When you’re making a life-changing purchase, it’s easy to feel stressed. Luckily, when it comes to buying a home, there’s a lot of initial steps to evaluate the property beforehand. Here are some common home foundation issues you or your home inspector might notice and what they mean.
Cracks
These can appear anywhere in the home and foundation. Depending on their location, size, and type, they can mean a lot of different things for the overall home structure. Thin, vertical cracks will appear over time as the foundation settles, but if they grow, get wider, or are horizontal, then you’ve got a more serious problem.
Water damage
If you spot water damage, then that could mean a couple different things: that there’s risk of mold in the home and that any water intrusions issues may not have been addressed. Ask the homeowners when the home flooded, how it happened, and if the right steps have been taken to remedy it.
Uneven floor
It may not be noticeable when you’re walking around the home, but a good home inspector will be able to notice if the floors are sloping or sinking. When this happens, it typically signals more significant, costly problems within the home’s foundation.
Sticking doors/windows
Doors or windows that stick when trying to open them are a result of the foundation shifting enough to cause problems throughout the home. It may also result in gaps appearing around window frames and doors as the home has moved away from a balanced state.
The severity of the issues will vary, so it’s important to hire a home inspector you trust. Then you and your real estate agent can discuss the pros and cons of buying the house. Maybe you’re open to the cost and labor of repairs, but then you’ll have to further negotiate the price to accommodate the additional costs. You can also request that the sellers take care of the repairs themselves in order for you to make an offer. However, keep in mind that the seller may opt for the cheaper route on repairs, so more inspections will most likely need to follow to ensure it was an adequate job.
Once you have all the information on the state of the foundation, it’s up to you to decide the best course of action. The perfect home may come with some compromises, but make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into. If you require a thorough foundation inspection for a pre-purchase home, our experts can help. Concrete & Foundation Solutions serves the Twin Cities metro.