Looking For Your Next Home? Watch Out For These Signs of Foundation Failure Whilst You do So!

If you're planning to buy a new home soon, it's very important that you're well informed when it comes to signs of foundation trouble. Foundation failure can be one of the biggest and most costly problems that a homeowner can face today, and you don't want to move into a house only to learn that your home is sinking into the ground. Whilst browsing potential homes, keep a look out for the following signs of foundation failure. 

Check For the Cracks

During any property inspection, the foundation is one of the central focuses. Whilst you can always rely on your home inspector to identify major foundation problems later, you can save some time by looking for small cracks whilst touring the home. If you tour a potential home that has numerous cracks on the ceiling and walls, it's likely got foundation issues and you might want to keep looking. Even if cracks are only small hairline sized ones -- they may still mean big trouble in the future. 

Be Wary When You See Water

Water can be another obvious indicator of foundation failure, and there are several ways to look for it whilst touring potential homes. First, watch the lower part of the walls and the flooring for wet spots or for darker patches that indicate past water leaks. Whilst outdoors, you should also watch for wet soil or mud around the home. Unless it's rained heavily recently, wet soil or mud surrounding the home is an indicator that foundation cracks are redirecting water, keeping the bottom soil layers perpetually damp. 

Check for Sinking Flooring

As you walk through a potential home, take special note of the flooring. Whilst it's harder to tell when the home has carpeting rather than hardwood or laminate flooring, you can still check the flooring for an even surface. Do you notice any areas of the flooring where there appears to be a small dip? What about areas where the flooring seems to bubble up a bit? When you spot flooring issues like these, the odds are high that the foundation is shifting -- and this may mean an expensive repair in future. 

Watch the Walls for Wreckage

When a foundation settles excessively, it often shows in the interior and exterior walls. It's important to watch out for crumbling (in the case of brick) or serious decay (in the case of wood) in the walls, both indoors and outdoors. You might notice that the walls look like they've been through a storm in some places -- and this is a clear sign to proceed with caution. 

Ready to tour your next home? Prepare yourself well by memorising the signs of foundation trouble above, and then go find the home of your dreams! Sometimes, if you notice that a home needs foundation work, the home could still be worth buying as long as you adjust the purchasing price to reflect the issues that will need to be repaired.