Manufactured

[Indy Residential]

Sorry to bother, this is my first post. I would like some input to a particular assignment if you don’t mind. The assignment is a manufactured FHA purchase. I inspected this property and was unable to find any evidence of HUD Tag or HUD PLATE. The manufactured dwelling has had two room additions. The main body is situated on a steel chassis that is approximately 1,026 square feet and contains a kitchen, dining, utility room, and two bedrooms. There is a 38x14 room addition that is conventional built situated on a crawl space foundation and contains the main bath, family room, and a third bedroom. In addition, there is a 24x12 room addition that is situated on a concrete type foundation containing the living area. The current owners had this property deeded to them. The assessor has the property as a Manufactured home, and I have a copy of the lost title with the VIN. The previous owners resided the exterior with a wood siding. The current homeowners have two previous appraisals, both indicate that this is a conventional ranch style dwelling, one is from the old form and the manufactured box is checked no. Even though the room additions and permanent foundation this is a manufactured dwelling. I tried getting some counsel through other appraisers that I worked under, and know of in this area. I have been advised that if so much has been added to the existing improvements it could be considered ranch. I have been told if you can’t find it than mark N/A on the manufactured form. I think I remember that if the HUD labels are MIA, the property can not be sold or transferred? Does anyone know if the Indiana HUD will have this information, and if I am able to get this, will it be required to be put back on the home?

Thanks for your help

 

[Indiana Jones]

Yikes. What a mess.

I would run, not walk away from that assignment. MH is complicated enough as it is let alone with all the other crap going on with this one.

But no, just because it has substantial additions, doesn't suddenly make it a 'stick built' ranch. Once a MH always a MH.

If the HUD tags are not intact, then the lender may reject the loan. What did the lender say about this?

FHA says:

SECTION 5 - HUD DATA PLATE
"Each manufactured home shall bear a data plate affixed in a permanent manner near the main electrical panel or other readily accessible or visible location." This is mandated by the Federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards 24 CFR 328

<snip>

Provided here is a copy of a January 4, 2006 response to a question submitted to the Santa Ana HOC providing direction to an appraiser who had written asking what to do when he could obtain all the information from the data plate, but was unable to find the certification label; it appeared the label had been covered.
"Response: All manufactured homes must have an affixed HUD seal(s) located on the outside of the home. If the home is a multi-wide unit, each unit must have a seal. They will be numbered sequentially. If for any reason the tags are missing, the Appraiser must recommend 'rejecting' the property and notify the Lender. In some states, a manufactured home may not be re-sold if missing a seal. If this is the case, the property is a reject. If this is not the case, then, the Lender may send an E-Mail to the Department's Manufactured Housing and Standards Division Program office, at (mhs@HUD.gov) and request issuance of a letter stating that the home had originally been issued a HUD label. The information, on the data plate inside the home, is not an acceptable alternative.


Also, if this is a MH it is likey in a rural setting correct? What about well and septic? Did you check to see if they are in compliance with FHA?


But the real kicker is the additions.

"It is best to ask the homeowner if any additions or modifications were completed in compliance with Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards (MHCSS). They probably will look at you with something approximating a "deer caught in the headlights" look, but it never hurts to ask. So that leaves it to you to judge if the additions or modifications present a risk to the structural integrity of the manufactured home. If you suspect the additions or modifications do cause a risk or a threat, then you are to notify your client.
The issue with manufactured houses is that the perimeter foundations are usually not designed to be load bearing. The ends of the structure are supported by the metal runners which rest on the posts. The ends are cantilevered. Many homeowners and even contractors either do not realize or forget this when making additions or improvements. They will unwittingly attach decks or additions to the sides of the manufactured house expecting the foundation of the manufactured house to carry a portion of the load of the addition or modification. As the manufactured home perimeter foundation is not designed to carry any real load at all, the results can be spectacularly unsuccessful.
Again, if you suspect the addition or modification presents a risk to the manufactured home's structural integrity; call the lender immediately for guidance.
Also, remember that the manufactured house cannot have been moved, other than for its original placement, to qualify for an FHA insured mortgage. There are times when a manufactured house, which has been placed on a permanent foundation, will be moved again. Perhaps it was sold and moved when its sellers were in the process of building a conventional house on their site. When the manufactured house is placed in its new location, the house will not be eligible for FHA insurance because it has been moved."

Also:

"SECTION 6 - IMPROVEMENTS - PERMANENT FOUNDATION SYSTEM
"To be eligible for FHA-insured financing, the design of the permanent foundation must be in compliance with FHA criteria as evidenced by an engineer's certification verifying such compliance."
· You should ask the lender for a copy of the engineer's certification verifying compliance. You should indicate in this section of the 1004C if the certificate was provided to you. "

 

[Doug Meyer]

You might want to post this question in the manufactured area of the forum. Jo Ann could help you out there..she is the guru in manufacturing homes/questions!!

 

[Mr Rex]

The data plate and seal info can be retrieved through IBTS and it could b eligible for FHA insurance. Lender problem and decision. The additions need engineering certifications that confirm that none of the additions are load bearing on the original HUD code home and that any openings cut etc don't compromise the structural integrity of the original manufactured home. Good luck. You have encountered the monster known as Frankentrailer.