Preface: it must be kept in mind that every business and profession have good, bad, and meh examples of that occupation.  Research by third-parties suggest that millions love their pre-HUD Code mobile home or post June 15, 1976 manufactured home.  University and academic studies by nonprofits have praised manufactured homes for decades. That said, there are clear-cut examples of ‘white …

As previous and upcoming reports on MHLivingNews reflect, there is a growing interest in America by politicos spanning the left-right divide about supporting the use of more manufactured homes as part of the solution to the affordable housing crisis. It’s about time.   One of the reasons we like to spotlight the rich and famous who own a manufactured home …

“Follow the Money.” – a maxim used by journalists and investigators.   “Sometimes the best place to hide is in plain sight.” – axiomatic expression used by numerous authors.   ‘One should separate wheat from chaff.’ – Per Dictionary, to separate wheat from chaff means sort the valuable from the worthless, as in ‘I hope we’ll get a preview of …

It’s a sad day when a good and necessary product or service gets sullied by the bad behavior of certain businesses.   At the end of this fact check and exposé will be a video with happy manufactured home customers, but they are not customers of SSK Communities, who recently changed their name to Flagship Communities. Keep in mind that …

Californian Robert ‘Bob’ Van Cleef is involved in manufactured home resident advocacy. Bob and his wife sold their home and moved into a manufactured home. They enjoy their manufactured home, but were unpleasantly surprised by certain developments in their community.  That’s when Bob stepped up to volunteer as community leader.    He is active with the Golden State Manufactured-Home Owners …

Kurt Kelley, JD, is the publisher of the Manufactured Housing Review (MHR), as the below reflects in his quarterly’s “Publisher’s Message.” For the 2019 Quarter 1 issue, his message read in part as follows.   “…We also [in this issue] address Senator Elizabeth Warren’s attempt to gather private information from Manufactured Home Community owners. New things surprise us each day, …

In a letter dated June 6, 2019 obtained by MHLivingNews, Senator Tina Smith (MN-D) wrote Senators Mike Crapo (ID-R) and Sherrod Brown (OH-D) to urge greater support for lending on affordable housing, particularly naming manufactured homes.   Senator Crapo is the chairman and Senator Brown is the ranking member of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Smith is …

This NBC News 2 in Orlando, WESH, video report is insightful on numerous levels. First, it reflects the ‘right stuff’ exhibited by the members of the installation team that put the higher priority on saving a man’s life than protecting the home that was being installed.  That’s behavior that reflects a proper ‘people first’ concern that should be applauded. Next, …

We’ve done several serious reports in the last year or so that look deeper behind the often dark curtain to understand why manufactured homes – along with the mobile homes and trailer houses that preceded them – are so misunderstood.   Today will be a bit different. 43 years ago, today is the official “birth” of HUD Code manufactured homes. …

Imagine for the new few minutes that you are a detective trying to solve a mystery. Detectives look for clues and examine evidence. Investigators ought to be objective. Like a doctor seeking the cause for an ailment, there are tests, results, facts, and reason that should to be the drivers for solving any puzzle.   Investigators ask questions, such as …

The text that follows has one edit, Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) Joe Stegmayer’s name was misspelled, and we’ve edited in links to other reports that we’ve published that HUD Secretary Carson’s comments confirmed. Those links have an * at the end of that hotlink. Otherwise, the text is as shown. Manufactured Home Living News (MHLivingNews) will follow this up with …

Wittingly or not, most people thirst for the truth.  We may not want to hear that our hair isn’t quite right, that we age, or that we aren’t as fast on the tennis court as we once were.  But when one deals with more serious topics – like housing – what most want is the intelligible truth.   People like …

Foreward.  Susan M. Wachter, writing as Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) said, “Most new homes in the United States are site-built to State and local codes, but an increasing number are “manufactured homes,” designed and constructed to meet the requirements of the preemptive Federal Manufactured Home Construction and …

Imagine any honest and legal profession. Each one exists because of some necessary or desired function served.   The good farm or ranch hand is doing their part to feed the world. The good line worker, mechanic, or service person builds and keeps things running. The good office staffer is a model of understanding what it takes to keep operations …

The executive summary of this article could read something like this.  Accurate housing or other fact checks are useful.  Pulling back the curtain on popular reports, to see what’s not stated, can be beneficial too.  When affordable housing shoppers hear about reports like the ones posted or linked below, its wise to step back to look anew at what the …