Did you know… ?

if a manufactured home was built after September 1, 1958., alterations to the electrical, plumbing, or mechanical systems of a manufactured home require a permit and inspection from the Department of Housing and Community Development regardless of where the home is located.

Did you know… ?

a community park manager or management association must obtain permission from HCD or the local enforcement agency to move lot lines for individuals residing in the park, after obtaining a homeowner’s approval and meeting other requirements. See Title 25 California Code of Regulations section 1104(d) here.

Did you know… ?

the rules and regulations of a mobile home park must be given to the resident at the time of application for tenancy and with new leases/extensions. There is no requirement to post the park rules, however.

Did you know… ?

Mobile Home park management can require homeowners to correct violations of local and/or state regulations for the unit and accessory structures. Management generally cannot require a homeowner to make physical improvements to park-owned property or structures, including the lot.

See MRL sections 798.73.5 an 798.83 in the Civil Code for more information Here.

Did you know… ?

Contrary to popular belief, fixed rate financing IS available for mobile homes and manufactured homes built prior to June of 1976. Visit California Manufactured Home Finance’s website at  www.camhf.com for more information on financing a mobile home.

This concludes today’s Mobile home edition of  ”Did you know?”

Mobile home and Manufactured home communities provide desireable lifestyles at affordable costs, however, the nature of such community style living requires that each homeowner be responsible for maintaing their home and their lot to ensure that the community remains free of any illegal health and safety hazards.

To ensure that each Mobile Home park remains free from these hazards,  legislation was put into place in 1991 that ensures every mobile home park in the State of California is inspected every 5 to 7 years.

In the course of their research, the Department of Housing realized that most of the violations exist because home owners and park operators simply do not realize that the violations are illegal and dangerous. However, the following examples of common violations are offenses that must be corrected to ensure the safety of the home owners and the general public:

Broken Windows

Missing Steps

Combustibles stored under homes

Blocked emergency exits

Another common fire safety violation is the construction of a combustible accessory structure, such as a shed. The easiest way to remedy this violation is to remove or relocate the structure.

Awnings and screens that are attached to homes sometimes are added by homeowners that don’t realize that the home was not manufactured to support additional weight. For this reason, adding an awning or screened in area to your home must be done with a construction permit.

Other common violations are missing handrails and guardrails along the steps and porches of manufactured homes. The law states that handrails must be present if there are more than two steps attached to the home. Guardrails must be present on porches that are 30 inches from the ground. While these handrail and guardrail requirements seem strict, statistically most injuries in manufactured home parks are caused by falls in and around one’s own home.

These are the typical, correctable violations that are most commonly seen in mobile home parks.

Lastly, when an inspector visits your park, you should know that the inspector is not allowed to enter your home without your permission, however, the inspector is required to enter your lot for the inspection. The inspector must inspect the condition of your lot, your utility hook uips and the exterior of your home.

Mobile Home Transformation by Trailer Wrap

Trailer Wrap projects make affordable and ecologically concious remodeling efforts possible, transforming  used 1970′s “trailers” into beautiful, environmentally sound modern homes (that could be featured in model home magazines).  From TrailerWrap’s website “TrailerWrap is a collaborative, design + build project that addresses issues of sustainable and affordable design in the context of the ubiquitous American trailer park. At the scale of an individual building, the project explores the potential for augmenting this affordable housing typology with outdoor living space, improved, energy efficient construction and high volume, light-filled interiors. At the urban scale the project reexamines the mobile home park as a model for equitable, high-density alternatives to suburban sprawl. In pushing the envelope of adaptable reuse, the TrailerWrap project seeks to create exciting, small scale, high density, and affordable architecture with a social and environmental conscience.”

On the flip side, some might say that such a project detracts from one of the main benefits of manufactured housing; the controlled environment that the homes are produced within, which ensures quality, affordability and reduces environmental waste.

Trailer Wrap Interior Photo

Other’s may be conerned with the reduced functionality of the actual mobile aspect of this type of home. However, Trailer Wrap has prepared for such concerns and ensures that the homes remain mobile by definition and compliant with goverment mobile home codes. The Trailer Wrap website purports, “This project conforms to the code governing mobile homes because it doesn’t require traditional foundations and the unit retains a functioning chassis. Substantial concrete piers and demountable steel connections serve as wind tiedowns, but those tie-downs are permissible because they do not emerge above the ground plane and they can be disconnected from the chassis.”

More information on the Trailer Wrap project can be found on the informational pdf offered at Trailer Wrap.Net

CertifiedGreen Modular Home Program™ Guide, by NMHC and SBRA*

The National Modular Housing Council (NMHC) has introduced a dynamic new program called the CertifiedGreen Modular Home Program™,created by the NMHC in cooperation with the Systems Building Research Alliance (SBRA). This program was created to draw attention to the inherently green nature of factory building: the efficient way that modular homes are constructed, the use and reuse of materials and the general conservation of resources that are hallmarks of modular construction.

CertifiedGreen™ is a national program for new homes that qualify in compliance with the National Green Building Standard recently accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).The standard was developed by a housing industry consensus committee representing architects, site and factory built home builders, environmental experts and building product manufacturers formed by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the International Code Council (ICC) to draft the actual standards documentation. The CertifiedGreen™ program was designed by and for the benefit of the modular industry, expressly to meet the needs of modular home builders constructing green homes.

According to the Manufactured Housing Institute, “With the National Green Building Standard as the program’s technical basis, CertifiedGreen™ homes meet a widely recognized benchmark for green building.”

The Program Guide contains additional information on what is required for participation in the program.

National Green Building Standard™, by ICC and NAHB (New Standard to be in stock beginning of March 2009)

A collaborative effort between the ICC and NAHB, the Standard provides the “green” practices that can be incorporated into new homes, including high-rise multifamily buildings, home remodeling and additions, hotels and motels, and the site upon which the green homes are located.

The green practices include lot design, preparation and development; resource, energy, and water efficiency; indoor environmental quality; and operation; maintenance; and building owner education. The four threshold levels, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Emerald provide builders with a means to achieve basic, entry-level green building, or achieve the highest level of sustainable “green” building that incorporates energy savings of 60 percent or higher. The Standard can be used by any builder for their individual projects, or be the basis for a local community or state green building program.

*Information on CertifiedGreen Modular Home Program™ was obtained from the Manufactured Housing Institute.

According to the Manufactured Housing Institute, the following are unique advantages to Manufactured Home or Mobile Home Ownership:

Cost-Effective:

Depending on the region of the country, construction cost per square foot for a new manufactured home averages 10 to 35 percent less than costs for a comparable site-built home.

Built for Quality:

All aspects of the construction process are controlled.

The weather does not interfere with construction and cause delays.

All technicians, craftsmen and assemblers work as a team and are professionally supervised.

Amenities:

Floor plans are available that range from basic to elaborate. These include vaulted or tray ceilings, fully-equipped kitchens, walk-in closets, and bathrooms with recessed tubs and whirlpools.

A variety of exterior siding is available, including metallic, vinyl, wood, or hardboard. In some cases, homebuyers can also opt for stucco exteriors.

Safety:

Manufactured homes are among the safest housing choices available today due to federal laws requiring smoke detectors, escape windows, and limited combustible materials around furnaces, water heaters and kitchen ranges.

More Information can be found at http://www.manufacturedhousing.org/media_center/quick_facts/advantages.htm

“On February 17, 2009 President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 into law. Key provisions advocated by the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) and its affiliates the National Modular Housing Council (NMHC) and National Communities Council (NCC) were included in the final economic stimulus package. In particular, the law authorizes a tax credit of up to $8,000 for qualified first-time home buyers purchasing a principal residence on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009.”

“Does this tax credit apply to manufactured and modular homes? Any home that will be used as a principal residence will qualify for the credit including manufactured homes, modular homes, site-built homes, even houseboats!
This also includes homes placed on private land or in a land-lease  Community, a condominium, or a cooperative.Mobile Homes financed using a personal property loan are eligible.”

Read more of the original article via MHI at:

http://www.manufacturedhousing.org/admin/template/brochures/721temp.pdf

Q: How can I tell if my home is a modular or manufactured home?

A: Manufactured homes are built as single-family dwellings with units of at least 320 square feet on a permanent chassis to ensure the initial and continued transportability of the home. All transportable sections of manufactured homes built in the U.S. after June 15, 1976 contain a Certification Label and a Data Plate. This documentation ensures that the home was built to the Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards. Most states have a state certification label for modular homes. Click here for more information about modular homes.

Q: Whom do I contact if something is wrong with my manufactured home?

A: Start by contacting your retailer; be sure to put the complaint in writing. Document all conversations and save copies of any letters or documents you exchange. The next step is to contact the manufacturer. If you are still dissatisfied with their response 38 States participate with HUD in a State and Federal partnership to regulate and enforce the Federal manufactured housing program in their state. Their involvement depends on the serious nature of the issue. Click here to find the contact for your state.

Q: How can I find out where and when my manufactured home was built?

A: Your home has a data plate that includes the date of manufacture, name and address of the manufacturing plant, manufacturer’s serial number and model, a list of certification labels applied to the home, major equipment, roof load, heating/cooling and wind zone information. Also included is the Design Approved Primary Inspection Agency.

The label is the manufacturer’s certification that the home is built in accordance with HUD’s construction and safety standards. The Data Plate includes information concerning the manufacture, components and intended location of the home. HUD standards cover Body and Frame Requirements, Thermal Protection, Plumbing, Electrical, Fire Safety, and other aspects of the home. They are published in the Code of Federal Regulations (24 CFR part 3280, Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards).

Find More Q & A with IBTS, go here: Link ]]> http://camhf.com/mobile-home-loan-blog/manufactured-homes/q-a-with-the-institute-for-building-technology-safety.html/feed 0 http://camhf.com/mobile-home-loan-blog/manufactured-homes/what-is-a-manufactured-home.html http://camhf.com/mobile-home-loan-blog/manufactured-homes/what-is-a-manufactured-home.html#comments Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:23:49 +0000 admin http://camhf.com/mobile-home-loan-blog/?p=4 What is a Manufactured Home?

According to HUD, or the U.S. Department of Housing&Urban Development:

“A manufactured home (formerly known as a mobile home) is built to the Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards (HUD Code) and displays a red certification label on the exterior of each transportable section. Manufactured homes are built in the controlled environment of a manufacturing plant and are transported in one or more sections on a permanent chassis.”

What is the difference between manufactured and modular homes?

“Manufactured homes are constructed according to a code administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD Code). The HUD Code, unlike conventional building codes, requires manufactured homes to be constructed on a permanent chassis. Modular homes are constructed to the same state, local or regional building codes as site-built homes. Other types of systems-built homes include panelized wall systems, log homes, structural insulated panels, and insulating concrete forms.”

More Info on HUD Definitions can be found at the HUD Website at http://www.hud.gov/

]]> http://camhf.com/mobile-home-loan-blog/manufactured-homes/what-is-a-manufactured-home.html/feed 0 http://camhf.com/mobile-home-loan-blog/uncategorized/5-ways-to-boost-your-credit-score-from-business-pundit.html http://camhf.com/mobile-home-loan-blog/uncategorized/5-ways-to-boost-your-credit-score-from-business-pundit.html#comments Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:18:31 +0000 admin http://camhf.com/mobile-home-loan-blog/?p=3 Here’s an informative article found on Business Pundit’s blog at http://www.businesspundit.com/5-ways-to-boost-your-credit-score/

1. Use credit cards. No credit history is just as bad as a horrible credit history. If credit cards make you nervous, only use yours to pay off a monthly bill, or when you go out to eat. Manageable debt is better than not having a credit score at all.

2. Keep your balances small to nonexistent. Don’t max out your cards unless you can pay them back down quickly. Use half or less of the full balance on each card when you make purchases. Keeping balances near the maximum will negatively affect your credit score.

3. Avoid late payments. Serial late payments can trash your credit score. Pay down the minimum amount each month, if not more. (Note: Many credit card companies will wipe your first late payment off your records if you say it was an accident. After that, you’re on your own.)

4. Avoid acquiring too many credit cards. Not only does this complicate your debt life, but it reflects badly on your credit score. There’s no ideal number of credit cards, but try to keep it below six (including store cards).

5. Do not open more than one credit card at a time (this lowers your accounts’ average age), or close too many credit cards (resulting in less credit available). Both actions reflect poorly on your credit rating.

Honorable mention: Don’t declare bankruptcy–it will ruin your credit for up to a decade.