Deep Manufactured Home Production Slide Hits 13 Months per MHAssociation During Affordable Housing Crisis–News Analysis

Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) Releases Latest New Home Production-Shipment Data as Reported Concerns by Trade Media Mount

WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES, January 9, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Washington, D.C. based Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) announced the latest data on HUD Code manufactured home production.

Per MHARR's media release: "The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) reports that according to official statistics compiled on behalf of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), HUD Code manufactured housing industry year-over-year production declined again in November 2023. Just-released statistics indicate that HUD Code manufacturers produced 7,769 new homes in November 2023, a 2.5% decrease from the 7,970 new HUD Code homes produced in November 2022. Cumulative production for 2023 is now 82,809 homes, a 22.2% decrease from the 106,476 homes produced over the same period during 2022." See their graphic for MHARR's top ten states by shipment and comparisons of 2023 to 2022 data.

The balance of the MHARR news release is linked here.

In a report on Manufactured Home Living News (MHLivingNews.com) is a snapshot of the “True State of U.S. Housing Market, per Markets Insider, on Jan 5.2024 What Data Tells Affordable Housing Seekers-Manufactured Home Shoppers and Advocates.” That report cites National Association of Realtors (NAR), Redfin, Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI), Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR), federal, mortgage and other sources in its news with affordable manufactured home industry expert analysis. That report is linked here.

The latest word from and about the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) emailed news and updates are unpacked by the top-ranked source by engagement and expertise, per Bing AI, in manufactured housing trade media in the reports linked below.

https://www.manufacturedhomepronews.com/manufactured-housing-institute-mhi-1-3-2024-emailed-news-updates-fails-mention-of-manufactured-home-production-drop-focus-on-ncc-more-analysis-plus-sunday-weekly/

https://www.manufacturedhomepronews.com/manufactured-home-production-decline-continued-in-november-2023-per-manufactured-housing-association-for-regulatory-reform-mharr-january-2024-report-facts-plus-mhville-markets/

https://www.manufacturedhomepronews.com/manufactured-housing-institute-supposedly-nonpartisan-contracted-leftist-web-consulting-chris-yoko-yokoco-per-vision33-bing-ai-and-own-leaders-words-facts-analysis-plus/

Fast Company and Pew research are cited in recent reports cited by manufactured home trade media because they have pointed to modern HUD Code manufactured housing as a solution for the affordable housing crisis that is hiding in plain sight.

The self-described "New Dems" (i.e.: New Democrat Coalition or NDC) in a research report previously probed nagging questions about the affordable housing crisis. The New Dems, self-described moderates that have roughly half of the U.S. House Democrats as members, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and more conservative or Republican-leaning sources have stated that rising homelessness is routinely caused by a lack of affordable housing. The New Dems specifically cited manufactured homes and manufactured housing in their report. Those insights and analysis are linked in the report linked below.

https://www.manufacturedhomepronews.com/categories-blue-states-and-d-c-dominate-in-lessons-learned-from-can-do-pragmatic-new-dems-matter-to-visionary-manufactured-housing-pros-and-affordable-housing-advocates-w-facts-analys/

Some of those reports linked above point out the there is an increase in YIMBYism, with roughly 70 percent of the country, per a recent per survey, supporting "Yes In My Back Yard" (YIMBY) housing policies vs. NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard) stances that want to limit new construction. The lack of affordable housing is supposedly among the top concerns. As the New Dems said, the lack of affordable housing is the single most impactful item in terms of household cost for most Americans. Per the New Dems, that is more important than healthcare or other issues. See that data and more in linked reports.

What is missing in several mainstream studies by non-manufactured housing experts are how the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act (MHIA), its various consumer protections, and its "enhanced preemption" provision for overcoming zoning barriers factor into these issues. An array of sources have made clear that local zoning barriers are a key part of the problem. HUD Policy and Development Research (HUD PD&R) team members like HUD's Regina Gray and Pamela Blumenthal in 2023 and 2021 have spotlighted both the problems and the opportunities connected with affordable manufactured homes.

Said Gray: "We (HUD PD&R) believe that manufactured housing, once used interchangeably with the term "mobile homes," is an important segment of the housing stock with the potential to increase the supply of affordable housing for low-income Americans. Since the establishment of the HUD Code, manufactured housing (and offsite construction in general) has undergone many technological, design, and financing changes that have made it indistinguishable in many respects from conventional site-built housing. In fact, in our recent engagements with international delegations, officials have characterized the HUD Code as a precursor to innovation in industrialized construction...nations such as Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Japan look to the [HUD] code [for manufactured housing] to demonstrate the benefits of industrialized housing construction."

In "Opportunities to Increase Housing Production and Preservation" Gray and Blumenthal said: "The consequences of inadequate supply are higher housing costs for both renting and buying a home." The New Dems and others said similarly (see the report linked above). "Without significant new supply, cost burdens are likely to increase." new home construction. The "data emphasize the urgency of employing opportunities for increasing the supply of housing..."

“The regulatory environment — federal, state, and local...contributes to the extensive mismatch between supply and need has worsened...Federally sponsored commissions, task forces, and councils under both Democratic and Republican administrations...examined...land use regulations on affordable housing for more than 50 years. Numerous studies find land use regulations...limit the number of new units...or impose significant costs on development through fees and long approval processes drive up housing costs,” said Blumenthal and Gray.

MHARR CEO Mark Weiss, J.D., explained how the enhanced preemption provision of the MHIA could resolve placement barriers. "With this statutory amendment, Congress made two key changes to federal preemption," wrote Weiss. "First, it legislatively overruled – with express, unequivocal and unmistakable language – HUD OGC’s determination that the scope of federal preemption should be construed narrowly. Second – and…directly contrary to HUD’s narrow approach to preemption — it explicitly expanded the scope of [federal enhanced] preemption."

Then Representative Barney Frank (MA-D) and Representative Maxine Waters (CA-D) were among those (see the enhanced preemption quote graphic provided) who signed a letter to then HUD Secretary Mel Martinez. They said “these combined changes” from the MHIA “have given HUD…legal authority to preempt local zoning requirements…simply because they are HUD Code [manufactured] homes. We ask that HUD use this authority…that…comports with Congressional intent.”

Linked reports shed more light.

https://www.manufacturedhomepronews.com/two-more-class-action-antitrust-suits-hit-high-profile-manufactured-housing-institute-members-and-mhi-state-affiliate-members-towsend-in-case-no-123-cv-16462-and-muns-pleadings-and-analysis/

https://www.manufacturedhomepronews.com/black-holes-in-journalism-kristina-borjesson-only-released-half-information-govt-agencies-big-media-woes-shadows-of-liberty-acclaimed-full-documentary-with-exclusive-annotate/

https://www.manufacturedhomepronews.com/how-billionaires-traded-separation-of-powers-for-feudalism-hanne-nabintu-herland-named-buffett-ally-feudal-overlords-population-become-dependent-on-put-in-fearful-subordination-brk-plus-mhmarkets/

Enforcing existing laws is essential, per-MHARR's Weiss and Danny Ghorbani.##

L. A. "Tony" Kovach
MHProNews.com/MHLivingNews.com
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Video interview with Bill Matchneer, JD, Prior Office of Manufactured Housing Programs director, HUD Code Manufactured Housing, also previously with CFPB.