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Look at the two photos linked below, at the far left bottom corner, just above the hose faucet.
The red tag definitely signifies a HUD-Code home. We used to call it the "HUD Tag."
That is not necessarily a bad thing. It is just knowing what you are dealing with, and the hoops you may jump through for financing.
I suspect your lender will want an engineer's letter confirming proper permanent foundation.
Cinder block foundation? Major red flag right there. Are the blocks hollow? If not, are they only filled with concrete or did the builder use rebar too? And what are cinder blocks sitting on? Concrete pad or bare dirt?
I admit I am biased against HUD homes because in many areas they do not have to meet the latest state and local building codes. This is where modular homes are superior, IMHO.
Cinder block foundation? Major red flag right there. Are the blocks hollow? If not, are they only filled with concrete or did the builder use rebar too? And what are cinder blocks sitting on? Concrete pad or bare dirt?
I admit I am biased against HUD homes because in many areas they do not have to meet the latest state and local building codes. This is where modular homes are superior, IMHO.
The foundation is likely only decorative. We call it a curtain wall.
A HUD-code home sits on piers and generally supports the walls and roof with cantilever outriggers off the longitudinal I-Beams that are on top of the running gear(axles and wheels.)
Cinder block foundation? Major red flag right there. Are the blocks hollow? If not, are they only filled with concrete or did the builder use rebar too? And what are cinder blocks sitting on? Concrete pad or bare dirt?
I admit I am biased against HUD homes because in many areas they do not have to meet the latest state and local building codes. This is where modular homes are superior, IMHO.
As Mike said, with Manufactured homes, the weight is not on the perimeter... the cinder blocks would only be decorative. Cinder blocks are a step up from the metal or vinyl or wood you often see in cheaper installations. The weight of the structure is on huge steel I-beams that run the full length of the building - two on each side, to pier blocks generally sitting on concrete footings.
The foundation is likely only decorative. We call it a curtain wall.
A HUD-code home sits on piers and generally supports the walls and roof with cantilever outriggers off the longitudinal I-Beams that are on top of the running gear(axles and wheels.)
Thanks. However, if the home is sitting on gravity piers it is still inferior to a proper home foundation with seismic and wind-load hold-downs. I'd much rather have a modular home that complies with state and local building codes -- those bring with it up-to-date standards for structural integrity, fire safety, energy efficiency and so on.
Thanks. However, if the home is sitting on gravity piers it is still inferior to a proper home foundation with seismic and wind-load hold-downs. I'd much rather have a modular home that complies with state and local building codes -- those bring with it up-to-date standards for structural integrity, fire safety, energy efficiency and so on.
Properly installed manufactured homes are tied down for wind uplift.
Seismic requirements are local considerations.
Thanks. However, if the home is sitting on gravity piers it is still inferior to a proper home foundation with seismic and wind-load hold-downs. I'd much rather have a modular home that complies with state and local building codes -- those bring with it up-to-date standards for structural integrity, fire safety, energy efficiency and so on.
Nobody is against a modular home, really, I'm just not sure they are something you can actually GET in this area. Like I said... never even been in one that I know of, and I walk a LOT of homes. Out here, the choice is between built-on-premises homes and manufactured homes... some new, some old, some professionally engineered and affixed to permanent foundations, and some not. Many newer MFHs actually meet or exceed the energy and safety standards for our area.
Thanks. However, if the home is sitting on gravity piers it is still inferior to a proper home foundation with seismic and wind-load hold-downs. I'd much rather have a modular home that complies with state and local building codes -- those bring with it up-to-date standards for structural integrity, fire safety, energy efficiency and so on.
Sitting here in a manufactured home with (required) tie downs, cinder block skirting (what we call that curtain wall around here), remembering the cursing when the footings guys found out I had selected a chert ledge and their fiberglass reinforced footings had to partly be in areas where a pickaxe was needed to get the required depth. You go ahead and think "inferior" if you want. Oh yeah, hardieboard siding, six inch walls, etc..
I had a choice of it being manufactured or modular. If I had bought for resale value, maybe I would have opted for modular, which scares folks like you less. However, taxation wise, having manufactured saved me up front and on an ongoing basis for what is essentially the same structure, but WITH steel beams under it.
Find out if it is in its original location; it's harder to get insurance on a mobile that has been moved. That said, mine was built in 1978 and moved in 1983. It was neglected for years, then fixed up, and is fine and comfortable.
My MIL owned a mobile built in 1956, and a friend recently bought one of similar vintage. Both are comfortable and spacious. The older ones seem to have bigger bedrooms.
Here in Arizona, the roof should be recoated every 3-5 years, even if you use 10-year coating.
Is the house in a park? Check the fees and regulations; some are quite restrictive. Also make sure the park hasn't been sold to someone who is going to evict all the mobiles and build something else.
Coop parks are great if you can find them; homeowners own the park jointly, instead of renting from a landlord. There will still be maintenance fees, but the land can't be sold out from under you.
If the house has had routine maintenance it will be fine. I had mobile homes made in the 70's and they were absolutely fine.
Manufactured homes are more fragile than site build homes and they need care.
If it is located where it snows, you could look for damage from ice dams. Other than that, a regular home inspection as a condition of the purchase.
Just about now, that home shouldn't cost much more than the lot it is on, plus all the cost of developing that lot, which can be a pretty tidy sum, depending upon what had to be done to prepare the lot, put in drives, utilities, landscaping, foundation.
If that is in a park where you are renting the site it is one, a 20 year old manufactured home should be pretty cheap.
This is the thing. There is nothing wrong with a 'mobile' home as such, but one installed on a rented lot in a park, well the rented lot is the problem IMHO. Combines the worst aspects of renting with the worst aspects of owning outright.
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Oh yeah, hardieboard siding, six inch walls, etc..
