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

Blog Posting # 872; Copyright 26 December 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: being manufactured, modular & panelized housing, plus Park Model RVs – or accessory dwelling units, a.k.a. ADUs), routinely paired with traditional stick-built, single-family residential housing (a.k.a. onsite construction, where building permits are tallied and reported monthly by the U.S. Census Bureau). Land lease communities, a.k.a. manufactured home communities, ‘mobile home parks’) are the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. And, along with various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans, and real estate- secured mortgages) constitutes the post-production segment of the MH industry.

EducateMHC is an MH historian, trade term and tend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source! Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, or visit www.edcatemhc.com, to purchase ‘Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry’. This book belongs in very 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, an RV/MH Hall of Fam enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist;, and editor at large for ‘MHInsider’ magazine.

Christmas’ Present & Past

As I pen these lines, Christmas is still a few days away. Today I’m wrapping presents for family members and friends.

Something unique I do that you might want to emulate next year, is to make a list of ten or more individuals closest to you. Then, during the year ahead, watch for gift ideas within your budget (Mine is $25.00 /gift), that your hand-picked recipients would like. Since most (everyone) on my list is male, I‘ve gifted things like high quality fingernail clippers, leather coin purses, combination flashlight/stun guns, and pocket-sized multi-tools. This year I’m going with a dozen small handheld binoculars for the 12 guys on my list.

I bring gift-giving up because it’s fun to do, and I wanted to share with you what former clients (now that I’m retired) sent to Carolyn and me over past years.

The most unique, albeit humorous Christmas card received to date was one from the late Bob Bross, founder and longtime proprietor of BROPFS Mobile Homes in St. Charles & Festus, MO. A joker ‘from the word go’, Bob was always the prankster and ready with witty anecdotes. Well one year his friends received a Christmas card in the mail with this tongue-in-cheek alternative message: Inside, Bob had crossed-out original sender’s name, and printed this business message: ‘It’s been a rough year!’ signed Bob B. Turns out, he’d saved Christmas cards he received the previous year and made this adjustment before readdressing and sending them out to business associates and friends. It remains one of my prize business mementoes.

Recently I opined, in this weekly blog posting, ‘Will You Be Part Of, Or Lost to MH History?’ Well Bob Bross is one of those individuals to which I was referring. Tales of his comic exploits (e.g. showing up at formal affairs wearing a T-shirt with tuxedo bow tie and lapels screen-printed on it) continue to be shared – years after his passing. And Yes, he was a very successful independent (street) MHRetailer and community owner/operator in Missouri. Then there’s the late Tom Raper of RV fame! Bet you never heard of him. Well, for decades he was the largest RV & MH dealer in the U.S., with a huge sales lot in Richmond, IN. and constant ads on TV. But is he in the RV/MH Hall of Fame? Unfortunately, no. And that list goes on and on. How ‘bout the late Tom Horner, Jr., the only former NFL player/CPA businessman in MH industry history not inducted (yet) into the RV/MH Hall of Fame.

OK, back to past Christmas gifts from business associates and friends. One year Carolyn and I received an entire pre-cooked turkey! And there’ve been many large, heavy boxes of citrus fruit from Newby Management and other business clients in Florida and California. (Just ate one huge juicy orange this morning!). The most unique gifts over the years, however, have come from Matt Follett. One year he sent us a 12 inch art-deco ceramic serving plate that always generates comments. Another year he gifted us an art print mounted on aluminum backing plate, depicting the famous Chasing Firefall in Yosemite Valley, California. Matt’s most unique gift has been a 9”X16” wood slab home-décor piece featuring unique grain.

This year, as case in the point, we received a Harry & David box of summer sausage, cheeses, crackers and candy from Mike Sullivan, fellow RV/MH Hall of Fame inductee in California. Another faithful friend, to us, has been Kamal Shouhayib of the Choice Group in Michigan, yet another RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee. Kamal thrills Carolyn with his gift of extra virgin olive oil, grown on his property in Lebanon. His gift box also includes unique herbs for seasoning the olive oil when preparing a bread dip. Also a tin box of Lebanese sweets, and this year, Dubet chocolates. See what I mean, Carolyn and I have been very blessed over the years by the generosity of many many friends.

What will you be gifting your friends and family members next year?

George Allen

Blog Posting # 871; Copyright 19 December 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: being manufactured, modular, panelized housing, & Park Model RVs – or accessory dwelling units, a.k.a. ADUs), routinely paired with traditional stick-built single-family residential housing (a.k.a. onsite construction, where building permits are tallied and reported monthly by U.S. Census Bureau). Land lease communities, a.k.a. manufactured home communities, ‘mobile home parks’) are the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. And, along with various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans, and real estate-secured mortgages) constitutes the post-production segment of the MH industry.

EducateMHC is an MH historian, trade term and trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source! Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, or visit 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, an RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist, and editor at large for ‘MHInsider’ magazine.

Will You Be Part Of, Or Lost to MH History?

Now that’s a pretty sobering, perhaps even woebegone question, regarding one’s career role in the manufactured housing industry – including land lease community ownership and operation. But know what? It’s certainly one that deserves pondering and answering, on an individual basis.

That salient question came to mind this past week, initially as I learned of the passing of an old old friend in the MH business. His name was Craig White, ACM, married to Joyce, and living in Lee’s Summit, Missouri when he died. I’ve known Craig since the early 1970s when we lived in the same Indianapolis suburb, Greenwood, IN. We attended the same local church, and for a while shared active interest in ‘all things manufactured housing’. Craig was already a force to be reckoned with, writing feature articles in Herb Tieder’s ‘Manufactured Housing Merchandiser’ magazine, and representing mobile home park owners via MHI’s Communities Council, forerunner to today’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division, founded in 1996. When I took my first job as a regional property manager I used his property Wymberly, in GA., as an operations template. And in 1991 we co-authored MHEI’s Accredited Community Manager (‘ACM’) course # 101, later teaching it together in Seattle, WA. During the following decade Craig took on various freelance consulting assignments, often helping during the acquisition process. Around the turn of the century he relocated to Missouri and finished out his career there as a real estate broker.

The point in telling you all this? Actually there are several reasons. First; for nearly three decades this individual was a community pioneer, regarding evolving trade terminology, PM training, and operating expense ratio calculation. But today, sans any sort of autobiography, or induction into the RV/MH Hall of Fame, Craig will be lost to MH history – except for what you’re reading here.

And this is not a solitary example of what happens to one’s career role in manufactured housing if steps are not taken beforehand to mark one’s place in history – if that is even a concern at all.

Earlier this year, in a blog posting, I told you of the passing of another old old friend in the MH business. That was Charles G.  Irion, a popular novelist who made his mark in the Arizona land lease community business as a real estate broker and part owner of several properties.*1 Chuck ‘lived large’ during the past several years (Did he know he was dying soon?) traveling the world with Nora, and being a philanthropist of the first degree, relative to various overseas medical facilities. Charles attended one Networking Roundtable – where we met, and he had me edit several of his earliest novels. Expressed his gratitude to me in his thriller novel ‘FOUR’, by naming one of the lead characters General George Allen. But know what? Chuck too will be lost to MH history – except for what you’re reading here, and possible future induction into the RV/MH Hall of Fame. For he too, despite his talent and penchant for writing, and my encouragement, never penned his autobiography.

But there is hope. There’re individuals, in manufactured housing, who are writing their memoirs (i.e. short stories of their youth, career, relationships and more), to be later collected and self-published in autobiographies. One executive is focused on describing his role in bringing common sense to manufactured housing finance via lease options; another is preparing her recollections and thoughts on female business success, with an eye to motivating young women entering MH and land lease community operations. How ‘bout you? What is the MH industry awaiting you to share about your career experiences?

And there’s so much more that can be said about this whole milieu of manufactured housing and land lease community operations. I maintain a list of dozens of names of individuals I’ve known during the past five decades, who’ve contributed to the evolution of our homes and income-producing properties. And I sometimes get to insert their achievements in articles penned for ‘MHInsider’ magazine (i.e. Allen Legacy column). But it’d be so much more interesting and helpful if these same individuals, those who are still with us, would sit down and share their wisdom! Some examples. Who coined ‘independent (street) MHRetailer’ to supplant image-damaging ‘dealer’? That was MH consultant Bill Carr in Iowa. Who, in 2004, introduced the Urban Institute to manufactured housing? That was Randy Rowe of Green Courte Partners. Who conceived and popularized the Frost Free Foundation methodology – still ignored by HUD? That was RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee George Porter of Delaware. And the list goes on. But I’d love to read histories written by these industry pioneers. You guys listening out there? Hope so. Same can be said about Jim Ayotte and the very early days of the NCC;, Dick Bessire and his ’functionally obsolete’ Lido Peninsula community now featuring redesigned two story homes in Newport Beach, CA.

Some more examples? How ‘bout the very large Saddlebrook Farms land lease community in Grayslake, IL., developed by visionary Chuck Fanaro – who then filled vacant rental homesites with his own brand of upscale manufactured home. To date, the only description of that model project is recorded in ‘SWAN SONG’.*2 Finally, let’s not forget Dr. Chrissy Jackson, ACM., semi-retired community owner, writer, and itinerant PM instructor. Wouldn’t you like to read her career story?

But know what? Nary has a week gone by anymore, where I don’t hear of yet another death of a longtime friend in the MH business. Just this past year we also lost Mel Fath (community owner in northern Indiana), Bud Parkhill (developed his Mahomet, IL. community while a teenager many years ago), and Don Gedert, who with his wife Kay developed what is, in my opinion, the largest genuine MH subdivision (Stardust Hills) in the U.S. I had just finished his RV/MH Hall of Fame application package when he died just a month or two ago. The story of Stardust Hills is worthy of a book in its’ own right. Oh well…

Now to end this blog on a positive note. If this week’s posting has motivated you to think about penning your memoirs, but need more incentive and guidance, ask me to send you a FREE copy of ‘Who Will Preserve Your Legacy? Answer: You!’ This helpful booklet was first published and distributed in 2018, and since then has gone through three updates. Make your request via email: gfa7156@aol.com and be sure to include your preferred US postal address.

End Note.

1. Charles G. Irion’s Bookshelf Checklist includes Murdered by God Series of three novels, Summit Murder Mystery Series of eight novels, The Hell Series of four novels, and his  ‘Roadkill Cooking for Campers’. My favorite? ‘FOUR’, available from Amazon.com

• ‘SWAN SONG’ available for purchase via www.educatemhc.com

George Allen

Blog Posting # 870; Copyright 12 December 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, those being manufactured, modular & panelized housing, plus Park Model RVs or accessory dwelling units a.k.a. ADUs). Offsite construction is routinely paired with traditional stick-built, single-family residential housing (a.k.a. onsite construction) which is tallied and reported monthly, per building permits, by the U.S. Census Bureau. No one tallies and reports offsite construction! Land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) are the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. And, along with various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans, and real estate-secured mortgages) constitutes the post-production segment of the MH industry.

EducateMHC is an MH historian, trade term and trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source! Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, or www.educatemhc.com, to purchase ‘Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry’- a book that 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, as well as  Allen Legacy columnist & editor at large for ‘MHInsider’ magazine.

OUR MOTHER WAS AN AIRCRAFT SPOTTER DURING WWII

My brother Mark Allen is a columnist for the ‘Cape May Star & Wave’ newspaper in New Jersey. He recently (11/26/2025) penned and titled his weekly feature: ‘Aircraft spotters played key role in WWII’. What follows here is a marked departure (excusing the pun) from the usual fare of this weekly blog posting, but I think you’ll enjoy the lightly edited history lesson.

*****

It is a small strip of wool cloth, royal blue in color, maybe four inches wide by 18 inches long. In the middle of the cloth, gold wings bracket a white disc bearing ‘AWS’ in large letters. Surrounding the ‘AWS’ is ‘U.S. Army Air Force’, and under the disc, ‘OBSERVER’

This is an armband once worn by my mother Margaret J. Allen, during World War II when she volunteered as an observer for the Aircraft Warning Service, or AWS. I came across the armband recently while cleaning out an ancient footlocker, long forgotten in an equally ancient attic. It was not my first time seeing the armband, as I remember discovering it years ago while a small boy.

I had been intrigued then, as I still am, reflecting on my mother’s wartime service. This time however, in addition to the armband I found other related items. There’s an ‘Aircraft Spotters’ Guide’, edited by Lt. Col. Harold F. Harney. Published in 1942, the book contains “three positon silhouettes, general specifications and photographs of fighting planes of the U.S., Great Britain, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Russia, Japan and France.”

There was also a ‘Silhouette Handbook of U.S. Army Air Forces Airplanes’, published in 1942. Tucked inside this handbook were two answer sheets completed in my mother’s beautiful cursive penmanship. I suspect my mother had been much dismayed, taking the aircraft recognition test, since she correctly identified only seven of 13 planes. Fortunately, she did far better on the second test, in which she sketched 16 different wing and rudder configurations.

Since there was a war going on, this ‘Silhouette Handbook’ warned it was classified as being restricted’. Furthermore, the cover also warned the content was subject to the Espionage Act, and transmission of its contents to unauthorized persons was prohibited.

Mother was one of 750,000 volunteers who manned observation posts and associated information/filter centers set up along both coasts during the early days of World War II. Even before 7 December 1941 (i.e. attack on Pearl Harbor naval base) there had been concern about the development of long-range bombers that might make the coasts vulnerable to aerial attack. That concern prompted the Army Air Force to organize the AWS under the auspices of the 1^st Interceptor Command.

On the east coast, thousands of observation posts were established, from the northern edge of Maine to the southern tip of Florida, extending inland to the western slopes of the Appalachian Mountains. Each post had its own code name and number. When an aircraft was spotted, it would be logged and a ‘flash’ message forwarded to the respective Army Filter Center.

Observers were taught to transmit their ‘slash’ messages in short, concise phrases that conveyed: number of aircraft, estimated altitude, heading, and number of engines. For example, eight four-engine aircraft flying north at 13,000 feet might be transmitted via ‘flash’ message as “eight-high-north-four”.  Rather than being ‘manned’, the vast majority of those 750,000 AWS observers were women.

Upon launch of the AWS, Adelaide Rickenbacker, wife of famous WWI fighter ace Eddie Rickenbacker, volunteered to recruit women as AWS observers. And women of all backgrounds volunteered: housewives, office workers, actresses, nurses, teachers, and entertainers. I remember my mother telling me my grandmother even served as a volunteer observer.

AWS training was serious business. Extensive training of Aircraft Spotters was so successful that spotting spilled over into the general population, giving rise to a new hobby for men and women alike. With the plethora of books, publications, and Aircraft Spotters’ Guides, aircraft recognition clubs and ‘recognition bees’ sprang up along both coasts. Hard plastic or rubber aircraft models were widely used as a means for acquainting observers and hobbyists with the many different types and variants of aircraft, and how they looked from different perspectives. Today those models, when found, are sought  by museums, and often worth hundreds of dollars.

Observation posts were as varied as they were numerous. They were situated at elevated locations that offered clear views in all or most directions, especially toward the coast. Fire towers, elevated water tanks, church steeples, and tall buildings were all employed as AWS observation posts. As a boy, when I came across my mother’s armband, I inquired about her observation post. It had been atop the old Glassboro Ice House. She also told me my grandmother’s post had been the East Point Lighthouse at the mouth of the Maurice River.

In retrospect, we know today the aerial threat was indeed very real. At that time, Adolf Hitler’s scientists were racing to develop a nuclear weapon, and his engineers striving to design what they called the ‘New York Bomber’. If his plans had come to fruition, the New York Bomber, not the Enola Gay, would have delivered the first nuclear weapon to New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, or Washington, DC.

So now you know how our government and citizens protected our nation from attack 80 years ago!

Next week? Depends on whether the U.S. Census Bureau is back up and running (i.e. tallying and reporting on the number of onsite construction permits, construction starts, and completions. I have the data for offsite construction, just waiting on the ‘dog to catch up with its’ tail’, so to speak.

George Allen

Blog Posting # 868; Copyright 21 November 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: being manufactured, modular, panelized housing & Park Model RVs), routinely paired with traditional stick-built single-family residential housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). Land lease communities, a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) are the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. And, along with various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans, and real estate-secured mortgages) constitutes the post-production segment of the MH industry.

EducateMHC is an MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source! Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, or 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 Smitty”Alpha6 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, an RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist and editor at large for ‘MHInsider’ magazine.

1960s Management Wisdom Still Good in 2025

My first brush with management wisdom occurred when I was an officer candidate in the U.S. Marines’ Platoon Leaders Class (‘PLC’) during the summer of 1964. Had no idea what training officers meant when they told us 19 year olds to ‘Keep It Simple Stupid!’ – The infamous KISS Rule; how ‘Pain is just weakness leaving the body!’ when on forced marches; and how we must lead by example. Oh, there was a lot more to learn than just those three truisms, but you get the idea.

Some of the military wisdom, it turned out, was transferable into my civilian career, initially as a management trainee, later as a business owner, writer and consultant. Some examples. In the Marines, we were taught to accomplish missions by planning, organizing, leading and controlling resources and events via the acronym SMEAC: Situation, Mission, Execution, Administration & Logistics, Command & Communication. And it works! Can’t tell you how many times I relied on SMEAC to ensure I ‘crossed my T’s & dotted my I’s’ when planning for combat operations with my platoon.

What’s the civilian equivalent to SMEAC? I articulated and copyrighted a Management Wisdom formula in 1979. Here’re the four major steps and supporting touchpoints:

PLANNING. ‘Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance’ and ‘Failure to plan is planning for failure!’ emphasize the value of this first step to accomplishing one’s mission or being successful. It is here the Problem-solving Procedure begins. This wise exercise follows….

ORGANIZING. Emphasis on Simplicity & Flexibility. This is also where the Basic Ms of Management apply: Manpower (personnel, labor), Machinery (equipment & tools), Material (inventory & services), Methods (policies & procedure) and Money (income & expenditures).

LEADING by directing and delegating; coordinating and controlling. Leading is a matter of management style; authoritative and/or participative? Depends on one’s circumstances, nature of the task at hand, and the makeup of the folk performing. And when delegating, don’t abdicate!

CONTROLLING. Appraise performance to standards; evaluate and improve effectiveness

The above Management Wisdom formula has been a personal mainstay for 46 years!

Now here’s the aforementioned Problem-solving Procedure.

Select a Problem, a Task. Then consider it a Challenge, an Opportunity.

Define it, Document it. Ensure the situation is what it appears to be. Oftentimes it’s not.

Study it, Question every detail. Break the problem down into parts.

Research & Organize Data. Get the facts. Here’s where one applies the aforementioned Basic Ms of Management!

Refine & Digest Data. Internalize and Reflect on Alternatives.

Produce & Rework Ideas. Weigh & decide by combining, eliminating, rearranging, simplifying, testing & selecting the best alternative(s)…Set and schedule Objectives, establish standards of performance.

Implement & Monitor. Take action by adjusting & modifying as necessary, evaluating performance & results.

Follow-up & Recap Results. Review all actions, and plan for the future.

SPECIAL OFFER. The Management Wisdom formula, Basic Ms of Management, and Problem-solving Procedure, along with several other management wisdom tools have been published on wallet-sized plastic cards. If you’d like a FREE package of these cards, simply request them via gfa7156@aol.com  All I need from you is a preferred postal mailing address. Again this is FREE.

Not all military wisdom applies to the civilian world. Here’s an obvious example, called AIM POINT. These are rules of thumb for selecting one’s aiming point when firing, say, the M16 service rifle.

Jet crossing in front of you. Aim two football fields in front of plane’s nose.

Jet flying overhead. Aim two football fields in front of plane’s nose.

Jet flying directly at you. Aim slightly above plane’s nose.

Helicopter crossing in front of you. Aim one-half football field in front of chopper’s nose.

Helicopter hovering overhead. Aim slightly above chopper’s body.

Helicopter flying directly at you. Aim slightly above chopper’s body.

Finally, there is a quotation from ‘grunt’ (infantry) doctrine that does apply directly to those supervising and managing just about any type operation in our industry and among land lease communities: “You’re only as Strong as Those you Lead!”

George Allen

Blog Posting # 867; Copyright 14 November 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: manufactured, modular, panelized housing & Park Mode RVs), routinely paired with traditional stick-built single-family residential housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). Land lease communities, a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) are the commercial real estate (‘’CRE’) component of MH. And, along with various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans, and real estate-secured mortgages) constitutes the post-production segment of the MH industry.

EducateMHC is an MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source! Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, or 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, an RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist and editor at large for ‘MHInsider’ magazine.

What Will Your Acceptance Speech Be Like?

I wasn’t present to hear it, but what I heard about Jim Ayotte’s acceptance speech motivated me to want to read and share it with you. The occasion was Manufactured Housing Institute’s annual meeting, where the institute honored Jim with MHI’s Lifetime Achievement Award. I have no idea what the meeting hosts said about Jim Ayotte, to validate honoring him in this fashion (Actually, I do – from personal experience and recollection), but how he describes his 38 year career in manufactured housing is well worth reading and reflecting upon, especially as to what one (you) might say, given similar circumstances. (Following is lightly edited. GFA)

“I am honored and humbled to receive this recognition. It’s difficult believing I’m being honored for doing what I am ever so passionate about!

What I do, NO, what WE do, in manufactured housing is important! Homeownership is the cornerstone of the American dream. Homeownership is more than just a financial investment. Owning a home provides stability, security, and a sense of pride. Homeownership supports strong families and strong communities. Whatever role you play in the manufactured housing industry, you should be proud of the positive impact you have on the lives of families throughout America.

My love affair with the industry began in Storrs, Connecticut in 1987. I had recently graduated from business school, and knew I wanted to work for a trade association. I interviewed with a group of community owners for the executive director position at the New England Manufactured Housing Association, a six state trade body representing mobile and manufactured home communities in New England states. I knew nothing about the industry! The interviewers told me they sold homes built in a factory and rented the land where the homes were sited. A light went off in my head: What an incredible business model! Affordable homes in a neighborhood setting!

From that point on, I was hooked on the industry. It gave me a sense of purpose, and I knew that factory-built housing should be an important component of our nation’s housing supply.

My passion eventually took me to Columbus, Ohio. There I had the opportunity to display two identical factory-built homes across from the state capitol. Everything was identical down to the pictures on the walls. We handed out fortune cookies to legislators which said: ‘Today you will learn about America’s best kept housing secret!’ When legislators visited the homes the secret was revealed. One home was a manufactured home, the other was a modular home built to the state building code. The point of the exhibit was to begin a dialogue about the affordability of modern manufactured homes and land use discrimination. This home display led to the expansion of land use opportunities for manufactured housing in Ohio.

In 1995 I was hired by MHI to head up the newly created National Communities Council, today a full-fledged division of the institute.*1 Then I was put in charge of the National Manufactured Housing Federation as it merged with MHI. Know how often life comes full circle? Well today. 25 years later, I am chairman of MHI’s Federated States Division.

Parenthetically, I know from experience that working with Congress and federal agencies is not easy. So I commend Dr. Lesli Gooch and her team for making so much progress for our industry in such a challenging environment.

I really hit my stride when I went to work for the Florida Manufactured Housing Association. I ended my interview with their Search Committee by saying: ‘If you are looking for an association manager, I may not be your guy; but if you are looking for someone to lead this industry in Florida, I am up for the task!’ We have made tremendous strides advancing the manufactured housing industry in Florida. A few years ago I couldn’t get a return call from local government officials to discuss manufactured housing. Today, local officials often call to discuss how to incorporate factory-built housing into their housing strategies, to address their pressing need for workforce and senior housing.

As I wind down my career at FMHA, I have an observation I want to communicate to you. While it’s not super insightful, it is right on point. The biggest impediment to expanding manufactured housing in Florida, and elsewhere around the country, is this: We build homes that local governments need, but local governments want something different. They want more residential-looking homes for residentially-zoned area. This is a huge potential market for our industry! We can build those homes! The question is – will we seize upon this opportunity?

We are closer than ever to becoming part of mainstream housing in America. We need to continue the fight – to educate and innovate, to communicate our message whenever and wherever possible!

Finally. I am not standing here tonight on just my efforts. I have had plenty of support from industry pioneers and leaders like Kris Jensen, Jim Moore, Jim Fryer Sr., Bill Poole, Jim Dale, Nelson Steiner, and many others in this room that have encouraged and supported me throughout my career.*2

And I would not be able to do the work I do without the support of my family. My wife Chris and daughters Muneerah and Munezah are amazingly supportive; I am so blessed. They put up with my hectic travel schedule, taking phone calls at night and over weekends, and my personal distraction during legislative sessions. They indeed fuel my passion and zest for life.

The Florida Manufactured Housing Association board of directors has been incredible. The board has always been receptive to my suggestions for legislation, regulatory changes, consumer education and marketing, and exhibiting homes around the state, to familiarize state and local policy makers about the strength, durability, style and value of today’s manufactured homes. I could not ask for a better, more supportive employer!

I have enjoyed an incredible career and want to thank MHI once again for this high honor!

Jim Ayotte, CAE

End Notes

1. For the NCC story, read Bruce Savage’s ‘The First 20 Years’. Available from www.educatemhc.com

• Jensen, Moore and Steiner are RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinees.

Blog Posting # 866; Copyright 7 November 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: manufactured, modular, panelized housing & Park Model RVs), routinely paired with traditional stick-built single-family residential housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). Land lease communities, a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) are the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. And, along with various types of housing finance 9e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans, and real estate-secured mortgages) constitutes the post-production segment of the MH industry.

EducateMHC is an MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source! Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, or www.educatemhc.co, 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 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, an RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist and editor at large for ‘MHInsider’ magazine.

TOTAL U.S. HOUSING COMPLETIONS DURING SEPTEMBER 2025

George Allen’s Estimated Total of New Onsite & Offsite Construction Homes Together!

Sorry, but no report yet! Why? Apparently the federal government shutdown has affected the U.S. Census Bureau too. As of yesterday, 3 November, the August 2025 Press Release to this end (i.e. Estimated Total of New Onsite Construction ‘permits, starts & completions’) was still being displayed on the U.S. Census Bureau’s website.

Just as soon as the September 2025 Press Release appears, I’ll write it into the next blog posting. Until then, there’s little that can be done but await the end of the shutdown.

Something to Think About & Anticipate Reading…

Yes, I am retired and enjoying bonus time with Carolyn and our great granddaughter Emmie, who we child-sit a couple days most weeks. She’s four years old now, but has been a regular visitor with us since she was a few days old, so her mother can work as an attorney and father as pastor of a local church. Her older sister Peyton is still in high school, and older brother Hunter, is in the U.S. Army, and with his wife, are parents of our newly arrived great great grandson. That’s just part of our growing family…with two more recent babies recently on the scene.

I continue to write professionally. There’s the weekly blog you’re reading right now, and the quarterly ‘MHInsider’ magazine that features my Allen Legacy column. Hope you receive and read that regularly. I’ve got several highly interesting articles planned for coming months.

What you probably don’t know is, for the past two years, I’ve been researching and penning the history of the RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart, IN. I calculate I have another two years of work (2026 & 2027) before the tome will be ready for printing, binding, and distribution.

Why the extended time frame? In part, my work schedule. However, the truth of the matter is  there’s a lot of territory to cover, i.e. decades of history, from 1972 thru 2025, so far. And some of the ‘early history’ is pretty sketchy, due to economic ups & downs in the MH & RV industries. The late Dr. Carl Edwards, RV/MH historian until the early 1990s, prepared but never published a manuscript titled ‘History of the Recreation Vehicle & Manufactured Housing Heritage Foundation’. I’ve used much of Edwards’ work as Part I (i.e. 1972 – 1992) of the umbrella history project. Part II is well underway and covers 1993 thru probably 2026. I’m treating each year as a ‘chapter’ in the project, so there’re 54+/- such segments in play.  Project format?

Each chapter will likely feature a recitation of world and or national historic events for that year (chapter), followed by notable developments throughout the RV & MH industries. The chapter (year) ends with a list of individuals inducted (some say enshrined) in the RV/MH Hall of Fame that year. All told there are more than 400 such individuals today, and each will have a brief biographical sketch following their name. And therein is where readers will find the most interesting information, e.g. Who introduced ‘forced air heating’ in manufactured homes, who worked with the federal government during WWII to supply ‘trailers’ and develop ‘mobile home parks’ for use by government workers, and on and on….By the way, there were no inductions during 1977, and annual ‘classes’ sizes number between five and 15; today the average is ten inductions per year.

The most frustrating thing about this personal writing project? Having apropos historic resources from which to draw highlights, inventions, and more. For example, only a dozen land lease community owners/operators, during the past 50 or so years, have written and self-published (Sam Zell’ book is the only one from a traditional publisher) their autobiographies. And I’ve attempted to quote from each of these industry pioneers in the history project. But there are many of you out there today, who have compelling stories to tell as well – but are not doing so! Like, who conceptualized the Frost Free Foundation? Who named the Community Series Home? Who birthed the CrossMod® home design? Who visualized the largest land lease community in the U.S. and manufactured every HUD-Code home sited within it? I know, but it’d be so illuminating to read those stories in the words of their inventor.

Even more frustrating is the paucity of printed literature describing the various stages of development throughout the history of the RV/MH Hall of Fame!

Well, now you know how I spend much of my time during retirement. If you have suggestions relative to historical resources, etc., please let me know via gfa7156@aol.com

George Allen

Blog Posting # 855; Copyright 31 October 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: manufactured, modular, panelized housing & Park Model RVs), routinely paired with traditional stick-built single-family residential housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). Land lease communities, a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) are the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. And, along with various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans, and real estate- secured mortgages) constitute the post-production segment of the MH industry.

EducateMHC is an MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source! Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, or www.educateMHC.com, to purchase ‘Community management in the Manufactured Housing Indu8stry’ (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, an RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist & editor at large for ‘MHInsider’ magazine.

FOUR STEPS & SIX RULES OF THUMB

In my ‘Chapbook of Business Management & Wisdom’ you’ll find the Five Ms of Management*1, Six Steps to Closing a Sale*2, and an eight step Problem-Solving Procedure*3. However, what you won’t find are the Four Steps to Selling & Financing New Homes Onsite Within Land Lease Communities, and the Six Right Ps of Marketing New Homes Within Land Lease Communities. These two procedures have been commonplace throughout the land lease community real estate asset class since 2017. They were introduced at the first ‘Two Days of MH Sales Seminars & Plant Tours’ presentation that occurred at the RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart during the spring of year 2016. And they’re repeated here as a training aid for new community owners/operators throughout the U.S. And that two days sales training program continues annually under the leadership of Indiana’s IMHA/RVIC at the Hall of Fame.

FOUR STEPS TO SELLING & FINANCING NEW HOMES ONSITE WITHIN LAND LEASE COMMUNITIES

1. Getting Ready! This involves maximizing curb appeal, freshening offsite and onsite signage, improving advertising online and in the local press, reviewing and improving apropo policies & procedures, being sure of homebuyer/site lessee profile, and ensuring appropriate business licenses are in place.

• Buying New Homes. What size & quality needed and wanted? Appropriate factory nearby? Use of Community Series Homes (‘CSH’) &/or CrossMod® models? What support is available from factory?

• Selling New Homes & Lifestyle. Leasing homes? Property & product USPs (‘Unique Selling Propositions)? Using Six Right Ps of Marketing? More to follow on this….

• Financing New Homes. What $ resources are available, including cash, lease-option & contract sales? Importance of pre-qualification & compliance!

Those four steps simply get one started selling new HUD-Code homes onsite within land lease communities. What additional steps do you think should be added? Let me know via gfa7156@aol.com

SIX SRIGHT Ps OF MARKETING NEW HOMES WITHIN LAND LEASE COMMUNITIES

1. Right Product model, home size, appearance, floor plan, features & amenities, e.g. A CSH is known for its’ durability, enhancing features (front end loaded porch) and WOW factors! And CrossMod® homes are ideal for single-family residential subdivisions.

• Right Place or location within the property, and how oriented to the sun and wind, as well as good drainage and proper installation.

• Right Price per type deal*4, also customer’s Annual Gross Income or AGL, and local housing market’s Annual Median Income or AMI, relative to 30% Housing Expense Factor (‘HEF’) and site rent rate.

• Right Promotion per USP (Again, ‘Unique Selling Proposition’) – for house and property e.g. Energy Star & front porch loaded, using print and online advertising, fresh signage off and onsite, plus resident referrals.

• Right People  based on anticipated sales volume and # of vacant rental homesites to fill. Staff capable, experienced, motivated and properly trained & supervised by professionals?

• Right Process includes planning*5 and procedures to ID and meet shelter needs & wants of target audience and mix in specific local housing market.

End Notes:

1. Five Ms of Management: Manpower (Think personnel & labor) Machinery (Think equipment & tools), Material (Think inventory & service), Methods (Think policies & procedures), and Money (Think income & expenses).

• Six Steps to Closing a Sale: Preparing, Listening, Establishing Confidence, Overcoming Objections, Popping the question (a.k.a. AFTO or ‘Ask for the order!’) and Waiting for an answer. These insights originated with Darryl Benjamin

• Select a Problem, a task; Define it, document it; Study It, question every detail; Research & Organize Data; Refine & Digest Data; Produce & Rework Ideas; Implement & Monitor; Follow-up & Recap Results.

• Use of 3:1 Rule. Where land lease community site rent is one third that of 3BR2B apartment rent in the same local housing market.

• ‘Proper Prior Planning Prevents Pitifully Poor Performance!’

The aforementioned ‘Chapbook of Business & Management Wisdom’ is available for purchase via www.educatemhc.com

George Allen

Blog Posting # 864; Copyright 24 October 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: manufactured, modular, panelized housing & Park Model RVs), routinely paired with traditional stick-built single-family residential housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). Land lease communities, a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) are the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. And, along with various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans, and real estate-secured mortgages) constitute the post-production segment of the MH industry.

EducateMHC is an MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source! Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, or 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, an RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist & editor at large for ‘MHInsider’ magazine.

SEE YOU AT THE 2026 LOUISVILLE SHOW?

That’s the 2026 Louisville Manufactured Housing Show, or briefly, the Louisville MHShow. Here’re the dates and location: 14 – 16 January 2026, at the Kentucky Exposition Center, 937 Phillips Lane, Louisville, KY. Reach Show Management Team via: info@thelouisvilleshiow.com or phone (616) 888-8030. The Louisville MHShow has been a popular mid-winter business destination for at least the past 65 years!

Assuming you’re active in the manufactured housing industry and or own/operate one or more land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities or ‘mobile home parks’); this is the sole Midwest-based national trade show for this industry and realty asset class! There will be dozens of new HUD-Code manufactured homes on display indoors, even more supplier and exhibitors of products and services of interest to attendees.

Me? I attend for the opportunity to see and visit many new manufactured homes, inside and out, and talk with factory personnel present to answer questions and display product. It’s always interesting – and educational, to see how manufactured homes evolve over the years. A recent trend has been new singlesection and multisection homes designed with ‘front end loaded porches’. Why is this design appealing? Because, in land lease community ‘sets’ it’s rare to find homes installed parallel to the streetscape in front. So, having a ‘front end loaded porch’ makes it possible for homeowners/site lessees to accomplish the same end, showing off the front, narrow axis of their new home. Today, a hot design, but slow to catch-on, has been the CrossMod® home, sponsored by the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’) – making MHs more homelike than ever before!

In recent years, and perhaps this one as well, we’ve seen a variety of Accessory Dwelling Units of ADUs on display, i.e. small self-contained dwellings or residential units, a.k.a. granny flats or casitas. ADU designs also include Park Model RVs, Tiny Houses, small 3D-fabricated units, even garages and larger sheds converted into secondary living units. The whole ADU category of housing, however, presents a problem for housing statisticians. The U.S. Census Bureau, every month, estimates the annual volume of new onsite construction (i.e. stick-built homes), but totally ignores the existence and roll of offsite construction (a.k.a. HUD-Code manufactured housing, modular & panelized housing, and Park Model RVs) – and Accessory Dwelling Units! At present the underreporting appears to be, in my opinion, 10,000 new units per month, 120,000 annually. Consequence? Continued underreporting of the U.S. affordable housing crisis!

Supplier exhibits. Now there’s a perennial pleasure: seeing who and what’s new across the industry and property type. Even here we spot trends. For example; when several large property portfolios ‘went public’ in 1994, at least a half dozen other large land lease community owners/operators started ‘displaying’ at the Louisville MH Show. Why? To identify present day owners/operators who might be interested in selling their communities. This went on for two decades, until the majority of large (i.e. 150+ sites in size) communities were in property portfolios. Today it’s rare to find even one of these ‘players’ exhibiting in Louisville.

At one time or another we’ve seen land lease community real estate brokers set up shop, giving their firms names such as ‘The Park Girl’. And for a couple years, Scale Model Homes Company featured plastic models of manufactured homes, with detachable roof systems, ‘for sale’. Why buy them? To use as display models at independent (street) MHRetailer sales centers and elsewhere. Some of the plastic models are now on display in the RV/MH Hall of Fame museum in Elkhart, IN. Other years, bumper stickers were handed out as SWAG, e.g. ’I LOVE (heart) MY MANUFACTURED HOME’, & ‘1995 – 2005: DECADE OF THE MANUFACTURED HOME COMMUNITY!’’ Just about any book worth reading and using in the MH business has been or is on display at this show. For example, the only professional property management textbook to be introduced at the Louisville MHShow, focused on land lease communities, is ‘Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry’. It’s available via www.educatemhc.com

Interpersonal Networking. Few venues offer more opportunity to get to know folk in one’s business than the Louisville MHShow! All the while looking at the new homes, and visiting supplier vendors, it’s easy to see old friends in the business, and make new ones as possible valuable future contacts. In many cases this is the only time of the year we get to see and talk with one another.

Educational Sessions. This hasn’t always been a staple at the Louisville MHShow. ‘Years ago’ housing manufacturers eschewed anything (i.e. seminars & panels) that’s drew ‘shoppers’ away from visiting show homes. That’s changed today, probably because of the increased number of community owners/operators present. These sessions are almost always well attended, given the topics being presented and discussed. For example, when community owners/operators started selling and financing new HUD-Code homes onsite, they learned to execute legal lease options at the Louisville MHShow and at the SECO conference in Atlanta during spring months.

Know my most memorable experience at the Louisville show (Besides enduring bitter cold weather from time to time)? It occurred when I was invited to attend a private country western concert hosted by Jim Clayton in a downtown hotel. Jim played his guitar and sang, accompanied by an attractive female backup singer. For more than an hour Jim entertained us  with his music and impromptu tales.

Maybe you’ll get lucky and find yourself in a similar memorable environment this January!

George Allen

Blog Posting # 863; Copyright 17 October 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: manufactured, modular, panelized housing & Park Model RVs), routinely paired with traditional stick-built housing (a.k.a. onsite construction!) Land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) are the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. And, along with various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans, and real estate mortgages) constitute the post-production segment of the MH industry.

EducateMHC is a 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, an RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrine, Allen Legacy columnist & editor at large for the popular MHInsider magazine.

What Are the Five Asset Classes?

Are you a wealth builder – some say wealth preservationist? In either event, if you’re an adult, working as an employee, business executive or entrepreneur, you’re likely focused on one or more of five asset classes, or categories of investment with similar characteristics that work similarly in the marketplace. In abbreviated fashion the five asset classes are:

• Stocks
• Bonds
• Real estate
• Cash & cash equivalents
• Commodities

All I hope to do here is acquaint you with these ways to accumulate and preserve personal wealth. Some folk do this on their own; others identify and use capable and experienced – and sometimes credentialed individuals specializing in one or more of these asset classes. Me? I spent my career in the commercial investment real estate asset class; specifically owning and operating land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’). I also monitored my investment in the ‘cash & cash equivalent’ asset class, and did not participate in the commodities asset class at all. As far as stocks and bonds are concerned, I’ve long relied on the guidance of financial planners, a.k.a. wealth preservationists. Success I’ve enjoyed there has, in large part, not only a personal and corporate advisor, but my inclination to be a very conservative investor.

Now, more about the five asset classes.

STOCKS. These are shares of ownership in private or public companies. Stocks often generate high returns over time, but can also be very volatile as they react to current events, and other market influences. One has a choice, when investing, to do so with individual stocks, or via exchange-traded funds (‘ETFs’) that allows one to invest in a group of stocks at one time.

BONDS. These are loans you give to a company or government (to build local community buildings and infrastructure) in exchange for regular interest payments during a set period of time – until the bond matures. Bonds are generally considered safer than stocks but have lower returns. Frankly, I started off investing in bonds then switched to stocks.

REAL ESTATE. Real estate involves acquiring property, e.g. homes, commercial buildings, even raw land – with an expectation it will appreciate (increase) in value over time. Not only is price appreciation a positive feature of real estate, but the possibility of rental income is helpful. Investing in real estate also requires significant upfront investment and ongoing management.

CASH & CASH EQUIVALENTS. What does this asset class include? One’s funds in checking and savings accounts, also short-term investments that are easily converted to cash. The asset class’ characteristically offer lower returns than stocks, in exchange for providing liquidity (easy access) to one’s money when needed for emergencies or other immediate financial needs and opportunities.

COMMODITIES. Commodities include physical goods such as gold, silver, oil, even agricultural products. They are viewed as a hedge against inflation since the prices can rise when the cost of living increases. Investing in commodities lends diversity to one’s wealth-building portfolio. But also know that price volatility can work in the opposite direction as well.

So, how many of these asset classes are you invested in today? Interested in broadening one’s involvement? If so, do more research. Get comfortable with the class(es) in which you have interest.

GETTING OLD & BEING FORGOTTEN!

OK, I admit it. Thoughts of getting old and being forgotten rarely crossed my mind until I retired several years ago, then noticed how nary a week passes without word of another friend, relative, or business associate dying.

Where my business associates are concerned, another reality has come hard to mind: Did or did they not take steps to document their personal or corporate legacy, ensuring the preservation of their memory among friends like you and me? The sad answer to that question is more often than not, NO. This hit home with me recently when I received a fall newsletter from a Midwest MH association. Front page title? ‘Remembering_____, An Industry Pioneer and Friend’. Well this was a nice write-up on a now deceased pioneer in our industry. But guess what? Once this month passes, so too will the memory of this RY – except for his being an enshrinee in the RV/M Hall of Fame. To the best of my knowledge, he wrote neither memoirs (i.e. short stories) or an autobiography. And his is not an isolated case. Just sitting here I can easily recall the recent demise of other friends/acquaintances in our business, e.g. Bud Parkhill in IL., Don Gedert in IN., and Charles Irion in AZ. All of whom I asked to pen their life stories….

In the latter instance, Chuck was a complicated, colorful, giving individual. He authored nearly a dozen books, mostly adventure/mystery tales, and some nonfiction (e.g.                                      ). Chuck ‘made is mark’ in MH as a land lease community broker and ownership partner. He spent the last few years of his life traveling the world with Nora, documenting their adventures on Facebook, but often donating funds and medical equipment along the way. His recent death was sudden – and he too, to the best of my knowledge, did not document for posterity, all that he did and experienced. Now he’s gone. I knew him and will miss his lively banter, but so far, no one else will remember all that much about his business acumen, philanthropy, and love for people.

Now there’s a positive side to this recollection. To date, a dozen guys (no women, sad to say) have penned autobiographies. I’ve read them all and collected excerpts in a booklet titled ‘Who Will Preserve Your Legacy? Answer: You!’ A free copy is available to you for the asking, via gfa7156@aol.com

George Allen

Blog Posting # 862; Copyright 10 October 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: manufactured, modular, panelized housing &Park Model RVs), routinely paired with traditional stick-built housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). Land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) are the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. And along with various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans, and real estate mortgages), constitute the post-production segment of the MH industry.

EducateMHC is an 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 AUGUST 2025

George Allen’s Estimated Total of New Onsite & Offsite Construction Homes Together!

This TOTAL U.S. HOUSING COMPLETIONS REPORT for August 2025 combines online data from the U.S. Census Bureau monthly report of estimated annual onsite construction (i.e. 1,608,000 units divided by 12 months = 134,000 units @ August), then combine this monthly total with 11,776  offsite construction completions for the same month. The offsite construction total is comprised of 1) HUD-Code manufactured housing production data (@ 8,696 units) per Institute for Building Technology & Safety (‘IBTS’)*1; 2) modular & panelized housing units estimated to be 2% of the onsite construction completions total (@ 134,000 X .02% = 2,680 units); and, 3) RV Industry of America (‘RVIA’) reporting 400 Park Model RVs produced.*2 So together, 134,000 onsite construction units plus 11,776 offsite construction units = 145,776 onsite & offsite construction completions together!

So, what’s going on here? Why the partial reporting of U.S. housing completions (.e. only onsite construction units) each month by the U.S. Census Bureau? I have no informed response. But it appears to me that since onsite construction totals are akin to stick-built housing alone (except for the occasional permanently-sited HUD-Code manufactured home); this is helpful information to traditional builders. Then there’s the happenstance that offsite construction data posting (i.e. IBTS & RVIA monthly reports) occurs a month later than the U.S. Census Bureau online posting.

Consequence of this partial reporting? Just using August 2025 housing completion totals (134,000 onsite construction & 11,776 offsite construction), total housing completions of 145,776 units is underreporting by 11,776 units – that’s 141,312 units when annualized, i.e. ‘more than a one month total of onsite construction’ units! So, U.S. Census Bureau appears to be underreporting total U.S. housing permits, starts & completions by 10,000+/- units per month and 100,000+ units per year! How long is this travesty to continue before correcting?

U.S. affordable housing crisis. Just how bad is it really? At the levels reported by the U.S. Census Bureau? OR, should offsite construction units be added to onsite construction unit totals to provide a more accurate data picture for housing planners and professionals?*3 The answer should be obvious to housing practitioners!

As we’ve said before, this ‘Total U.S. Housing Completions Report’ is a work in progress. Let us know what you think of this ghosting interplay between onsite and offsite housing completion statistics: gfa7156@aol.com

End Notes.

1. Housing data source reporting is not without its’ challenges. Take the IBTS as an example. For August 2025 it reported 8696 new HUD-Code homes as being shipped, including 26 Destination Pending units (i.e. unshipped at time of reporting). Well, the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’) reports to its’ members 8,688 new HUD-Code homes shipped, eight units fewer than what IBTS reported to them. This is because MHI, after deducting the 26 Destination Pending units from IBTS’ total, adds back the number of Destination Pending units deducted the previous month (July). As long as this confusing practice continues, the MH industry will never realize universally accurate reporting of HUD-Code housing shipments!

• Park Model RVs. The question sometimes arises, ‘Why include Park Model RVs’ as part of offsite construction? Two reasons. First, an increasing number of Park Model RVs (i.e. 400 square feet or less in size) are used as permanent and seasonal dwellings across the U.S., e.g. entire Park Model RV villages in the state of Florida and elsewhere. Second, including Park Model RVs serves as a ‘place holder’ for accessory dwelling units (‘ADUs’), yet another increasingly popular form of housing (i.e. Think ‘tiny houses’).

• Yet another issue lurks in this reporting of ‘Total U.S. Housing Completions’. Has to do with ‘manufactured housing as percentage of single-family home starts’. MHI in its’ Monthly Economic Report dated 3 October 2025, covering August 2025, claims: “Manufactured housing accounted for 10.0% of single-family home starts in August 2025.” However, given the accuracy of numbers reported in the previous paragraphs, it appears the correct answer to this question is not 10 percent, but 6 ½%. How so? MHI-reported 8688 HUD-Code MHs divided by 134,000 onsite construction units equals 6 ½%

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George Allen