What should you ask your lender before ordering an inspection?
Ask which report the lender needs, in writing, and who will review it. Getting that answer first protects you from paying for a report the lender does not accept.
What are the questions?
Ask every lender the same ones so you can compare their answers:
- Do you finance this home and land arrangement? Say whether the land is part of the purchase or the site is leased.
- Does the installation history matter? Tell the lender about a known move and ask what records it wants.
- Which loan program are you proposing? Ask for its name and the property requirements that apply to this home.
- Which engineer's report is required? Ask for the exact wording, including any foundation standard or structural concern.
- Do additions or alterations count? Mention attached rooms, porches, or other known changes.
- Who reviews the finished report? Get a name and ask how follow-up questions are sent.
- What has to happen before closing? Separate the inspection date, the report review, any repairs, and title work.
What if the lender cannot answer yet?
A lender that has not reviewed the property may need records first. Write down what it needs next. A preliminary chat is not an approval, so do not treat it as one.
What if you do not know whether the home was moved?
Say so. Do not fill the gap with a guess. Our guide to a conventional loan on a moved manufactured home explains why the lender cares and what to gather.
Can you order the inspection before choosing a lender?
You can ask for a quote, but first decide what the inspection must support. A buyer's own due-diligence inspection may answer different questions from the ones a lender's requirement raises. Confirm the intended use before you pay for a report you plan to use for financing.
What should you have ready for the first call?
- The address, state, and listing information.
- Whether you are buying or refinancing.
- The land arrangement and any known move history.
- Your target closing date.
- Photos or copies of the home's identifying records and any earlier engineer report, if you have them.
You can start with incomplete records. Tell the lender which details are still unknown.
What happens once you have the answers?
Send us the lender's wording and we confirm the scope before anything is scheduled. Reports are signed by an engineer licensed in the state where the home sits: Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, or Indiana.
Ready to ask for a quote?
Our moved-home structural integrity report and conventional loan structural report services both start from the lender's wording. Send it to us. We reply within one business day.