I am looking at buying a home. The house itself is in pretty good condition for being built in 1951. It has a huge lot and a granny flat (my mother lives with us). WE have been looking for a home for several months and this one seems to be what we all need. however after looking at it in detail, we started to notice cracks in walls and ceilings. I noticed a few in the concrete outside the house, but i know concrete cracks. the house has a crawl space and sits on a hill. There is a huge retaining wall in the front with cracks in it. The house itself is on level ground due to the retaining wall. there are also two huge pine trees in front (which we plan to remove). I noticed there was a crack between the garage and the house as well. Some of the walls have a brick veneer so I wondering if cracks are being covered or if the weight of the veneer is what is causing some of the cracks. We were told it might just been the retaining wall needs to be replaced and stop the ground from shifting. Since this seems to be the best house that meets our needs, should we put in an offer pending an inspection and also ask for credits to repair the cracks?

Some of the things people say...leave me shaking my head...the retaining wall needs to be replaced to stop the ground from shifting???? Whoever told you this, don't take any more advice from them.

There is often a distinct pattern to a series of cracks which sometimes suggests the cause. Therefore, evaluating a house with various cracks is best done by someone who can examine them on site.

I can tell you a few things. Cracks in the retaining wall likely have nothing to do with cracks in the house. The farther the wall is from the house, the more this will be true. Brick veneer is supposed to be supported directly by the foundation, so it is unlikely that its weight has caused any cracks. Maybe that was some more of that "advice" you got.

To comment any further, we would need to know a lot more about the cracks you observed. How wide are they? Exactly where are they located? Are the walls made of wallboard, or are they plaster? How long are they? What are their directions? It won't be possible to monitor them over a period of time (months) because you don't own the house, but that should be done also to fully evaluate the cracks.

Well I know the two I was concerned the most about was a crack that ran diagonal across one of the bedrooms ceiling that was about 1/8th inch wide, it pretty much ran from corner to corner. There was a 1/4 inch wide crack that was on the exterior wall between the house and garage that ran from ground to roof, it wasnt on the inside. There was cracks in the corner of the front door, but i know corners of doors are stress points and not necessarily foundation issues. There is OPEN BEAM CEILING in the living with cracks around the beams, they are hairline cracks that range from 1-6 inches long. Then in the dining room they have a brick wall to match the brick on the fireplace in the livingroom (think it might of been left over brick) it doesnt quite extend to the ceiling but the wall supporting the brick look to have hairline cracks going behind the brick

Your offer should not reflect a Credit that you want. Anytime there is a structural issue Do NOT I repeat Do NOT accept credit for any repairs.

You will end up paying much more for the repairs then you had a estimate on. The only time you should accept a credit on a repair is when your either going to tear the house down and build another one or its for a repair where there is no unknown. Like a broken window or adjust a door. Whenever there is a structural issue that is belived to be caused by another, you never know how much the repair is going to cost until its completly uncovered and exposed. At that time you already got your credit to find that the cost has gone up because of new issues that suprised the contractor doing the work. You cannot go back to the seller at that time so your stuck with the cost of repair beyond what you got at the closing table.

Not sure where you live, but with the current housing market the way it is, your better walking away and finding a better home without all the issues and costs needed to fix.