Buy or pass on house with foundation issues?

6 years ago

My husband and I are in the process of buying our first home. We fell in love with a house with lots of charm and our offer was accepted among a few competing offers for the same price. The initial inspection came back with a lot of issues, the most concerning of which was structural, though the seller has agreed to fix all issues at no cost to us. This is a house built in the 1940s and the only issues visible from the inside of the house are slightly sloped kitchen floors.

We had an additional inspection by a structural engineer who will be working with the seller's contractor to make the repairs if we move forward. We're set to close at the end of the month but are now feeling apprehensive. Would love some advice from people more seasoned than us about the home buying and selling process.

With the issues below, if they are fixed at no expense to us and are approved by our structural engineer, are we good? Or, are we likely to have continuous issues with the foundation? We would potentially be selling this house in 6ish years or so and have no clue if past foundational issues like this would be a deterrent to potential buyers in the future.

There are currently temporary support beams; would be replaced with permanent support beams.
One support beam is sagging; would be repaired or replaced.
Sister joists are not extended to a bearing point; would be fixed.
Sill plate in center of crawl space is crushed; would be repaired.
Subfloor rot in crawl space would be repaired.
Water stain under toilet in crawl space would be repaired.
Debris in crawl space would be removed.
Foundation damage to a detached garage would be repaired.

Appreciate any advice!

Featured Answer

cpartist

6 years ago

If the sellers are willing to fix the problems and your engineer signs off on it, I don't see what the issue is. In my last house we had 3 major issues. A sagging support column which the seller fixed on their dime, asbestos in the basement, which they abated and a septic system past its prime. They put in a new one. I lived in that house for close to 19 years after that and none of those things were an issue again.

Either way the seller will have to either fix or disclose the problems to the next people interested in buying the house, so either way they'll have to fix it or take a huge cut in the price of the house.

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Comments (9)

Seabornman
6 years ago
Fixing the immediate damage is one thing. Keeping it from recurring in other locations is another. That must be one damp basement and crawl space. Ask the engineer his opinion on future issues.
Anna R thanked Seabornman
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party_music50
6 years ago
I think like cpartist -- if the problems will get fixed and verified, then move forward. Good luck! :)
Anna R thanked party_music50
homechef59
6 years ago
Having a structural engineer as part of your closing team is a great idea. They will sign off that the repairs were satisfactory once they are completed. This should give you peace of mind. When we were new homeowners the local home inspector was a structural engineer. Great guy. You knew when he inspected, you were getting the real info.
Anna R thanked homechef59
lyfia
6 years ago
If it is fixed correctly it shouldn't be an issue with going forward. There can be two main reasons I can think of as to why it is an issue. The issue is the way the house was built and if it is fixed with the engineers sign-off then you're good to go. The other option is that it is common in the area for it to happen due to soil conditions. If that is the case then it could occur again, but it will also happen to any other house in the area and wouldn't be unique to just this house so you'd eventually deal with it in any house.

I would continue to move forward as it sounds like you have good protection with having an engineer involved.
Anna R thanked lyfia
midcenturymodernlove
6 years ago
Words like "fixed" or "repaired" means absolutely nothing. It could be as minimal as a spray- on mold remover stain "fix" for the stain - or as extensive as replacing subfloor. That entire list is poorly worded, something that is bound to happen when real estate agents (or fsbo's ) start drafting provisions. Make sure you are with said engineer and that he specifically designates in writing what "repairs" have to occur and exactly how they must be done, to avoid future problem.
Mrs. S
6 years ago
I have another opinion.

For a house you're only going to live in for 6 years, I wouldn't like any of this. My concern would be that the person/entity fixing the damage is not in a contractual relationship with you. This can lead to accountabililty issues. Sure, the structural engineer you hire has a contract with you, but what is he/she signing off on? That the work meets minimal standards? To me, it might not be the same thing as a contractor offering you solutions of A-quality and B-quality, depending on your budget and that you can make a decision on. I hope I'm explaining this well enough.

My secondary concern would be that when you sell this house in 6 years, the market might not be so hot then, and you may have a whole host of items that you will have to disclose... may make the home harder to sell. (It might not). But there's a risk there.

Thirdly, for a house you will only have for 6 years, you have no guarantee that you won't be suffering with fix-it items during those 6 years. It just doesn't sound like a great way to spend 6 years-with a money pit.
kriii
6 years ago
Honestly, I would pass. Your gut instinct might be telling you something.
Lala
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Why risk having your first time home buying experience turn into a nightmare? There are plenty of houses that have no major issues. For peace of mind, I would advise you to keep looking.

Our last house had cracks in the bricks above the garage doors due to foundation issues. We paid a good chunk of money for the repairs and used a reputable company that issued a lifetime, transferrable warranty. If you can get this type of warranty, potential buyers might be more likely to consider buying your house. Others will walk away because as I mentioned, there are plenty of other houses w/o the risk.