Manufactured Housing Life

I heard some disappointing news today - Michelle Kaufman Designs, one of the best green designers has closed their doors. If you have ever seen one of Michelle's designs you wouldn't forget it - they combine beauty, simplicity, form and function into a beautiful green package. This is a woman who saw the future and tried to draw the rest of us to it.

Doing the right thing isn't always the least expensive way to go, but it's still the right thing to do. If we don't support the people and companies that think outside of the box and are willing to give their all to what they believe in we will lose that talent and energy.

Building Green typically has more upfront costs but the savings realized long term can be incredible. Plus the difference we can make in the environment can't be measured in dollars and cents but how do you put a price on the quality of life for your children and grandchildren?

I am bound and determined to make a difference. I've got Michelle's website up on my other computer and just watching the slideshow is motivating me to think about ways that I can make the Home Idea Factory more green and I'm excited! A Whirlpool Sustainable kitchen  definitely in my future and my goal is to use as many local, green-friendly sources as possible.

The thing about Patriot Homes is that they were never afraid to push the envelope and the Weidners always supported what they believed was the right thing to do.

I was in Seguin, Texas recently and was introduced to the team at the Clayton retail center. This beautiful model home was in the front of their location, and what a beauty! Talk about understanding how to do things right - they are doing the details to show this truly is a home, and one that anyone would be proud to own.

What really caught my attention was that this home with high ceilings, indoor and outdoor fireplaces and a dream kitchen was built to HUD specifications, not modular! I was intrigued to see what I have thought all along is true - a great home is a great home no matter how it is constructed. I hope that this home is shared with some of the financial entities and government people who don’t understand how superior factory built housing can be.

If you get a chance you should stop by and take a tour of this home - I promise it will change the way you perceive factory built housing.

So you say you want an evolution... well it looks like the Green Evolution is here, and here to stay. No matter what industry you are in, everyone seems to be getting on “The Green Train”. But what does this really mean to you, and the world you live in?

Defining Green is not an easy task, and the definition seems to be changing every day and mean different things to different people. It can be as simple as putting your trash in the appropriate container or as complex as an off-grid solar home. The important thing is that you do something and incorporate a green lifestyle into the way you live today and in the future.

I heard an excellent example this week at the Manufactured Housing Conference where we were blessed to have Mark LaLiberte as a speaker. He used the example of a green builder in Connecticut who was bragging about the great granite he was able to get inexpensively in China. Being that New Hampshire - the granite state - borders Connecticut Mark asked why he didn’t source the product there. Sometimes we have to look at issues besides price - think about all of the energy that was wasted getting the product from China as well as the jobs locally he might have saved - and those employees that might have become customers - and to me it puts a different spin on how we forgo value for price many times.

I see the greening of America as being an evolution instead of a revolution because it’s not going to happen overnight, but if everyone starts asking the question about what their choices are going to mean for ours and our families quality of life in the future hopefully we can start turning things around.

Great things are starting to happen in the housing industry, and buyers are realizing that now may be the time to buy.The Dallas Morning News had a great article this morning about a survey that was conducted by Century 21, and results show that first time buyers are now out actively looking fortheir first home. Be sure to do your spring cleaning at your models and make sure they are ready, and your sales team is ready for these buyers!

I have a favor to ask of all of you that really doesn't have anything to do with this blog but it does - my 10 year old nephew is learning an important lesson about marketing and the power of the internet.

Sam lives in Oklahoma City and is the ultimate sports fan - he is crazy about the OKC Thunders and goes dressed to show his support to almost every game. His parents have always been wise enough to let Sam find his own calling, so his enthusiasm (and his outfits) are all his idea. Because of this, Sam was nominated to be part of the Ultimate Fan Finale.

He is also a great well rounded child (and I am a proud aunt!),does very well in school and loves to cook with me - we entered the State Fair of Texas Cooking contests this year and Sam won two 2nd place ribbons!

If Sam wins this contest he gets to go to Boston and see his team play there as well as learn some valuable history lessons when he gets to tour the city.

Please help me encourage Sam to follow his dreams. The link for where to vote on the NBA site is here, and you can vote was many times as you would like. Most of the others that are up for this honor are adults so I'm even more proud of what he's accomplished. Please vote for Sam Davis and vote often!

I just got back from installing a new model home, model apartment and clubhouse in Upstate NY and thought I'd share how it turned out. This client is a wonderful innovative, market-driven builder and developer and is always looking for something in his communities to create a memory point and set his homes apart. These homes were a great example of how we work together.

Riedman Development is very involved in the community - especially the Seneca Park Zoo which is one of the best run small zoos in the country. To play up the zoo we created a child's room that focused on the zoo and animal conservation complete with graphics that played up the zoo's animals and logo. The kids bath was a "penguin palace" which featured one of the favorite exhibits at the zoo. We also geared the buyer profile so that the wife was a volunteer at  the zoo and we have marketing materials from the zoo in her home office. The builder plans on having some fundraisers for the zoo at the home. As is the case with most of us these days, budgets were a huge concern so this model was done "recycling" furniture and accessories from the builders previous models to keep costs down.

Timber Banks which was the community with the clubhouse and apartment model was designed to introduce visitors to the builder who was new to this market and let them know about the amazing features this community and location have to offer. The community sits on the Banks of the Seneca River and has it's own enclosed harbor. Within a 1 to 3 hour drive, you can experience the Adirondack Mountains, the Thousand Islands, and Finger Lakes wine country. Lakes Ontario, Onondaga and Oneida as well as the Erie Canal provide true sailing and boating opportunities on a grand scale. To play this up we focused in on the antique boats that you can see cruising down the river, and the Antique Boat Museum which is nearby. Furnishings and decor were geared to show the lifestyle and quality that people coming to the community would experience.

Making a project memorable and helping to stimulate sales is what we do best. Incorporating the lifestyle of the buyers is what being a Lifestylist is all about, and the Lifestylist Design difference.

Weathering the Storm

Needless to say, being x thousands of miles away from my home on the Texas coast while stationed here in Baghdad, I spent a sleepless night a couple of Fridays ago when Hurricane Ike was about to roll thru the Houston-Galveston area. My brother was able to make it out to my place on Saturday evening after the storm had rolled thru. Amazingly, not a SINGLE scratch on my 2006 Patriot home...not even a missing shingle! On top of that, all my animals/livestock were well & accounted for. I just wanted to thank you & Patriot Homes for building a good, solid product. After seeing all the photos depicting damage from the storm, it was almost unbelievable that my place survived unscathed. I guess "God takes care of Soldiers & fools." Thanks again...

Best Regards,
Lt. Col. Bill Gazis, USA