You are probably a few days or hours from closing with that Acre of land with a Mobil and just found out that you need a Foundation Certification for your Manufacture Home, well you’re not alone! This is a common occurrence; normally followed by the two questions of; How Soon and How Much? Right!???? Let me explain a few of the reasons why you will need to have this, why the Certification of Affixture is not the same thing as a Foundation Certification, what’s needed, what I can do for you, how to schedule and of course How Much will it cost.
What’s required by HUD/FHA
FHA is insuring the Loan so they want a guarantee that in strong winds the Home isn’t going to shift from its Foundation. The home must have over 400 Square Feet of Flooring, Built after June 15th of 1976, need to have the HUD Data Plate (One per unit) and on Real Estate (Land). There are a few other items required but they’re the same as what your local municipality would also require.
What Engineering will require
Access; to the property the day of the inspection, all locks removed from access openings like Interior of the home, Yard Gates and the Crawl space and of course visible HUD Data Plate(s). If the home is on Blocks a section of the trim board that is connecting the Home to the Blocks might need removing (letter from owner or Listing agent giving permissions required).
Note: Attached Wooden car ports and or patio covers must be Stand alone, meaning that if you could magically remove the home the added wood car port or Patio cove will stand there by-its-self.
Certification of Affixed versus a Foundation Certification
Certification of Affixed – To be considered affixed, most states require that the wheels, axles and towing hitch be removed to eliminate the possibility of relocation.
Foundation Certification – To ensure the home is securely attached to the foundation, it must be anchored. Anchoring must be using either frame ties or over-the-top ties to connect the I-beam of the house to the foundation. Keep in mind, if the home is not properly attached to the foundation, additional time to find a contractor and the added fee associated with the contractor.
Schedule and Cost
Some Inspection firms can take up to 5 business days to complete the Foundation Certification and cost could run up to $750.00. When interviewing Home Inspectors ask if they have their HRES number, ask if they inspect that the home is securely attached to the foundation, if they have the capability of filing for the Engineering Certification or ask you Loan Officer if he or she works with a HRES Inspector or a HUD approved Engineering firm. Finding out that the home does not meet HUD’s Foundation Certification requirements after the Inspection period normally places the cost on the Buyer. Finding this out during the 10 day Inspection period leaves it up for negotiation through the Buyer’s Inspection Notice and Sellers Response (BINSR).
What we can do for you
Our Standalone Manufactured Home Engineering Certification fee is $415 payable at the time of the Inspection, payment made to the Engineering firm with a Visa or Master card plus a trip fee if applicable (Trip fee payment is made to the Inspector). Normal turnaround time is 24 hours from the time we summit the Forms and Photos, some days sooner.
With Alati’s Inspection Service we offer the Manufactured Home Foundation Inspection as part of our Home Inspection for Manufactured Homes. Alati’s Inspection service supplies you with all the required information needed to file for the HUD Manufactured Home Engineering Certification or what’s wrong and what is needed at no additional fee.
To schedule a Standalone Manufactured Home Engineering Certification Inspection with Alati’s Inspection Service we would need an email with the Buyers, Listing Agent and Loan Officers full contact information and who is responsible for payment(s) sent to Nick@AISLLC.us.
HRES INSPECTOR NUMBER: Az130