Basement wall cracked - potential structural issue?

Question

I am currently under contract for a duplex and just recently had inspections done. In the inspection it was discovered that the house may have structural issues. Inspector explained that there is a horizontal crack in the basement wall.

I'm quite worried about this as everything else in this property really checks out. But structural issues could be a big problem especially since I'm a newbie.

Has anyone have this issue before? Is it a very costly fix?

Kathy Henley · Answer

Hi@Yvette Chung  You need more information during this inspection phase. When I was in this situation, we hired a structural engineer for an inspection.  I paid a few hundred dollars to find out, in a lot of words, the conditions of the current state and what to do to about it.  Another company gave me bids for the repairs.  I shared the findings and the repair quote with the seller and asked for the repairs to be complete by close.  I was willing to take a price reduction to cover the cost of repairs, but the seller agreed to making the repairs to close the deal.

Kenneth Reimer · Answer

@Yvette Chung Yvette, this could mean that the structure is shifting. Soil movement can be causing cracks in the foundation. This would be a tough fix. You might want to think about negotiating to either split the cost or have the seller pay to identify the problem. You might run into problems with disclosure problems at that point though. The second the seller "knows" about the problem (if there is one), he or she must disclose this to every single buyer thereafter. Many times the seller will refuse to have it done.