Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/647244
MARCH 2016 21 THE JOURNAL HomeCarePlus "The Perfect Addition to Your Home Sales" An Exclusive Warranty For: Manufactured/Modular/ Park Model Homes "A Complete Package Designed for Today's Homes" HomeCarePlus A Warranty Program designed to eliminate Costly Repair Expenses on: Structure, Electrical, Plumbing, Heating, A/C & Appliances HomeCarePlus (800) 851-3738 Office (651) 458-2905 Fax diversifiedprofits@comcast.net Stop by Booth #32 at the Tunica Show for more information No. 12 on Get It Quick Page The number of New Hampshire manufactured- home communities owned and operated by resi- dent cooperatives climbed to 117 recently with the conversion of parks in Danville and Newmarket. Resident-owned communities (ROCs) across the Granite State now include nearly 6,500 homes. A social venture spun off from the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, ROC USA ® , has spread the approach to 13 additional states. Rock Rimmon Cooperative purchased the 127- unit Danville Four Seasons park from Lorraine Annaloro for $1.95 million. The deal was final- ized with a mortgage from the Community Loan Fund. "This new chapter is exciting," said Rock Rim- mon Secretary Michelle L'Heureux."We can begin to realize what our community will look like for many years to come. I am proud to be part of Rock Rimmon Cooperative, a resident-owned community." The next day, residents of Sleepy Hollow MHP in Newmarket bought their 89-unit park, becom- ing the state's 117th resident-owned commu- nity.Sleepy Hollow's longtime owners, Bill Gardner and Bruce Talbot, said that when it came time to retire, they wanted to offer residents the first opportunity to purchase the park. The resi- dents had formed Crossings At Sleepy Hollow Co- operative, Inc. last July, and negotiated a purchase price of $3.7-million. The co-op's pur- chase was financed by Gardner and Talbot, with the Community Loan Fund loaning the balance. Crossings At Sleepy Hollow President Colin White expressed thanks for the support the co-op received from ROC-NH, saying, "Without your guidance and assistance through this entire process we would never have had the chance to get to where we are now." Before and after they purchase their communi- ties, ROCs receive training and technical assis- tance from the Community Loan Fund's ROC-NH program. Along with its conversion strategy, ROC-NH provides community-man- agement "boot camps," a leadership program, a bi-annual conference and a management guide for cooperatives. Residents of privately owned parks usually own the home they live in, but not the land beneath it. Because of that, they miss out on most of the usual benefits of homeownership, including con- ventional mortgage terms, the appreciation of their home's value, and the availability of equity loans. Once a park becomes a ROC, homeown- ers become eligible for products and services, like real mortgages, that haven't been available. For more information on the Community Loan Fund, go online to www.communityloanfund.org or call Director of Communications and Market- ing Steve Varnum at (603) 224-6669, ext. 277. the impact of the new rules and how these rules can actually by turned into major marketing opportunities for manufac- tured homes. Last in the educational offerings was a special presentation by Pamela Beck Danner, adminis- trator for the Office of Manufactured Housing at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban De- velopment. She gave attendees her perspective on several industry topics, such as the proposed rule to require carbon monoxide detectors in all new manufactured homes, as well as the impor- tance of the Alternative Construction (AC) let- ter for any attachment to the home, such as garage, that is non-conforming to HUD-Code regulations. She also stressed the importance of manufactured homes for low-income families, es- pecially for seniors living on fixed incomes. Dan- ner indicated that her office seeks industry feed-back on these and other important issues that impact the manufactured housing industry. Another key focus of the Show was the role that "community series homes" by manufacturers to fill older manufactured home communities. Numerous models of these homes were exhibited and drew the interests of community owners in attendance. The 2016 Louisville Manufactured Housing Show drew 2,572 attendees to a snowy Louisville, Ky. to see the latest home designs and to hear educational seminars on the manufactured housing industry. Standing-room only educational seminars fea- tured innovations in marketing, financing and other relevant topics to the future of manufac- tured housing. \ 15 Two More Manufactured Home Communities Purchased By Residents Standing-room only educational seminars featured innovations in marketing, financ- ing and other relevant topics to the future of manufactured housing.