My 80s bungalow had a hidden foundation crack that I nearly missed.

I was all set to list a 1979 bungalow near Mill Woods last month, totally convinced it was a quick flip. But then the home inspection on March 15th showed a 14-foot crack in the basement foundation that was patched over with drywall. I had to drop the price by $18,000 and disclose everything to potential buyers. It completely changed my mind about trusting a fresh coat of paint and a clean floor. Now I always check the sump pump area and look for any signs of old water stains before I even write an offer. Has anyone else been burned by a hidden issue that a seller tried to hide?

2 comments

2 Comments

grayb6416d ago

Oh man, that EXACT same thing happened to me with a 70s split-level I was flipping near Castledowns. Spent a whole weekend scraping off fresh primer in the utility room only to find a massive horizontal crack that had been mudded over, cost me $12k to fix and a month of delays.

the_julia15d ago

Wait, did the inspection flag that crack or did you find it yourself after scraping the primer? Still annoyed at how much work it was to uncover something they clearly knew about.