Question about the home inspection on a house in Tempe

So we were under contract on this place in Tempe, Arizona, and the home inspector found a crack in the foundation slab. It was a hairline thing, maybe an eighth of an inch wide, but it ran right across the living room floor. The seller's agent tried to brush it off, saying 'it's just settling, all houses do that.' But our guy said it could be a sign of bigger soil issues and recommended a structural engineer. We paid $450 for that extra check, and the engineer said the soil was super expansive clay and the foundation needed underpinning, which would have cost us over $20k. We walked away from the deal. It was a huge bummer at the time, but now I won't even think about skipping a full structural review if the inspector flags anything. Has anyone else had a home inspection find something that totally killed a deal you were excited about?

2 comments

2 Comments

jennifer_west23d ago

Man, that's such a gut punch. I felt that just reading it. Spending that money on the engineer must have stung, but you 100% did the right thing. That's exactly what those inspections are for, to save you from a nightmare later. It's crazy how a tiny crack can mean a total deal breaker. Good on you for listening to the experts and not the agent trying to close the sale.

dylan_patel23d ago

My cousin's foundation repair cost them over 80 grand.