JennLake Meadows, Starkville MS (2024)

Mississippi Manufactured Housing Association (MMHA)
1001 Airport Road
Flowood, MS 39232
P/ 601.939.8820 - F/ 601.939.7988

Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI)
2101 Wilson Blvd., Suite 610
Arlington, VA 22201-3062
P/ 703.558.0400 - F/ 703.558.0401

Starkville Area Chamber of Commerce

• On May 16 and 17, 2001 the Texas Tech University (TTU) and the United States Department of Energy (DOE) tested a 1998 Wind Zone I manufactured home by Patriot Homes by creating winds between 80-105 mph with a C130 aircraft. "The Patriot home and Vector dynamics performed flawlessly with no movement to the foundation, and no failure of the home." They plan to perform similar tests on a site-built home and on a modular home at a later date. "You can Huff and Puff But You Can't Blow This House Down….Even With a C130!!" The Journal/July 2001, page 6.
• As a follow-up, in July 2001 the above C-130 tested manufactured home also experienced a tornado as it swept across the Reese Technology Center. In early 2004, TTU once again subjected an "off-the-shelf" HUD-Code manufactured home and a specifically built for the test modular home to high winds generated by the prop-wash wind load from an Air National Guard C-130. "The wind was aimed perpendicular to the home in order to expose the longest side of the home to the wind loads. The home was subjected to three successive wind cycles, each of a 20-minute duration, with sustained winds of approximately 108 miles-per-hour. The total wind load duration of the three successive test cycles was slightly over one hour." ..."Even though the sheathing panel failed, the home performed satisfactorily to the HUD Code. It was estimated that the home, which was designed for Wind Zone I, was overstressed by as much as 30 percent, or more, over the lateral load required. Homes built to any code are usually not exposed to three concurrent, 20-minute duration, 108 mile-per-hour wind loads during natural events, such as tornados or hurricanes. Additionally, it appeared that the foundation system supporting the home was not displaced during the three test cycles." Mark Nunn. "Wind Tests in Texas on Modular and Manufactured Homes." Modern Homes, May-June 2004, p. 34.
• Does your lender have the LBP designation? LBP identifies the lender within the manufactured housing community that practices integrity and ethics in its day-to-day operations. The Lender Best Practices (LBP) program was initiated in June 2001 on a voluntary basis; participation requires membership in MHI, agreement to comply with and practice the LBP program's Standards of Performance and, beginning in fall of 2003, required participation in MARI (Mortgage Asset Research Institute). Ann Parmon, "Stamping Out Lending Fraud." Modern Homes, Mar-Apr 2004, pp. 16-23.
• Since June, 1976, HUD code homes must be built to a minimum standard set by the government in five basic elements of the house - electrical, plumbing, structural, heating/cooling and insulation. In 1994 additional minimal standards were added for insulation (R-factor) and wind zone design and set-up requirements.
• There are three wind zones in the U.S. Most of the US is located in wind zone one; the Gulf Coast is located in wind zone two, and the very southern portion of Florida has wind zone three requirements.
• Typical price of a single-section manufactured home - Approximately $30,800.00
  Typical price of a multi-section manufactured home - Approximately $56,200.00
  "The Manufactured Housing Industry in the State of Mississippi Fact Sheet - 2004"
  

• What are the advantages of living in a land lease community as compared to a subdivision or individual parcel of land? There are many reasons why a new modern land lease community offers residents advantages over home ownership in a subdivision or on individual land parcels. The most important, may be resident and management cooperation in maintaining a higher quality of living. If you doubt me, compare a new modern land lease community with a subdivision, five or ten years after construction. In almost all cases, the land lease community is better maintained, safer, and home values have increased, when compared to local subdivisions.

  In addition to the overall community condition, here is a list of twelve other factors to consider:

  1. Community management acts as another level of enforcement of community guidelines, providing for a neat, quieter, more civil environment. In a subdivision you have to rely on the police or sheriff's department.
  2. Management screens prospective residents, assuring other community residents of minimal exposure to undesirables, something which isn't done in subdivisions.
  3. Large communities with full time, more professional management strictly enforce community guidelines, parking rules, resident home conditions, and overall community cleanliness and beauty. In a subdivision, if your neighbor doesn't take care of their home, it can bring down your property value. Remember, operating a land lease community is a business venture for an owner or investor, who sees the value of their investment go up, as the community quality and condition increases. It's a win-win situation: your home value goes up as the quality and condition of the community goes up, and the overall value of the community to the owner or investor goes up at the same time.
  4. Guideline enforcement is relatively easy in the land lease community, since management has a nonjudicial, easy to obtain, threat of eviction. Controls in subdivisions have to come through a judicial action through a homeowners association, which may or may not have adequate funding for expensive attorney and court costs.
  5. As the community fills up and matures, the landscaping "greens" up, and home values increase, often at rates faster than nearby site built housing. Most subdivisions look worse than they did when new, often in only a few years.
  6. New low interest financing, provides virtually the same interest rates and terms as site built housing, making higher quality and more expensive homes affordable.
  7. In larger communities, amenities are often provided which are not usually available in subdivisions or on individual homesites.
  8. Many of today's communities are offering leases, which provide for controls on increases in monthly lease fees, giving residents a comfortable, predictable, way to manage their monthly expenses.
  9. Most land lease communities are placed in locations that are closer to schools, shopping, and employment centers than subdivisions or individual land parcels, making it more convenient for residents. Subdivisions are not generally found in suburban areas, and individual home sites are virtually always in very rural locations.
  10. Home prices are less, since the land is not included in the sales price. The interest on it properly invested, can be almost as much as the monthly lease payment.
  11. Residents wishing to lock up their home for seasonal, or extensive travel, can be assured that community management is in place to oversee the general security of their home. In a subdivision, you are at the mercy of your neighbors and/or the police/sheriff's staffing.
  12. Land lease communities generally have fewer crime problems, since most have a single entrance/exit, which can discourage many forms of criminal activity. Subdivisions must rely on the police/sheriff departments.

      Ed Hicks. "Ask Eddie," The Journal /July 2001, page 41.