[Sutphid]

Highly recommend making a professional exit from this one. Start with a some assistance on the "typical" manufactured home and move up.

Frankenfactured homes are not the place to start (not even close). You have more to gain later by being responsible now.

I can virtually guarantee that whatever they are offering to pay you, if you were/become aware of the work ahead of you, you would agree......it has nothing to do with being scared; be a professional. Well maybe a little bit [scared] if you value your livelihood. As with any assignment, if you are called to task you had better know your "shhtuff."

If it makes you feel any better, I just shut one down. It is a vacant river lot in a subdivision that was set up at exactly the wrong time (infrastructure, landscaped and now over grown with nothing happening and it's belly up). I didn't know where to begin and still don't. One of my biggest issues was that the lot sold for 400K 2 1/2 years ago. One sold about two months before it (purchased by an LLC). 50 other lots expired or W/D!

Not my thing and there was no shame in that (I didn't "get my fee" either )

[Lobo Fan]

If it is a HUD MH then there will be a ton of structural clearances required. Anything the add weight or pemtrates the outer skin og a HUD requires clearance by a HUD approved structural engineer. The odds are that the additions will not make the cut.

Good luck.

[Lauren]

Thanks to everyone for all the advice given. I did turn down the assignment. The lender asked "why" I would not do it since it wasn't for a loan. I replied back because I am still liable!!

[Scott R Marshall]

Lauren,


The comments on once a manufactured home always a manufactured home are correct. I agree with the posters who state call your client first and find out if the deal is a go or dead.

I inspected one on Monday of this week where about 40% was a manufactured and 60% was stick built. If your client says to proceed one issue which may come up is regarding comments on HUD tags and dataplates. In many cases, these have been removed. In addition, if its an older unit you have a mobile, not manufactured home, which is a whole other issue. In my case, the dataplate was gone and the HUD tags stuccoed over which is another issue. Called them immediately after the inspection and it was cancelled the next day. At least I get a trip and measure fee out of it.

[Sutphid]

Another bit of advise.....trust nobody when it comes to YOUR job. I just had one where a certified NC home inspector certified in writing that the manufactured home was equal to a stick built home since it had a two car garage and a den tacked on. Little did they know the potential issues that could cause if not done properly. The certification was made for the listing agent (prior to list), the bank and made it all the way to me. Needless to say, I was THRILLED once I got a look at it. I think once I got a handle on what it actually was there were two words that I whispered under may breath and it didn't start with "father."

Would the typical buyer in the car market pay top dollar for a Ferrari "body" with a Toyota engine? Rough analogy but it gets the point across (and I've owned Toyota's so "stop" it.)

Go with your gut, ask questions, read up on guidelines, ask questions then ask more questions and if you have a question, just ask!! And if that doesn't answer your question just ask more questions

[NOGAVA]

TROUSE.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=trouse

[kevingrehan]

Moble home= personal property
Manufactured Home= Real property

[Michigan CG]

Originally Posted by kevingrehan

Moble home= personal property
Manufactured Home= Real property

Not necessarily true. As is the case many times it depends.

[CANative]

Originally Posted by kevingrehan

Moble home= personal property
Manufactured Home= Real property

Absolutely nothing to do with each other. The difference is in the building code used at the time the home was originally built in the factory.

[Victoria]

Originally Posted by kevingrehan

Moble home= personal property
Manufactured Home= Real property

Mobile Home= Factory built home built prior to June 15, 1976.

Manufactured Home= Factory built home built after June 15, 1976 and in compliance with HUD code.

Both Mobile Homes and Manufactured Homes can be be either personal or real property. In California a factory built home (mobile or manufactured) legally becomes real property when a form 433 is filed.