For a lot of people, a home is their single largest asset. Choosing what to buy can be difficult, especially in a competitive real estate market. Due diligence is a necessity. However, your decision can be much harder if the home you want to buy has a suspected structurally deficiency. Perhaps your home inspector flagged something of concern or you may have seen it yourself: a cracked foundation, sagging floors, rotting siding or a leaning retaining wall.
A structural deficiency may represent a major repair in the near future or a simple maintenance task. Not knowing the difference adds considerable risk to your purchase. You can reduce this risk by retaining a professional engineer to observe and assess the potential deficiency. Drawing on specialized education and experience your engineer can help you identify the likely cause and significance of the deficiency you observed to reduce uncertainty and help you make a better-informed decision.
RJD Residental can assist buyers with pre-purchase due diligence by performing a condition assessment of a residential building and other structure, such as a retaining wall. Generally, the condition assessment will include the following for a fixed fee:
- Site visit by a professional engineer to observe the structural condition(s) of concern.
- Qualitative analysis of the condition(s) observed.
- An opinion as to the likely cause(s) and significance.
- Recommendations for further investigation and remediation.
- A brief report summarizing the observations, analysis, opinion and recommendations.
- Additional consultations and other services may be available for additional fee.
See also: Condition Assessments
A pre-purchase condition assessment is not a substitute for a home inspection. But if a structural deficiency is suspected, an assessment can help supplement a buyer’s due diligence and reduce the risk associated with a home purchase.