Foundation problems can adversely affect the value and resale of a house and may make it ineligible for certain types of financing.

If you are planning to sell a home which has foundation issues, it is best to address these problems before putting the house on the market. A buyer does not want to purchase a house with structural problems, and you will have to address the problems eventually, possibly selling the house for less than necessary or losing a sale altogether.

Most buyers want a home inspection and will make their purchase of the home contingent on a home inspection that meets the buyer’s satisfaction. A home inspection will identify a foundation problem, and the buyer will almost always want the seller to make the foundation repairs after the sale price has already been negotiated.

Structural problems may be evidenced in a number of ways:

On the exterior, visible cracks in the foundation itself or in the mortar of the brick veneer; a crack where the edge of a window joins the brick veneer especially near the corner of the house

Cracks on interior walls and ceilings

Uneven or bouncy floors

Interior or exterior doors that drag and/or don’t shut properly

Uneven trim or molding around doors or along walls

A crack between the floor and the baseboard around the room

These conditions all indicate present and past foundation problems and may need to be checked by a structural engineer or builder to determine the exact cause and present condition of the foundation.