As a Baltimore homeowner, you have already committed a whole lot of expenses like down payment, monthly mortgage, home insurance, as well as closing costs. In addition, you may have even started setting some money aside to remodel your home! With a homeowner having to do all of this, purchasing a home involves a huge investment, which should be protected diligently to prevent costly repairs. One of these costly repairs is the foundation repair.
The foundation is the sole most significant part of any house and a house cannot stand or will basically collapse without a stable foundation. A need for foundation repair arises from a foundation problem. Fixing a foundation problem can be very costly. And as such, trying to avoid foundation repair costs before selling a home becomes something that homeowners consider a lot!
While homeowners can sell their homes that require foundation repair to credible real estate investors and cash home buyers likeKevalla Investments, LLC, LLC, it's essential for homeowners to have a fullunderstanding of the cause of foundation problems, the signs offoundation problems, and how to prevent foundation problems.
The Cause of Foundation Problems
It is common knowledge that water is very key to our everyday survival because it is required for drinking, swimming, cooking, firefighting, house building, and so on. On the contrary, water is the number one culprit that is responsible for foundation issues.
The foundation of a home or house that is built in a location where soil/ground expands when water is present and contracts when water is absent (dry weather condition) has the tendency to rise, sink, or expand. The interior and exterior of a home can serve as an entrance for water, which can damage a foundation in several ways. As a result, both potential home buyers and existing homeowners need to watch out for signs of foundation problem- its presence or damage.
A number of signs can indicate that a foundation problem is present or a foundation is damaged. While it is very important to engage an expert to establish a foundation problem, and recommend the best fix, a homeowner can look out for the following signs of foundation problems.
Sagging Floors and Ceilings
Sagging floors and ceilings is one of the signs of foundation problems. This is more apparent in the floors and it's exhibited as warps and unevenness in the floors, which might be an indication that a house is settling or compressing.
Unaligned Doors and Window
A house’s doors and windows are not aligned, if you’re having a very hard time opening and closing them because one side of a door/window is higher than the other side. This could possibly mean there is presence of a foundation problem resulting from high humidity that is causing the foundation to shift.
Separation of Cabinets, Counters, and Other Fixed Structure from the Walls
As a homeowner, if you spot small gaps in between the walls and fixtures (such as, cabinets and counters that are supposed to be firmly attached to the walls), it might be a sign that your home has a foundation issue. Fixtures that are attached to the floors and walls usually respond to unevenness in floors and walls by separating or detaching from them.
Appearance of Cracks of Dry Walls and Floors
It is worthy to note that not all cracks appearing on dry walls and floors are dangerous because they’re not symptoms of a foundation problem. These types of cracks are usually hairline cracks that may result from painting or usage of heavy materials.
On the other hand, the real culprits here are a very wide crack. These are usually dangerous and the cracks may get larger with time. This may indicate the occurrence of a serious foundation problem.
Collection of Water in the Basement or Surrounds of House Edges
Homeowners can figure out there is presence of a foundation issue, if their basement has an unpleasant musty odor, which may also mean that a mildew problem is arising from water/moisture that is entering the house through cracks in the foundation.
How to Prevent Foundation Problems
As a Baltimore homeowner, you should be aware that foundation repair can be very costly and this cannot be overemphasized! The good news is that you can avoid foundation repair costs before selling a home by following Benjamin Franklin's famous advice in 1736- “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” How can you then put this advice into action? Basically, you can avoid these foundation repair costs as follows.
Engage a Foundation Expert
As a potential home buyer or existing homeowner in Baltimore, you should check on your own to establish or rule out foundation problems. However, it is wise to engage a qualified professional, like a foundation expert, to do an assessment and give a drainage report before and after you buy your home, especially, if it appears like the home has areas where water might damage it.
Engaging a foundation expert to do an assessment will also indicate whether or not you need to take further preventive measures. Other preventive measures include but are not limited to the followings:
Repair Cracks Instantly
If you spot any cracks in the exterior or exterior of your home, it is advisable to contact a local foundation professional to assess these cracks immediately. While certain cracks are typically a sign of foundation movement, this professional will be able tell you whether there is structural damage or not. Usually, as a homeowner, you should follow the advice of this expert to fix the problem the foundation expert has established.
Spruce up the Sprinkler System
As aforementioned, foundation problems can result from expansion and contraction of soil on which a foundation is built due to presence and absence of water. This indicates that the soil on which a foundation is built needs to have the right quantity of moisture to prevent dryness and contraction of the clay content of the soil. One of the best ways to do this is to connect your sprinkler system to a smart sprinkler controller, which is like a thermostat for auto control of the watering schedule for a garden or yard. This smart sprinkler controller reduces water use and improves the underground irrigation system by automatically adapting to weather conditions.
Unclog Spouts and Gutters
There is no other way to say it- It is highly essential for homeowners to clean their gutters and clear their spouts! Water overflowing from clogged gutters and spouts is likely to soak the ground around the foundations of your homes.
.Place Drains in Essential Areas
Installation of drains is paramount, if your home is situated in a yard that slopes towards a pool of water or muddy areas because as a homeowner, you can only do so much. One best way to deal with this situation is by using French drains (which are underground drains) to channel pooling water/runoff water away from the affected areas into an outlet, such retention ponds, existing drainage or other bodies of water.
Selling Your Baltimore Home to a Real Estate Investor to Avoid Foundation Repair Costs
It is logical that Baltimore homeowners have different situations regarding the conditions of the foundations of their homes. In some cases, homeowners have done so much to prevent foundation problems and they're successful with their actions.
In other cases, Baltimore homeowners just don’t have a lot of knowledge or required information about how to prevent foundation problems, which they are now facing. And as a result, they are trying to avoid foundation repair costs before selling this home because listing this house with a real estate agent requires that they fix the foundation first. If this is your situation and you don’t have a budget for the costly repair, a more practical option is to sell your house “as-is” with this foundation problem to real estate investors like Kevalla Investments, LLC.
If you’re a Baltimore homeowner and you choose to sell your house to us, we will pay all cash and closing costs. Not only that, you can be confident that you will be able to sell quickly and conveniently in a hassle-free manner by simply removing yourself from the hassles and huge responsibilities of dealing with costly foundation repair. All you have to do is just disclose to us that you are selling just as-is, with a foundation problem. If this sounds like an option for you, contact us now for a fair cash offer, or call or text (240) 449-1770 now, and we will get everything done for you!
This article is only for the purpose of enlightening the readers and is not meant to be used for tax, real estate, financial, insurance, legal, or investment advice. Kevalla Investments, LLC encourages you to contact a professional regarding your own circumstance. Please confer with your advisor when making financial or legal decisions.
