When trying to decide whether to sell your home as is or to repair it, one of the biggest factors homeowners think about is cost. Fixing your home before selling can ensure that you get your asking price and that you can sell with fewer hassles. A home foundation inspector is one of the first people to call to ensure that your home is worth exactly what you’ve put it on the market for.
Here are the reasons why calling an inspector is vital for every single home sale.
It’s Vital For Buyers and Sellers
When it comes to problems in a home during a sale, they can be a headache for either party. Depending on what kind of problem occurs, it could spell disaster for the new owner or could even nullify the sale. If a seller knew there was something wrong with the home that they sold, then they can be held responsible for failing to disclose the problem.
Having the foundation inspected is important for either party. For the seller, a foundation inspection gives them the peace of mind knowing that they don’t have to lower their asking price. For a buyer, it gives them the peace of mind of knowing that they’re not buying a house that’s going to give them headaches.
Anyone who is looking to get into the real estate market or trying to build wealth needs to start off with a sense of goodwill. Buying or selling a home that’s got problems with its foundation is the wrong foot to start off on.
Foundation Contractors Are The Experts
When you want to look at the foundation of your building, real estate professionals and architects will all have an opinion. The only people who really have an expert opinion are foundation contractors. They’re one of the few people who is trained to look for and find issues with foundations.
Having a general contractor look at it can be helpful, but they’re more able to diagnose existing problems. A foundation contractor knows what could cause problems later or what is causing issues that you or a general contractor might not see. This is one of those times when you really need a specialist.
The foundation of your home is critical and taking chances with it isn’t an option that you should risk. Mistakes could have been made when constructing the home or could be occurring in the way the home is being maintained. If you’re not properly sending water from your gutters far enough from your foundation, you could cause pressure, erosion, or cracking.
General contractors might miss these types of issues.
Find Problems Before They Start
When you call in a contractor, they’re going to find all of the problems that you might not suspect. If they find any problems or suspect anything, they’ll excavate to get down to the base and check out what could be happening.
If you fear that you have major settling on the home, the contractor can take a look and recommend repairs. A settled home isn’t doomed. It can be fixed and stabilized with the tips that your foundation contractor can recommend.
While the work is expensive and time-consuming, it can make the difference between selling a home or keeping it on the market forever. Keeping the structure of your home together is the priority, so if that can be done, it’s well worth the cost.
If you have questions, your contractor should be happy to answer them. You need to completely understand the issues if you want to resolve them, so there shouldn’t be any fear of asking too many questions.
No foundation issues should be considered as minor but there is a range of how critical things are. Settling should always be expected and small cracks might not mean a whole lot. However, they’re still going to need to be treated ASAP before they turn into major issues.
There Are More Ways to Repair Than Ever
Some homeowners don’t pursue foundation inspections out of fear of what they might find. Finding a cracked or damaged foundation is challenging to deal with. Most homeowners will think that the prospect of selling is hopeless and might rather live in ignorance.
That’s because of how hard it used to be to fix a foundation in the past.
Now, there are more ways than ever to fix a cracked foundation and even perform major repairs on a foundation. You used to have to repair or replace a heavily damaged foundation but with current techniques, there’s no need to go through such an intense process.
If walls are starting to bow, they can be pulled back into place. If there’s shifting, settling, or potential cracking, pier blocks and columns can be sunk under the current foundation. All of these elements can save a home that might have seemed hopeless otherwise.
Just 20 years ago, every damaged foundation required replacement and might have seemed hopeless. However, now things are much more hopeful for homeowners and there’s no need for homeowners to have to fear a foundation inspection.
Every Home Sale Needs a Home Foundation Inspector
Your home foundation inspector is going to help make sure that you don’t have to deal with buyers trying to low-ball you or trying to claim false problems. You’ll have it in black and white that your home is as secure and stable as you claim and be able to get all the money you deserve.
Before you get your home inspected, check out our latest guide for what needs to be on your checklist.