FHA and manufactured

[homnspector]

Anybody have a link to FHA requirements for manufactured homes? Thanks in advance!

[hausdok]

Yeah,

Go to the "resources" tab above, and choose 'downloads' from the dropdown and then scroll down to the document you want and download it.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[homnspector]

I know its there somewhere but I am not seeing it. Is it the same as the HUD guidelines?

[hausdok]

Well,

That depends on what you're asking. If you simply want to know what the federal construction requirements are for manufactured homes, then you download the HUD references for manufactured homes. If you're wondering what is required before FHA will grant a loan on a mobile home, or want to know what the FHA loan limit fee is you'll need to go to the FHA site.

I think you've confused FHA with HUD. The FHA only insures loans. When someone gets an FHA loan they are getting a loan from a private lender that the FHA guarantees. If the buyer defaults, the FHA pays off the bank, takes the home and then sells it to recoup their (our) losses.

I think what you means is that you want to know what the construction rules are for manufactured homes that are bought with a loan underwritten by the FHA. Since HUD determines the rules for construction of all manufactured homes, virtually any manufactured home sold in the country qualifies if it was built after 1976. If it's a home that is purchased as part of a low income public housing program, it will need to comply with all of the other HUD guidelines for anchorage, etc. However, if it's simply a home being bought by someone who's having the FHA underwrite their loan - not necessarily under a low income or public housing program - I don't think HUD has any power to enforce anything and you have to follow local code requirements for manufactured homes.

Some jurisdictions around here, manufactured homes are placed on stacked (and poorly at that) concrete blocks and held down very flimsily. Other jurisdictions the HUD guidelines are followed to the letter.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[homnspector]

OK, maybe the HUD guidelines have to be followed to get an FHA loan?

Reason I'm wondering is I inspected a manufactured home a month or so ago, a 1999 I think. It wasn't anchored. I didn't comment on it as it isn't required here. The agent called me later and wanted to know if it was anchored as it was required for the FHA loan, whether or not required locally.

[hausdok]

OK, maybe the HUD guidelines have to be followed to get an FHA loan?

Maybe, I'm not sure if that's still the case or not. I heard that all of the rules have recently changed for FHA approval and that they've dropped a lot of the knit-picking requirements of the past.

If you do a little research on Google you ought to be able to find out what those changed requirements are.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[homnspector]

Jeeze Mike, research is what I was trying to avoid!

[hausdok]

Well,

It's either that or I do it and I've kind of got my hands full right now.

Sorry,

M.

[homnspector]

"It's either that or I do it and I've kind of got my hands full right now."

And I've been telling everybody I know how selfless you are and that you will answer any question posed, no matter how busy you are. Boy was I wrong![]

OK, I'll give them the HUD requirements and let them figure it out. My guess is FHA wants the HUD approval seeing as they are all government agencies. We all know the government agencies are coordinated and on the same page with all this stuff, so HUD and FHA should be similar, right?

Just kidding of course. This is out of the realm of home inspection. I'll pursue it and post it if I find a list of requirements for FHA approval.

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by homnspector

OK, maybe the HUD guidelines have to be followed to get an FHA loan?

Reason I'm wondering is I inspected a manufactured home a month or so ago, a 1999 I think. It wasn't anchored. I didn't comment on it as it isn't required here. The agent called me later and wanted to know if it was anchored as it was required for the FHA loan, whether or not required locally.

The agent is correct. Here in Oregon, the state only requires tie-downs on manufactured homes when they're in high wind areas. However, if the buyer is getting an FHA loan, the home has to be tied down and a P.E. has to verify that the tie downs are adequate. They won't accept a statement from a home inspector.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Les]

No home inspector approval in Michigan either.

It is my understanding the PE is enforced across country.

With special arrangements, Countrywide will accept statement from us and fight with the underwriter for FHA.

This has been point of contention for at least 15yrs now.

[hausdok]

Hi,

Well, if that's the case, I think he can find everything he needs in the downloads section and can refer it off to a PE.

I've got these HUD publications in there that I think will be useful:

1. A Guide to Foundation and Suppport Systems for Manufactured Homes

2. A Review of Manufactured Home Installation Standards and Instructions

3. Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards - 24CFRCh.xx(5-1-01 Edition - The Hud "Code") See page 130 - 3280.306 (Windstorm Protection).

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Les]

Mike - you are right again! The downloads are invaluable.

A little drift - sometimes it might be beneficial for an inspector to learn as much as possible regarding the sale and transfer of real property in their particular area. Best place would be the experienced agent and a good lender. Inspectors don't do that work, but our job gets a little easier when we understand what others are doing in the transaction.

HUD is impossible to fully comprehend.

[hausdok]

Hi Les,

I couldn't agree more. The weekend before last I attended one of those free all-day Zero-down home buying seminars in order to get the latest information on what's going on with the home buying processes. Learned a lot about the HUD/FHA stuff that I'd not known before and got some pretty good insight into what lenders are requiring during transactions.

That was the upside. The downside is that the seminar's speaker told the group that none of them should every pay more than $450. for an inspection, regardless of the size of a home, and told them that only ASHI and NIBI inspectors were "certified," which just about made me swallow my tongue, being an independent and all and knowing that no true "certification" exists anywhere in this country.

450? That's in the upper end of the lower third of my price ranges. I asked him why not more than $450 and his response was that more money doesn't get you a better home inspection, it's been his experience that the cheaper guys are just as good as the more expensive guys. I didn't argue with him. Hell, I didn't even tell him who I was until the noon break because I wasn't there to promote home inspectors, I just wanted to know more about the current state of the selling industry.

Kind of disappointed though that this 'guru' was so ill informed about our business. I kind of felt like asking something like, "Now that you've pretty much told prospective clients for home inspectors what home inspectors should be pricing their services at, how would you like it if home inspectors went around holding seminars teaching people to always refuse to pay a real estate agent's standard commission and advised them to negotiate hardball for a reduced commission from the pretty-much standard 6% to, say, 1% of the sale price of a home?"

Oh well, that's a topic for another thread. Let's not let it get off track. Start another thread if you want to continue discussing that.

OT - OF!!!

M.