Benefits of Hiring a Structural Engineer to Assess the Property Before You Purchase
A regular inspector may not be equipped to identify known signs of structural damage. While general property inspectors have to consider the condition of the entire property as a whole, structural engineers are able to focus on structural problems.
Structural engineers also have different qualifications as opposed to home inspectors. To be a structural engineer, you need a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, 5 years of engineering apprenticeship, and multiple accredited examination scores.
When you include a structural engineer in your pre-purchase inspection, you’re not just getting another pair of eyes but a wealth of experience and knowledge.
How Structural Engineering Assessments Saved These Homebuyers From Costly Repairs
Here are a couple of stories from Reddit detailing how getting a structural engineer was really worth the expense:
The first story is about potentially first-time homebuyers who sought a structural engineer to assess the foundation and chimney of a century home. The structural engineer found that the “foundation walls were inwardly deflecting” and “recommended steel struts be placed.” The seller was made aware but didn’t want to pay for the repair nor lower the price. Plus, the basement was collapsing (as reported by the engineer).
Similar to the first story, the second story is also about a house with a bad foundation. The homebuyer was apparently told that sloping was “normal for an old pier and beam house.” But the structural engineer discovered a number of defects, which repairing would have cost the homebuyer over US$20,000. Given that the homebuyer paid US$600 for the engineer to take a look at it, they certainly saved a ton of money.
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