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nae89 · Oct 21, 2008, 06:22 PM

My husband and I are looking to buy a house that has settled. The back side of the house was built on land fill and that's where the major setteling has occurred, there is a crack in the basement wall. What and whom do you suggest we do and contact. We want a fixer upper and the rest of the house is in great condition. I'm a first time buyer and absolutely clueless.
Thanks,
Naila

twinkiedooter · Oct 21, 2008, 06:33 PM

I for one would not buy this "fixer upper" unless I had a LOT of money to spend fixing it up. The settling will continue as landfills are not generally compacted down and will continue to "settle" until the house is broken in two. Would suggest you keep looking instead of settling (no pun intended) for this house. Landfills are not the best real estate to own either due to toxic stuff that would/is in the dumped garbage. You could get ill from the dump as well. I am sure that there are more fixer uppers out there right now that would be less hazardous to your health. Also, don't forget the methane gas that is released from garbage could affect your health as well. Are you sure you really, truly want this house? Please take a good second, third, fourth look at what you are getting into. You could regret your decision to buy this home real quick once you or your family gets ill and you are stuck with worse than a white elephant to get rid of.

ballengerb1 · Oct 21, 2008, 07:23 PM

A houses settle, how big is the crack and exactly where is it located, maybe the corner of a window well?

Home repair · Oct 22, 2008, 05:29 PM

I agree with Twinkie's post. Nobody would touch a house like this, regardless of the low price.

This is not a fixer upper, it could be your worst nightmare!!

Roger

ballengerb1 · Oct 22, 2008, 07:09 PM

All I see posted that describes the damage is " there is a crack in the basement wall" I do not see or hear anything that says this house is not worth fixng. Before we go further nae needs to get back to us and tell more about the foundation. Also many land fills are actually filled land, not necessarily garbage dumps but low spots filled with dirt and clay from another site.

nae89 · Oct 23, 2008, 03:29 PM

Thanks a lot for all the great information and input it's kind of nice to have outside points of view. And I'm really glad that things didn't go through with this house it would have been a serious nightmare instead of joy a lot more was going on with this property than what I can handle. Thanks everyone.

ballengerb1 · Oct 23, 2008, 06:21 PM

Glad to hear that the fill was just dirt after all. It probably could have been a good investment had the FHA not messed things up.

all about brick · Nov 2, 2008, 05:40 AM

Originally Posted by nae89

My husband and I are looking to buy a house that has settled. the back side of the house was built on land fill and that's where the major setteling has occurred, there is a crack in the basement wall. what and whom do you suggest we do and contact. We want a fixer upper and the rest of the house is in great condition. I'm a first time buyer and absolutely clueless.
thanks,
naila

Run away as fast as you can.