Guide
Selling or buying a house with a foundation problem
A foundation problem doesn't have to end a sale. It does change what each side needs to see on paper.
What Kansas law asks of agents
Kansas real estate law (K.S.A. 58-30,106) requires a licensed agent to tell the other party about adverse material facts the agent actually knows, and it names the physical condition of the property as one of them. The same statute says an agent has no duty to inspect the house or to verify what the seller says.
In plain terms: a known foundation problem is not something an agent may keep quiet about, and a buyer should not assume that anyone has checked.
This page is general information. For how the rules apply to your own sale, ask your agent or a Kansas real estate attorney.
If you are selling
- Fill in any seller's disclosure form your agent gives you completely, past repairs included. Leaving out a known problem is what causes trouble later.
- Gather the papers: inspection reports, the repair proposal and invoice, the permit and final inspection, the engineer's letter, the warranty.
- Find out whether the warranty passes to a buyer, and what the company needs in order to transfer it.
- If the problem has not been repaired, an inspection report and a written proposal let a buyer put a number on it.
Some sellers repair before listing; others sell as the house stands, with the paperwork. Your agent can tell you which suits the market you are in.
If you are buying
- Make the offer subject to inspections, and use that time.
- If the general inspector flags the foundation, bring in a structural engineer or a foundation repair company before the deadline.
- Ask the seller for the documents listed above. For a house in Wichita, MABCD (316-660-1840) can tell you whether a permit was issued at the address.
- Look at the drainage and at the soil the house stands on. The local soil guide explains the east-side clay and the valley sands.
- If a repair was done, ask who did it and whether that company is still trading and able to honour the warranty.
If you rent the house out
The same signs apply to a rental, and tenants are often the first to notice a door that stops closing. A dated record of what was reported and what was done about it protects both sides.
Sale questions
Does a repaired foundation hurt resale?
A documented repair with a permit, a final inspection and a transferable warranty is generally easier for a buyer to accept than an open question. What worries buyers is the unknown.
Will a lender accept a house with foundation damage?
Lenders and their appraisers set their own conditions, and some ask for an engineer's letter. Raise it with the lender early.
Ready to have it looked at?
Talk to a foundation repair company near Wichita
Call and describe what you are seeing. You will speak with an independent local company that can arrange to inspect the house and give you its findings and its price.
Foundation repair for houses
Basement walls, settling, cracks, crawl spaces and sloping floors in Wichita and nearby towns.
Call (316) 555-0119Calls may be recorded. See the referral disclosure and privacy policy.