Much of our work at Detail View Home Inspections involves traditional houses. However, not everyone lives in a house, so we also offer our services for manufactured home inspections. If you are thinking about buying a manufactured home, there are several things you should know about getting it inspected first.
Here are our top 5:
Manufactured Home Inspections Are for Your Benefit and the Lenders’
While getting a home inspection is a hurdle on your way to ownership, they are vital to the home’s safety and longevity, whether that’s a traditional or manufactured home. Our certified inspectors will check your home for all the most common concerns.
What We Look for in a Manufactured Home Inspection – Foundations
A manufactured home foundation inspection is one of the most essential elements of manufactured home inspections. As we all know, a solid foundation is vital to the safety and stability of the rest of the structure.
When we inspect the home’s foundation, we look at many factors, but most of them fall into one of three categories: structure, Weather/Environment, and Age and certification.
Structure
As home inspectors, we ensure the foundation will support your manufactured home. First, we will check to ensure that it was constructed correctly and fully bears the weight of the house.
The spacing must also account for soil settlement and bear it so the home isn’t damaged. In addition, we’ll check for the tie-downs that secure the home to the foundation.
Weather
The next major category of factors we check for in manufactured home inspections is weather and environment-related.
Firstly, we’ll look at the site layout. It should be correctly designed so that drainage goes away from the home and doesn’t risk damaging or flooding it.
We will also check to see if the perimeter strip and piers are frost-line protected. Frost-line protection stops your home from being damaged by frost heave, the natural expansion, breakup, and settlement of soil during freezing temperatures. Like the structural concerns discussed in the previous section, your home must be protected from settlement.
Age and Certification
Finally, part of the manufactured home foundation inspection is age and certification.
Everything wears out eventually, so knowing the age of your foundation is essential to preparing for that. That’s why part of our work is to check when the home’s foundation was constructed.
Manufactured home foundations must have a certificate that states the date of their construction and that they have been approved by an engineer.
Some loans also require an inspection history.
Different Loans Have Different Requirements
Just like with traditional home mortgages, manufactured home loans vary by the specific lender or type of loan. Like a conventional mortgage, you must go through the same loan approval process.
All loans have income and credit score requirements, though the specific debt-to-income ratio and credit scores vary, as do the down payments. Some will require private mortgage insurance and a property appraisal and inspection.
That’s where we come in. Title 1, 2, and HUD loans are three public loans requiring Manufactured Home Inspections.
Manufactured Home Inspection & Other Structures
A big part of that inspection is to make sure any additions ( decks, porches, actual additions) are built free-standing or self-supported. Decks, porches, & additions cannot be supported by the manufactured home. If an addition fails, your inspector will give guidance on how to bring the affected addition into conforming status so that it will meet HUD guidelines and pass the foundation certification process.
Making Sure Your Dream Home Doesn’t Become a Nightmare
When buying a home, timing is crucial, especially in a seller’s market. That’s why at Detail View Home Inspections, we’re proud to offer fast turnaround time. We’ll get you your inspection report within 24 hours of completion.
We know that buying a home is a big decision. So, no matter what home you’re considering, we’re here to help you make the right decisions before you commit to a purchase!
