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Find hidden foundation problems before purchasing a home

Posted Mar 31, 2021 in Foundation Crack Repair, Waterproofing, Industry

You’re about to make the biggest pur­chase of your life. Are you ready? Before you invest your hard earned mon­ey on a new home, it’s impor­tant that your sure that the foun­da­tion is in good shape. Oth­er­wise, you could be in for expen­sive repairs lat­er. Check for foun­da­tion prob­lems before you buy – you’ll be glad you did!

Even if the home looks flaw­less, it’s entire­ly pos­si­ble that there are foun­da­tion issues lurk­ing in the deep. While you’d like to think that the sell­er will dis­close any issues or take care of them pri­or to sale, they might not be as hon­est as you are. It’s in your best inter­est to check things out. If you’re in the mar­ket for a new home, Fam­i­ly Water­proof­ing Solu­tions rec­om­mends you look for a few con­spic­u­ous warn­ing signs.

Foun­da­tion prob­lem warn­ing signs

Are the exte­ri­or walls cov­ered? If you notice items sus­pi­cious­ly pushed up against the sides of the house, the cur­rent own­er may be try­ing to hide some­thing. Make sure to remove such items and ensure there are no unseen cracks in the foun­da­tion, bricks, or walls. These types of cracks may mean a foun­da­tion repair is wait­ing for a new owner.

Is there brand new wall­pa­per or recent­ly paint­ed walls? While the own­er may have improved the house to make it more attrac­tive to buy­ers, it’s also pos­si­ble that they are try­ing to cov­er some­thing up. Make sure to ask about it or take a clos­er look.

Is fur­ni­ture awk­ward­ly placed along the walls? Or are there box­es stacked against the walls? The sell­er may be try­ing to hide some­thing. If some­thing looks like it doesn’t belong, move it, and take a look behind. It might be noth­ing, but it also might be an expen­sive repair wait­ing for you when you move in.

By tak­ing a few steps to pro­tect your­self, you may save your­self a headache of hav­ing to repair the foun­da­tion your­self, or you may be able to nego­ti­ate a low­er pur­chase price, sav­ing you mon­ey. In any case, it only serves to ben­e­fit you.

Signs of foun­da­tion problems

1. Cracks in the walls, brick sid­ing, or siding
2. Uneven floors
3. Mis­aligned win­dows and doors
4. Cracked and fold­ed drywall