re: First time home buyer - is a foundation issue found during inspection a dealbreaker?

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I’m having a structural expert come out to generate a quote

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You need a structural engineer to do an inspection then get a quote on what needs to be done. If the "structural expert" you are using is a guy from say Cable Lok, they are just a salesman and have no idea, they will just use a piece of grid paper and tell you to put x number of pylons in a certain area.

I've had a foundation repair on my house, which wasn't found during the inspection. The repair has solved that problem, no issues in the four years since. Settling is normal. Wait for advice from the structural guy. And if you're serious about it, have it looked at again.

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First time home buyer myself--closing tomorrow actually. House we loved had a crack in the front of the house to the foundation and we worried about the same thing. Home inspector came and had a structural guy look too. Both weren't worried at all about it and said it had a very solid foundation. Like others have said, don't jump to conclusions. Wait for the inspector to come and ask him very frankly about his thoughts on it and if it's worth buying. Good luck amigo.

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Thanks friend, that's probably our path forward. At least with the expert opinion I might find out about soil issues that can help me eliminate the area from consideration. And if he says that with repair it should all be good, I'll likely get a second opinion to verify that and talk it over long and hard before pulling the trigger. And if not, well...

Fiancee is off Wednesday, likely going to start formulating the backup plan and starting the house hunt back up

Yep

yes its a deal breaker and no you cant depend on the inspector to find anything thats wrong with anything, home inspectors are a joke and there is no education or knowledge required to be one.

foundation work is around $5k-$8k on the cheapo simple stuff all the way the $30k plus if its a real problem, and possibly $50k or more up to a complete slab replacement required.

think of foundation issues as a major ongoing large scale termite infestation as far as being a problem

that said, old homes will settle so a few foundation cracks are not necessarily a sign of any problem unless the crack is separating or you see other signs like unlevel surface after the crack or cracking sheetrock

in your case you say its nine years old and had a vertical crack going straight through a cinder block that turns into a stair step crack as it gets closer to the ceiling of the crawl space.

thats a major big red flag that the foundation was poured over soft ground and there will be constant ongoing foundation issues with a house like that.

i might buy it and assume the risk if they sell it at half market value but thats the only way i assume such a huge risk on the problems to come in that houses future because the plumbing is also going to have drainage issues after a few more years as well

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foundation work is around $5k-$8k on the cheapo simple stuff all the way the $30k plus if its a real problem, and possibly $50k or more up to a complete slab replacement required.

think of foundation issues as a major ongoing large scale termite infestation as far as being a problem

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yeah my big fear is even if the seller pays to have it fixed, I need some guarantee that the problem isn't going to recur and I'm going to be left footing the bill when it's time to sell.

And that's assuming resell value does not plummet as a result of this which I kind of figure it would.

Just seems way too risky for my blood even if we do love the house, just not a sound investment. But again, I'll wait on the structural engineer's opinion.

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Most houses have foundation issues at some point


What is that supposed to mean? He should just buy one with a preexisting issue to get it out of the way?

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Actually yes in some situations because you can get it corrected, have it paid for by the seller and then the lifetime warranty will be handed over to buyer. most areas of Houston I wouldn't buy an older home unless I knew there has been some foundation repair with a guarantee. The soils around houston are horrible and it's only a matter of time before you have foundation issues.

Then you should know by now that there are millions of other options out there


I was in your position, and as a first time buyer, I was READY to get into this house no matter what.. here I am, two years later, and I’m about to pay - BIG TIME - for my rush to get into my house.. take your time, find something that checks off all your ‘boxes’ without** the added bullshite..

Trust me, you’ll be better off down the road because of it

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Then you should know by now that there are millions of other options out there


I was in your position, and as a first time buyer, I was READY to get into this house no matter what.. here I am, two years later, and I’m about to pay - BIG TIME - for my rush to get into my house.. take your time, find something that checks off all your ‘boxes’ without** the added bullshite..

Trust me, you’ll be better off down the road because of it

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you are right, I did the worst thing and got emotionally attached to the home so sucks letting it go.

Once the structural guy confirms its a foundation issue of any severity and not purely cosmetic (which of course it isn't), I'm walking away.