In the classic film noir, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” space aliens attempt to take over the Earth by replacing real people with robot-like replicas. With those replicas, they seek to change the composition and fundamental nature of Earth’s population. While the film’s premise is far-fetched, something oddly similar — in principle — is beginning …
Washington, D.C., May 26, 2021 – The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) has issued a strong warning to a special interest group against any effort to seek solar energy mandates for federally-regulated manufactured homes. On May 4, 2021, the group – the “Clean Energy States Alliance” (CESA) – published a two-volume report specifically …
MHARR Issues Strong Warning Against Solar Energy Mandates for Manufactured Homes Read More »
By Mark WeissMAY 2021 “FREDDIE MAC UNWITTINGLY PROVES ITS OWN FAILURE” Remember Inspector Renault in the classic film “Casablanca,” who was “shocked, shocked” to find gambling going on at Rick’s? Well, we now have something similar with mortgage giant Freddie Mac. After doing virtually nothing — along with its cohort Fannie Mae — for a …
So, what could be worse than destructive, excessively costly federal manufactured housing “energy conservation” standards developed through a distorted and fundamentally tainted process at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)? The answer? Destructive and excessively costly manufactured housing “energy conservation” standards developed through two distorted and fundamentally tainted processes – one inside of DOE and …
“The Ultimate Battle Against Destructive Energy Regulation” Read More »
For those of us “senior” enough to remember cigarette commercials on television, an iconic brand, with a somewhat unusual advertising approach, was Tareyton cigarettes. Tareyton commercials featured “smokers” with phony black eyes, who supposedly preferred to “fight” rather than “switch” to some other cigarette brand. The idea, of course, was to promote brand loyalty. Unfortunately, …
MHARR EXPOSES FHFA DTS FAILURES AND DISTORTIONS TO CONGRESS Washington, D.C., October 16, 2020 – The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) in verbal and written comments presented at an October 16, 2020 Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) “Listening Session” concerning implementation of the statutory Duty to Serve Underserved Markets (DTS) mandate (see, copy …
MHARR — ISSUES AND PERSPECTIVES By Mark Weiss At press time for this article, just four weeks remain before the November 3, 2020 presidential election. The election itself, as illustrated during the September 29, 2020 “debate,” presents a stark contrast for voters, and its outcome will produce equally stark policy contrasts for the manufactured housing …
“Wasted Manufactured Housing Opportunities Mount As The Clock Ticks Down” Read More »
For the vast majority of lower and moderate-income Americans seeking to enter the housing market via the most direct and affordable means – i.e., through the purchase of a mainstream, inherently affordable HUD Code manufactured home – the Duty to Serve Underserved Markets (DTS) mandate, enacted by Congress twelve year ago as part of the …
“Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Have Learned Nothing From Their Subprime Debacle” Read More »
The latest issue of the quarterly publication of HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) – called “Evidence Matters” — has been released to great fanfare by the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI). Ostensibly, the fanfare arises from the fact that this “Winter/Spring” edition of “Evidence Matters” focuses on “Factory-Built Housing,” including manufactured homes. And, …
While Washington, D.C. and many, if not most, state capitals are currently fixated on the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences, other dynamics are afoot in the nation’s capital that will inevitably have a profound long-termimpact on the nation as a whole and on the federally-regulated manufactured housing industry. One such dynamic is the approaching …
“A Red-Flag Warning for the Manufactured Home Industry and Consumers” Read More »
