Anyone in the process of buying or selling a manufactured home needs to invest in a manufactured home inspection. Admittedly, home buyers will likely get the most benefit from an inspection, but they can be just as beneficial to a seller.
Buying a mobile home is a tedious process, especially if you are doing it privately, meaning there aren’t any dealers or banks involved.
After you’ve ensured the seller has the correct title and there are no holds or liens on it you’ll want to hire an inspection for the mobile home. Learn about mobile home titles here.
In this article, we are going to cover the basics of a manufactured home inspection. Why you need one, what you can expect to learn from an inspection, how to find a knowledgeable manufactured home inspector, and what you can expect to pay for the service.
Why Do I Need an Inspection?
To put it bluntly, you need to get an inspection on every home you intend to buy to protect yourself and your investment.
Manufactured homes are constructed differently than a site-built home. These differences can create unique issues that a typical homeowner wouldn’t know. For example, in some manufactured homes, the floors may hang out beyond the width of the home’s I-beams. If steel outriggers aren’t attached to the I-beams to support the weight of the extended floors, then the walls may separate from the roof. This separation is called crowning, and it is not easy to repair. You would not want to buy a home with this issue.
An inspector would find issues under the home such as this pier failure:
Home inspections protect all parties.
If you are buying a home, an inspection is an investment that can save you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. In addition to saving money, hiring an inspector can save you a lot of time and headache in the future. Inspectors have tools such as moisture readers that can give you information not available with the naked eye. These tools, combined with a licensed inspector’s knowledge, are invaluable to a home buyer.
If you are selling a home, hiring an inspector to look over the home before you put it on the market can help you find and make repairs. Having these repairs done before a buyer enters the equation can help sell a home faster and possibly at a higher price.
A manufactured home inspection would see that the belly wrap was ripped and the insulation was loose. Belly wraps are vital to a healthy manufactured home.
Inspections also protect banks, real estate agents, and even insurance companies. In many situations, an inspection is needed before a bank or lending institution will provide a loan. Some states require all home sells to have an inspection and an appraisal done on the property before the sale is complete.
In short, an inspection should be considered an absolute necessity for all parties involved in buying or selling a mobile or manufactured home.
What Exactly is a Mobile Home Inspection?
A manufactured home inspection is a complete inspection of the home, from the roof to the ground. There are specific areas that are thoroughly inspected such as roofs, plumbing, electricity, heating and cooling, and flooring.
A competent, licensed inspector for manufactured homes understands the unique issues of factory-built homes. This knowledge allows them to pinpoint current and future issues that may be unsafe, lower the value of the home, or be too expensive to repair.
In the InterNACHI forum, a manufactured home inspector shared a list of the ten most important things in a manufactured home inspection:
- Proper marriage line alignment
- Overextended Jack heads
- Wood pads with cracks
- Squeaking floors, warped or bowing floors that could mean water damage
- Toilets with bad wax rings, loose flanges, or a wobble
- A moisture barrier, belly wrap is present and healthy with no tears
- Damage around water heaters and furnaces
- Pier Spacing
- Healthy outrigger with no visible sagging
- Sagging ceiling panels (caused by broken 1″x2″ or 2″x2″ rafters)
Manufactured Home Inspection Report Examples
When the inspector is finished you will receive a multi-page report filled with photos and details of any issue they have found during the inspection. This makes for a more informed buying decision.
A report from an inspector should be thorough. Expect several pages and dozens of photos. Some inspectors will also offer videos of your roof recorded with drones.
How to Find a Licensed Manufactured Home Inspector
Now that you understand how important a manufactured home inspection is, you will need to find a home inspector.
The home inspection industry is regulated in 39 states. The other 11 states don’t regulate home inspectors much at all. This failure to control the industry means anyone can claim they are a home inspector in some states so be careful.
State Requirements for Home Inspectors
To protect yourself from fake home inspectors you will want to find out what the rules are in your state for home inspectors. Here are two resources that can help you determine if your state is one that regulates the industry:
For states that do not regulate home inspectors, you will want to stick with inspectors that are members of a professional association such as the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) or the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI).
ASHI
ASHI is the American Society of Home Inspectors, and they claim to be the nation’s leading non-profit professional association for independent home inspectors.
InterNACHI
InterNACHI is the world’s largest association of professional home and commercial property inspectors. As part of their membership requirements, InterNACHI inspectors have to complete dozens of inspection-related courses and pass hundreds of quizzes and exams.
You want an experienced, licensed, and knowledgeable inspector. While passing an exam is important, actual hands-on experience with manufactured homes is even more important. Also, the inspectors should respect manufactured homes.
Just a little respect never hurts…
Also, the inspectors should respect manufactured homes. Like many real estate agents, a lot of inspectors make fun of manufactured homes and the people living in them. This inspector’s forum is a prime example of the problem. Stay away from these inspectors. If they don’t respect the homes or the people, they don’t deserve the business.
How Much Does a Manufactured Home Inspection Cost?
The average price for a home inspection in the US is around $300. Homeadvisor.com estimates $267 to $371as an average range.
Most of the inspection sites I reviewed based their inspection rates on the size of the home. They charge a flat fee for a home up to a certain square footage and then charge extra for larger homes. They may have a service area and fuel surcharge, as well.
Mcgarryandmadsen.com is a popular home inspection blog. It is an invaluable resource for all homeowners, especially mobile homeowners.
They have a flat fee price of $325 for manufactured home inspections up to 1750 square foot of conditioned space in the Gainesville, FL area.
Many inspectors charge additional fees if they have to drive outside their service area, have to crawl under the home or have to inspect an older home as those usually take extra time. Barns and other buildings on the property will usually cost extra, too.
Summary
A home inspection can save you thousands of dollars! Manufactured home inspectors look for things such as roof leaks, pier damage, or moisture, and condensation issues that are not easy to spot. The bottom line is a manufactured home inspection is well worth the time and money.
Additional Resources:
The US Government’s Publishing Office has tons of great resources about manufactured home regulations and HUD code free to download here.
Thanks for reading Mobile Home Living!
Have you had an inspection done on a mobile or manufactured home? Tell us about it in the comments below!
I am so happy and lucky to have come across this wonderful forum. Does anyone know of a good MFG Home Inspector in Washington State. Thank you & Happy Holidays
Can you suggest a reliable Manufactured Home Inspector, built 1972, near Concord, CA.
Thanks for your help.
Thanks . I’m printing out ur reply n my question to u to give him. Thanks so much!
Hi Lynn,
He should be able to get a good idea of what the underbelly looks like without actually crawling underneath. I would, however, make him look under the home on each end or corner and take photos. You’re mostly wanting to make sure the black belly board (aka belly wrap) is intact and doesn’t have holes and that the insulation hasn’t fallen.
If you could find an inspector with a small wire camera that can look under the home and the ducts that would be great. Best of luck!
Thank you for publishing ur article I need lots of help with buying mobile home in trailer park. I think I read other articles by u. I live in state that regulates inspectors..wi
I am early retired do to disability,use a cane. Balance issues. I need an objective inspection. I’m also looking at older mobile home 1980. Because I’m single don’t need much. I did search for home inspector in area. Got 2. Asked both if they would inspect mobile home in trailer park when I ready to put money down..both said yes I could contact them..very inexpensive rate. In 200’s.
But one said he would not crawl around underneath…..
Is crawling around underneath mobile home required or can he just look underneath visually without crawling under it? Thanks I am willing to pay more for inspection but I wouldn’t want to crawl underneath it either…is that necessary…im
I looking at 1980 trailer I expect I will do some future modifications because of my mobility issue.
Thanks
Lynn
Thank you so much for sharing Yvonne!
Love this site Crystal. I love sharing your posts on my community page. I manage a community with 319 sites and you post such great stuff that is so informative.
Hi Marge,
Each state is different but in most situations when you buy a used manufactured home you are buying it ‘as is’ and that clears the seller of any liabilities or future litigation claims. So, your attorney is right, you are probably out of luck with that one. The hazardous material claim is way over my head but I can tell you that if your foot went through the floor then the home could have a serious water leak issue (window, door, roof, or plumbing) and that is weakening the lumber. It may also be a source for black mold and that isn’t healthy. You will want to have the home inspected thoroughly for water damage.
I hope this is an easy and quick fix for you. Best of luck!
Thank you for your website !!! Great source of inform action for manufactured home owners as our serves…
a must read PRIOR TO PURCHASE. We were blinded by trusting our broker & assistant… We told them we were green in this arena & to clearly walk us thru… What a story we have. We are all sick including our dog which slows down our investigative process, many days not very functional. Will continue reading your site and working on the MANY issues. We have have been told “fraudulent nondisclosure of hazardous conditions” by an authority & was told by broker that buying this “mobile home is the same as purchasing a used car & driving away with no right to appeal grievances – PURCHASE IS AS iS”. (It depends on the definition of IS…ha,ha). An attorney said we may have a case dealing with nondisclosure of hazardous issues. There are many other issues, like foot going through bathtub floor. The home is a 1989. Please feel free to comment on our situation and make any suggestions. Thank for your time. Marge.
definition of IS”) ha, ha. The broker saidNo right to appeal grievances. fraudgriev
Kim, this was very informative. Would it also be useful for homeowners to have this done periodically for preventive maintenance planning?
I spent some time on that link you provided and the attitude and misinformation about MHs is scary. Especially one I read stating that “It’s common knowledge that the lifespan of a mobile home is 25 years”. I guess all those houses manufactured in the 60s and 70s didn’t get the memo. Nor their owners.