Dead or Alive?

mobile home university
1

Skye,

I truly appreciate your concern about the website and updated information, it’s a valid one. This year has been the most challenging period I’ve encountered since entering this business over 10 years ago. Don is right on the money, if ALL of the components of this industry (park operators, manufacturers and lenders) don’t regroup and start working together we are all on the way to extinction.

As Corey and I evaluated the industry near the end of last year in making plans for events in 2009, we quickly came to the conclusion that it would be an injustice to encourage new entrants into an arena that was totally unpredictable. At that time, I made the decision to cancel all conferences and bootcamps until we heard and validated any encouraging developments. This also gave me the needed time to evaluate my communities and change things to adapt to the new “government controlled” environment.

I followed the events and news coming from meetings around the country and talked to several who attended national MHI (Manufactured Housing Institute) and state MHA meetings. Sure, there was much being discussed but nothing really materialized. The resounding feeling was a “woe is us” mentality. After talking to a few community owners in my association (Georgia), I decided to work with them on one last effort to bring the key players together and come up with a working group that will produce some sort of results.

We all know that lending is the blood of our business. Without money, we can

2

Steve

I know I have the most grey hair, but I am not retiring. Thanks for the update on the manufactures and lenders. Hopefully we can all get married again so our businesses can thrive and survive.

Rick

3

Steve, may I suggest that you contact the Tunica Show to see if these meetings can be during the south-central show. Since the closing of the Louisville show after a 50+ year run, the Tunica Show is the largest MH trade show in the nation, many people in attendance are MHP owners who are unfamiliar with this forum and not likely to recieve corespondence fro GMHA.

4

Steve are you going to be in Forsyth next week? thanks bill russell

5

Rick,

Retire…what is that? Man, you are busier than ever before and I look forward to your input for years to come.

Hope your schedule frees up next week and you can make it to GA.

Steve

6

Shawn,

Great idea. One of the manufacturers invited to the meeting suggested the same thing. My only concern is that Tunica seems to draw a larger amount of retailers than community owners and I’m not sure the powers to be running the show would want to spend a great deal of time on financing.

Let’s see how things turn on at the meeting next week. If it goes well, we plan on trying to get word to every association in the country. I’m sure that will lead to participation in many of the trade shows as well.

Steve

7

Thanks Steve for the info. I won’t be able to make it. I"m not travelling until Thursday morning. Hope we are in touch after the holidays, thanks.

8

symposium go? Any attendees care to share ?

9

Shawn,

Attended the GMHA symposium. It was a learning experience. Very enjoyable. Here are a few things I brought away from it.

  1. Banks/Lenders want to loan money to our clients (home buyers) as long as they have high FICOS and nice size down payments.

  2. The SAFE Act is going to be the nine hundred pound gorilla in the room; it will really change the way we have to do business. In Georgia the ball is still being tossed around.

  3. Manufacturers have produced some impressive homes for our communities now to find someone to finance.

  4. I am not a member of GMHA but I will be soon. It really opened my eyes to the need to be a part of our state assoc. and keep communication flowing.

Sam

If I had not attended I would not have ever known about this SAFE Act .