Should You Have A Foundation Inspection When You Are Buying A Home?
This question comes up over and over again. The simple way I answer is that what are the two largest costs if you have to fix a home? The answer to that is having to get a new roof and fixing your foundation. So yes, you should have a foundation inspection completed before purchasing a home. Many homeowners will hire a home inspector for $500 – $1,000 and have them look for all of the flaws or potential problems in a residence before closing escrow. Many times the home inspector glosses over a variety of things that are wrong with a property, such as plumbing, wood rot, electrical, etc. When they point out these items, they will suggest having a “blank” specialist to look at the issue. This is where we come in. When a home inspector points out potential foundation problems it is imperative that the potential buyer call a foundation repair company such as Dalinghaus.
We get called out multiple times a month for real estate inspections throughout Southern California. We charge approximately $750 for these types of inspections. (as opposed to, if you own the home, and the homes not on the market, the inspection is always free) Spending $750 now could save you a lot of money down the road. I have been in the foundation repair business for almost ten years and I have run across a variety of situations, some where the homeowner did not get an inspection and a few years later they had to spend $25,000 because the house was settling, to a situation recently in San Diego where I gave a potential buyer a $15,000 proposal before the purchase. It is just so important to have an expert like myself out there before you purchase a home to prevent future perils.
I have a few repeat clients: one a home improvement reality t.v. show that flips homes, and a few investors that look for homes with foundation problems. They call me directly to have me do an inspection for them before they purchase a residence. Many people are afraid to purchase a home with foundation problems, but these clients have seen what Dalinghaus can do and can usually negotiate a good price for them.
I hope this helps to answer the question: Should You Have A Foundation Inspection When You Are Buying A Home. At Dalinghaus we try to be very transparent and educate our customers. I hope this information helps you. In my next blog I will be discussing how long the process takes from inspection to completion and everything in between. Until next time, please feel free to call Dalinghaus Construction and ask for myself, or one of our other experts to schedule a free foundation evaluation.
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