Lakeland, Florida - Modern manufactured homes are widely thought to be a significant factor in solving the affordable housing crisis, yet developers who seek approval for new communities are facing growing opposition from local governments and community activists who say they don't want "those homes" and "those people" in their neighborhoods.

"I found no evidence that these communities are bastions of crime and disorder." -- William P. McCarty, University of Illinois at Chicago

For some 23 million Americans who live in manufactured homes -- from low- and middle-income families, to frugal millionaires -- the stigma is as baffling as it is enduring.

"Despite evidence that disproved misconceptions … negative stereotypes continued to influence local governments to impose regulatory restrictions on this type of housing." -- Lisa Tyler, Bethel University

In many instances, it is a case of mistaken identity and an artifact of the past.

"It's the places that have been around for 50 or 60 years -- those are the kind of places that reinforce the stigma," says William McCarty, an assistant professor of criminology at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

But mostly, according to one 2009 study, it comes down to bad press.

"The inaccurate and negative media messages have represented manufactured homes as objectionable places and environments occupied by people with personal and cultural deficiencies."

There has been little in the way of objective research to challenge these stereotypes, but the few studies that have tackled the basis for these perceptions have found the stigma does not match the reality.

McCarty is one of the few academics who has focused on one widely espoused objection to so-called "trailer parks" -- the incidence of crime in proximity to manufactured home communities.

What he found: Crime rates were not significantly different from comparable neighborhoods, and any problems were confined to the parks, themselves.

"Those folks who argue those issues are going to spill over into surrounding neighborhoods -- we didn't find any evidence of that."

What he did discover was that good, onsite management, where rules were enforced and residents were properly screened had fewer problems than communities with lax management -- similar to apartment complexes.

But unlike in apartment complexes, many residents of manufactured home communities own their homes -- even if they lease the lot on which they are located.

"Some had lower rates of crime than you would expect, because they had pride of ownership and the shared backgrounds of residents," McCarty says.

With 3 percent of the population living in the nation's more than 40,000 manufactured home communities, "Clearly this isn't something that should have a stigma," says McCarty.

And yet it does.

Lisa Tyler, an associate academic dean at Bethel University, completed a doctoral study last year on "Examining Community Attitudes Toward Manufactured Housing."

She cites one 2010 study that notes laws restricting placement of manufactured homes have presented obstacles unique to the product, which date back to the travel trailer days.

"NIMBY attitudes and consumer misconceptions influenced lawmakers that determined zoning regulations," writes Tyler. They still do.

That research and more are part of the newest article on MHLivingNews.com - Pride and Prejudice: The Truth About Manufactured Home Communities and Crime, with links to the full studies here

(Photo caption — still from an MH Road Show video at New Durham Estates, Westville, IN.)

MHLivingNews.com and MHProNews.com are the leading trade publications for consumers, manufactured homeowners, MH industry leaders, investors and public policy professionals who want up-to-date lifestyle and business news.

Media Contact
L.A. "Tony" Kovach, Publisher
Company Name: MHLivingNews.com
Phone: 8632134090
Email Address: latonyk@gmail.com
Website: http://MHProNews.com

The post ‘Crime, Trouble and Trailer Parks?’ Studies Suggest Perceptions Drive Public Policy for Manufactured Home Communities appeared first on 12 Press Release.

Lakeland, FL - The average price of a single family home in Washington State's Semiahmoo Peninsula is $1.6 million.

The cheapest option for a 1300-square-foot townhouse there is $399,000; and a condo will set you back more than $350,000.

What's a prospective home owner looking for a more frugal but still appealing option to do if they want to live in one of the hottest real estate markets in the nation?

For one lucky homeowner, the answer was a cozy manufactured home with all the comforts: stainless steel appliances, open floor plan, and pool access -- all within a few minutes of the beach.

The price tag: $59,000.

Needless to say, it didn't last long in this super-heated market, where high prices, low inventories and bidding wars are the new normal.

Local real estate agent Bianca Myddleton lends some perspective: "If you were to rent a condo at this size, you’d probably be looking at $1,400 a month."

All around the nation, new hot markets are springing up in urban and rural pockets, where savvy home shoppers are learning to navigate the pricey landscape by considering an alternative that many people have overlooked: manufactured homes.

Many people are not familiar with the new breed of manufactured homes on the market today. But those who have discovered what they have to offer -- extremely well built, high-value-per-dollar homes priced at a fraction of their site-built counterparts -- are snapping them up.

Learn more about The Key to Finding Great Value in Hot Real Estate Markets in MHLivingNews.com's latest report on the evolution of the industry and take a video tour inside modern manufactured homes and the factories where they are built.

If you haven't seen a manufactured home lately, you haven't seen a manufactured home.

They're sleek, spacious, energy efficient and built to last a lifetime. Best of all, they can be yours in even the hottest markets in the nation.

The savvy house hunter in Washington State offers a strategic lesson for everyone seeking homeownership, whether their real estate market is hot or not: Manufactured homes are a wise alternative. For the details on the Key to Finding Great Values in Hot Real Estate Markets , please click here.

(Photo shown is a still from the video on the page linked above, credit, Northwest Pride.)

MHLivingNews.com and MHProNews.com are the leading trade publications for manufactured home consumers and MH industry leaders, investors and public policy professionals who want up-to-date lifestyle and business news.

Media Contact:
L. A. "Tony" Kovach, Publisher
MHLivingNews.com
Phone: 863-213-4090
Email: latonyk@manufacturedhomelivingnews.com
Website: http://manufacturedhomelivingnews.com/

The post House Hunters Find Cool Deals in Hot Markets appeared first on 12 Press Release.

St. Petersburg, FL - The affordable housing shortage of the mid-20th century led millions of post-war singles, couples and families to embrace the 1950s- and 60s-era mobile homes that had evolved from the trailer houses of the 1930s and 40s.

Low cost and mobility was the attraction of those mobile homes of yesteryear.

Low cost and quality craftsmanship are the big draw today, thanks to the passage in 1974 of the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

This week marks the 40th anniversary of the first HUD Code manufactured homes, which commenced production from coast to coast, bringing an end to the mobile home era.

Young first-time homeowners and retirees, two major demographics that often turned to mobile home living, were joined by upscale professionals and frugal millionaires who discovered the luxury of a custom-built HUD Code home could be had for half the price, in half the time of a site-built home.

Yet many people who could afford most any kind of home have found reason to celebrate and restore the older mobile homes, much like aficionados of classic cars -- people like E. Jon and Pat Chione, a couple of retired snowbirds who traded in their fine townhome in Montgomery, Illinois for an updated mobile home in St. Petersburg, Florida.

"I didn't want to spend my life keeping up with and paying for upkeep on that big place." Pat Chione said. "I wanted to enjoy life."

The Chiones, who owned a classic car and a classic boat, never dreamed they would one day live in a "classic" mobile home -- until they spent a few days in the “park” living in one that belonged to a relative. They quickly discovered that the refurbished home and the Highland 55+ community it was in did not square with their preconceived notions about the MH lifestyle.

When some 22 million Americans live in pre-HUD Code mobile homes, or their post-1976 manufactured homes priced at a fraction of conventional housing, one wonders why the myths and misunderstanding about factory-built homes persist.

Discover the truth about America's truly most affordable housing and its storied history with the fast-paced video of the evolution from trailers, to mobile homes to modern manufactured homes in the 40th Anniversary Celebration of Manufactured Housing on MHLivingNews here

Photo Caption: Top right, 1939 Schult trailer house, 1954 Spartan Mobile Home, on display at RV MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart, IN. Bottom left and right, interior pictures of a residential style manufactured home by Sunshine Homes of Red Bay, AL. 40th Anniversary seal credit - McAllan South Rotary, collage credit, MHLivingNews.com

MHLivingNews.com and MHProNews.com are the leading trade publications for consumers, public officials and MH industry leaders who want up-to-date lifestyle and business news.

Media Contact:
L. A. "Tony" Kovach, Publisher
MHLivingNews.com
Phone: 863-213-4090
Email: latonyk@manufacturedhomelivingnews.com
Website: http://manufacturedhomelivingnews.com/

The post Manufactured Housing Industry Celebrates 40th Anniversary of HUD Code Home and End of Mobile Home Era appeared first on 12 Press Release.