The Importance of a Manufactured Home Inspection
Buying a mobile home is a tedious process, especially if you are doing it privately, meaning there aren’t any dealers or banks involved. 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. After you’ve ensured the seller has the correct title with no holds, or liens on it, you’ll want to hire a licensed inspector for the mobile home. 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, and what you can expect to pay for the service.
WHY DO I NEED AN INSPECTION?
In general, 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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
Majority of the inspection sites 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.
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.