So, you got crack.

In certain situations, panic is the appropriate response. If you’re talking about your home’s foundation, then it’s actually not as bad as you may think. And no, if you step on it, you won’t break your momma’s back.

Still, foundational issues can be a massive roadblock in selling real estate. Typically, it’s enough to see vapor trails from a potential buyer and seeing the seller in the fetal position wide-eyed like they saw the future apocalypse.

Don’t worry, the world’s not coming to an end. In fact, even if you have foundational issues just R-E-L-A-X. The San Diego Home Buyer has got you covered with our in-house construction team!

Unless it’s a major issue, which are rare, foundational issues can be fixed and you can sell your home. Our real estate professionals will calmly guide you through the process and leverage our amazing construction team to assess and fix the damage. 

Don’t panic

If you discover foundational issues with your home, be cool. Like Fonzi..

Of course, it’s a little more challenging but there’s no need to think you can’t sell your home. Our experienced team is here to guide you through this obstacle.

The most important thing to do is be honest about the situation. Not only is it required by law to disclose any issue with your home, but your honesty will be rewarded with a buyer who wants to buy and will stick through the process.

That’s where we come in.

You may also not be aware of any issues, which is why within one day of our initial offer, we conduct a home inspection. When a problem is identified, we will unleash our expert construction team to get the repair done quickly, so you can make your money.

Did you know?

The average repair cost is between $2,318 to $6,750, according to Home Guide. Some repairs can be as low as $600 (whew!) or as expensive as $15,000 (yikes!).

I see $15,000 and I’d instantly go into “Serenity Now!” mode, a la George Costanza. I’d use every meditation technique to calm myself before realizing I have trusted experts at my fingertips.

Still, there is a decision to make on how to tackle this challenge, and it’s not as hard as coming off the street to form tackle Derrick Henry (he’s super-big running back that plows NFL players over, so what chance would I have?).

You can fork over the money for a contractor and get the job done before selling your home. Or you can sell to us and our construction team will make it right.

Let’s be honest, the final sale price of the home will likely be the difference of the cost of the repair. But if you contract the work, you’d be selling at an increase to recoup the money you just spent, and it could take weeks or longer. 

You may also experience work delays for a number of reasons out of your control. Contracting is a gamble, and since this isn’t Vegas, we recommend going with the smart play.

The easiest play is using our construction professionals so we can fix the foundation and process your home sale. Time is money, after all.

Warning signs

As you gear up to sell your home, you’ve probably made a checklist of all that must be done. As you check off your list, there are some simple steps you can take to see if your foundation has any issues.

While you may not be an expert, these simple steps will at least give you an idea. Should some of these issues come forward, you go into Fonzi mode, be cool and we’ll get our experts to confirm any foundational problem.

On the exterior of your home, look for wall rotation, separation around the garage door (if you have one), windows and walls. Also check for cracking in bricks, cracking in the foundation and displaced moldings.

Inside your home, check doors and windows to see if they’re misaligned, cracking in sheetrock, ceilings and flooring, and see if the floors are uneven. If you have bulging floors, cracking in the walls and doors not closing, those are clear indicators of foundation distress.

What are the causes?

There is an array of issues that crop up, but most foundation issues are caused by water. We wouldn’t think that here is San Diego being earthquakes are so prevalent and have a nasty habit damaging foundations.

It takes a big quake, though, to crack your foundation. Water, though, is the silent menace, playing the long game.

Also, it’s not like we’re in Seattle or Hawaii where it might feel like living in a water park. Water parks are great(?), but in San Diego our average rainfall is a fraction of what those places get, so it makes it hard to grasp that water is Public Enemy No. 1 with foundation.

Water is wild. Differences in moisture cause the soil to swell or shrink, thus leading to movement beneath your foundation.

As a kid, I used to like to water our lawn and would watch how water would move across the grass. It was mesmerizing because I couldn’t figure out why or how it moved as it did.

So, water plays a big role in how the soil below is stabilized.

There are other culprits, too, such as:

  • Expansive clay
  • Improperly compacted soils
  • Poor drainage
  • Extreme seasonal changes
  • Plumbing/irrigation leak below your home
  • Tree roots
  • Flood, drought and earthquakes

You’re still in the game

Foundation issues are a challenge and an annoyance like a house fly, though it’s not enough to kill your home sale. We’re a dedicated buying team in search of investment opportunities and with our amazing team, we’ll be able to join you and get the sale done.

We make it easy. Our experts team up with you and get you the best solution, cheap, so you can rest easy.

We work on your timeline and know with foundations it’s a more intense situation, but we solve problems. It’s what we do.

We’ll nerd out on what the issues are, deliver high-quality repairs and get your house in great condition. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how painless we can make something like repairing a foundation.

See, no more crack!