Manufactured Housing Life

There's nothing we love more than a positive story about factory built housing, and BobVila.com has a wonderful article about the history of factory built housing.  Lifestylist® Suzanne Felber was honored to be interviewed and quoted in the story, and what is really exciting is that the author of the story - Jane Dagmi - was so intrigued about what this form of housing offers she's continuing to learn more and visit communities on her own. I'm looking forward to more of her stories in the future.
One of the things that has always been a detriment to our industry was the perception the press has, so having writers not only like our homes but also want to know more is a step in the right direction.
Be sure to also take a look at the timeline that Jane did -it's one of the best I've seen.

 

There's nothing we love more than a positive story about factory built housing, and BobVila.com has a wonderful article about the history of factory built housing.  Lifestylist® Suzanne Felber was honored to be interviewed and quoted in the story, and what is really exciting is that the author of the story - Jane Dagmi - was so intrigued about what this form of housing offers she's continuing to learn more and visit communities on her own. I'm looking forward to more of her stories in the future.

One of the things that has always been a detriment to our industry was the perception the press has, so having writers not only like our homes but also want to know more is a step in the right direction.

Be sure to also take a look at the timeline that Jane did -it's one of the best I've seen.

I just got back from working on a great new Lifestylist® Designed model home for SE Homes of Texas. It is at The Oakwood Homes of Channelview store, and I still can't believe all of the features and details this home offers. I really enjoyed going down to Houston to merchandise the home, and one of the biggest things I immediately noticed was how well done the home center was, and how nice the home team was. They went out of their way to help me, and I noticed when they were walking prospective home buyers through the new model the team was very knowledgeable about the building process and really helped the buyers learn about the homes without pressuring them.

When you drove into the center, there was a huge banner that stated "We Appreciate Your Business" and I definitely got the impression that they did. The most valuable thing that all of have right now is our time, and it was great to know that this team wouldn't be wasting mine. The center was beautifully landscaped, the homes were well merchandised and clean, and the minute you walked into their offices you were greeting by a professional that made you immediately feel at home.

Sadly, not everyone seems to appreciate our business, which makes how these Clayton owned sales centers treat their customers even more special. Coming home to missed appointments and being on hold for hours with the cable and internet companies made me appreciate even more the Oakwood Channelview experience.

This has been such a great Summer! SE Homes of Texas has given me the opportunity to hit the road and visit with some of their top retailers.  Getting to meet these amazing teams and experience first-hand what their retail centers look like and how they work with potential home buyers has been invaluable.

We have provided them with Lifestylist® Designed model home that targets the lifestyle of their buyers, then help with photography, a YouTube video and social media to help promote their businesses.

We just got back from Clayton Homes of Bossier City, LA and there is a reason this retailer has won so many awards and sold so many homes - leadership. General Manager Van Ferguson is a strong team player, and the professionalism and how they present their homes is some of the best I've seen. Take a look for yourself on their video.

We have now worked a few times with Manufactured Housing Consultants in New Braunfels, TX and I can't wait to be invited back again! They do a great job with their retail center, website and social media - they featured the video we did for them on their Facebook page and  introduced a new group of people to their homes.

If you want to experience the SE Homes of Texas difference, contact Ryan Blackburn at: ryan.blackburn@sehomes.com

Modern Homes was such a great publication, and in many ways it was way ahead of it's time. I've always loved this cover that Lisa Stewart Photography shot - it's hard to believe that this home was sitting in a parking lot in Tunica Mississippi!

I just happened to share this photo on my Facebook page and got lots of positive comments as to what a beautiful home this is, and people had no idea that this was a modular home.

As an industry we build a beautiful, well designed home - we just need to get better about letting consumers know about what a great product we have. If you haven't tested the social media waters, now is the time. You'll be amazed at how many potential buyers are starting their home buying searches there.

This Lifestylist® spends a lot of time trend tracking so I can help my clients decipher what current fads and forecasting really applies to what they do and their customers. Something that seems to be getting a lot of "Buzz" recently is that people are no longer interested in the smaller sized homes that have been so popular in the last couple of years, but they are back to wanting more square footage.

This may sound good in a news article, but in fact what we are seeing is people want more liveable space - in other words, what they want is every square foot of their new home having a function and no wasted space that they have to heat, cool and clean. Living in a Home Idea Factory like I do may sound glamorous, but with all of this square footage comes a mountain of cleaning that needs to be done every day and maintenance that never ends.

Factory built housing has always been a great example of great use of space. Since every home is engineered, I'm always amazed with how large and functional the kitchens are in a small amount of space. Using as little space as possible for hallways can make a huge difference in the footprint of the home, and taking the time to "space plan" - seeing what furniture will work where and the traffic flow that will happen because of that furniture placement - can alleviate a lot of problems after the home is built.

This Champion Home is a great example. It is a model home in Hobbs, NM and I was asked to re-merchandise it so potential customers would get a better feel for the lifestyle that was possible with this home and how they could live and entertain in it.

What we changed was so successful they sold this home the first day! A rancher bought it and loved the mud room, large flowing entertainment areas, and the ranching lifestyle featured in the model.

When you are looking for your next home, have a seat in the model home and really think about the flow of the home and how your family will utilize every square foot of the home. You might be surprised at what you really do and do not need.

As a Lifestylist® I spend a lot of time tracking trends and listening to people's dreams and realities. One of the biggest dreams a person often has is a home of their own, and that dream comes in all shapes and sizes.
Land lease communities are a great way to own a home of your own on a budget, but a lot of potential homeowners are afraid of the fact that they don't own the land that their new home is sited on.
When I attended the recent MHI Congress and Expo I was introduced to Paul Bradley and the ROC USA team, and loved having the chance to speak with them and to learn more. ROC stands for Resident Owned Communities, and they help residents of land lease communities buy their communities and own a part of it. I was fascinated to learn that they are a non profit, and loved that the first thing that they do with their homeowners is to choose a new name for their community and start the re-branding process.
NPR and "All Things Considered" recently featured ROC USA on their broadcast, and you can see our interview with the ROC USA team on Lifestylist.com.