If you want to use a conventional, VA or FHA loan to buy a manufactured home, here are some basic guidelines:
- It must be built June 15, 1976 or later
- It must be have at least 600′ feet of living area
- It must be on its own lot (not in a park or co-op) with water & sewer (private systems or public)
- It must be on its original site
- It must have an affixed HUD certification label/seal*
- Must have two HUD Plates (one for each half of the double wide)*
- The towing gear or running hitch must be removed
- It must be on a permanent foundation that meet HUD (Housing & Urban Development) standards. To determine if the foundation meets HUD standards, you must have an engineer or licensed architect certify it.
- If the foundation is a crawl space then the home carriage frame must be tied down to concrete footings or other perimeter foundation construction that is placed below the frost line. The crawl space must be encapsulated with material imperious to rot and infestation. The distance from the undercarriage to the ground should be no less than 18 inches. The crawl space should be dry, adequately ventilated and free of trash or debris
*If either the HUD label or plates cannot be found, then they can be certified via IBTS (Institute for Building Technology & Safety) where they hold the national database for manufactured homes.
