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According to the press release provided by the Washington, D.C. based Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) at this link here is the following report in Part I to MHLivingNews’ and this writer for this Patch. Part II will provide additional insights, analysis, affordable housing, governmental, plus related and other topics.
Part I
HUD CODE Manufactured Housing
PRODUCTION INCREASES IN NOVEMBER 2024
Washington, D.C., January 9, 2025 – The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) reports that according to official statistics compiled on behalf of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), HUD Code manufactured housing industry year-over-year production increased in November 2024. Just-released statistics indicate that HUD Code manufacturers produced 8,597 new homes in November 2024, a 10.6% increase over the 7,769 new HUD Code homes produced in November 2023. Cumulative production for 2024 now totals 96,236 homes, a 16.2% increase over the 82,809 HUD Code homes produced over the same period in 2023.
A further analysis of the official industry statistics shows that the top ten shipment states from January 2023 — with monthly, cumulative, current reporting year (2024) and prior year (2023) shipments per category as indicated — are:
The November 2024 statistics result in no changes to the cumulative top-ten list.
The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform is a Washington, D.C.- based national trade association representing the views and interests of independent producers of federally-regulated manufactured housing.
MHARR production and top 10 shipment reports are available for re-publication in full (i.e., without alteration or substantive modification) without further permission and with proper attribution and link back to this article on MHARR.
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Part II – Additional Information, Commentary, and Other Topics
The photo in the featured image is a factory-built home produced by a MHARR member. MHARR members, per their website and several official comment letters to federal officials, represents producers of HUD Code manufactured homes as well as some modular housing builders that can serve 48 states in the U.S.A.
As their footer above states, MHARR represents the views and interests of: “independent producers of federally-regulated manufactured housing.” They are a production-focused trade group that have a mission of dealing with federal officials and regulators.
To restate the work of MHARR, they are not in the business of marketing. That said, MHARR has used the following illustration in some prior press releases. On a cost per square foot basis, modern mainstream manufactured homes are about half the cost per square foot as conventional ‘site built’ housing, according to data compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau.
As a writer for MHProNews for over 15 years and Mobile Home and Manufactured Home Living News (a.k.a.: MHLivingNews.com) since it was launched, and as someone who has worked most of my adult life since the early 1980s in various aspects and capacities in the manufactured housing industry, there are some common sense points that readers outside of manufactured housing ought to consider. For example.
It wouldn’t make sense for most Americans if they wanted to buy a car that they would expect someone crew show up at their driveway four or five days a week in a group of pickup and other trucks and start building a car from the frame up, would it? Of course not. People expect that a car that they want to buy was or would be built in a factory.
If someone wanted to buy a clothes washer, it would be a shock if a work crew would show up in trucks and start assembling the units outside your residence, or perhaps even more shocking, if they started to assemble a washing machine in your house or apartment.
Something similar would be said about your appliances, your TV, computers, smart phones, clothing, and so on. Most of those items are produced in production centers, a.k.a. “a factory.” That term ‘factory’ doesn’t mean that smoke is billowing up out of the plant. In fact, I’ve been in production centers in several parts of the country and have yet to see a smokestack. A manufactured home production center may be akin to a big warehouse with fitting and equipment that can be used to move large items, including housing sections, through the plant as the home goes from station to station until it is completed.
The video interview above by this writer is of William “Bill” Matchneer, J.D. The later Bill Matchneer was the first program director for the Office of Manufactured Housing Programs (OMHP) at HUD. Matchneer also served at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) because that office needed someone familiar with manufactured housing. As the video is playing short clips of actual HUD Code manufactured homes are shown that are routinely homes produced by a MHARR member, Sunshine Homes, from Red Bay, Alabama. While prices have changed since that video (see the graphic above for more recent pricing), the style of homes available remains much the same.
Manufactured homes, in my view as an industry professional and manufactured home owner, comes in two broad categories. What some call “shade and shelter” or “entry level” (“E” in the photo collage below) housing that are perhaps not fancy but are very affordable. Then there are residential style manufactured homes. The illustration below should help clarify the two styles.
Note that both styles of manufactured homes, entry level and residential, by federal law must meet all HUD Code standards. The HUD Code for manufactured homes is the only federal residential building code in the U.S. today. To illustrate that point is the following.
The standards for manufactured homes are performance based, so builders have flexibility to innovate as long as the home meets the various safety, durability, and energy saving standards set by HUD.
If someone looks at the facts about manufactured housing, including the reports linked below, one might wonder. How is it possible that manufactured homes aren’t selling more homes? That’s such a fair question, that several third-party researchers have sought to answer that very question.
https://www.manufacturedhomepr…
https://www.manufacturedhomepr…
https://www.manufacturedhomepr…
https://www.manufacturedhomeli…
https://www.manufacturedhomeli…
Each of those research reports and numbers of others makes interesting points. A collection of third-party research can be found on MHLivingNews at this link here. That said, amazingly, many such research reports seem to miss some key facts about manufactured housing. Many miss the Duty to Serve Manufactured Housing (DTS), but let’s focus on just one for today.
In a widely bipartisan vote of the Congress, the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 (a.k.a.: MHIA 2000, MHIA, 2000 Reform Law, 2000 Reform Act) was made federal law. A key provision of the 2000 Reform Law was known as “enhanced preemption.”
https://manufacturedhousingass…
That “enhanced preemption” was intended by Congress to overcome local zoning barriers, while DTS was supposed to provide more competitive lending for manufactured housing. Here is how that federal preemption was described by lawmakers who voted for the 2000 Reform Law.
See the quote above in the context of the full letter at this link:
Both the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI), a larger “umbrella” style trade group (i.e.: both production and post-production) that says they represent “all segments” of the industry, plus the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) told Congressional hearings that HUD wasn’t properly enforcing the law. Links to reports about those hearings are shown below.
Those hearings were those remarks were made were held in 2011, 2012 and 2023. What’s happened? Essentially, nothing. To be more precise, a record has been developed which Congress, researchers, advocates, media, or others can use. That said, there has been no progress on the problems faced by the industry.
That begs the question. Given the fact that manufactured housing has favorable laws that are not being properly enforced, why hasn’t the industry sued to get their rights under federal law enforced?
MHARR answered that question approaching 5 years ago. Note that the quoted remark in the headline is satirical. The zoning barriers aren’t shrinking at all.
https://manufacturedhousingass…
MHARR’s Mark Weiss, J.D., the president and CEO of that Washington, D.C.-based producers trade group essentially said that MHARR offered to team up with an MHI linked state association and/or with MHI. None accepted the MHARR offer. CEO Weiss’ specific language can be seen above or at this link here.
Here is part of how legal researcher Samuel Strommen described it in a 17-page thesis supported by 130+ footnotes.
https://www.manufacturedhomeli… and https://www.manufacturedhomepr…
But it wasn’t just Strommen who thinks that antitrust violations are at play in manufactured housing. Several Federal Reserve linked researchers have come to a parallel conclusion, pointing the finger at HUD and builders.
https://www.manufacturedhomepr…
With that backdrop, there is more to know. Because several Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) members have been named in a series of national class action lawsuits.
https://www.manufacturedhomepr…
To get a more complete understanding of what has gone wrong with affordable and often praised modern mainstream manufactured housing see the reports linked below.
https://patch.com/florida/lake…
https://www.manufacturedhomepr…
https://patch.com/florida/lake…
https://patch.com/florida/lake…
https://patch.com/florida/lake…
https://patch.com/florida/lake…
https://patch.com/florida/lake…
With those added insights, now you have a better understanding of the rest of the story about modern manufactured housing’s slide. Other topics, not necessarily related to manufactured housing also follow.
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L. A. “Tony” Kovach is a publisher who has earned multiple awards in history. He and his family live in a manufactured home on private property in Winter Haven, FL. He is the co-founder of Manufactured Home Living News.com (MHLivingNews.com) and Manufactured Home Pro News.com (MHProNews.com), trade publications serving segments of the manufactured home industry. Having worked in several segments of the manufactured home industry for over 3 decades, Kovach is a widely acknowledged and often praised expert on manufactured housing. ###
The article above was adapted and posted on the Patch at this link here.
Mobile Home and Manufactured Home Living News explores the good, bad, and ugly realities that keep the most proven form of affordable home ownership under-appreciated and misunderstood. MHLivingNews provides third-party research and other resource collections and reports not found on other sites. We also provide thought provoking analysis that are designed to open minds and hearts. This is the widely acknowledged best source for authentic news on mobile and manufactured home living, as well as the policies that impact this segment of housing that provides 22 million Americans with good, surprisingly appealing living.
On our MHProNews sister-site and here on MHLivingNews, we lay out the facts and insights that others can’t or won’t do. That’s what makes our sister site and this location the runaway leaders for authentic information about affordable housing in general, the politics behind the problems, and manufactured homes specifically.
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, 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.
Connect on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/latonykovach
Recent and Related Reports:
The text/image boxes below are linked to other reports, which can be accessed by clicking on them.
