This thread got a little bit skewed when Nick entered. My point was that that home inspector should not be doing home inspections - which is stated in my post. If you want to do 4 points have at em.
Yes I know it’s a separate inspection but the OP is for four points and I have done the tie down inspections at the request of an insurance co and was accepted because they met the guidelines in the law. Why would I exclude any part of my services from mobile homes when they are a huge presence here?
Wayne, if you have any more info on the tie-down inspections, I would like to know more about them and if there is a specific form for them. You can email me anytime, thanks.
That is not a four point.
You are confusing 2 separate subjects.
I did 2 foundations inspections today and have 1 secluded at 10 am tomorrow.
Stand down! You are confused!
I am not confused…I did not address a four point inspection. I was specificallly addressing the previoius post about installers abilities. I could give a **** about the 4 point. I am not the one that took the thread off topic.
Good point. How did this thread jump from 4pt to tie-down?
Thanks for the help guys, looks like four points are not really needed in my area for mobile homes.
Inspections/4 point inspections are generally not needed when selling a mobile home “as is.” HOWEVER, older mobile homes that are being purchased through a lender and/or as a requirement of an insurance company - when seeking to ensure the home - will commonly require an inspection. The older the home, the more likely the inspection requirement.
Baring that, a buyer may request an inspection for his or her own peace of mind. With today’s online environment, prevalent scam artists, where no one seems to trust anyone else… Inspections are becoming more common, even in cash, “as is,” deals.
I just tried to purchase a place last week and was told, “Everything was in perfect working order.” But the minute I mentioned a, “possible inspection,” the owner immediately cancelled the deal, citing he, “did not want to deal with an inspection.” As it turned out, the ENTIRE AC system was rotted and needed to be replaced.
Buyers should have an idea of what they are getting into, even if it’s a “as is” sale. The problem is/was RE agents suggesting they don’t have one making the offer “sweeter” to the sellers. A lot of buyers are finding this out now and a lot of RE agents are having a-hole pucker anxiety symptoms…
4-Point and home inspections are relevant to mobile homes. Many insurance companies ask us for the 4-Point, and we have done many. You are 100% correct the Wind which is known as a “Mobile Home Tie Down Report” not a “wind mitigation” must be done by a professional engineer. However, many of our agents and clients ask us to do one during the inspection before they spend an extra $600 or so on a PE to come and do it. It’s pretty simple to look at the tie down spacing, qty of tie downs, piers, pier base, qty of piers, HUD label and data plates etc. We have a standard word doc template we use with a specific disclaimer we are not Professional Engineers but most insurance companies will accept our report. Will post one after sanitizing the client info.
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Posted a Word version of the report we use. Feel free to steal, borrow, or plagiarize as you see fit. If you do take on doing these, the most important thing to note is the tie-down spacing, tie-down
qty, anchoring, pier spacing, and pier qty. If the tie-downs are at the old 8’ spacing (Some earlier at 12’), I can almost guarantee the Professional Engineer is going to mark the home deficient and require an upgrade - tie-down straps need to be at 5’. So why do we do these? We earn an additional fee for a crawlspace inspection/tie-down report, and the client is happy to give us the extra $125 to $175 with the home inspection fee before they spend $600 on a PE, and then $600 again after the home is upgraded. As always, crawlspaces are not fun. Use caution, critters, sewage, live wires, and a host of other hazards which can be present. Recommend gloves and a Tyvek suit if you do venture in the crawl.
Address-Tie-Down-Inspection-Report.docx (2.5 MB)
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I do plenty of 4-points on manufactured homes. Most people are just using them as a substitute for a full inspection, but I explain the difference and let them choose what they want. Most are just concerned with the big ticket items and some are actually getting insurance. I have some “agents” that will not list a manufactured home without having a 4-point done first. They want to know the condition before they will even list it. I do the tie down Inspections for a couple of engineers as well. Super easy and they pay well.
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