George Allen / EducateMHC Blog Mobile Home & Land Lease Community Advocate & Expert

Blog Posting # 857; Copyright 6 September 2025. EducateMHC

Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (‘MH’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable, factory-built housing (a.k.a. one of four types of offsite construction), routinely    paired with traditional stick-built housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). And land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) comprise the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. A variety of housing finance types (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans, & real estate-secured mortgages) constitutes post-production MH.

EducateMHC is the official MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source. Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, and www.educatemhc.com to purchase Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry (This book belongs in every land lease community nationwide!), and SWAN SONG –History of land lease communities & official record of annual MH production totals since 1955.

My autobiography, From SmittyAlpha6 to MHMaven, describes personal combat adventures in Vietnam as a USMC lieutenant, a 45 year entrepreneur business career in MH & community ownership, and freelance consulting plus authoring 20 nonfiction texts & 900 blog postings.

George Allen is the sole emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’), a founding board member of MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division, RV/M Hall of Fame enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist & editor at large for the popular MHInsider magazine.

OUR WORST NIGHTMARE

‘EMP Attack Would Kill Millions of Americans!’ This is the vivid headline of a feature article in the September 2025 issue of NEWSMAX magazine. Here’s from that startling news story:

“One of the primary reasons the U.S. needs a Golden Dome (like Israel) is to prevent an electromagnetic pulse (‘EMP’) attack, which if successful would kill millions of Americans over a short period of time.”

And “Instead of detonating when it hits the ground, an EMP would explode 200 miles above the U.S.”, damaging current and effecting voltage surges nationwide – and a whole lot more!

So, where’s all this coming from? Various sources for sure. I first learned about EMPs back in 2009, when a friend working in the federal government recommended I read William Forstchen’s science fiction novel One Second After. Well, I did so – and was shocked to learn  how devastating an EMP attack would be here in the U.S. I mean, and think about this for a moment, how do we live without electricity? No power, no lights, no pumping of any liquid, no electronic communication, no HVAC, and on and on! Guess what likely becomes the primary method of monetary exchange? Bullets! There’re needed for hunting, as there will be no grocery stores to speak of. Anyway, this dire scenario goes on and on throughout the novel, leaving readers stunned at ‘what might be’. This real fear of an EMP so stunned politicians in Washington, DC. at the time, that Newt Gingrich encouraged Dr. Forstchen to pen this story – and that was 16 years ago! Now EMPs are coming back into the national news.

Again, “After about 20 days, your town is out of food, and then the (loss of) command and control starts with the bad guys coming to take whatever they want. It turns into a massive catastrophe.”

A second novel by Forstchen, titled One Year After, revisits the towns and characters introduced in the first novel, 12 months later, describing how many, but not all, have adapted to a very primitive lifestyle. It sure reawakens the angst and awe spawned in the first novel.

Finally, author Forstchen closes this epic tale in The Final Day, describing an almost apocalyptic event – but not, on the east coast. By the time one finishes reading this triad of science fiction novels, one wants to never experience an EMP attack, anywhere, anytime!

So, if you’re looking for a challenging, albeit educational ‘read’ this fall, be sure to pick up a copy of One Second After. And let me know what you think of the plots and characters, via gfa7156@aol.com

George Allen

Blog Posting # 856; Copyright 29 August 2025. EducateMHC

Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (‘MH’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable, factory-built housing (a.k.a. one of four types of offsite construction), routinely paired with traditional stick-built housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). And land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) comprise the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. A variety of housing finance types (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans, & real estate-secured mortgages) constitutes post-production MH.

EducateMHC is the official MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source. Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, and www.educatemhc.com to purchase Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry (This book belongs in every land lease community nationwide!), and SWAN SONG – History of land lease communities & official record of annual MH production totals since 1955.

My autobiography, From SmittyAlpha5 to MHMaven, describes personal combat adventures in Vietnam as a USMC lieutenant, a 45 year entrepreneur business career in MH & community ownership, as well as freelance consulting and authoring of 20 nonfiction texts.

George Allen is the sole emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’), a founding board member of MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division, RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist & editor at large for the popular MHInsider magazine.

A CHANGE IN PACE…

Yes I know, no blog posting from me last week. That’s because I spent the first three days of the week in Elkhart, IN., at the RV/MH Hall of Fame museum and library. Monday night, hundreds of us enjoyed the annual Hall of Fame induction banquet, where we celebrated to lives and careers of ten MH & RV industry pioneers. Monday, 100 of us participated in the IMHA/RVIC’s annual two days FactoryTour program, also at the Hall of Fame facility. Plus, I spent time, while there, working on the RV/MH Hall of Fame history project. This initiative has been in play now for two years, and I estimate another two years work and writing before we publish a comprehensive, year-by-year history of this important MH & RV museum and library. Now for this week’s ‘change in pace’.

A longtime friend sent me several short stories describing historical origins of several common day terms we use during conversations and in writing. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

During WWII, U.S. airplanes were armed with belts of bullets which they’d shoot during dogfights and on strafing runs. These belts were folded into wing compartments until fed into their machine guns. These belts measured 27 feet in length and contained hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Often, pilots would return from combat missions, having expended all their bullets on various targets. They would say, “I gave them the whole nine yards’, meaning they used up all their ammunition.

In George Washington’s days, there were no cameras. One’s image was either sculpted or painted. Some paintings of George Washington showed him standing behind a desk with one arm behind his back, while others showed both legs and arms. Prices charged by painters back then were not based on how many people were to be painted, but by how many limbs were to be painted. Arms and legs are ‘limbs’, therefore painting them would cost the buyer more. Hence the expression, “Okay, but it’ll cost you an arm and a leg.” (Artists know hands and arms are more difficult to paint).

As incredible as it sounds, men and women took baths only twice a year, usually in May and October. Women kept their hair covered, while men shaved their heads, due to lice and bugs, and wore wigs. Wealthy men could afford good wigs made from wool. They couldn’t wash the wigs, so to clean them they would carve a large hole in a loaf of bread, put the wig in the shell, and bake it for 30 minutes. The heat would make the wig big and fluffy, hence the term ‘big wig’. Today we often hear the term ‘Here comes the Big Wig’ because someone appears to be or is powerful and wealthy.

In the late 1700s, many houses consisted of a large room with only one chair. Commonly, a long wide board folded down from the wall, and was used for dining. The ‘head of the household’ always sat in the chair, while everyone else ate sitting on the floor. Occasionally a guest, who was usually a man, would be invited to sit in this chair during the meal. To sit in the chair meant you were important and in charge. They called the one sitting in the chair the ‘chair man’. Today in business, we use the expression or title ‘Chairman’ or ‘Chairman of the Board.”

Ladies wore corsets, which lace up I the front. A proper and dignified woman, as in ‘straight laced’ wore a tightly-tied lace.

Common entertainment included playing cards. However, there was a tax levied when purchasing playing cards, but only applicable to the ‘Ace of Spades’. To avoid paying the tax, people would purchase 51 cards instead. Yet, since most games require 52 cards, these people were thought to be stupid or dumb because they weren’t ‘playing with a full deck’. Hmm, that sounds a little dubious, but ‘who knows’?

At local taverns, pubs, and bars, people drank from pint and quart-sized containers. A bar maid’s job was to keep an eye on the customers and keep the drinks coming. She had to pay close attention and remember who was drinking in ‘pints’ and who was drinking ‘in pints & quarts’, hence the phrase, ‘minding your Ps & Qs’.

Now, this final tale is a bit complicated to follow. Bet you didn’t know that, in the heyday of sailing ships, all warships and many freighters carried iron cannons. Those cannons fired round iron cannon balls. It was necessary to keep a good supply near the cannon. However, how to prevent them from rolling about the deck. The best storage method devised was a square-based pyramid with one ball on top, resting on four resting on nine, which rested on sixteen. Thus, a supply of 30 cannon balls could be stacked in a small area next to the cannon. There was a problem…how to prevent the bottom layer from sliding or rolling from under the others. The solution was a metal plate called a ‘Monkey’, with 16 round indentations. If this plate was made of iron, the iron balls would quickly rust to it. The solution to the rusting problem was to use ‘Brass Monkeys’. Now, brass contracts in size much more and faster than iron when chilled. Hence, when the temperature dropped too far, the brass indentations would shrink so much that the iron cannonballs would come right of the monkey. Thus, it was quite literally, ‘Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey.’ Now you know…

OK, where’s the MH application in all this? Well, back in the 70s (1970, not 1870), there was a Midwestern MH-related social organization known as the Hitchball Social Club. This IMHA/RVIC (Indiana) group partied regularly, even had its’ own unique lapel membership pin, featuring a MH hitchball in its’ center. I wear the pin, from time-to-time, to various state and national MH events. Ask to see it sometime….

George Allen

Blog Posting # 855; Copyright 15 August 2025. EducateMHC

50 YEARS YOUNG; the RV/MH Heritage Foundation Hall of Fame

A Summary of the early history of the foundation, 1972-2025

Introduction. I have been researching and penning a comprehensive history of the RV/MH Heritage Foundation Hall of Fame for the past two years. I expect it’ll be another two years before I have a manuscript ready for printing, binding, and distribution. What follows here is a brief look at some of the history of the foundation. If you have RV &/or MH anecdotes, and historical tidbits, to share on this subject, please let me know via gfa7156@aol.com Here goes…

            Year 1972 is historic for several reasons. Internationally, it was a black year due to terrorism interrupting Olympic sports when Arab gunmen massacred 11 Israeli athletes in Europe. Nationally, 1972 marked the beginning of the Watergate fiasco, one of the greatest U.S. political scandals in modern times.

            In manufactured housing circles however, 1972 was a Banner Year, boasting the second highest production level year in industry history, with 575,940 new mobile homes shipped!  And 1973 exceeded this euphoric level by 4,000 units, when 579,940 new homes were shipped! Unfortunately, two years later – in 1975, these acme shipment levels, for financial and regulatory reasons, plummeted to 212,690 new homes shipped. Since then, it’s been a veritable roller coaster ride of fluctuating annual production totals, affecting financial support for the RV/MH Hall of Fame, museum and library. (Editorial note. Given the dearth of recreational vehicle production totals, that perspective is absent from this summary.)

            Riding the 1972 MH shipment euphoria, a group of 10 manufactured housing recreational vehicle trade magazine publishers, attending an MHMA meeting (predecessor to MHI) in Washington, DC on 22 March, announced the first Hall of Fame class comprised of 14 pioneers. Inductees included industry pioneers Betty Orr, Jerry Golden, Wally Byam, Elmer Frey, Kristian Jensen and several others. First Hall of Fame headquarters was the business office of its first chairman, later a loaned desk in the National Bank of Elkhart. Early years were tough going, with members paying utility bills. In time, Jack Tuff and Vern Sailor convinced the city of Elkhart to donate six acres of urban renewal land for the first Hall of Fame facility, built in 1990.  First major donors were Winnebago and MHI, until the RV industry became more involved during the early 2000s. (Editorial note. Interestingly; some recall an early name version as being MH/RV Hall of Fame). A new 80,000 square foot RV/MH Hall of Fame museum and library facility opened on the east side of Elkhart during 2007. And during year, 2021, a new manufactured housing display area was opened to the public.

            Some interesting facts about past year inductees into the RV/MH Hall of Fame, beginning with the varying number of inductees each year. 1972 = 14; 1973 = 11; 1974 = 10; 1977 = ‘0’; and years 1984, 86, 89 & 94 saw only three new inductees each year. Beginning in 2014 and thereafter, annual classes have numbered ten individuals; five each from the recreational vehicle and manufactured housing industries.

Who’re some of the MH industry pioneers inducted into the prestigious RV/MH Hall of Fame during the past five decades?

• At least eight father and son pairings (as of 2024), of which three ‘fathers’ have authored autobiographies: Jim Clayton, the late Kris Jensen, and late Ralph Scoular.  
• Other Hall of Fame enshrinees who’ve authored autobiographies include the late John Crean, twins Harrell & Darrell Cohron,  Alvan L. Schrader and George Allen
• One pair of twins; Darrell & Harrell Cohron from Indianapolis.
• At least one married couple: Warren & Mary Jackson
• More than a half dozen founders of housing manufacturer firms, e.g. John Crean, Art Decio, Bob DeRose, Jim Shea, Sr., Elmer Frey, Harold Platt.
• Some notable individuals: Ricky Bucchino ‘did it all’ (i.e. MHRetailer, manufacturer, community owner, and association director), was known as ‘Mr.  Florida MH’ until he died; Dr. Carlton Edwards, prolific author and director of Michigan State University’s Mobile Homes Education Program; Dick Moore, longest operating MHRetailer, who sold a MH to Elvis Presley; and Grayson Schwepfinger, perennial trainer of ‘company store’ and independent (street) MHRetailers everywhere.

            An interesting and welcome phenomenon, of late, has been the growing number of women pioneers and executives being inducted into the RV/MH Hall of Fame. The late Betty Orr was a member of the inaugural 1972 class. Since then there’ve been others, listed here alphabetically:

• Lisa Drake Connor of MO. Early spokesperson for the MH industry, via media events and among legislators. Worked to improve industry & image.
• Theresa M. Desfosses of ME. Since 1968, she fabricated and sold new manufactured homes via Burlington Homes, & developed communities.
• Patricia Fiederer of NY. President of Latham Homes & developed land lease communities. A 40 year member and leader of New York MH Association.
• Ruth D. Kaseman of AZ. Active in housing since 1944. Founder of Arizona MH Owners Association, and a co-founder of the RV/MH Hall of Fame.
• Christine Lindsey, MHM, of TN. Career regional property manager for UMH Properties. Energetic promoter of manufactured housing nationwide.
• Betty Orr of IL. Well known after-market supplier, MH retailer &association leader. First female interior designer to work in manufactured housing
• Debra Pizer, MHM of IL. Retired property management executive with Zeman MHC; female mentor in community management & retail sales.
• Maggie Stephenson of IN. Founder and developer of Stephenson land lease communities, an independent MH retailer. Past president of IMHA/RVIC.
• Glenna Tollett of WA. Developer and operator of three land lease communities in WA. Executive director of the Washington MH Association.
• Doris Woodward of CA. Editor of Trailer Life magazine in 1940s & 50s. Also with Jenkins Publishing as a columnist writing about manufactured homes.
• Mary I. Younkin of OH. 50 year veteran of manufactured housing; served  Ohio MH Association for 30 years. Founded Dycom Industries.
• Karen Redfern, VP of marketing at ‘Go Rving!’ promotional program
• Darlene Stahla-Gardner, President & owner of Henry Stahla Mobile Homes
• Paula Reeves, CIS Financial Services president

While this is an impressive list of 14 female RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinees (The last three were inducted during year 2023), their number comprises only 3 percent of all inductees honored since 1972!

Again, if you have knowledge or experience of RV and or MH historic events during years past, please share them with me ASAP. I’m working with a 53 year timeline and will insert your contribution(s) where and when appropriate.

George Allen, EducateMHC

Blog Posting # 854; Copyright 8 August 2025. EducateMHC

Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (‘MH’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable, factory-built housing (a.k.a. one of four types of offsite construction), routinely paired with traditional stick-built housing (a.k.a. onsite construction. Plus, land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) comprise the commercial real estate (‘CRD’) component of MH. Various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans, and real estate mortgages) constitute the post-production segment of MH

EducateMHC is the official MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source. Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, and www.educatemhc.com to purchase Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry this book belongs in every land lease community nationwide!), and SWAN SONG – History of land lease communities & official record of annual MH production totals since 1955.

And my autobiography, From SmittyAlpha6 to MHMaven, describes personal combat adventures in Vietnam as a USMC lieutenant, a 45 year entrepreneur business career in MH & community ownership, as well as freelance consulting and authoring of 20 nonfiction texts.

George Allen is the sole emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’), a founding board member of MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division, RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist & editor at large for the popular MHInsider magazine.

TOTAL U.S. HOUSING COMPLETIONS DURING JUNE 2025

EducateMHC’s’ Economic Report: Total new onsite & offsite homes completed!

This total U.S. Housing Completion Report for June 2025 combines online data from U.S. Census Bureau (i.e. their annual estimated onsite construction completion total divided by 12 months); then adding offsite construction completions comprised of 1) manufactured housing production data from Institute for Building Technology & Safety (‘IBTS’), 2) modular & panelized units estimated to be 2% of onsite construction completions, and 3) RV Industry of America (‘RVIA’) website report of monthly production of Park Model RVs.

Historic bottom line! Unlike the U.S. Census Bureau Report that tallies ONLY onsite construction completions (i.e. stick-built homes on scattered and subdivision building sites conveyed fee simple), ADDING four types of offsite construction (a.k.a. affordable, factory-built housing cited above) to this total, presents a far more accurate, all-encompassing picture of total U.S. housing completions for the month of June 2025!

Think about it. Would you rather continue to be given ‘half a loaf’ of housing completion data each month (i.e. onsite construction only), OR know the ‘whole loaf’ of housing completion data (i.e. offsite construction added in) for the month?

Specifically, rather than there being just 109,500 new onsite constructed homes completed during June 2025, the more accurate, all-encompassing estimated total (i.e. including 11,366 offsite construction units) is 120,866; for a difference of 11,366 housing units!

What are the ‘numbers’ that make up these totals?

U.S. Census Bureau, for the month of June 2025, reports 109,500 single-family, site-built, privately-owned onsite housing completions (i.e. the annual estimated tally of 1,314,000 divided by 12 months). Meanwhile, the monthly grand total, inclusive of four types of offsite construction (Again, HUD-Code housing + modular & panelized homes + park Models RVs, totals 11,366 completions).

What does the U.S. Census Bureau find to be so daunting that they continue to refuse to combine onsite construction and offsite construction completion estimates, each month, to better report the volume of new housing starts in the U.S.?

Again, this ‘Total U.S. Housing Completion Report’ is a work in progress. Please let us know what you think of this onsite & offsite housing completion report, via gfa7156@aol.com

RV/MH Hall of Fame Induction on 18 August!

To date, more than 500 RV & MH industry pioneers, leaders, and successful businessmen and women have been inducted (I prefer to say ‘enshrined’) in the prestigious RV/MH Hall of Fame located in Elkhart, IN. The evening of 18 August, ten more such notable individuals will be welcomed into the Hall of Fame, five each from the two sister industries. More than 500 honorees and guests are expected to participate in this year’s gala event. I certainly plan to be there. How ‘bout you? If interested, visit the RV/MH Hall of Fame website or phone (574) 293-2344 for more information and to make reservations!

And, if you’re a land lease community owner/operator and have not yet participated in the two days of MH sales training and plant tours in northern Indiana, plan now to do so on the 19^th & 20^th of August, right there at the RV/MH Hall of Fame. For more information and to register, reach out to the IMHA/RVIC (Indiana) association via (317) 247-6258.

George Allen

Blog Posting # 853; Copyright 1 August 2025. EducateMHC

Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (‘MH’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable, factory-built housing (a.k.a. one of four types of offsite construction), routinely paired with traditional stick-built housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). Plus, land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) comprise the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. Various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans, and real estate mortgages) constitute the post-production segment of MH

EducateMHC is the official MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source. Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, and www.educatemhc.com to purchase Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry (This book belongs in every land lease community nationwide!), and SWAN SONG – History of land lease communities & official record of annual MH production totals since 1955.

And my autobiography, From SmittyAlpha6 to MHMaven, describes personal combat adventures in Vietnam as a USMC lieutenant, a 45 year entrepreneur business career in MH & community ownership, as well as freelance consulting and authoring of 20 nonfiction texts.

George Allen is the sole emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institute 9”MHIi’), a founding board member of MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division, RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist & editor at large for the popular MHInsider magazine.

MH Evergreen Issues Update from 2018

Evergreen Issues? Relative to trade journalism and broadcasting, evergreen content (issues) are not time-sensitive or wholly reliant on current events. The term originates from evergreen trees.

Seven years ago I posted blog # 511 (2 December 2018) bore the title ‘Evergreen Issues of Manufactured Housing’. Then, during December 2021 (the year I retired), we revisited the subject, to see what changes, if any, had occurred among evergreen issues. Ready to go?

Manufactured housing’s Achilles Heel continues to frustrate. Specifically, WHO today is truly responsible for the proper, safe and secure installation of HUD-Code manufactured homes on scattered building sites conveyed fee simple, and on rental homesites within land lease communities nationwide? HUD inspectors, state inspectors, local building code enforcers, HUD-Code housing manufacturers, land lease community owners/operators, home buyers, or homeowners/site lessees? Get the idea? No single source fully takes that responsibility!

If the Department of Housing & Urban Development (i.e. HUD) truly believes what it says when proclaiming HUD-Code manufactured homes to be AFFORDABLE (i.e. ‘Most affordable type housing in the U.S.’), why doesn’t the federal agency aggressively promote it as such? As it appears today, HUD comes across as the ‘reluctant bride’ in this half century long relationship! The same juxtaposition exists with the two GSEs (i.e. Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac) treating manufactured housing as an unwanted stepchild when it comes to ‘not’ aggressively planning and implementing Congress-mandated Duty to Serve (‘DTS’) measures in our behalf!

DAPIA, given nearly 50 years of service, enjoys a tenured relationship with HUD and manufactured housing. Is this healthy? IMHO, ‘No’ it is not. Why has there been no change in contractors during these five past decades?

What is holding manufactured housing production back from its’ full capacity? Manufactured housing stock continues to age and disappear faster, in quantity, new HUD-Code homes can be fabricated, shipped, and installed. In 1973 we shipped 579,940 new ‘mobile homes’; in 2009, our nadir year, we shipped only 48,789 new HUD-Code manufactured homes (‘MH’); in 2021 we eclipsed 100,000 homes for the first time since 2006; and we dropped back to 89,169 MHs in 2023, only to creep back to 103,314 in 2024. Since 40+ percent of new HUD-Code homes are shipped directly into land lease communities, the lack of sufficient to chattel capital (a.k.a. ‘home only’ loans) is part of the answer to this conundrum. Since one finance source controls 70+/- percent of that market today, there’s a dire need for additional sources of personal property financing.

Some manufactured home salespersons continue to position prospective homebuyers to fail. How so? By not including household utility expenses within the standard 30 percent Housing Expense Factor (‘HEF’) along with PITI (loan principal, interest, taxes, insurance). By not doing this, at the end of any month, when the 30 percent HEF payment has been paid (Again, principal, interest, taxes, insurance), the extra dollars paid out for household utility expenses – when added to the 30 percent, can increase the total percentage to 40 or more percent!

And the list of evergreen issues continues.

The same size and featured HUD-Code manufactured home permanently-sited on a scattered or subdivision privately-owned building site will oft times be valued differently (i.e. more $) than a twin home sited on a rental homesite in a land lease community (i.e. less $). Why? Value and nature (i.e. permanence & lack thereof) of the underlying realty. This handicap would be ameliorated given widespread use of long term written leases in the latter instance.

Continued absence of two manufactured housing secondary markets: one valuing and marketing of resale homes; the other, marketing seasoned chattel capital ‘home only’ loans – to free up capital for new financing. Yes, there’re ‘fits & starts’ in both these areas but no real progress to date. How do you think this timely and important matter should be addressed?

Has the CrossMod™ HUD-Code manufactured home lived up to its’ expectations or not? Depends on who you talk to these days….

Why do GSEs (i.e. government-supported enterprises) Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac continue to ‘slow walk’ Congress-mandated Duty to Serve (‘DTS”) programs relative to shortage of chattel capital?

Why continued local housing market intransigence regarding zoning and rezoning raw land in support of manufactured housing placement, land lease community development, and other forms of affordable housing? This is a perennial issue addressed at all levels of government.

And we continue to have two national trade associations in and around our nation’s capitol vying for the dues and attention of businesses involved in manufactured housing and land lease community ownership/operations. Perhaps the time has come for one such organization to represent only HUD-Code housing manufacturers, and the other one – everyone else in MH-related business models. What do you think? Let me know via gfa7156@aol.com

Big 3-C firms control more than 70 percent of the national market share of HUD-Code home shipments. Is this healthy for the industry at large? Virtually all the sole proprietor-founded manufacturers have been absorbed by one or another of the Big 3-C firms. OK with you?

Forget about professional property management! It barely exists among land lease communities nationwide. I fought this battle (i.e. PM training & certification) for nearly 50 years. And today we have maybe 100 CPMs in play, and a couple hundred lesser ‘players’. Sad!

And once again, what is the national Economic Impact (& Analysis) or EIA of manufactured housing and land lease communities going forward? Our sister industry, recreational vehicles already has this researched and figured out and is using EIA to influence state and federal legislation. And MH wonders we continue to play second fiddle in every housing program promotion.

Finally, there’s a new evergreen issue to add to this august, though little discussed list. It has to do with the refining housing-related trade terms. Today, onsite construction refers to site-built housing erected on homebuilding sites, and reported monthly by the U.S. Census Bureau. On the other hand, offsite construction refers to various types of factory-built affordable housing: HUD-Code manufactured housing, modular and panelized housing, as well as Park Model RVs. Offsite construction housing is NOT included in the aforementioned U.S. Census Bureau monthly statistical reporting (except for permanently-sited HUD-Code homes). There are two issues here. First, getting housing professionals, across the board, to agree upon and use the onsite and offsite construction differentiations. Second; getting the U.S. Census Bureau to include HUD-Code homes, modular & panelized housing, and Park Model RVs in their monthly reporting. That way we’d have a far better handle on just how much new affordable attainable housing is indeed being built throughout the nation. Quite an evergreen issue awaiting resolution!

George Allen

According to the Joint Center for Housing Studies

Blog Posting # 852; Copyright 25 July 2025. EducateMHC

Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (‘MH’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable, factory-built housing (a.k.a. one of four types of offsite construction), routinely paired with traditional stick-built housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). Plus, land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) comprise the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. Various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans, and real estate mortgages) constitute the post-production segment of MH

EducateMHC is the official MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source. Contact EducateMHC via 9317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, and www.educatemhc.com, to purchase Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry (This book belongs in every land lease community nationwide!), and SWAN SONG – History of land lease communities & official record of annual MH production totals since 1955.

And my autobiography, From SmittyAlpha6 to MHMaven, describes personal combat adventures in Vietnam as a USMC lieutenant, a 45 year entrepreneur business career in MH & community ownership, as well as freelance consulting and authoring of 20 nonfiction texts.

George Allen is the sole emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institutes (‘MHI’), a founding board member of MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division, RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrine, Allen Legacy columnist & editor at large for the popular MHinsider magazine.

State of the Nation’s Housing Market

According to the Joint Center for Housing Studies

What follows here are ‘talking points’ gleaned from two recent (24 June & 9 July 2025) JCHS U.S. housing market studies. The first one quoted is titled ‘Unease in the Housing Market Amid a Worsening Affordability Crisis’; the second one, ‘A Year for the Record Books: The State of the Nation’s Housing in Perspective.’ Ready to go?

Here are eight takeaways from the new report (i.e. 24 June)

• Renter Cost Burdens Hit Another Record High (i.e. renters spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing and utilities). And in some cases even more than 30 percent.

• Rising Costs Encumber Homeowners, as Insurance and Property Taxes Increase (i.e. cost-burdened homeowners, in number, rose by 646,000 to 20.3 million)

• Home Sales Drop to a 30-Year Low, as home prices are up 60 percent since 2019. This is five times the average annual median income (‘AMI’)

• Builders Respond with Smaller Homes and Mortgage Rate Buydowns. This has increased new home sales. Think various forms of accessory dwelling units (‘ADUs’), also maybe why more and more Park Model RVs are being used year round as homes.

• US Homeownership Rate Falls as First-Time Buyers are Priced Out. Monthly mortgage payment on a median-priced home now at $2,570., requiring an annual income of at least $126,700.

• Rental Demand Strong But Construction largely at High End of the Market. Renter population has grown, jumping by 848,000 in 2024.

• Reductions in Federal Supports Put Households at Risk. 33 percent more homeless since January 2020.

• Tariffs, Reduced Immigration, and Diminished Federal Support Create an Uncertain Future.

And now ten takeaways from the subsequent report (i.e. 9 July)

• The median existing home price hit a record high of $412,000, exceeding $400,000 for the first time

• The nationwide home price-to-income ratio hit 5.0, tying the record set in 2005

• Of the top 100 metro areas, a record low of just three metros had a price-to-income ratio below 3.0

• The monthly mortgage payment on the median-priced home hit a record high of$2,560, roughly 40 percent higher than in 1990. (Note this is $10 less than $ cited above)

• High costs of homebuying lead to a record-breaking downturn in market activity, e.g.
• The lowest number of existing home sales since 1995
• The first decline in the homeownership rate in eight years
• A record-high median age for first-time buyers @ 38 years
• A record-low rate of domestic moves (only 8.3 percent of households)

• Finally, a record-high number of billion-dollar weather-related disasters over a two year span (i.e. 55)

Announcing the August Marriage

 of Dr. Chrissy Jackson & Dr. Frank Hamilton

Nuptials to be held at the Eckerd College Lewis House in St. Petersburg, FL on 16 August 2025.

Charles G. Irion Dies…

I doubt many of you reading this log posting, and this headline in particular, will remember – if you ever knew him, former land lease community owner/operator and broker. He attended a Networking Roundtable or two when they were held in the Phoenix, AZ., area; but other than that he kept pretty much to himself and his interests at the time.

You may also recognize Charles’ name from ‘reviews’ I penned and publicized in this blog and the Allen Letter in years past. Some of you may well remember his most recent novel, FOUR. In that one he introduced a new character, B. General George Allen. Go ahead and google Charles G. Irion to read a fascinating account of his life as an author, artist, and humanitarian.

I will miss my friend. His passing, once again, clearly demonstrates how helpful it would be today and in the future, if as one of his writing projects, he’d penned and collected his life and career memoirs into an autobiography. As it stands now, unless someone steps forward during the months and year ahead, to research and author a biography about Chuck, his history will soon pass and be lost.

To this latter point, keep in mind that the autobiographic advice applies to anyone reading this blog. And to this end, remember I plan to host a morning-long (9AM-12 Noon) Writers’ Workshop on 18 August 2025, at the RV/MH Hall of Fame theatre, in Elkhart, IN. I recently published a new 3d edition of the popular booklet: ‘Who Will Preserve Your Legacy? Answer: You!’. These will be just one of the handouts at the workshop. Cost? Minimal; probably around $25.00 per person. To register, simply email your intention to attend, via gfa7156@aol.com And if you’re going to be in Elkhart that day, plan to attend the annual RV/MH Hall of Fame induction banquet that evening. For info and to register, phone (574) 293-2344.  I’ll see you there!

George Allen

Blog Posting # 851; Copyright 18 July 2025. EducateMHC

Know this! HUD=Code manufactured housing (‘MH’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable, factory-built housing (a.k.a. one of four types of offsite construction) routinely paired with traditional stick-built housing (a.k.a. onsite construction).Plus, land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities &’mobile home parks’) comprise the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. Various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans, and real estate mortgages) describe the post-production segment of MH.

EducateMHC is the official MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source. Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, and www.educatemhc.com, to purchase Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry (This book belongs in every land lease community nationwide!), and SWAN SONG –History of land lease communities & official record of annual MH production totals since 1955.

And my autobiography, From SmittyAlpha6 to MHMaven, describes personal combat adventures in Vietnam as a USMC lieutenant, a 45 year entrepreneur business career in MH & community ownership, as well as freelance consulting and authoring of 20 nonfiction texts.

George Allen is the sole emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institute (“MHI’), a founding board member of MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division, RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist & editor at large for the popular MHInsider magazine.

An Outsider’s Introduction to Manufactured Housing & Land Lease Communities

Though retired since 2021, I continue to receive requests from folk new to manufactured housing and land lease communities, asking me to ‘walk them thru the basics’ of the two closely-related business models. What follows here is what I routinely email them as an attachment. Even though you probably know most of this information, consider making a copy to later use in your communication with neophytes of your own.

Manufactured housing & land lease communities are two sides of the same offsite construction (factory-built) housing & multifamily rental community coins.*1

Manufactured housing, since 1976, unlike modular and panelized housing variants subject to local housing market building codes, is fabricated in compliance with the federally-regulated, performance-based HUD-Code. Its year-to-year performance is measured, not by new home sales volume, but by shipments, e.g. acme year 1973 = 579,940 mobile homes; 1991 = only 170,713+/-; 1988 = 372,943+/-, nadir year 2009 = 49,789+/-; and 103,314 in year 2024.*2

According to the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’), “20.6 million people live in manufactured homes, and have an estimated annual median income (‘AMI’) of $30,000.” National average AMI during 2017 was $60,366. “Manufactured homes account for 10% of all single family housing starts at $81,281 average new home price.”

85 percent national market share of manufactured housing is provided by the Big Three C firms: Clayton Homes (50%), Skyline-Champion (20%), and Cavco Industries (14%).

Manufactured housing is characterized by singlesection and multisection configurations; featuring Community Series Homes, and recently, the CrossMod™ model. Furthermore, new home distribution changed around year 2005, away from independent (street) MHRetailers & ‘company stores’, to in-community sales & seller-finance; and of late, some subdivision infill.

Land lease communities, previously, mobile home parks & manufactured home communities. Seven shelter types are now installed on rental homesites therein.*3 There are 45,000+/- land lease communities nationwide, with 85% @ 100 or fewer rental homesites. Remaining 15% consolidated into 500+/- known private and public (i.e. real estate investment trusts or REITs) property portfolios. During year 2024, national occupancy average = 95% & operating expense ratio @ 41% per 31^st annual ALLLEN REPORT via www.educatemhc.com

Trends? Today, 40% of new homes go directly into communities, up from 24% in 2009… More mixed in-community placement of MH & RV units; reemergence of rental units onsite, and increasing conversion of ‘for profit’ properties into resident-owned cooperatives (a.k.a. ‘ROCs’)

Manufactured housing finance. Homes on scattered building sites conveyed fee simple are mortgaged using conventional real estate mortgages. Homes on rental homesites in land lease communities are financed using personal property loans or ‘home only’ loans (a.k.a. chattel $).

Anything else I should include in this ‘Outsider’s Intro to MH & land lease communities’? Let me know via gfa7156@aol.com

End Notes.

1. Offsite construction = HUD-Code MHs, modular & panelized units, & Park Model RVs.

Onsite construction = all new homes built onsite, a.k.a. stick-built construction

• Why the +/- notation? Because the Institute for Business Technology & Safety, a HUD contractor, tallies MH shipments each month; and while MHARR publishes that number as reported, MHI adjusts it based on the number of Destination Pending units on hand.

• HUD-Code manufactured homes, ‘mobile homes’, modular homes, Park Model & other forms of RVs, stick-built homes, and various types of Accessory Dwelling Units or ADUs.

George Allen

Postscript. Blog Posting # 850; Copyright 11 July 2025. EducateMHC

Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (‘MH’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable, factory-built housing (a.k.a. one of four types of offsite construction), routinely paired with traditional stick-built housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). Plus, land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home park’) comprise the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. Various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans, and real estate mortgages) describe the post-production segment of MH.

EducateMHC is the official MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source. Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, and www.educatemhc.com to purchase Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry (This book belongs in every land lease community nationwide!), and SWAN SONG – History of land lease communities & official record of annual MH production totals since 1955.

And my autobiography, From SmittyAlpaha6 to MHMaven, describes personal combat adventures in Vietnam as a USMC lieutenant, a 45 year entrepreneur business career in MH & community ownership, as well as freelance consulting and authoring of 20 nonfiction texts.

George Allen is the sole emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’), a founding board member of MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division, RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist & editor at large for the popular MHinsider magazine.

TOTAL U.S. HOUSING COMPLETIONS DURING MAY 2025

‘Onsite & Offsite Construction Completion Totals Combined’

This total U.S. Housing Completion Report for May, combines online data from U.S. Census Bureau (i.e. Annual estimated onsite construction completion total divided by 12 months); then, offsite construction completions total via combining 1) manufactured housing production data from the Institute for Building Technology & Safety (‘IBTS’), 2) modular & panelized units estimated to be 2% of onsite construction completions; and 3) RVIA website report of monthly production of Park Model RVs.

Historic bottom line! Unlike the U.S. Census Bureau Report that tallies only onsite construction completions (i.e. stick-built homes on scattered and subdivision building sites conveyed fee simple), adding four types of offsite construction (a.k.a. affordable, factory-built housing cited above) to this total, presents a far more accurate, albeit all-encompassing picture of total U.S. housing completions for the month of May 2025!

Specifically, rather than there being just 127,167 new onsite constructed homes completed during May 2025, the more accurate, all-encompassing estimated total is 139,344.

The numbers. For the month of May 2025, the U.S. Census Bureau reports 127,167 new single-family, site-built, privately-owned onsite housing completions (i.e. annual estimated tally of 1,526,000 divided by 12 months); while the monthly grand total, inclusive of four types of offsite construction (Again HUD-Code housing + modular & panelized homes + Park Model RVs, totals 12,177 units) is altogether 139,344 for the month of May 2025 – that’s 12,177 more housing units than the onsite housing completion total alone, reported by the U.S. Census Bureau!

Taking all this a step further, the year to date estimated totals compare in this fashion: U.S. Census Bureau total YTD is 648,220 units completed; however, with onsite construction added, the YTD total is 707,468 units completed. It’s obvious which tells the more comprehensive story! Furthermore, divide each of these two YTD totals by five (i.e. five months) and then multiply by 12 (months) to see what the yearend totals might be for the likely-but lesser U.S. Census Bureau tally, and the one combining onsite and offsite construction totals. For example: 648,220 divided by five & multiplied by 12 = 1,555,728 vs. 1,697,923 new homes completed in the U.S.! A difference of approximately 142,195 new homes over the course of a year!

Once again, this ‘Total U.S. Housing Completions Report’ is a work in progress. Please let us know what you think of this all housing inclusive concept, via gfa7156@aol.com

POSTSCRIPT

To further underscore my point about the U.S. Census Bureau underreporting new housing starts each month, here’s a paragraph quoted directly from the bureau’s recent description of New Residential Construction:

“This page provides national and regional data on the number of new housing units authorized by building permits; authorized, but not started; started; under construction; and completed. The data are for new, privately-owned housing units, excluding ‘HUD-Code manufactured (mobile) homes. The data are from the Building Permits Survey, and from the Survey of Construction (SOC), which is partially funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Local building permit data may be found on the Building Permits Survey webpage.” (My emphasis. GFA)

See what I mean? Modular and panelized units, as well as Park Model RVs are not even mentioned in this description of onsite construction. This makes offsite construction the ‘Rodney Dangerfield’ of U.S. housing!

Blog Posting # 849; Copyright 4 July 2025. EducateMHC

Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (‘MH’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable, factory-built housing (a.k.a. one of four types of offsite construction). Routinely paired with traditional stick-built housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). Plus, land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’), comprise the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. Various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans and real estate mortgages) describe the post-production segment of MH.

EducateMHC is the official MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source. Contact EducateMHC vis (317) 881-3815; email  gfa7156@aol.com, and www.educatemhc.com to purchase Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry (This book belongs in every land lease community nationwide!), and SWAN SONG – History of land lese communities & official record of annual MH production totals since 1955.

And my autobiography, From SmittyAlpha6 to MHMaven, describes personal combat adventures in Vietnam as a USMC lieutenant, a 45 year entrepreneur business career in MH & community ownership, as well as freelance consulting and authoring of 20 nonfiction texts.

George Allen is the sole emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institutes (‘MHI(‘), a founding board member of MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division, RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist and editor at large for the MHInsider magazine.

An Introduction to this week’s Blog Posting – describing a Vietnam incident from 57 years ago

STAR SPANGLED FOURTHS OF JULY, 50 & 200 YEARS AGO

On the fourth of July, 1968, my combat engineer platoon worked and lived at landing zone Stud, later renamed Vandegrift Forward Combat Base. Stud was located a few miles east of the infamous, only recently vacated Khe Sanh combat base in the Republic of South Vietnam.

The day was like any other, for a combat engineer platoon. During daylight hours we cleared roads of landmines, built command bunkers, strengthened the perimeter defense, and helped wherever needed. All hot, dirty work, but what we were there to do.

The night also began like any other. At first, all was quiet and dark, no moon. Above ground light, even candlelight was prohibited, lest it draw sniper fire from enemy troops in the hills surrounding our remote position. But around 2200 hours (10PM), someone popped a bright white star cluster pyrotechnic high into the black sky.

Usually, star cluster pyros are launched from hand held devices – hollow aluminum tubes 2” diameter X 12” long, to show helicopter pilots where one’s position is in darkness, identify medical evacuation pickup points, or where to drop needed supplies.

Well, that first star cluster burst was immediately followed by a whole bunch more – of varied colors, accompanied by a host of M16 assault rifles fired on full automatic – adding combat sound effects to the cacophony, along with the distinct odor of burning cordite. Also launched skyward, a couple illumination flares, dangling from mini-parachutes, drifted high above the base, and out over suspected enemy positions. This continued for a few minutes, and then stopped as abruptly as it had begun.

In military parlance, this chain of events is known as a ‘mad moment’, usually occurring in training scenarios to familiarize Marines with the sights, sounds, and smells of combat. And ‘mad moments’ do occasionally occur in combat environs like this, to celebrate a holiday.

Yes, one might view ‘mad moments’ as a waste of ammunition and signaling resources, also compromising one’s position, but know what?

During that ‘mad moment’ on the fourth of Jul 1968, at LZ Stud, I envisioned standing next to Francis Scott Key, in 1818, watching the bombardment of Ft. McHenry, and him penning the poem which would later become our nation’s hallowed anthem, The Star Spangled Banner.

And today, 200 years later, 50+ for me since 1968, nary a 4^th of July holiday occurs, without fondly, sometimes tearfully – but always gratefully, recalling being right there during a very special ‘mad moment’ in my life and that of our nation. God Bless America!

George Allen, lieutenant colonel, retired, USMCR

Note. This short story was penned more than a decade ago and has often been shared during 4^th of July Celebrations in communities across the U.S. Feel free to reprint and share with your circle of friends, family, and fellow Americans. This short story and several others, of like genre, are contained in my autobiography, From SmittyAlpha6 to MHMaven, available from educatemhc.com

Blog Posting # 848; Copyright 27 June 2025. EducateMHC

Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (‘MH’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable, factory-built housing (a.k.a. one of four types of offsite construction), routinely paired with traditional stick-built housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). Plus, land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’), comprise the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. Various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans and real estate mortgages) describe the post-production segment of MH.

EducateMHC is the official MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source. Contact EducateMHC via 9317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, and www.educatemhc.com to purchase Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry (This book belongs in every land lease community nationwide!), and SWAN SONG – History of land lease communities & official record of annual MH production totals since 1955.

And my autobiography, From SmittyAlpha 6 to MHMaven, describes personal combat adventures in Vietnam as a USMC lieutenant, a 45 year entrepreneur business career in MH & community ownership, as well as freelance consulting and authoring of 30 nonfiction texts.

George Allen is the sole emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’), a founding board member of MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division, RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist and editor at large for the MHInsider magazine.

WHERE WILL YOU BE ON 18 AUGUST 2025?

500+/- of the most well-known and successful manufactured housing and recreational vehicle industry entrepreneurs, trade association executives, along with their friends and families will be at the annual RV/MH Hall of Fame Induction Banquet, the evening of 18 August 2025!

How ‘bout you? For more information about this stellar event, and to make reservations, visit the website at: https://www.rvmhhalloffame.org/2025_rsvp? Aldo phone (574_ 293-2344.

So, what happens at the RV/MH Hall of Fame Induction Banquet? First and foremost, the 2025 Class of Inductees will be welcomed into this prestigious dual industry lifetime personal honor!

And who are these folk?

Chad Reece, RV manufacturer Winnebago in Forest City, Iowa

Garry Bewernick, RV parts distributor, Atlas Trailer in Chestermere, Alberta, Canada.

Larry Trout, dealer, Toppers RVs, in Waller, TX  

Jason Lippert, RV supplier, Lippert Components, in Elkhart, IN.

Thomas Irons, RV OEM supplier, ASA Electronics, in Middlebury, IN.

Bill Poynter, MH manufacturer/retailer, Guerdon Industries, in Lexington, KY

Kurt Kelley, JD., insurance executive, American Insurance Alliance, in Spring, TX.

Nelson Steiner, MH community owner/operator, Steiner Communities in Tampa, FL.

Mark Raukar, MH retailer, Little Valley Homes, in Novi, MI.

Steven Schaub, MH community operator, YES! Communities in Denver, CO.

Last week’s blog posting (#847) announced a Writer’s Workshop scheduled for the morning of 18 August 2025, in the auditorium of the RV/MH Hall of Fame. So, whether you plan to attend that evening’s festivities or not, know you’re welcome to spend three or so hours (i.e. 9AM-Noon) learning the role of memoir writing (a.k.a. your short stories) and preparation of one’s autobiography. This short, and often small group, presentation has oft occurred at this location in the past and resulted in several self-published books now in the RV/MH Hall of Fame library and sold in their bookstore. Specifically, they are No Respect At All…A PATH TO MILLION$, From SmittyAlpha6 to MHMaven, and SWAN SONG. Cost? Minimal; just enough to cover the expense of handout material (e.g. Copies of ‘How to Be Remembered By All!’ and other writers’ resources. Maybe $25-50 max. per attendee. Registration deadline? 1 August 2025. Let me know of your plan to attend via gfa7156@aol.com

SECO+

Now is also not too early to plan to attend yet another spectacular annual manufactured housing and land lease community event – the 12^th (I think) hosting of the popular SECO conference in Atlanta, GA. What’s with the (+) notation? I’ll ‘splain’ a little later. Anyway, this year the SECO hosts are once again emphasizing the importance of MH2X, the self-promotional effort within manufactured housing to double new home production during 2025 & 2026. This means going from 103,314 new HUD-Code homes during 2024, to nearly 200,000 by year end 2026 or before.

Now about the (+). This year, SECO is welcoming I’m HOME conference attendees to participate in SECO’s highly regarded educational and discussion sessions. Here’s how this unique partnership is described in a recent Press Release:

‘The SECO Conference and the I’m HOME Conference, prominent events in the manufactured housing sector, have partnered with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and ROC USA to advance affordable housing initiatives. SECO, known for its focus on land lease community ownership and operations, and I’m HOME, which emphasizes policy and technical advancements in manufactured housing, are collaborating to integrate their strengths. The Lincoln Institute, steward of the I’m HOME Network, brings expertise in land policy and affordability, while ROC USA contributes its model of resident-owned communities to promote housing stability and availability.’

How can you not want to attend this several day program involving four major players in the housing industry: SECO, I’m HOME, the Lincoln Institute, and USA ROC? See you there! For more information visit the SECOconference.com website.

George Allen

SPRAWL OR NOTHING!

This article title in the New York Times Magazine (Sunday) got my attention. And the subtitle pulled me into the article – for a while. “The word (Sprawl) has become an epithet for garish, reckless growth. But top fix the housing crisis, America needs more of it.” Didn’t get too far into the article before I came across a paragraph that is so typical of what we all read, time and again, about the housing crisis in the U.S.

“Similar laws throughout the country have slowed the pace of construction and made housing far more expensive, contributing to one of the worst affordable housing crises in the nation’s history. After two decades of underbuilding, economists estimate the country’s housing shortage at somewhere between four million and eight million units. Last year was among the most difficult on record to buy a home; a quarter of tenants now spend more than half their income on rent and utilities, and the most recent homeless count, at about 770,000, was up nearly 20 percent from the previous year.”

Well, like other pundits holding forth on this subject, I could not identify much of substance to solving the problems cited. So I thought I’d, once again, add my two cents to the mix. Here goes.____________________________________________________________________