Updated 1 day ago on . Most recent reply
Is it ok to buy a 5 year old house with cracks in walls?
Hi there,
I found an investment property in Mountain House 1.05 M , 2800 sq ft, built in 2019, 6500 sq ft lot, walkable to all 3 high rated schools. My offer with contingency on inspection got accepted. I got the house inspected today. There seem to be multiple cracks in the walls of all the rooms. Example: One of them is a crack from the roof to the floor of the entire line joining 2 walls in the master bed room. The inspection engineer's suspects that the cracks may be because of the movement of foundation due to the heat in Mountain House. The buyer's agent says it is not foundational but may be due to settling since the house is only 5 years old. The home is under warranty with Taylor Morrison builder. He said that other such cracks had come up previously which were fixed by that builder. These are new cracks. As per our request, the seller is opening the ticket with the builder .
I welcome your opinion: Some specific questions I could think of:
1. Not sure if cracks in walls happen just due to heat or if could it be foundational/structural though the house is only 5 years old. Wondering if I should spend $700 on the structural engineer analysis. Already spent $500 for inspection.
2. I can wait for the Taylor Morrison builder to confirm, but not sure if they will do foundational and structural tests or just cover them up.
3. If the cracks happened were fixed as per buyer's agent, and new cracks came up again, can more new cracks keep coming up in future?
4. There are a number of small repairs and I can get those fixed. But wondering if I am being wise in investing in this house with the cracks issue though the price is low as per comparables.
Thanks in advance.
Most Popular Reply
Varsha — great job doing the inspection upfront and not ignoring the cracks. A few thoughts from an investor’s perspective:
1. Structural vs. Cosmetic
• Hairline cracks from settling are very common, even in newer builds.
• A full-height crack (roof to floor) deserves a second look — $700 for a structural engineer is money well spent if you’re committing over $1M. They’ll tell you whether it’s cosmetic drywall separation or tied to actual foundation movement.
2. Builder Warranty
• Taylor Morrison will likely repair cosmetic cracks, but you’re right — builders don’t always go deep on root causes unless pushed. A structural engineer report gives you leverage with both the seller and the builder.
3. Recurrence
• If cracks were fixed and new ones appeared, that can happen with expansive soils or heat cycles. It doesn’t necessarily mean the foundation is failing, but it could mean recurring maintenance.
4. Investment Lens
• The fact the house is priced low compared to comps suggests the market is discounting for risk. If your engineer clears the foundation and it’s just cosmetic, you could be walking into built-in equity.
• If it is structural, you now have a choice: renegotiate with the seller, walk away, or budget for remediation.
Bottom Line:
For a $1M+ purchase, a $700 structural report is cheap insurance. It gives you clarity to either proceed with confidence, renegotiate harder, or pivot to another property.
- Jackie Carmichael
