Adversity Can Create Opportunity

As Charles Dickens began in the Tale of Two Cities, “IT WAS the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way-”.

Boy does that sound familiar for our current times. For too many, these “times” over last several years have been difficult. Too many jobs lost jobs. Too many savings and retirement accounts diminished. Too many companies out of business. The economic devastation has hit most everyone in some way or another.

I was on a Southwest fight once where the steward began the familiar “please be careful when opening the overhead bins because shift happens”. For better or for worse, real estate cycles happen too. And when it does, it all comes down on top of us too. Unfortunately, the more extreme the cycles are, the more speculation there is. That is where people get hurt. The wheeler and dealers help to fuel the market along with those that are just trying to buy a nice decent home to live, raise a family, retire, or perhaps enjoy a second home in a different climate. It is hard to know when to jump in the game and the fear of loss helps let our emotions get the best of us.

Usually buying and holding allow people to wait out a cycle. But with lost income, the bills can pile up even with a financial safety net. For some it is just the duration of the downturn that has become the problem; they could have ridden out six or even nine months, but not years.

For those not deeply hurt by financial troubles, these can be “the best of times” to invest in a home with rock bottom prices and interest rates at still once in a lifetime levels. It can be “the age of wisdom” for those who have been cautious and can now perhaps take advantage of good buys in good neighborhoods. We all know the time is right to buy, but we also know we need to be more prudent in our approach to investing in a new home.

We continue to see many buyers who have been waiting for the right opportunity to get into the housing market, back into the market, or to buy a second home that may have been unattainable at peak prices. For them it is better to buy in a period of low prices rather than sitting and waiting for the absolute lowest price. History may prove their wisdom.

As housing continues to rebuild the momentum lost, we encourage those on the sidelines to carefully consider the options and how investing in a home now in a Jensen community may be right for you. Our staff is ready and willing to listen to your Great Recession story and hopefully be able to offer some suggestions for a more carefree and enjoyable lifestyle.

Jensen is now able to do this in New York State as well with the addition of “Cherrywood” in New Hartford NY to our family of communities. Visit http://www.cherrywoodcommunity.com/ or call 315-793-8900 for more information.

We look forward to hearing from you at one of our 29 East Coast locations. Call 800-458-6832.

http://www.jensencommunities.com/

Simply Affordable

“Our life is frittered away by detail... Simplify, simplify, simplify! ... Simplicity of life and elevation of purpose.” Henry David Thoreau ("Where I Lived and What I Lived For" Walden)

The anticipation of life in retirement on a fixed income is a humbling experience in general and particularly for those that have had their investments pummeled over the last few years and still hope to retire in the near future. Thoreau went into the Walden woods to try and live as simply and as richly as he could. It seems that those contemplating retirement could also benefit from getting into this state of mind. Baby Boomers have always been able to define new lifestyles for themselves. They have been able to experience some amazing opportunities over their lives and will undoubtedly continue to do so by seeing the glass half full rather than empty.

As our lives progress, we accumulate family, friends, and relationships. These are surely the richness of life. Unfortunately, we also accumulate a lot of stuff like a home or two, vehicles, boats, RV’s, furniture, clothing, and keepsakes. While these things helps us to enjoy our family, friends, and relationships, they can also be a burden when we want to make a move into a new home or lifestyle.

It seems that more in the middle years (if they haven’t already) start to seek out more purpose and/or find opportunities to give back. A simpler life, home and finances provide the freedom of time and money to be more purposeful when you have more time to make the most out of life.
A more physically and financially manageable place to live is key to achieving that goal of finding more freedom in your life.

At Jensen communities, we can help with a simply affordable home.

http://www.getinonthegoodlife.com/

Start a New Trend

I am on the email list for www.Trendwatching.com E-newsletter. It is fun to peruse each month as it makes me think of things I have not thought of and from a very different perspective than I would on my own. Kind of helps to stretch the mind so to speak.

We all get into habits and/or tend to follow trends on paths others have forged for us. It is refreshing to find one self all alone and venturing off into uncertain territory. To know what is right and follow it, despite what the rest of the herd may be doing, is both exciting and uncomfortable. Perhaps we do not venture off enough but it is high time that we do.

This is not to say that all trends are bad. It seems that trends only get out of hand when people take them too far and for too long. The housing bubble would have caused a lot less pain if it had burst as a birthday balloon rather than a hot air balloon.

It is time to start a new trend in housing. It’s pretty obvious that Mc Mansions may still be constructed for the well healed homeowner but Joe and Mary Middle America will now be more realistic. Hopefully people have learned not to buy a home that will never get furnished. Hopefully they have learned that our homes are no longer bank accounts on which we can take indefinite withdrawals. Hopefully they have learned that mortgage loans are something to be paid off and that our homes should be used to save not spend.

Anyone can do this by finding and purchasing a home within their means. Yes, it requires making realistic choices and deferring satisfaction, but reality wins over delusion in the long run.
A small, convenient, and easy to care for home should also be easy on the pocketbook and therefore allow for the achievement of other financial goals as well. If you can’t buy furniture, it’s pretty hard to save for a vacation, education, retirement, a wedding or anything else that is important and worthwhile to you.

Happy house hunting from www.jensencommunities.com.

Encouraging Signs for a Brighter New Year!

For too many people 2009 was a dismal year. That was especially true for those forced to sell a home in the toughest market in decades.

I for one do not want to see a return to the "irrational exuberance" of an out of out of control real estate market. While most of the East Coast did not see the wildness of the CA, AZ, NV or FL markets, going up or down too far and too fast always creates problems in the long run. "Moderation in all things" is one of my mantras.

At Jensen communities we are encouraged by more phone calls, emails, written inquiries and site visits to our sales centers. The number of buyer deposits is on the rise and prospective buyers are more positive about moving forward. Confidence that one is making the right decision is more important than ever.

The $8,000 new home buyer tax credit was a big hit and helped make sales that otherwise might not have happened. The extension and expansion of the credit through the beginning of 2010 and to also aid any buyer of a primary home ($6,500 credit), should keep new buyers joining the ranks of homeowners and allow others who qualify to move up the ladder with a little incentive and bonus.

I was reading a blog the other day that suggested that people need to buy for the right reasons (i.e. "to provide shelter, create a refuge, and make memories"). More people are soberly making new housing choices but this should not take the fun out of the process or the end result. One's home should always be a comforting and enjoyable place to be. One pleasure in making the right decision however (buying a house within your means) should be the peace of mind that comes with sound financial planning.

Wishing you the best in 2010 and inviting you to visit any and all of our 28 communities along the Eastern Seaboard.

www.jensencommunities.com

Happy Holidays

For over eighty years in good times and bad Jensen's Inc. has tried to stay focused on our customers. We believe that the best way to take care of the residents in our manufactured home land lease communities is to:

1) Provide good value,

2) Provide good customer service, and

3) Provide assurance that our communities will stay viable for the long haul.

If you or a family member is looking to buy a home in a land lease community, why would you want anything else?

Jensen partners with its residents to achieve our interdependent goals. People want a nice, friendly and affordable place to live in their own home and Jensen wants to provide such a place for a fair profit. Everyone wants to enjoy pride in ownership as well as at least steady and over the long term appreciating property values.

This year more than most, we are all happy to have a roof over our heads and bright prospects for the future. Better times are on their way but Jensen communities aims to be there for its customers through thick and thin. We offer an affordable option to live in your own home in some great neighborhoods. We hope that you will visit one of our communities to see how you can "Get in on the Good Life!"

In the spirit of the holiday season, we hope that you enjoy the comfort of family and friends, but remember those less fortunate with a toy or food donation with so many in need.

Peace and good will to all.

http://www.jensencommunities.com/

Energy Star Homes and Appliances

Lowering monthly expenses is on everyone’s minds these days. A dollar we don’t have to pay for electric, gas or oil each month is a dollar we can use to pay down credit card bills, the mortgage, or into our bank account.

Buying a new Energy Star Home complete with Energy Star rated appliances reduces your monthly expenses below that of comparable homes and appliances. In fact, buying an Energy Star home may even qualify you for a larger home and mortgage due to the expected lower expenses. And once you have made the modest upfront investment, and energy efficient home is the gift to your family that keeps on giving every month and every year you own the home.

Manufactured homes are inherently tighter and less drafty than many site built homes. They are built in climate controlled environments, the framing lumber is more typically cut on larger and more accurate saws, and floor, wall and roof systems are framed on jigs to ensure good fit. The additional sealing, gasketing, and insulation typically needed to make a manufacturer’s homes Energy Star are easily completed in the factory setting.

So besides the money you can save with an Energy Star Home, you get the added comfort of a tightly built house. More information on Energy Star (including New Homes, Home Improvements, and Products can be found at: www.energystar.gov.

Find out more at www.jensencommunities.com and “Get in on the Good Life!”

Understanding the Land Lease

It is important for prospective buyers in a manufactured housing community to understand the benefits of the “land lease” concept before they become residents.

Because the majority of prospective buyers have owned their own homes and land, there is a natural assumption that the two are inseparable; that it is better to own your own land and unwise to build a home on land you don’t own. Leasing land is a totally new concept to many even though it has worked for Jensen customers for decades. And because people are unfamiliar with it, they are initially wary of it until they learn more.

What many people don’t initially appreciate is that a Manufactured Housing Land Lease Community (MHLLC) is able to give you more home for your dollar exactly due to the land lease. By owning your own home and leasing a home site, you are able to get a dramatically better lifestyle for less. You get more home, a private community with amenities, and the best neighborhoods for the money anywhere.

The desire to purchase both home and land is driven by past experience and the absence of a true, in-depth understanding of the multitude of benefits associated with leasing and private community living.

Jensen communities’® approach is integral to our mission to ensure our residents enjoy the comfortable, carefree lifestyle they seek. It delivers value and significant advantages that far outweigh any perceived disadvantages.

Without the land leasing arrangement, Jensen Communities would have to sell homes at much higher prices that would include the cost of the land and development. The land lease also allows for common services and recreational amenities to be used and paid for by the entire community. And very importantly, the land lease establishes Jensen as the manager for the community so residents don’t have to manage it themselves to ensure a high standard and protect their investment and ongoing enjoyment.

More and more homeowners (especially “Boomers”) have experienced, or are at least familiar with, leveraging their home equity to improve their lifestyle. Whether consolidating bills, paying college tuition, buying a new car or making home improvements, they understand the advantages of putting their equity to work rather than having it sit idle.

Similarly, Jensen home buyers achieve greater value because they are not burdened with adding the cost of the land to their purchase price. They can buy more home with more of the special amenities they desire and often bank a surplus that can be saved as a nest egg or for emergencies. This is especially appealing to our customers who are generally living on a modest fixed income.

For most people, home and property ownership is really nothing more than a perception. In reality, no one with a mortgage truly owns either until the mortgage is fully paid off. But despite this fact, even with huge 30-year mortgages, people view themselves as “home owners”.

So why such a fuss about buying the land your home is built on? This desire is really based on a perception. When this is clearly understood, freeing capital and improving lifestyle through land leasing makes absolute sense.

One of the biggest concerns often expressed is “What if the land my house is built on is sold to someone else?” Jensen’s core value is its integrity. We’re not in the business of building communities to turn around and sell the property upon which they’re built for another use. In over 80 years in the business, we’ve never done it and have no plans to do so in the future.

Quite to the contrary, prospects view our collective investments as an extremely positive benefit. Naturally, it’s in Jensen’s best interest to protect our investment by creating and enforcing rules and regulations designed to ensure a quality lifestyle for our residents and keep them as long term customers. It’s these rules and regulations that ultimately guarantee a resident’s high level of satisfaction.

Homeowners have an equal incentive to keep up their home and sites to maximize their investment and enjoy the pride of owning their own home. Without our collective investments through land leasing, we would be unable to maintain (and guarantee) the high standards we’re all so proud of, and that have become the hallmark of our success.

Leasing the land means Jensen does the heavy lifting. People who have owned their own home know that it comes with responsibilities: grass, trees, shrubs, wells, septic, water and sewer services, power lines, driveways, foundations, walls, and fences all mean maintenance and eventual replacement. While residents are responsible for their own homes and typically some site maintenance, Jensen’s does the most burdensome of it so that they can enjoy the more enjoyable aspects like flower or vegetable gardening. There are no extra payments or special assessments for replacing a driveway or removing a tree when that is needed.

Leasing land in a MHLLC provides great value for our customers. The advantages, in terms of an improved, carefree lifestyle alone, far outweigh any initially perceived disadvantages.

Find out more at www.jensencommunities.com and “Get in on the Good Life!”