Never Use A Home Inspector Recommended by Your Realtor. Both the buying realtor and the
selling realtor have one interest in common - to see the transaction completed. To that end they will almost always recommend a home inspector who is careful not to place an emphasis on any serious concern and who will fudge over essentially serious structural problems.
Never believe a realtor who says that the settlement has finished because it is an old home and it has done all the settlement it is going to do. The typical settlement resulting from the compressibility of foundation soil never ends. The rate of settlement will diminish with time so that the house will be settling at a lesser rate that in its early life. However, settlement problems will continue to occur. If it is an old house and it has never been piered then you must assume that you will be dealing with the same cracking problems that the previous occupants have endured for a number of years.
When looking at a house always carry a 4 foot bubble level with you. See is all the floors are level and the walls vertical.. If any floors and walls are out of level or off vertical then it will be wise to have the house checked by s structural engineer.
Be suspicious of any structural repair work which has been done. Get the name of the engineer who designed the repairs and a copy of any details or calculations provided. Ask for warranty on the work to be transferable. If no information or warranties is forthcoming then have the work reviewed by a structural engineer who can also check out the rest of the house at the same time.
Be Way of cracks in the structure. It is not normal for an old home to have cracks. If cracks have occurred then something caused them. About the only cracks which are relatively innocuous are hairline shrinkage cracks in basement walls. In a new home some of the cracks may widen into settlement cracks - there is always a risk un buying a new home.
Article Obtained from: Page Engineering LLC