4 Ways to Check Your Foundation Without Looking at It

May 18, 2015

When flipping a house one of my seven budget breakers is the foundation. The foundation of a house could be a huge factor in the amount of profit you are able to make. As a real estate investor, the abilities to accurately assess properties and make offers on the spot are what dictate your success. There may not always be time to get a contractor or a foundation specialist on site to help you walk through a house.

In this post I’m going to cover four different ways that you can check the foundation of a potential investment property without having to physically go under the house and inspect it.

Look at the drywall

As you begin your walkthrough of a property check all of the walls around you for cracks in the drywall. Sometimes foundation issues will be more obvious than others. You’ll be able to spot large cracks in the middle of walls and in the ceilings. Other times you will need to check in more specific locations. The spots above doors and windows are the weakest parts of a house. Look there for cracks. They are telltale signs that the house could be starting to settle and may require foundation work.

Open and close the doors

This is a great way to find foundation problems that may not be visible with the naked eye, as long as you are thorough. All of the exterior and interior doors should open and close without issue. Start at one side of the house and you’re your way across. Open and close all of the closets, bathrooms and bedrooms. Don’t skip any. If you notice that any one side of the house has more than one door that doesn’t open and close properly then you may want to figure foundation work into your budget.

Check the exterior for cracked brick

After you finish up your walkthrough of the interior, take a close look at the outside of the house. If the house you are looking at has a brick exterior give it a close look. Mortar will crack before the actual bricks do. If you have a load bearing brick wall with cracks in the mortar you could be developing foundation problems. I almost made the mistake of passing up on a deal due to cracks in an exterior brick wall. It turns out I had overlooked the fact that it was just a façade and not a load bearing wall. Brick facades are a much easier fix and are not that serious of a problem.

Always carry a racquetball

Wait, what? Yes! Always carry a racquetball with you. They have a smooth surface and are great for detecting foundation problems. Simply take the ball and place it in the middle of a room. Does it roll? Which way does it roll and how fast? This is an incredibly simple and easy way to test any room in the house for current and developing foundation issues. With these four tips on how to check your foundation you should be able to quickly analyze most foundation issues. Remember, not accounting for foundation problems can break your budget and take from your profit. If you find any of the issues mentioned above make sure to compensate your budget or reconsider the deal.