Who should pay structural engineer in this case?

Question

Hello,

I am in the process of buying my first investment property, a triplex.  The triplex was a complete renovation by the seller.  After inspection, the inspector noted concerns about the foundation and the caving floors.  I asked the seller if they had the building inspected by an engineer and if not if they would pay for one to check out the foundation and floors.  They came back and said it has not been inspected and he wouldn't pay for one.  Should I just bite the bullet and pay for one?

Charlie Shew · Answer

In a normal single home purchase, the buyer is the one expected to pay for any inspections. You also do not share the results with the seller. The seller might also be concerned that the floors will need to be repaired, if the inspection states they are good and you share that with the seller he may not be willing to negotiate as much on the home.

Frank Wong · Answer

Buyer pays for the structural inspection.  You need to know if this is serious or not. Go get it.  You want your bottom line question answered.  Which is.

Is this a safety concern and will the house be OK in its current situation?

Many times engineers will go through the house and give their assessment some may or may not answer that question.  That's the true question you want to know.  With inspections, you want to know if you have to or you should make the repair.

Wayne Brooks · Answer

You want the inspection, you pay for it. “Caving floors” would be a concern.

Wayne Brooks · Answer

You want the inspection, you pay for it. “Caving floors” would be a concern.

Alex Mao · Answer

@Tarik Hodzic

I literally just went through an iteration of this past month on a fourplex. Unless contrary to any provided disclosure or guarantee, seller has every right to say no to your request, which they did to mine.

So for a few hundred bucks I hired a structural engineer to evaluate the foundation, provide a report and scope for repairs. Sometimes, they'll provide a ROM budget if the repair scope isn't too complex.

I ended up purchasing with known structural deficiencies (it wasn't much in the grand scheme) and peace of mind. Of course, use your best judgement and try to get as much info from your home inspector as possible before hiring a structural engineer. If they're good, they'll usually give you a rough idea of extensiveness of the repairs, or note any bright red flags.

Kevin Martin · Answer

@Tarik Hodzic if it’s worth your piece of mind before you close then go for it. I have done inspections on both the buyers and sellers side as an engineer. One thing I can tell you is that us engineers don’t have X-ray vision so most of our options/recommendations are based what we can see and past experience. If you do hire an engineer make sure he has plenty of easy access to the attic, basements, ect. to make his job easier. Good luck!