How To Sell My House With Foundation and Structural Issues

Did you happen to have a feeling that your house just shook but when you watched the news or searched the net, no earthquake was recorded? Did you notice a few cracks on your basement wall? How about a window that suddenly won’t open, seemingly stuck in its frame?

This could be a warning sign that there are existing structural issues within or under your house. A solid, strong, and well built foundation is crucial to a long lasting and safe home. Foundation repair is often the solution to fix most structural issues.

Before you conclude that your house badly needs professional repair, find out what are the clear signs you should watch out for.

The Warning Signs

By being vigilant about the signs, and in case you spot any of them, you can pinpoint when exactly you should call a professional service.

Interior Mismatch and Weakness

• Concrete walls are sturdy and doesn’t chip off or break off easily. If the outer layer becomes flaky, try poking it with a screwdriver. You shouldn’t be able to damage the wall unless it has deteriorated and the screwdriver manages to bore a hole right through.
• Watch out for cracks too. Whether its a hairline crack across the upper wall in the living room or a noticeably large crack you could almost see what’s in between the cement pigments, this is an alarming sign that the foundation might be crumbling.
• Vertical crack lines are less serious compared to horizontal cracks which could translate to a serious shifting of the foundation or water damage accumulated overtime.
• When door frames split apart or a door won’t latch properly or doesn’t close at all, it is another sign of a structural issue.
• Sinking floors are obvious signs. A simple test using a tennis ball can help you determine which area has sunk. If the ball rolls, you have an uneven floor.

Exterior Oddity

• It the exterior walls have formed an obvious crack and seem to be separated from the house. Either slightly leaning outward or inward, this is a serious structural damage that needs immediate attention.
• A chip or a big chunk of brick has fallen on the ground. The area from where the piece fell off looks weak and is about to crumble.
• You can also see crack lines originating from the ground level going upwards.
• A portion of the house looked shrunken, looking like it is being swallowed by the ground. This is called subsidence, an occurrence when the ground beneath the foundation is collapsing due to water leaks from drain pipes.
• Trees causes damage too. They take away the moisture from the soil, and overtime the soil compresses and collapses.

Professional Opinion

When one or more of the signs can be seen in your house, call a structural engineer right away for a professional opinion. Engineers can measure how serious the damage is and the extent of structural repair needed to fix the problem. Refer to this page for more alarming signs.

Consultation alone could cost you several hundred dollars. A full set of drawings for an engineered solution ranges around a thousand dollar. Fixing structural issues and foundation damage can go over the amount you can spare.

The Workaround | A Parting Solution

If the foundation repair expenses could threaten to suck the life out of your hard earned savings, would you consider selling your house? If too much work needs to be done, much like building a new house, isn’t it better to sell the property?

Sell Any House has seen how devastating serious structural issues can be for families who have grown attached to their homes. Often, moving out seems to be a financially sound decision. It saves homeowners money, time, and effort.

Our team of expert real estate investors have formulated practical solutions to help homeowners resolve their housing problems. In Los Angeles, we buy houses As-Is, no immediate renovation is required. Not just houses with structural issues, we buy houses from owners who are dealing with low home values or bad tenants.

We do not limit our services. We provide help in any way we can!

 

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