The third largest island in the world, situated southeast of the Malay Peninsula, Borneo is part of Malaysia and Indonesia, and hungry for modular housing to ease the shortage of affordable homes. Chinese-built modular homes have been exported to 80 countries, but transportation would make the prices too high to […]
Chinese may Build Modular Homes in Borneo Read More
According to payroll processing firm ADP, private sector firms added 281,000 jobs in June, the strongest month for hiring since November, 2012. Small companies with under 50 employees added 117,000 jobs, mid-sized businesses added 115,000 employees and large firms with over 500 workers added 49,000 jobs, as reported to MHProNews
Job Growth Strong in June Read More
In an attempt to strengthen the state’s housing market, Virginia has passed a measure that allows first-time home buyers to invest up to $50,000 in any financial institution, free of state taxes on any earnings, provided the money is used to buy a home in the state. Called the First-time
Manufactured Homes Included in Homebuyer Savings Plan Read More
Joe Kelly, executive vice president of the Iowa Manufactured Housing Association (IMHA), informs MHProNews only 43 manufactured homes were ordered by retailers in Iowa during Q1, 2014—just six in the month of January—a drop of 15 homes, 26 percent, compared to the same period in 2013. For the last three
Orders for Manufactured, Modular Homes Drop in Iowa Read More
John Williams, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, while expressing optimism the economy is well on its way to recovery, says the Fed will need to keep interest rates near zero until the middle of next year. Speaking to members of the Utah and Montana Bankers Association,
Regional Fed Head Says Interest Rate Will Remain Low Read More
According to worldpropertychannel.com, the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) Pending Home Sales Index increased from 97.9 in April to 103.9 in May, the largest rise since April 2010 (9.6 percent) when first-time homebuyers beat the deadline to take advantage of the popular tax credit then available, as the government was
Pending Home Sales Rise in May, but Lagging Behind Last Year Read More
While minorities are expected to comprise almost half of the first-time homebuying market within the next ten years, mortgage lending to minorities has fallen 25 percent more than for whites since the mortgage bust. According to the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, during the decade from 2004
Barriers to Increasing Homeownership Abound Read More
While many analysts and pundits predicted first quarter 2014 growth at 2.6 percent, in fact the economy shrank 2.9 percent, more than the minus one percent initially reported at the end of May. The only times gross domestic product (GDP) has fallen more than 1.5 percent has been just before
Is Housing Dragging on the Economy, or is the Opposite True? Read More
One of the biggest obstacles to housing growth, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, is that millennials are continuing to live with their parents in record numbers, according to housingwire.com. Approximately 2.1 million more adults in their 20s and 300,000 more in their 30’s lived
Millennials Continue to Live in Parental Homes Read More
The Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies reports half of the households in the Los Angeles metropolitan area spend 30 percent of their income on rent or mortgage payments, making it the highest rate of 381 U. S. metro areas; and 25 percent spend half of their income on
Los Angeles Housing Short on Affordability Read More
The aging baby boomer generation moved the median age of United States residents from 37.5 years to 37.6 years as an estimated 10,000 people each day hit 65, and the youngest of the boomers enter their 50s. Seven states, according to mdjonline.com, however, actually saw their median ago lowered, and
Factory-built Housing Rising as Age Drops in Oil Rich States Read More
Sales of newly-built single-family homes rose briskly 18.6 percent in May to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 504,000 units, the highest rate since May of 2008, according to data collected by the National Association of Home Builders from the U. S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and
New Home Sales Spike in May Read More
A survey by the MacArthur Foundation reveals the affects of the housing downturn on Americans along racial lines. From the get go, whites are more likely to own homes, and those homes are just as likely to be in neighborhoods where home values appreciate. Blacks and Latinos were more likely
Housing Market Tough on Minorities Read More
Julian Castro, current mayor of San Antonio and President Barack Obama’s nominee to be the next secretary of the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), was grilled during his Senate Banking Committee confirmation hearing about cities using eminent domain to condemn mortgages by Sen. Patrick Toomey (R-PA), according to
Nominee to Head HUD Testifies before Senate Banking Committee Read More
Single-and multifamily housing starts both fell in May as production dropped 6.5 percent to a seasonally annual adjusted rate (SAAR) of just above one million, according to figures from the Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Single-family housing starts dropped 5.9 percent to a SAAR
Housing Starts for May Fall Read More
As CNNMoney reports low mortgage rates and rising rents make it profitable for homeowners to retain their former homes and become landlords, earning more than the expenses. Susan Young of Kansas refinanced her home at 3.25 percent with a 30-year fixed rate mortgage and bought another home. She receives several
High Rents + Low Mortgage Rates = New Landlords Read More
The Natural Resources Defense Council reports the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) has assembled a working team to develop new energy-efficient standards for manufactured homes (MH) to replace the current ones that are over 20 years old. Noting the existence of nine million manufactured homes nationwide providing affordable housing
New Energy-efficiency Standards for MH on Tap Read More
In a revision to a post MHProNews published June 3, 2014 regarding HUD Code home production in April, 2014, the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) reports 5,718 homes were shipped that month, upwardly revised from the 5,653 homes we previously reported, a 7.5 percent increase over April, 2013. Total floors shipped
HUD Code Production Figures Revised for April Read More
Builder confidence for single-family, newly-built homes rose four points to 49, one point shy of the mark for what is considered “good” building conditions. According to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). The result of a monthly survey NAHB has been conducting for 30 years,
Single-family Home Builders One Point more Confident Read More
Although some 10,000 Baby Boomers reach retirement every day, leaving the workforce (between 2006 and 2012 the number of working boomers fell by nine percent) and child rearing days behind, Patrick Simmons, with Fannie Mae, says contrary to popular belief they are not downsizing and moving to multifamily residences. He
Baby Boomers not Busting Out (of their homes) Read More
