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.
The Los Angeles Times ran a story this week about the developing recreational vehicle industry in China. According to the Times, China is hungry for the kind of recreational vehicles built in Southern California, and entrepreneur Winston Chung has struck a deal with Riverside-based MVP RV to export $5 billion …
MHI held a conference call with 37 member state association executives and their staffs on Thursday, January 20. During the call, MHI staff discussed new Congressional membership of the House Financial Services Committee and the Senate Banking Committee. Discussed were MHI actions related to the review and reform of Dodd-Frank …
Industry members participated this week in a high-level briefing on Capitol Hill focused on high energy performance in manufactured and modular homes. Emanuel Levy, Systems Building Research Alliance, and Kevin Clayton, Clayton Homes, Inc., presented to a standing-room-only audience. Manufactured Housing Congressional Caucus co-chair Ken Calvert (R-CA) kicked off the …
MHI Briefs Congress on Finance and Energy Issues for Manufactured Housing Read More
From Texas, the Seguin Gazette reports that a gas leak prompted a brief evacuation at a Cavco plant there. The report indicted a fork lift had hit an overhead gas line. Within 20 minutes, the gas was off and the workers returned.
Analysts are calling Obama’s State of the Union “business focused,” including proposals to aid small business and keep America competitive. The president proposed taking $30 billion repaid by Wall Street banks and using it to provide credit to community banks and small businesses. The president also proposed a new small …
The first half of the year is the season for home shows, and 2011 is proving to be a milestone for those featuring manufactured housing. Following the successful Louisville Manufactured Housing Show in Kentucky, work is underway to bring the return of another event featuring the economy and innovations of …
MHMSM.com Takes a Behind-the-Scenes Look at the 2011 Great Southwest Home Show Read More
The Dow was down for most of the day Tuesday, but managed to climb in the final hours to arrive nearly where it began, at 11,975—just 25 points away from the 12,000 mark. Several manufactured housing stocks, including Equity Lifestyle Properties and Cavco, managed to eke out gains of one …
Housingwire reports that two Texas Republicans, Reps. Jeb Hensarling and Randy Neugebauer, are on the front lines advocating the quick dismantling of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Last week, Neugebauer sent a letter telling Elizabeth Warren she is “tasked with executing a fatally flawed plan” as she forms the Consumer …
Texas Republicans Push for Dismantling Fannie and Freddie Read More
Unlike the manufactured housing industry in the United States, the market for manufactured homes in Canada remains rather prosperous by comparison. A Canadian Manufactured Housing Institute (CMHI) report for the 3rd quarter of 2010 shows some 3,608 factory-built single-family homes were started in the third quarter, representing a 17 percent …
Data through November, 2010 released today by Standard & Poor’s for its S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices, show a deceleration in the annual growth rates in 17 of the 20 MSAs and the 10- and 20-City Composites compared to what was reported for October 2010. …
The “Sun Tunnel” that Lifestylist® Suzanne Felber spoke of last week during a report from the International Building Show appeared on a list of hot new home technology items provided by CNBC. The report says the Velux Sun Tunnel is a flexible tube that can deliver a small, round portal …
The Dow moved up more than 100 points today on anticipation of solid performance in several corporate reports. Manufactured housing and related stocks also generally performed well. Deer Valley closed up more than nine percent while Nobility Homes ended up more than seven percent. Walker and Dunlop, Drew Industries and …
The website SmarTrend recently compared several manufactured home builders with site builders on the basis of a measuring unit known as revenue per employee (RPE), finding the site builders outperforming manufactured home builders. SmarTrend says analysts use RPE as a measure to compare the productivity of companies in the same …
CNBC reports shares of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway were up nearly four percent in mid-day trading Monday after Barron’s suggested the company could pay its first dividend since Buffett took over in the mid-1960s. It’s also predicting Berkshire’s stock price could top its all-time high this year – that’s about …
The New York Times reported Monday that since the government took over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, taxpayers have spent more than $160 million defending the mortgage finance companies in civil lawsuits. The companies produced an accounting revealing the information at the request of Congress. The newspaper says the bulk …
Fannie and Freddie Pay out Millions to Defend Lawsuits Read More
Trulia.com released its latest Rent vs. Buy Index Monday, which found that it is more affordable to buy than to rent a two-bedroom home in 72 percent of America’s 50 largest cities. Meanwhile, a nation of renters has emerged as more Americans rent by choice or due to unforeseen financial …
From Canada, News 1130 reports that the City of Vancouver will start calling for submissions from architects and designers for a pilot project to get modular and affordable housing up and running. Officials told the reporter the city has a number of land holdings and is surveying locations for the …
From the Calgary Herald comes news that an Arizona manufactured home community is trying to lure Canadians with sunshine and sweet deals. The article notes for the past few weeks, the Canadian dollar has been at, just below or just above its American counterpart. The last time that happened, snowbirds …
Arizona Community Looking to Lure Canadian Snowbirds Read More
The Associated Press reports that companies that manufactured homes for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after Hurricane Katrina have agreed to pay $2.6 million to resolve thousands of claims that the shelters exposed Gulf Coast storm victims to potentially dangerous fumes from formaldehyde. The chemical, commonly found in building materials, …
Settlement Reached on Issues with Formaldehyde in FEMA Homes Read More
From Dash.com comes an editorial item conveying that traditional building methods must make room for more cost-effective and sustainable designs if the UK’s growing housing crisis is to be alleviated. Currently, construction rates are around 80,000 new homes below the level required to meet population growth and tackle affordability and …
