Several years ago, I assisted an attorney and his girlfriend in finding a home. She fell in love with a very expensive 5,000+ sq feet home that overlooked Lake Grapevine (in Texas). This house was also in a wonderful location. The house was located on a cul-de-sac and only two private streets made up the whole neighborhood. The houses were all on one side of the street as the lake bordered the other side of the street. There were also no houses directly behind this house. It backed to a heavily treed area that was government owned.
Needless to say they entered into a contract to purchase the home. My buyers (the attorney and his girlfriend) were told up front that the home had undergone foundation repairs (approximately 47 piers had been place under this home).
For those not familiar with North Texas, North Texas sits on a natural area of clay. That means water does not absorb into the soil correctly. The ground constantly expands and contracts. If regular watering is not maintained than a home can get extensive foundation problems. This leads to uneven flooring, separations in doors and windows, and cracking in walls. Correcting requires piers drilled into the ground under the home. These peirs are set in the area that the house has shifted to even the home up. Cosmetic repairs are also done to the home to repair cracking in walls and brick.
Both clients were familiar with North Texas homes. They also knew of the problems with foundations. This was not a deterrent in wanting to purchase this home.
To protect my clients, however, I had them go through several inspections. They had a general inspector inspect the home. I had them meet with the company that did the original foundation repairs. We also had an engineer come out and reevaluate to see if the house needed more foundation repairs. We then had two other foundation companies come out to the home. A roofer was sent to make sure the roof had not been affected. And a contractor came out to evaluate the retaining walls to see if they could be reinforced.
It was discovered during all this inspecting that additional foundation repairs (6 more piers) were needed. My clients decided to go ahead and purchase the home as long as the seller paid for these additional repairs. The sellers agreed. My clients bought the house.
Clients need to be able to make informed decisions when purchasing a home. Some contracts may require you to go above and beyond to help them discover as much as possible. This not only helps to protect them but yourself as well. Homes are big investments. And they can easily lead to big lawsuits. All clients should be advised to get a home inspection. If they waive this right get it in writing. In the end be sure to protect your client(s) and yourself.
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