Are you seeing cracks on your wall or uneven parts of your floor and think it has something to do with the foundation? Structural issues, among other factors, are one of the heaviest reasons buyers and lenders would most likely say no to a house. This is why we understand how stressful this might be for you, especially when you already need to sell your Georgia house a.s.a.p.
We can’t argue that repairing worn-out foundations is often costly. This is because contractors would need to do some digging. The good news is that you don’t have to spend your money fixing your foundation. In fact, there is a way to sell your home even without fixing your property. However, since pre-sale repairs can, in some circumstances, add more value to a property, we’d like you to explore further whether your best option would be to repair or sell your property as-is.
Particularly, we highly advise you first to assess the scale of the damage to get an idea of how much cost repairing it will incur.
Signs of Foundation Issues
Problems with the foundation can manifest through various signs inside and outside the house. We want to be careful in identifying the signs here because some signs might feel like they’re caused by the foundation, but in truth, they’re not (false signs).
Diagonal Cracks
Cracks can happen on dry paint, tiles, walls, ceiling, doors, windows, etc. If you see diagonal cracks that originate from the corners of doors and windows, then they’re mostly associated with the foundation. Remember that a property can have many cracks, but they’re not necessarily foundation-related.
Gaps on the Walls, Doors, and Fixed Furnishings
Do you notice that your built-in kitchen counter has moved a few centimeters away from the wall? Or perhaps some of your wood trim boards have popped off the exterior wall? Movement on the foundation may cause fixtures to break away from their original placement points, so look out for these.
Uneven Floor
When we say uneven, we mean bulges or depressions on the floor. This is different from having cracked tiles and grout. A cracked grout is commonly caused by poor workmanship or low-quality materials, but bulging floors or tiles mean that the soil below it has moved or the walls sandwiching the floor are pushing inwards.
Sloping / Bulging Walls
When one side of the wall doesn’t appear as straight as before, this could also be a direct sign of a foundation issue. Unless your sloping wall was intentionally designed that way, you should have it checked by a professional right away.
Sinking
Do you have a crawl space and think it has become smaller and smaller every year? That could mean your foundation (or entire home) is sinking or settling.
Standing Water Near or Around a Foundation
After the rain and water remain on your crawl space or around your foundation, this could also mean that the foundation is settling, causing the soil around it to dip as well.
Doors Not Closing
Cabinet doors close even without a latch or lock. If they don’t stay close and voluntarily swing open, this can signify that the wall or floor it is attached to is not perfectly straight anymore. Again, when you’ve got walls caving in, that might suggest a damaged foundation.
If your door is stuck on the handle side, though, you might want to check the hinges first.
Causes of Foundation Issues
When repairing structural damages, you can expect to spend a little on mitigating the causes of the damage as well. There are different reasons why foundations crack, sink, or move. Two (2) of the most causes are:
- You have swelling or expanding soils (active soils). If your property is in an area dominated by clay soils, the pressure placed on your foundation will fluctuate, which can slowly damage it. Clay expands when wet and shrinks when dry, so its volume changes.
- You have problems with the fill material. Fill materials placed within the foundation can develop voids, allowing the entire foundation to sink like it’s pressing on a sponge.
Since soil is part of nature and you cannot alter its composition, your contractor (if you decide to repair it) will most likely recommend a more advanced approach to repair and maintain your foundation. Note that the cost may be higher compared to repairing properties that aren’t on these types of land.
Sell It After Repair or As-Is
If you think repairing your foundation issues is too much and too long for you, you also have the option to sell your home as-is. You can sell your house fast, even with structural damage, but not on the market. You can sell as-is on the market, but it may be more difficult because you compete with newly-built or newly-renovated homes.
So where can you sell your house as-is?
Off the market!
To us at Spire Property Solutions.
Spire Property Solutions is a professional home buying company in Georgia, and we offer solutions to homeowners like you who are having trouble selling their homes. We are credible investors, and we are constantly in search of properties that we can buy and flip.
Talk to us today by calling us at (678) 318 -1801, and let’s craft you an offer in the soonest time you want!