By Barry Stone
Dear Barry,
The house I'm buying is more than 100 years old, and there appear to be some structural problems. The main support beam in the basement is cracked and has caused some sagging of the upstairs floor. The sellers have installed temporary supports and say that permanent repairs can be done at a later time for about $1,000. Should I consider buying this home or leave it well enough alone? - Chris
Dear Chris,
If you seriously wish to purchase this home, you should disregard the sellers' assessment of the support problems, and have the foundation and framing systems professionally evaluated. Concerns regarding the structural integrity of a home should not be left to chance or to off-hand opinions. I strongly recommend that the post and beam problems be investigated by a licensed structural engineer. The property should also be fully evaluated by the most thorough and experienced home inspector you can find. Other problems are certain to be revealed, and with the sellers minimizing the disclosure of significant structural issues, some of these findings could be decisive.
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