Pre-Purchase Foundation Check for North Fort Myers Mobile Homes

Before you buy a used mobile home in North Fort Myers, we go under it and check what the listing photos cannot show: the piers, the pads, the anchors and straps, and how far the home is out of level. You get a written report you can take to the seller, the park and your lender. Our typical range for this check is $150 to $350, and we confirm the price when you book.

Why buyers here ask for it

About half of all homes here are mobile homes, 13,967 of 28,644 in the Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey, and the median resident age is about 64. Named 55+ communities here include Lazy Days Village, the resident-owned park on Business 41, along with Lake Fairways Country Club, Pine Lakes Country Club and Tamiami Village. When a home changes hands, nobody selling it has much reason to crawl underneath. We do.

What we look at

Level. We read the frame height along both main beams and note any drop, including along the marriage line on a doublewide.
Piers and pads. Cracked blocks, sunk pads, loose shims, and any pier that is not touching the beam. Florida Rule 15C-1 calls for at least a 4 by 16 by 16 inch solid concrete pad.
Anchors and straps. Lee County is HUD Wind Zone III, with a 110 mph design wind. We count the anchors, check the strap tension, and look for coral anchors, which Rule 15C-1 says do not meet Zone II or III.
Water under the home. Most of the ground here is poorly drained flatwood sand. Standing water or a low spot under the home can sink the same pier again after you move in.
Underbelly and skirting. Torn belly wrap, insulation on the ground, and skirting that bows because the home edge above it has moved.
Attached add-ons. How carports, screen rooms and porch roofs are fixed to the home. In the state’s survey of three North Fort Myers parks after Ian, about 80% of the damage observed was carports and add-ons lifting off.
Flood zone of the lot. Much of North Fort Myers by area is in a FEMA flood zone, especially near the river and creeks, and it changes from park to park.

The flood rule buyers should know

Since November 2022, Lee County Ordinance 22-30 requires a manufactured home that is placed, replaced or substantially improved in a flood hazard area to be elevated so its lowest floor is at or above base flood elevation plus one foot. In coastal high hazard areas (VE and Coastal A zones) the bottom of the frame has to meet that height. The floor elevation is verified by a registered surveyor after the home is set. The rule is written for homes that are placed, replaced or substantially improved, so it matters most if you are thinking about a replacement or a large repair down the line. Ask Lee County how it applies to the lot you are buying.

Lenders and paperwork

We do not tell you what your lender requires, because lenders differ. A lender may ask for a foundation certification signed by an engineer. Call your loan officer, ask which form it needs and who must sign it, and then book what you need. Our report is written for you as the buyer: what the home sits on, what is wrong, and our typical range to fix it.

What happens with the findings

If the home needs a relevel, pier and pad repair or tie-down work, the report lists it with our typical range from the pricing page. You can use that to agree a price with the seller, or to ask the seller to fix it before closing. Florida requires an FLHSMV mobile home installer licence for installation work, so whoever does any repair, ask for the licence number.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a pre-purchase foundation check cost?

A level, support and tie-down inspection with a written report typically runs $150 to $350. If we find work that needs doing, the report says what it is and what our typical range is for it, so you can take that into the price talk with the seller.

My lender wants a foundation certification. Is that what this is?

Not necessarily. A lender may ask for a foundation certification from an engineer, and lenders have their own forms. Ask your lender exactly which document it needs and who has to sign it before you book anything. Our report tells you what the home is sitting on and what needs fixing, which is worth knowing either way.

How do I find out if the home is on a stem wall or on piers?

Look behind the skirting at a vent or the access door, or ask us to. A home on piers shows rows of block stacks under the beams, with skirting hung around the outside. A stem wall is a continuous wall of block or concrete around the outside edge that the home rests on. Our report says exactly what is under the home you are looking at.

Does the flood zone matter if I am only buying, not replacing?

It matters later. Lee County requires a home that is placed, replaced or substantially improved in a flood hazard area to be elevated so its lowest floor is at base flood elevation plus one foot. If you might replace the home one day, check the flood zone of the lot itself, because it varies from park to park.