Manufactured homes are unique to the housing industry because they are the only type of living units that can either be titled as personal property (chattel) or real property. For a mortgage loan, it, it is critical that the home is titled as real property so that the lender can have security interest in both the home and land.    

In some states in order to recognize the home as real property, there is a procedure of surrendering the certificate of title through a "paper" transaction.  For in Arizona and Michigan, this is called an Affidavit of Affixture. In other states, i.e. California, Idaho, New Mexico and Nevada,  the distinction between personal and real property is determined by the type of foundation and underpinnings that support the home. In addition to "detitling" (removing its registration as personal property and putting it on the assessor's real property tax roles), some states like California actually record a document called the 433A. This document is a permanent record specifying that the home has been installed on a permanent foundation. In California, in particular, there has been errors in transferring title, so if this is a problem with your home or home of your borrower, On The Level has a curative title department.   

If you are a homeowner or borrower and your home has a titling To understand the individual titling requirements of each state, you can go to:  https://www.efanniemae.com/

Since the individual jurisdictional requirements vary significantly, the Engineer Certification Letter or Affidavit helps to provide a standard of consistency. This is a complicated issue and we can help you determine the titling to make sure your home and land are considered a package deal in order to qualify for a loan!   800-909-1110 or email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

In some states, for instance California, New Mexico and Nevada, the distinction between personal and real property is determined by the type of foundation and underpinnings that support the home. In addition to "detitling" (removing its registration as personal property and putting it on the assessor's real property tax roles), California actually records a document called the 433A which specifies that the home has been installed on a permanent foundation.