Archived News

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1/15/24

Ohio Homebuyer Plus Program - OMHA


The Ohio Treasurer's office recently unveiled the Ohio Homebuyer Plus program, an innovative initiative aimed at assisting more Ohio residents in achieving the aspiration of homeownership.

Ohio Homebuyer Plus functions as a savings program, offering accountholders attractive above-market interest rates as they accumulate funds for their home purchase. Prospective homebuyers collaborate with a participating financial institution to establish an account.

To qualify for the enhanced interest savings provided by an Ohio Homebuyer Plus account, eligible accountholders must meet the following criteria:

Be a resident of Ohio aged at least 18 years.
Maintain a primary residence within the State of Ohio.
Utilize the account proceeds solely for the down payment or closing costs of a primary residence purchased in Ohio.
Ohio Homebuyer Plus accounts must be utilized within five years, maintain a minimum balance of $100, and cannot surpass a maximum balance of $100,000.

For additional details: 
Press Release: Ohio Homebuyer Plus Savings Program Now Accepting Applications (1/8/24) 
Watch the Video: Introduction to Ohio Homebuyer Plus

 

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1/4/24


Monthly Economic Report - MHI


In November 2023, 7,751 new manufactured homes were shipped, a decrease of 632 homes or 7.5 percent compared to October 2023, and a decrease of 247 homes or 3.1 percent compared to November 2022. Compared with the same month last year, shipments of single-section homes were down by 8.5 percent, while shipments of multi-section homes were up by 1.8 percent. Total floors shipped in November 2023 were 12,106, a decrease of 156 floors or 1.3 percent compared with the same month last year.

The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of shipments was 92,839 in November 2023, down 2.8 percent compared to the adjusted rate of 95,559 in October 2023. The SAAR corrects for normal seasonal variations and projects annual shipments based on the current monthly total.

Cumulative shipments through November this year totaled 82,784 homes compared with 106,454 homes for the same 11 months of 2022, a net decrease of 22.2 percent.

In November 2023, 7,769 new manufactured homes were produced, a decrease of 624 homes or 7.4 percent compared to October 2023, and a decrease of 201 homes or 2.5 percent compared to November 2022. MHI's Monthly Economic Report includes numbers for both manufactured home production and shipments. The difference between the two is attributed to the number of homes that have been produced, but their destinations are pending. Of the homes produced, 86 were FEMA designated units shipped to Maryland.

The number of plants reporting production in November 2023 was 147 and the number of active corporations was 36, the same number of plants and corporations as in the prior two months.

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12/6/23


House Energy and Commerce Committee Passes Legislation To Remove DOE Authority over Manufactured Housing Energy Standards - MHI

On Tuesday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted to pass the “Affordable HOMES Act” (H.R. 6421). The Affordable HOMES Act repeals Section 413 of the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 and would ensure that the Department of Energy’s (DOE) final rule on Energy Conservation Standards for Manufactured Housing will have no force or effect. 
Halting implementation of the EISA’s flawed approach and re-affirming HUD’s long-standing exclusive control over federal manufactured housing standards is the best way to ensure the timely adoption of improved energy efficiency standards for factory-built housing in a way that preserves the availability of affordable manufactured homes for American households. MHI has prepared a series of talking points to support voting “Yes” on the Affordable HOMES Act.
MHI supports the passage of the Affordable HOMES Act and asks for your support by going to the MHI Advocacy Action Center and telling your representative in Congress to support the passage of the “Affordable HOMES Act” (H.R. 6421). Congress must hear from all sectors of the manufactured housing industry about the urgent need to stop DOE overreach. 

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11/21/23


Experience the Freedom of Homeownership - FMHA

Discover the unparalleled advantages of home ownership through manufactured housing, offering affordability and modern comfort seamlessly combined. Unveil the endless benefits awaiting within the realm of manufactured homes—a world where quality, value, and customization meet to redefine the concept of owning your dream home.

 

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11/10/23

Enhanced Financing for Manufactured Homes by FHA

Julia Gordon, the Federal Housing Commissioner, announced modifications to valuation requirements for specific manufactured homes certified under Fannie Mae’s MH Advantage and Freddie Mac’s CHOICEHome programs during the Manufactured Housing Institute’s National Communities Conference Fall Leadership Forum in Chicago.

Gordon stated, “Updating FHA appraisal requirements to harmonize with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac certification programs reinforces our comprehensive initiatives to enhance both the availability and affordability of manufactured homes. By removing this impediment, we aim to boost the effectiveness of FHA programs in serving buyers of these homes, fostering continued growth and adoption of this crucial source of affordable and energy-efficient housing.”

The immediate and effective updates, detailed in a mortgagee letter, focus on the exception in the Sales Comparison Approach for Manufactured Housing in the Single-Family Housing Policy Handbook 4000.1. The revised exception now specifies, “For a manufactured home certified based on the construction requirements of Fannie Mae’s MH Advantage or Freddie Mac’s CHOICEHome program, the appraiser must include at least two comparable sales with similar certification, when available. If fewer than two comparable MH Advantage or CHOICEHome sales are available, the appraiser must use the most appropriate site-built comparable sales available and must provide detailed justification to support the appraiser’s selection of comparable properties and the adjustments made for dissimilarities to the subject property (emphasis in the original).”

These updates, according to the agency, bring FHA appraisal requirements in line with industry standards and enhance the valuation of these homes for borrowers seeking FHA-insured mortgages.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia Fudge emphasized the importance of utilizing all available tools to increase the supply of affordable homes. She stated, “That includes innovative solutions like manufactured housing. The critical step we’re taking today ensures HUD is in alignment with our industry partners, and it will make more quality affordable housing available to people across the country.”
 

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11/3/23
MHI Monthly Economic Report
7,952 New HUD Code Homes Shipped in September

In September 2023, 7,952 new manufactured homes were shipped, a decrease of 709 homes or 8.2 percent compared to August 2023, and a decrease of 1,411 homes or 15.1 percent compared to September 2022. Compared with the same month last year, shipments of both single-section and multi-section homes were down by 15.5 percent and 14.7 percent, respectively. Total floors shipped in September 2023 were 12,177, a decrease of 2,164 floors or 15.1 percent compared with the same month last year.

In September 2023, 7,952 new manufactured homes were shipped, a decrease of 709 homes or 8.2 percent compared to August 2023, and a decrease of 1,411 homes or 15.1 percent compared to September 2022. Compared with the same month last year, shipments of both single-section and multi-section homes were down by 15.5 percent and 14.7 percent, respectively. Total floors shipped in September 2023 were 12,177, a decrease of 2,164 floors or 15.1 percent compared with the same month last year.


The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of shipments was 97,919 in September 2023, up 8.2 percent compared to the adjusted rate of 92,105 in August 2023. The SAAR corrects for normal seasonal variations and projects annual shipments based on the current monthly total.
Cumulative shipments through September this year totaled 66,650 homes compared with 89,771 homes for the same three quarters of 2022, a net decrease of 25.8 percent.


In September 2023, 7,955 new manufactured homes were produced, a decrease of 715 homes or 8.2 percent compared to August 2023, and a decrease of 1,426 homes or 15.2 percent compared to September 2022. MHI's Monthly Economic Report includes numbers for both manufactured home production and shipments. The difference between the two is attributed to the number of homes that have been produced, but their destinations are pending. Of the homes produced, 243 were FEMA designated units; 242 units were shipped to Alabama and one unit was shipped to Florida.
The number of plants reporting production in September 2023 was 147 and the number of active corporations was 36, one additional plant and corporation compared to the prior month.

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7/13/23

News from Washington
MHI Vice Chairman to Testify in Congressional Hearing Friday

Bill Boor, MHI Vice Chairman and President and Chief Executive Officer, Cavco Industries, Inc. will testify in a Housing and Insurance Subcommittee Hearing entitled, “How Mandates Like ESG Distort Markets and Drive Up Costs for Insurance and Housing” on Friday, July 14 at 9 AM ET. 

Boor will discuss the manufactured housing industry's history of significant and meaningful improvement in safety and quality and how manufactured homes compare favorably to site-built construction in durability and energy efficiency, so much so that many manufactured homes qualify for EnergyStar certification and other government programs for energy efficiency. He will emphasize that the longstanding historical role of manufactured housing as the most affordable homeownership option could be severely undermined depending on how certain federal policies are handled. Specifically, the primacy of HUD as the exclusive arbiter of HUD Code manufactured housing construction and safety standards must be upheld. This will ensure that the proposed DOE energy standards for manufactured homes can successfully balance affordability, along with energy efficiency – and accurately reflect the distinct characteristics of manufactured homes. 

Boor will emphasize that the unintended consequence of a second industry regulator implementing misguided standards that significantly damage affordability for the most vulnerable low-income households can be readily corrected with the passage of H.R. 3327.

View the livestream on Friday here. 

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6/28/23

News from Washington
Building on MHI on the Hill's Success

MHI on the Hill brought MHI members together with policymakers to advocate for the manufactured housing industry in Washington, DC, and helped to build strong support for H.R. 3327, the Manufactured Housing Affordability and Energy Efficiency Act. Currently, there are seven co-sponsors of the bill. 

Housing Supply Solutions Summit Spotlights Manufactured Housing
 
Last week, the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Terwilliger Center for Housing Policy held its Summit on Housing Supply Solutions in Washington, DC. While the programming spanned a range of topics relating to the supply of affordable housing across the US, manufactured housing was highlighted throughout the summit as a key part of the housing supply solution.

HUD To Delay Planned Release of HUD Code Changes
 
This month the Biden administration released its Spring 2023 Regulatory Agenda. The agenda included a range of issues applicable to the manufactured housing industry across a variety of regulatory agencies. Of particular note are the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) update to the Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Regulations final rule, scheduled for November 2023 and the Department’s update to the Energy Standards of the Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Regulations Notice of Proposed Rulemaking slated for December 2023. Additionally, the Department of Energy (DOE) is set to release enforcement procedures for its energy conservation standards for manufactured housing, scheduled for February 2024. MHI will be closely tracking these issues as well as other pertinent regulatory developments. 

New Research from Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies Examines the State of Housing in the US

Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies recently released a report titled The State of The Nation’s Housing 2023 that examined the housing market landscape across the US during the past year. The report noted a continued slowdown in single-family construction while multi-family construction saw growth throughout the year.

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5/26/23

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5/24/23

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5/4/23

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"We are so excited to share that Blevins has been honored for the 2nd year in a row with MHI's Excellence in Manufactured Housing Award as 2022 Supplier of the Year! The award is a testament to all the hard work and dedicated customer service by our teams across the country. We are so thankful that the Blevins's teams are recognized by MHI members with this annual award. Thank you MHI and all our partners, suppliers and customers."
Click here to see the video