It’s Worthwhile to Hire an Expert

Talking Points 

• Lori recommended Steve for a homeowner in Regina. Steve came in and saw that the house had sunk about 6 inches in 1 corner due to soil conditions drying out. Previously, the homeowner had some very hefty quotes to fix the issue.
• Extreme fixes – underpin the house. Easier fixes – adjust the teleposts.
• Steve recommended a more reasonable option for the homeowner.
• Lori will bring Steve in before a home inspection is done if she thinks there is an issue in the basement to be in front of the problem.
• Some things are very subtle they but add up when they all need to get repaired. It can derail your selling process if you leave it all to after an inspection is done. Buyer gets spooked.
• Signs to look for in the basement: heaving, cracking of basement floors or walls, smells musty. Upstairs, cracking in doorways, doors not closing.
• Be aware of water drainage outside your home which infiltrates and causes heaving issues – IE a million dollar home lost 2 prospective buyers because they didn’t fix a very simple issue.
• Have a walk around your home and see what is going on. IE is stucco cracking? It’s likely movement of the wall.
• Homeowners – what you do depends on the seller and structure. You may just disclose the issue and price appropriately or choose to fix it prior to selling.
• If you’ve been living there for 30 years, sometimes you simply don’t notice the issues.
• These issues can come up in million-dollar homes or $500K homes … it’s not just “old homes”.
• Soil can bend steel. You must control moisture levels and trees around your foundation. Trees = snow traps.
• Lori – Tips – get a pre-approval done and don’t try selling your home on your own! It’s worth it to get a good agent and go to the market.