As 2021 draws to a close and we look to 2022, the manufactured housing industry is sitting in a good position as support for manufactured homes continues to grow. The myths that have plagued manufactured housing continue to fade as more consumers realize the value, efficiency, and presentation of today’s homes. We are seeing more new manufactured housing communities, and have started seeing subdivisions of real property titled manufactured homes being created. According to our December LearnMH webinar guest, Dr.Elliot Eisenberg, Ph.D. also known as The Bowtie Economist, we need the manufactured housing industry to produce more homes because it is the best solution to solve the growing housing gap, and traditional site-built construction can no longer create affordable housing. In The Urban Institute’s December publication, The Role of Single-Family Housing Production and Preservation in Addressing the Affordable Housing Supply Shortage, they highlight the need for manufacturers to produce 170,000 manufactured homes to make a difference in the affordable housing gap facing our nation.
Despite the growing demand for manufactured housing, we expect to see challenges that the industry will have to overcome to be successful. For example, restrictive zoning regulations continue to exclude the placement of manufactured homes, supply chain issues causing the high cost of materials, as well as labor shortages, and the need for more plants and factories limiting the production of homes. While these issues have historically been the same, they play a more significant role in the success of our industry. As traditional site-built construction prices grow, more pressure and attention will be placed on manufactured housing.
LearnMH Education Station at the 2022 Biloxi Manufactured Home Show
To help be a part of the solution, LearnMH has launched the LearnMH Education Station. The goal of the Education Station is to attract other industries outside of the manufactured and modular housing communities to collaborate on how to go about tackling the challenges in 2022 and beyond. We are launching this effort at the 2022 Biloxi Manufactured Home Show in March, where we will host government and zoning officials to help address the zoning challenges, representatives from the trade schools to attract new talent and address the labor challenges, conventional lenders, and appraisers to provide more financing opportunities, and many more. By connecting them with the MH industry and sharing with them the opportunity to see today’s manufactured homes, we are building relationships to collaboratively address the issues. LearnMH is looking forward to expanding offerings and building relationships throughout the country to create the stories needed for our industry to be successful.
For more information about the LearnMH Education Station or how to get involved, click here.
For more information and to see Dr. Elliot Eisenberg’s LearnMH webinar click here.
