All Forum Posts by: Jay Poppe

Rant on/There is a reality to the FHA backed transaction that most miss. About 10 years ago FHA standards began to use HUD section 8 models to establish some baseline conditions within a home that the bank must consider before lending. FHA appraisers were tasked with identifying those issues and whatever they reported was gospel to the bank. The problem is that most appraisers were not field/code inspectors and have no inspection training. They very often miss calling out simple things like GFI's or fans. Real estate agents became proactive and began looking for these things and telling owners they must upgrade or they will fail the inspection/appraisal before they even knew what type of buyer would be making an offer. Fast forward to today and you will find that everyone in the official buying process wears a code inspector hat. (agents, lenders, insurers, as well as the official inspectors) Rant off/ Back to your fan question. If an official bank appraiser (because of the type of loan) or govt. code official says you have to install one, then you have to install one. Otherwise you do not.

Jay

Michael,
In Arkansas we check property records through the county clerks office. All you need is an address. Call your equivalent office and see if they have an online system or even a kiosk in their office to search records. There is usually only a charge if you print something.

Jay

I think Scott and I are on the same page. Due to the condition of the hard (bearing) corner in the foundation picture, I would recommend a review by a foundation repair specialist or an engineer. Do not be surprised if you have to dig to the footing to get your answer. If this is a good deal you will be well served to spend the money on this professional evaluation. Skip the basement waterproofers opinion.

Jay

You have to find the source of the leak first. Roof pictures would be helpful. Could be a simple roof valley leak. Since the room appears to be on an outside wall and you life in Toronto it could also be seasonal due to snow load/ice damming. Find the source.

Hi Travis,

Stair step cracking like you see in the brick wall photo can be caused by minor settlement in the footings. Many factors go into the evaluation. Since it seems the cracks were previously filled and are now separated, that would indicate ongoing settlement. Follow the crack to the foundation wall or footing and move some dirt away if you can and see the it goes through the footing and how much separation or deflection is present. Questions you need to ask are. 1. Does the wall show any kind of deflection or an offset between the two sides. Look down the wall with the side of your head against it and see if the wall looks smooth or if there is some kind of shelf effect. Smooth is good, shelf effect is not so good. 2. Is the wall a brick veneer or a structural brick wall? If it is veneer (meaning only brick on the face with a framed structural wall behind.) It is probably cosmetic and not a big deal. Cracking in masonry and drywall is common at the lintels above the window and door headers and at the window sills due to minor settlement. If is a structural brick/block I would recommend spending 500-1000 dollars for a qualified structural engineer to evaluate. Finally correlating damage to the interior surfaces and evidence of ongoing repairs can be a red flag.

Good Luck,
Jay