Al’s donating $20.00 of the price to the RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart, IN.

III.

Spring MH Meeting Season Heats Up!

Where Will YOU Be @ 4, 17, 25 & 26 May; 1 August; & 7-9 September 2016?

4 May = ‘Six Right Ps of Marketing’ re: ‘Sale of MH on-site in LLLCommunities’ Special handouts promised! This 1 ½ hour class occurs @ 3-4:15PM (That’s a change from earlier announcements) as part of the MHCongress (3-5 May) in Las Vegas. If you don’t already know what the ‘Six Right Ps of Marketing’ are, you need to be in this session! Phone (703) 558-0400 for information and registration details.

17 May = Manufactured Housing Manager® professional property management certification class occurs at The Drake Hotel in Oak Brook, IL. Only $250.00/MHM candidate. Phone (217) 528-3423 to register. MHM® class size limited to 25, so don’t be left out of this dynamic class taught by owners/operators of land-lease-lifestyle communities! 1,000 MHM®s nationwide! This MHM® class is a prelude to the IMHA’s annual meeting, to be held during the next two days.

25 & 26 May = ‘Two Days of Plant Tours & Home Sales Seminars’ hosted by the RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart, IN & presented by the Community Owners (7 Part) Business Alliance® or COBA7®!. Agenda features as many as four plant tours (six factories altogether: 2 @ Clayton, Cavco, Champion, Commodore, & Adventure Homes), plus four sequential home sales seminars! Registration? $195/person & $500/vendor. Phone Official MHIndustry HOTLINE: (877) MFD-HSNG or 633-4764 for information and to register. Participation limited to 200. ALSO OPEN TRIPARTE ATTACHMENT to this BEBA (Blast Email Blog Alert) introducing this blog posting!

1 August = ‘MHAlive!’ The first brainstorming, Think Tank type experience to occur since the National State of the Asset Class caucuses of 2/27/2008 & 2009, and final meetings of the now defunct Manufactured Housing Communities Council of the ULI. Host facility = RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart, IN. Schedule? 10-Noon = MHIndustry issues; a no host luncheon; 1-3PM = LLLCommunity issues; 6PM RV/MH Hall of Fame annual Induction Banquet – a separate event, but at same location. To sign-up, phone (317) 346-7156 (no or minimal registration fee at this time). Anyone businessman or woman active in the manufactured housing industry and or LLLCommunity realty asset class is Welcome to participate!

7-9 September = 25th anniversary International Networking Roundtable, at the Gaylord Resort Hotel (a.k.a. Grand ol Opry!) in Nashville, TN. Superb program this year, from three keynote presenters, to a guest appearance by Al Schrader (author), and three august panels on Friday: annual RE $ Lenders Panel; the ‘GSE Hour’ – featuring FHFA, Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac; and likely, a Special Panel discussing the future of MH $, chattel and otherwise….For a brochure, email gfa7156@aol.com and request it.

V.

You’re Invited to OPEN HOUSE hosted by Pentagon Properties in Georgia!

Join dozens of MHIndustry & LLLCommunity aficionados at Noon (lunch provided)
on 26 April for an OPEN HOUSE celebration at Pentagon Properties’ Evergreen Village LLLCommunity in Emerson, GA. There’ll be six new HUD-Code (Community Series Homes) on display:

14X74 Riverbirch
16X80 Fleetwood
16X80 Riverbirch
16X80 Schult/Clayton,
Two 16X82 Fleetwoods
All homes are 3BR2B models. And every attendee will be given a handout document comparing manufacturer’s invoice, total cost (home, freight, setup, & utility connections, skirting, decks, A/C & landscaping), sale price, and lease-option terms!

Address of Evergreen Village is 724 GA-293, Emerson, GA. 30137. Only request of guests, is to RSVP the on-site manager via Mario@roane.com

VI.

And, in case YOU haven’t yet heard…

Manufactured Housing Shipments Were ‘UP’ in February – over the previous month and year to date!

Well, here’s the official HUD-Code housing shipment numbers for February, straight from the source, the Institute for Building Technology & Safety (‘IBTS’):

6,129 new HUD-Code homes shipped during February, up 267 homes from January; NOT the 6,161 reported elsewhere. Proof? Contact IBTS

11,991 new HUD-Code homes shipped year to date (January + February), up from 9,772 this time last year; NOT the 9,722 reported elsewhere. Proof? Contact IBTS.

And the above shipment totals are the same as those reported by HUD, MHARR, & COBA7®. So, no need to look or read any further. Any other numbers purporting to be ‘manufactured housing shipments’ would be aberrations!

FINIS

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