Repairing Foundation Cracks Before Listing a Home to Sell
/If you are thinking about selling your home in the St. Catharines or Niagara area, one of the first things you are likely to do is go through your home to see where repairs or improvements can be made in order to make your home more saleable. Some improvements are simple and relatively inexpensive like a fresh coat of paint here or some landscaping there.
Other repairs can be quite a bit pricier such as foundation repair. The good news, however, is that depending on the severity of the cracks, it may not cost as much as you think.
If your home has foundation issues, you have two options. Have the repairs made before you list your home or list your home as-is and hope you can find a buyer.
Selling a home with foundation issues
The words “foundation issues” are going to sound pretty scary to potential home buyers, and will most likely send many of them running for the hills. Even if you can find a buyer who doesn’t mind purchasing a home with foundation problems, many mortgage lenders will not be willing to finance a home that has a foundation in need of repair.
If you do go ahead and decide to sell a home with foundation issues, your best bet is often to sell the home to an investor buyer who doesn’t mind putting the extra work and money into the home in order to turn a profit.
Repairing foundation cracks before listing a home
Many foundation cracks are not too serious and they are often easy to fix. If you can afford to get foundation issues fixed, this might well be your best option since your home will be likely to sell more quickly and you won’t have to offer a discount to buyers because of foundation issues.
If foundation cracks are hairline cracks that are no wider than ¼ inch you can hire a foundation repair company to inject epoxy in order to repair them.
If cracks are more serious – and especially if they are horizontal cracks – that is a sign that there is structural damage. The foundation repair company will have one of their structural engineers come out to assess the damage and make recommendations on repairs. This type of repair will be pricier than a simple epoxy injection, and as a home seller, you will need to determine whether or not it will be worth it for you to make such as repair before listing your home.
Not all foundation cracks are created equal
In order of severity, the types of foundation cracks you might discover are:
Less than ¼ inch – generally you do not have to worry about these.
Hairline between mortar in concrete – generally nothing to worry about either.
L-Shaped location – these occur where foundation follows landscape. These should be repaired to avoid water leakage.
Stair-step cracks – these should be repaired – especially if they are wider than ¼ inch.
Horizontal cracks – this is a sign of structural damage and your foundation will likely need to be stabilized.
Contact Foundation Fix today!
If you are selling your home in the St. Catharines or Niagara Area, and you would like one of our experts to assess cracks in your foundation and provide you with a quote for the repair, contact us today.
