As most inspectors already know, add-on services are where inspectors can significantly increase their average per hour income and that can contribute substantially to the bottom line. Offering add-on services is critical to the survival and profitability of a home inspection business.
In today’s real estate market, while the mortgage business for loans on conventional construction single-family homes are down, the manufactured home market is doing quite well. Many lenders who did not process loans on manufactured homes a few years ago are doing them today, simply because more and more people are moving out from the city and purchasing manufactured homes for considerably less than a stick-built home in the city.
In addition, compared to stick-built homes, manufactured homes are bought/sold/refinanced more often. Every time a manufactured home is financed, or refinanced, with a federally backed loan, the lender must acquire an engineer’s certification that the foundation is in compliance with HUD Guidelines.
FHA loans require both the foundation and addition certifications. Many lenders require the addition certification for conventional loans. For more than 25 years, engineering firms have used home inspectors to do the field work for these certifications, paying them an average of $125 per job. The field work for these certifications takes only 30 to 40 minutes to complete, including the time needed to upload the data and pics onto the engineering firm’s web portal.
Seven years ago, engineering firm Manufactured Home Certifications, LLC launched in three states, and are now in 44 (not in AK, CA, HI or KY; MA is pending and NY has been filed). When doing these certifications through Manufactured Home Certifications, the inspector works directly with the lenders/clients, so that the inspector is not dependent on the engineering firm for work. In addition, the inspector earns $300 to $450 for each certification job. That is great income for just 30 to 40 minutes of work! 70% of these certifications are done without the home inspection, but that is quickly changing as more and more people are buying manufactured homes.
If you are interested in getting more information, click on the link https://www.mfdhomecerts.com/contact_requests/new and you will be sent some general information via email, along with a link to the application form, which can be completed online in just a few minutes.
Manufactured Home Certifications provides training, which includes a training manual and site-based videos/slideshows. Most inspectors can be up and running in just a couple of days, and FlexFund makes a lot of sense for these certifications if you use both ISN and Guardian.
When you can provide bill-at-close at no cost and no risk to the lender, that gives the lender a more marketable loan package that they can provide to their clients; and that, in turn, gives you a huge marketing advantage. We highly recommend that you add these certifications to your available services today!