Selling a House with Foundation Issues In San Francisco Bay Area

You begin to observe issues with your house such as doors and windows not shutting correctly, hairline cracks emerging on walls unexpectedly, and objects rolling towards walls due to a sloping floor. After a brief online search, you connect the dots and realize these are classic indicators of a foundation issue.

Realizing your house has foundation problems is a dreadful discovery to make.

Should you consider fixing it and continue living in your house? Is it still safe for you and your family to be staying in your house?

Selling a House with Foundation Issues In San Francisco Bay Area

As per the National Foundation Repair Association (NFRA), foundation damage costs $12.5 billion in repairs annually. One popular fix, underpinning, sets homeowners back an average of $18,000! Selling up and moving may seem like the simpler solution for many.

While a house with a foundation problem can sound daunting, don’t panic.

The answer is YES. A foundation issue is not a contract killer. It’s not impossible to find interested buyers.

But trying to sell a house with foundation problems brings with it 3 D’s: Diminished property value, Delays, and Damage control.

Can You Sell a House with Structural Damage?

A home with foundation issues could lose up to 15% of its worth. To lessen this impact, consider hiring a skilled inspector or engineer to check it out. Fixing it may not be as costly as you think.

You gotta get your foundation checked to see how bad it is and figure out if you’ll repair it or sell the house as is. It may take a while before you can sell your house with foundation problems.

Depending on what it says on the inspection report, you may need to do some urgent repairs in order to avoid further foundation damage. Additionally, timely foundation repairs can prevent your home’s value from plummeting.


The nightmare of foundation problems are typically caused by two things:

Causes of Foundation Problems In San Francisco Bay Area

Acts of mother nature, such as earthquakes and flooding can alter soil properties so that they are unable to support your home’s structure.

In earthquakes, there is a phenomenon called liquefaction, wherein the water in the soil bubbles up to the surface and causes the soil particles underneath your foundation to sink, bringing your home down with it.

Severe flooding, on the other hand, could saturate the soil, increasing the hydraulic pressure and causing foundation upheaval, which manifests in severe bowing of basement walls and floor slabs.

High temperatures may impact the ground, making it contract and leaving your base without support. When it rains, the reverse can occur, causing it to swell and potentially leading to foundation strain and cracks.

Additional reasons for foundation issues include sizable trees with spreading roots that may extend beneath your dwelling, causing harm to its concrete base; neighboring development, particularly if the groundwork lacks proper support, leading to soil sinking; and unresolved plumbing issues.

One of the most well-known examples of not knowing enough about soil when designing a building is the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was constructed on unstable ground, which made it lean dangerously to one side, almost falling over. Although occurrences like this are rare nowadays, they still happen occasionally. Thanks to improvements in geotechnical engineering, structural engineers now have the necessary data to avoid such problems.


Tiny cracks often indicate hidden issues with the structure—perhaps not directly related to the base—but it’s wise to investigate early on to prevent escalation.

Water in basements and crawl spaces, walls bulging outward, cracks resembling stairs, and floors separating from walls may suggest the house is settling and the foundation is shifting. Schedule a home inspection promptly to assess the severity of your foundation concerns and explore potential solutions.

How to Know if Your House Has Foundation Issues In San Francisco Bay Area

As mentioned above, a thorough foundation examination is needed to determine what type of repairs are needed. Depending on what you need to do, foundation repair can cost between $250 to upwards of $100,000.

Let’s take a look at some foundation repairs:

Piers are sturdy tubes crafted from either concrete or steel, forcefully placed into the ground with a hydraulic ram to reach the solid soil layer beneath your property. They serve as a foundation support technique to steady homes experiencing settling or leaning issues.

A steel or concrete tube like the ones above, but instead of being driven underground, they are “drilled” towards the hard soil layer, similar to a large screw.

One of the frequent fixes for concrete foundations is addressing soil sinking, which can pull down your floor. This method entails drilling holes strategically and pumping in grout or dense foam to raise the slab. It’s a cheaper alternative to replacing the entire slab.

For small cracks in concrete and brickwork, you can use structural epoxy to stop them from getting worse and causing more damage. This works well if you catch the problem early.

This involves filling the voids in the soil with grout or mortar in order to increase its stiffness and stabilize it, improving performance.


Once you have decided to sell, here are the options available to you:

Selling a House with Foundation Problems In San Francisco Bay Area

Before selling a house with foundation problems, consider fixing them first. This could attract more buyers and let you ask for a higher price.

If money is tight, there are companies that offer payment plans and fixed credit to help cover the costs.

Plus, fixing the foundation with a trusted company usually includes a warranty for peace of mind.

While you’re at it, address any cosmetic issues like landscaping or repainting. This will make your house more attractive whether you use real estate agents or sell it yourself.

Fixing these issues also helps potential buyers since many banks won’t approve mortgages for homes with foundation problems, limiting your buyer options to cash buyers.

Option 2: As-Is Sale of your Property with Foundation Issues

Thankfully, not every buyer seeks a ready-to-move-in house. While many buyers view structural problems as challenges, a specific group sees them as chances…

Property renovators hunt for the most rundown properties available. They, along with their expert team, fix up and upgrade the property before selling it for a handsome profit.

Opting to sell your home without making repairs can be more cost-effective in the long term. Spending money on costly repairs doesn’t ensure a return on investment when you sell later on.

Sell House Foundation Problems In San Francisco Bay Area

A professional foundation inspection is the most helpful thing to have in making an informed decision whether you’d go down the path of selling as-is or doing the foundation repairs first. A professional inspection will be able to tell you the following:

If you discover significant foundation problems, like wide cracks causing walls to bow severely, you have the option to sell your house as-is. This allows the buyer to tear it down and construct a new one on the land.

If the foundation assessment reveals only minor cracks that can be fixed at a reasonable cost, you may want to prioritize repairing them before putting the property on the market.

You can request your home inspector to tell you the total scope and how much it would cost to address your home’s foundation problems.

In the end, it boils down to the price you’re willing to accept. Are you willing to do the big fixes yourself to sell the house for more money? Or would you rather settle for a lower price and skip the hassle of repairs and renovations altogether?

Your decision can also depend on whether it is a buyer’s or seller’s market. Consult a nearby real estate agent to gauge the market. In a seller’s market, with low inventory, selling a house with foundation issues may be simpler than expected.

To avoid agent fees, consider contacting cash house buying companies for multiple cash offers from investors.


In real estate, integrity is important. So, it’s smart to tell potential buyers about any problems with your home, like issues with the foundation.

Even if you fixed the foundation before putting your home up for sale and made sure there are no visible signs of problems inside or outside, you still need to give the buyer paperwork showing the repairs. Disclosure of any flaws, weak spots, and hidden dangers, past or present, is mandatory in most states.

While past foundation issues can be a deal breaker for some, you’ll be certain to find a buyer sooner or later.

For your protection, it is advisable to get a buyer’s acknowledgment, in written form, that you have disclosed any and all issues concerning your house.

When looking for a contractor who can do the necessary repair work, it is not advisable to get a single quote from a foundation repair company. Shop around to get the best price and the best contractor for the job.

If you decide to sell your house as-is even after obtaining repair quotes, you can pass them on to the cash buyer so they can decide if they’re going to repair foundation issues themselves or pass on the sale.

If the foundation damage is too extensive, potential buyers may have difficulty getting their loans approved. A cash investor is your best bet in getting your distressed property sold.


Selling a House with Foundation Issues in San Francisco Bay Area

If you want to sell your home quickly without making any repairs, We Buy Houses in San Francisco Bay Area is here to offer you cash. Forget about the stress and hassle of fixing foundation issues.

With us, you won’t have to spend money on fixing the foundation or wait for repairs to be done. We buy houses in any condition, whether they have sagging eaves or crumbling foundations.

You can choose your closing date, even as soon as 7 days! You’ll receive your cash within a week, and we cover all closing costs.

If you’re interested in the benefits of a fast cash sale, fill out the form below!

Sell House Foundation Problems In San Francisco Bay Area

Questions? Call us at (408) 557-7554, and we’ll be happy to assist you!”

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The Easiest Way To Sell Your House Fast In San Francisco Bay Area

You’re in the driver’s seat when you accept our cash offer for your house. We make the process simple, fast, and easy to follow when working with us. You have no obligation to accept our cash offer for your home when contacting us for a fair cash offer for your home. No matter the reason you want to sell your house, we want to buy your home as is. Remember that you get many benefits that include no real estate agent commissions, no cleaning, no improvements, and no stress. Our cash offer for your as-is house assures you of fast cash payment at closing with a reputable Title company. You can count on our company to give you a fair cash offer for your home! If you’re still thinking, “I need to sell my house fast”, calling us could be your best decision all day. 🙂

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Gagan Saini

Author: Saini

My name is Saini, and I founded the We Buy Houses in San Francisco Bay Area team with years of experience in the real estate industry. I have assisted numerous sellers in selling their homes quickly, “AS-IS”, and for a fair price.

He’s been featured in multiple publications including Yahoo Finance, GoBankingRates, LegalZoom, The Mortgage Report, Apartment Therapy, US News and World Report, and SuperMoney among others.

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