Need To Sell House With Foundation Issues

[Mary Weiss]

Help! We had our foundation fixed as much as possible two years ago, with piers put on the external walls of our 42-year old house in Dallas. However, nothing could be done about the internal 'sagging' because there are no cross beams. The engineer report said we did as much as could be done. The final report was it was fixed within an allowable amount.

We still have cracks after the foundation was fixed. Dallas is notorious for the clay soil causing cracks and settlement. Without the interior cross beams, is this house saleable?

[Nathan Thornberry]

Sure. Just talk to your agent about the situation, disclose the issue up front, and have documentation ready to go. You may end up with a slightly lower sold price than a similarly situated house in mint condition, but if everything is as you described I think you'll end up alright.

[Jeffrey R. Jonas]

Originally Posted by nthornberry

Sure. Just talk to your agent about the situation, disclose the issue up front, and have documentation ready to go. You may end up with a slightly lower sold price than a similarly situated house in mint condition, but if everything is as you described I think you'll end up alright.

Nathan,

I think that Mary has a certain expectation of who responds to her query, as she came to the website/MB of the "InterNational Association of Certified Home Inspectors" to pose her question.

I feel it prudent for you to fully disclose who and what you are to this Association, (as you are not a home or building inspector) and your opinion does not necessarily reflect the opinions of those that are trained and experienced as such, nor that of this Association.

[Juan C. Jimenez]

Mary

I think Nathan has given you some solid advice there. I have inspected houses with foundation repairs that were evaluated by a structural engineer, deemed ok, and sold.

[Bruce A. King]

Originally Posted by Mary Weiss

Help! We had our foundation fixed as much as possible two years ago, with piers put on the external walls of our 42-year old house in Dallas. However, nothing could be done about the internal 'sagging' because there are no cross beams. The engineer report said we did as much as could be done. The final report was it was fixed within an allowable amount.

We still have cracks after the foundation was fixed. Dallas is notorious for the clay soil causing cracks and settlement. Without the interior cross beams, is this house saleable?

Something is not adding up in your information.....
You have sagging, no cross beams present and none were added.....
Then you say the engineer said you did all you could do?
What is keeping you from adding additional support under the sagging area?

[Greg W. Mathias, CCHI]

Originally Posted by bking

Something is not adding up in your information.....
You have sagging, no cross beams present and none were added.....
Then you say the engineer said you did all you could do?
What is keeping you from adding additional support under the sagging area?

That was my question too. I have installed many a footing and pier support after the fact, jacked it back to level and shimmed as needed. A pain to do but worth it to get full value for the home.

[Jeffrey R. Jonas]

Originally Posted by bking

Something is not adding up in your information.....
You have sagging, no cross beams present and none were added.....
Then you say the engineer said you did all you could do?
What is keeping you from adding additional support under the sagging area?

Originally Posted by gmathias

That was my question too. I have installed many a footing and pier support after the fact, jacked it back to level and shimmed as needed. A pain to do but worth it to get full value for the home.

Exactly why I jumped Nathan for posting about that which he knows nothing about, and giving the wrong impressions to the general public regarding all qualified inspectors and this Association. Vendors should not be allowed to pose as inspectors on this MB, and disclaimers should be added to their profiles warning of their status, until such time as they are required to pass and maintain all requirements that a working inspecor must abide by.

There must be no deception allowed from these vendors to the general public (or members) that find there way here for assistance!

Mary, bottom line, you need a second opinion from a licensed and qualified foundation contractor that works with structural engineers that are well versed in building foundations (in Texas). I can't tell you how many "engineers" out there think they are the "cat's meow" and can evaluate anything, when in reality they don't know squat about a home and it's foundation. Remember, there are always ways to make corrections to a problem. How much $$ you are willing to invest in the correction will determine how well the correction is made, if at all.

[Troy N. Pappas]

Where did Nathan step outside of his scope of knowledge? The OP stated that she had an engineers report. Nathan, stated that with full disclosure and documentation that most likely the house should be able to sell.

He offered no advice on repairs, he offered advice that was relevant to his experience with thousands of real estate transactions.

[Tim Spargo]

What is keeping you from adding additional support under the sagging area?

Correct-o-mundo

&

I'll agree with Jeff that a second opinion from a specialist may be needed *or* a clarification from the professional you've hired to further your understanding of the document they've written.

I say this as I've been involved with a host of structural evaluations, alterations and repairs. In the last decade or more... I've heard and read a lot of things but I've never received a document from a Structural Engineer that said something along the lines of

The engineer report said we did as much as could be done. The final report was it was fixed within an allowable amount.

I'm certainly not intending to discredit the professional you've worked with, I'm almost wondering if you misunderstand what their document says. It's just hard for me to grasp where a SE would say that a defect exists, but you've done all you could?? Make sense? If an over-spanned or adverse condition exists, a recommendation(s) for correction would likely have been made.

[Bob Elliott]

Originally Posted by tpappas

Where did Nathan step outside of his scope of knowledge? The OP stated that she had an engineers report. Nathan, stated that with full disclosure and documentation that most likely the house should be able to sell.

He offered no advice on repairs, he offered advice that was relevant to his experience with thousands of real estate transactions.

I agree.
haters will Hate.

[Kenton Shepard, CMI]

I'm with Tim and Bruce. What kind of foundation is this and why can't the floor be brought into good solid condition?
I've seen owners of homes for sale lose a lot of money due to expansive soil issues because they didn't get good advice on how to address the problem. Expansive soil problems scare buyers, and rightly so.

[Roy D. Cooke, Sr]

Originally Posted by belliott

I agree. haters will Hate.

Sad that we have few who try a show how great they are and seem to attack a few who they have little use for .
... This attitude does little for our industry.