foundation repaired homes a good thing??? (Dallas, Plano: real estate market, insurance, how much)

[bookworm2768]

We are in the house hunting phase and things seem very slow right now. New listings in the area we are looking at are few and far between. The ones listed that have not yet sold (they have all been on the market a while) are almost all homes that have had their foundations repaired.

My first reaction to this was to not even consider the homes but our realtor says that in this area if a house hasn't had a foundation problem yet, it will at some point. Is this an accurate idea? Are we actually better off going with a repaired foundation since the issue has already been addressed?

And how expensive is foundation repair anyway? I've heard people say you can fix a 'tilted' house for under $10000 to others saying it can run into 25K for a >2000 sq ft house! I'm sure it all depends on the particulars of the situation but if you've had your foundation repair done, what did you end up paying?

[momof2dfw]

I'll start off saying your realtor is misleading you by saying, "that in this area if a house hasn't had a foundation problem yet, it will at some point." Not true. Most homes in the Dallas metroplex have NOT had foundation problems and will never need it. It all depends on several factors: the original soil conditions (if your still looking in the area you currently live in then it is bad), proper construction, homeowner maint (which includes proper watering and not allowing trees and very large shrubbery to grow up too close to the foundation). As I mentioned, the north Carrollton area is pretty dicey when it comes to how foundations fair over the years. One area has an underground spring, many have been built up (fill by the builder/developer) and the overall area right there is just about all clay which is a huge culprit in wrecking havoc on foundations. Even very minor plumbing leaks that can be caused by very minor foundation shifting that would not need to be fixed can cause even more problems if not detected early on and fixed. Even in North Carrollton the vast majority of homes have NOT had foundation repairs.

As for the costs. There are several different types of piers that can be used but the most common and widely accepted will run about $1000 a pier. A home that has some problems can need as little as 2-4 piers or as many as 15. Just depends on the damage that has occured. It could be minor and all perimeter piers which can make it a lot less. When you get to interior piers the costs go up because they have to rip up flooring and go thru the foundation. My parents home in North Carrollton needed some moderate foundation repairs a few years ago and then before they moved it needed 2 piers more for maint. than anything else. One family members home in North Carrollton needed 2 piers many years ago because of a plumbing leak under the home. Once it was fixed there was never another problem. Usually, USUALLY, if the home was fixed PROPERLY and MAINTAINED PROPERLY it will have no negative effect on the home.

Here are some guidelines I woud go by while looking at house hunting and contract negotiating:
1. Avoid homes that have large trees planted w/in 10'-15' of the foundation. The typical Crepe Myrtle planted at the corner of a home is okay though.
2. Avoid homes that have allowed large shrubbery to grow up along the foundation. Red Tip Photonias are bad about this and can really cause problems on a foundation. Your typical 3' high shrubs are going to be fine though.
3. Look for doors and windows that do not open and close easily. Try every interior door and make sure they don't stick and that when closed they are "square".
4. Take notice as you walk across the floor if you feel any slope. Some people can just feel this right away and some can not. I'm one that can .
5. No matter if the house you decide upon has had foundation work or not go ahead and pay for a foundation inspection. This will be money well spent IF it comes up NOW that the home needs it. Usually runs anywhere from $200-400. Since piers run around $1K a piece........ well worth doing this.
6. Get a plumber to come out and make sure there are no leaks. Many times a foundation could have enough movement that is not really detectable and warranting repairs that has caused a plumbing leak. Not catching this early can cause REALLY bad foundation problems and worse.
7. Ask for all disclosures. IF the home has had ANY work done they should have a copy of the engineers report and the foundation company SHOULD have a lifetime transferable warranty. Ask for it.
8. If you find a home you like and the foundation report comes back it needs work you can negotiate several ways.
A. The seller pays for the work and has it completed before closing. In this
case it would be wise for the seller to pick the company they want to
use. This is what we did when we sold our home. If the buyer should
somehow not be able to close and the buyer picked the company and
they were a "fly by night" or lower end company that did a botch job
the seller could be stuck w/ a home that is worthless.
B. The seller takes the amount of repairs off of the purchase price and the
buyer has repaired after closing. In this scenario the buyer would pick
the foundation company they want to do the work. You could come
out ahead in this one dollar wise depending on the estimates and how
much was taken off the purchase price and how much it really costs to
have the work done. Had our buyers taken this route they could have
pocketed a couple of thousand since we offered more than the cost of
repairs. Just depends on which way you personally would rather go.

I can not stress enough how important it is to have a structural/foundation inspection done!!!!!! This will save you MANY headaches and possibly a lot of money.

[BstYet2Be]

While the above post mentions Carrollton only... our friends in both Garland and Plano have had foundation issues as well, with the one in Garland causing broken water lines that ran in and/or under the foundation which caused them to have to have the entire kitchen, den to the back bathrooms foundation/floors torn up and redone, thus a entire "remodel". They were some of the fortunate ones that still had an insurance policy in place that covered this... most today do not (note, be sure to check your insurance policy regarding this, too!).

So, be forewarned, foundation problems are metroplex-wide for various reasons, ground too soft, ground too hard, rock, clay, not watered, etc. Do have a foundation inspection done before purchasing anywhere in DFW!

And, as far as buying one with foundation repair... find out about the warranty that came with that repair... quite often, it is a lifetime warranty... find out the details and if it's transferable to a new owner. Frankly, I would rather purchase one that HAS had repair done, rather than one that's just a repair away!

[Rowlett Resident]

In the subdivision we live in Rowlett most houses have had foundation repairs. Many more need it but have not had it done because of the costs. Lots of people have problems but don't know what they are. Our 20 year old house of 2200 sq feet has 53 piers around and under it. We continue to see more cracks.

We had the first 32 piers placed around the house when it was still under warranty. It never did stop moving. Twenty one more piers were installed inside and outside the house last year. Lifetime warranties are a joke. You definitely need to read the small print.

I have friends in Carrollton, Plano, Rockwall and other area cities that have had foundation problems. You would indeed be very lucky if you bought a house in the DFW area and never had foundation problems.

[Poltracker]

All depends on why the foundation needed to be repaired. In an older home (30 + years) it would not bother me too much. In newer homes, especially those under 10 years, it is probably due to poor construction or site prep work. If this is the case, it is possible you will see ongoing problems even after an initial repair. You might also find other hidden problems with the house due to poor construction. Make sure you get a structural engineer to inspect foundations.

[bookworm2768]

Thanks for all the responses. first of all, I had no idea that the piers ran around 1k each! Our realtor said about $300 a pier and piers spaced every 5 feet around the perimeter was standard . . .
Anyway, the area we are looking at is a bit older and the home we are actually negotiating now was built in 1978. Supposedly, the foundation was reparied in 1999 but the owners have lost the paperwork on it so there is no warranty on the work done. My original thought was that if the foundation has been in good shape for the past 9 years then it's probably been fixed well. Its funny that you should mention trees. The house sticks out like a sore thumb for not having ANY trees near it just 2 at the far corners of the lot. the other homes around it have big trees in the front and back yards. the foundation shrubs are tiny and so the poor house does look a bit naked
Momof2 thanks for the points you made about the doors . . . the front door actually needs to be replaced since is is not square anymore and perhaps that is an indicator of a problem. Besides that there are tons of cracks but I wasn't too worried about them since the foundation has had trouble in the past and the home IS almost as old as I am!

[BstYet2Be]

Originally Posted by bookworm2768

the front door actually needs to be replaced since is is not square anymore and perhaps that is an indicator of a problem. Besides that there are tons of cracks but I wasn't too worried about them since the foundation has had trouble in the past and the home IS almost as old as I am!

Both of these... doors not fitting square anywhere in the house... plus cracks... are serious indicators of foundation problems. I was puzzled why, when we were first looking at homes in the area, that most all of them seemed to have cracks in the walls... until this was explained to me.

Also, I'd find it odd that the "papers just mysteriously disappeared".

Good luck to you... as the old saying goes... buyer beware!

[bookworm2768]

part of me loves this house already and another part is really leery that we are going to regret this purchase for a looooooong time. we will be getting a foundation inspection and have a plumber out to have a look at things. I'm still stumped as to why the real estate market has slowed down so much since December! Then again, perhaps we are being picky and ignoring things that aren't just right.
Since the home is 30 years old wouldn't there be cracks and things just from it settling? It not like these are big gaps . . .mostly hairline cracks and a few cracks of the exterior masonry. The front door is probably the original one so I'm guessing that the wear on it is age as well as the previous issue with the foundation but, of course, a foundation inspector will be able to tell us for sure.

[pepper131]

What area or zip code are you looking in?
Seems like all older homes around East Dallas have a fair amount of cracks...if you see no cracks, it must have been freshly plastered and painted. When we were house hunting, I only looked at homes with pier and beam foundations - easier to to level than a slab.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by bookworm2768

part of me loves this house already and another part is really leery that we are going to regret this purchase for a looooooong time. we will be getting a foundation inspection and have a plumber out to have a look at things. I'm still stumped as to why the real estate market has slowed down so much since December! Then again, perhaps we are being picky and ignoring things that aren't just right.
Since the home is 30 years old wouldn't there be cracks and things just from it settling? It not like these are big gaps . . .mostly hairline cracks and a few cracks of the exterior masonry. The front door is probably the original one so I'm guessing that the wear on it is age as well as the previous issue with the foundation but, of course, a foundation inspector will be able to tell us for sure.

Not all homes will show signs of settling. Some areas are more prone to foundation problems and as a previous poster mentioned their and the neighborhoods foundation problems - that shows sure signs that the dirt the homes were built on was not properly prepped. Get the inspections and see how that comes out. Call a foundation company also to do an inspection. They will do it for free and if there is ANY work needing to be done you know they are going to want to find it - I've known plenty of people that they have told their house was fine so a reputable one won't jerk you around. As for the front door........ AFTER foundation repairs it is common for some doors to need realigning. If they did not do that then it can still stick/rub, not sit square.

The MAJORITY of homes in the Dallas metroplex do NOT and NEVER will need foundation repairs. Many of the ones that do it could have been avoided IF the builder did what was right from the get go (which they don't) and if the homeowner properly maintains it. Of course there will always be those homes that it just does not matter.