News Reports: Housing news updates and reports for Manufactured Home and Modular Housing Industry professionals and investors. Business – daily fact checks, market reports, and analysis.
HousingWire reports David Blitzer, chairman of Standard & Poor’s Index Committee, says when current home prices are adjusted for inflation, they are back to 2001 levels. This suggests the rapid rise and decline of home prices did little more than create havoc for the economy. “Allowing for a dip in …
ReutersAfrica reports that U.S. business magnate Sam Zell, chairman of Equity Lifestyle Properties, the real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns over 134,000 manufactured housing homesites in North America, is in talks to buy a controlling interest in Brazil’s Grupo Tha. At 115 years of age, Grupo Tha is the …
No negative news from Europe, and positive manufacturing news from the U.S., China and India cheered investors as the market rallied for the first day of trading, 2012. CNNMoney reports the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 179.82 points, 1.47 percent, to close at 12,397.98. The NASDAQ moved up 1.67 percent, …
MHProNews.com learned the stock of MHC owner Sun Communities Inc. has been upgraded by equity analysts at BMO Capital Markets from “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating. LocalizedUSA reports as of Dec. 31, 2009, the real estate investment trust (REIT)’s portfolio was comprised of 136 properties, 124 of which …
RealtorMag quotes Frank Northaft, chief economist at Freddie Mac, as saying, “”Mortgage rates ended the year hovering near historic lows in an already affordable housing market,” noting the 3.95 percent mortgage rate for the 30-year FRM. The rate only crossed the five percent line twice in 2011. He says a …
Following up on an article we ran Dec. 27, 2011 about a Lustron House exhibit being displayed at the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus, the DaytonDailyNews tells MHProNews.com history curator Cameron Woods has sent out a call for the public to help furnish this steel and ceramic relic from the …
MHPronews.com has reported several times about the North Dakota oil boom that is drawing thousands seeking well-paying jobs, spiking the demand for ASAP housing. “Man camps”, modular dormitories for mostly male oil field workers have sprung up around Williston, ND. Some people are sleeping in cars, tents, and RVs. The …
NationalMortgageNews tells MHProNews.com that originations of government-backed Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM) have fallen by 950 to 1150 loans a month. October and November both saw 4,650 reverse mortgages a month, a drop from 5,600 and 5,800 a month in August and September, respectively. Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and …
According to the Harvard University Joint Center on Housing Studies, in the first half of the decade 1.3 new households formed each year, but that fell to less than one million a year since 2005. Part of that is declining immigration, but 20-30 year-olds who have been reluctant to form …
The United States stock markets are closed today in observance of New Year’s Day. They will reopen tomorrow, Jan. 3, at 9 AM. (Photo credit New York Stock Exchange: Wikipedia)
The Telegram reports from Worcester, Massachusetts, that building permits for single and multifamily dwellings were down 55 percent for the first ten months of 2011. Timothy M. Warren, chief executive of the Warren Group, which publishes Banker and Tradesman, tells MHProNews.com he expects home sales to increase slightly in 2012, …
Following up on a story we posted Feb. 14, 2011, Stardust Cruisers in Wayne County, Kentucky, finished two prototype modular homes recently sited on foundations. Boat sales have declined with the drop in the economy, and the company was seeking an alternative product. In a collaborative effort with the University …
The TCTimes from Fenton, Michigan, just northwest of Detroit, tells MHProNews a resident of Tryone Township is upset that residents pay $150 a year for fire department services, while Sun Communities and another MHC each pay $250 annually for the same services for the entire communities. Scott Dietrich estimates there …
MHProNews.com has learned that Clayton Homes founder Jim Clayton has chosen Alabama banker Eric Hamilton as president and CEO of Clayton Bank and Trust of Knoxville, Tennessee. Clayton, 77, stepped back into the role after Matt Daniels left in 2007, and had hoped to fill the position the following year, …
MHProNews.com has learned UMH Properties, Inc., in a Form 4 Filing with the SEC, says director Steven Wolgin bought 5,800 shares of UMH stock over the past 12 months, but did not sell any shares. MMDNewswire also reports during the same period, 6,352 shares of UMH stock were sold by …
MHProNews.com has learned from OriginationNews that according to Freddie Mac, mortgage rates are well below comparable rates from a year ago even though they edged up a little from last week. The average rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage (FRM) rose four basis points to 3.95 from last week, …
NationalMortgageNews tells MHProNews.com a survey by mortgage lender Lending Tree reveals Americans who can afford to buy homes are putting 12 percent down on average, even more where the property is more expensive. While some regulatory proposals push for down payments of 20 percent in order to be exempt from …
CNN Money reports the Dow Jones Industrial Average, NASDAQ, and the S&P all ended the trading year on a fairly flat note, each losing less than one percentage point. The Dow lost -69.48 points to close at 12,217.56. The Yahoo! Finance Manufactured Housing Composite moved up +0.68 percent to close …
Dow Closes Flat, Housing Closes Mixed, but Skyline Shines Read More
CEO of StreetTalk Advisors Lance Roberts sees home prices continuing to fall another 10-15 percent, and overall economic growth will be about one percent, lass than half of other analysts who are predicting 2-2.5 percent growth. In an interview with HousingWire he says, “ There is a current belief that …
The OmanObserver in the Middle East tells MHProNews.com that the rapid growth in the use of modular buildings has led Al Anseria Engineering Services to establish Modular Building Solutions (MBS), specializing in container conversions and insulated metal cabins. Noting they have many applications, from low-cost housing and offices to guard …
