Selling a House With Foundation Problems in Minnesota: Your Options Explained

Discovering foundation problems is a stressful moment for any homeowner, and it raises hard questions: Is it still safe to live in your house? Are you required to fix it before you sell it?

Repair costs vary widely. Simple crack sealing can cost as little as $200, while major repairs can exceed $50,000. If your damage is on the major end, selling as-is may be the easier path.

So, can you sell your Minnesota property with foundation issues? The short answer is yes. 

The longer answer depends on how serious the damage is, what repairs would cost, and which type of buyer is the right fit for your situation. Here’s what you should know before you list your home.

Can You Sell Your Home with a Damaged Foundation in Minnesota?

Yes, you can sell a house with a cracked or damaged foundation. Structural problems don’t have to end your sale. Plenty of buyers are still willing to make an offer.

Impact of Structural Problems on Your Minnesota Property

Foundation problems can make selling a home more difficult by diminishing fair market value, causing delays, and requiring repairs.

Diminished Market Value

Foundation problems can reduce a home’s fair market value by 10%-20%. Using a median Minnesota home value of $346,668, this means taking up to $70,000 off your asking price. Before assuming the worst, it might be worth having a professional foundation assessment performed. This costs between $300 and $3,000. You may find that the damage is not as serious as it looks and that the necessary repair is pretty inexpensive.

Delays

If you’ve already seen foundation cracks, you’ll want to have them inspected to determine the extent of the problem. This will help you decide whether to fix it first before selling or sell it as is. The inspection can take some time, so plan for a delay before you can list your property.

Damage Repairs

Your home inspection report may indicate that you need to make urgent repairs to prevent further damage to your foundation. These repairs can cost quite a lot. If concerns are caught and addressed early, you can keep your Minnesota property’s value from dropping.

Causes of Foundation Issues in Minnesota

Two things typically cause problems with the foundation. In Minnesota, the freeze-thaw cycle is by far the biggest driver of foundation issues. Older homes also tend to have more construction-related problems, since they were built before today’s drainage and reinforcement standards. Here’s what each one looks like:

Changes in Soil Properties

Minnesota’s freeze-thaw cycle has the greatest impact on soil properties. Minnesota winters bring more than snow and picture-perfect holiday scenes. It drives frost deep into the ground, causing the soil to expand. Since the soil has nowhere to go, it presses against your foundation, causing it to crack. In the spring, warmer temperatures melt the ice underneath, and the soil shrinks. Because of this, pockets of water are trapped underneath the surface, which may leak into your basement walls that have cracked during the winter freeze. During dry periods, these water pockets evaporate, causing the soil to shrink further and leaving your foundation unsupported, which can lead to failure.

Other causes of soil property changes include: large trees with expansive roots below your home can damage your foundation; unsupported excavation adjacent to your property may cause a cave-in; or a plumbing leak left unrepaired.

Poor Design and/or Poor Construction

Perhaps the most famous case of poor design due to a misunderstanding of soil properties is the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was built on soft soil, which wasn’t sufficient to support the tower’s weight. This caused it to settle unevenly and tilt at a dangerous angle until it was stabilized in 2001. These things still happen in modern times, but fortunately, the science of soil behavior, geotechnical engineering, has advanced significantly. This has given structural designers all the information that they require, so that all possible failure modes are addressed at the planning stage.

Signs of Foundation Problems

Wall & Foundation Cracks

The first signs of structural issues typically manifest as small cracks, and while wall cracks may not necessarily extend to the foundation, it’s still worth looking into before they get out of control. 

Water Damage in the Basement

Water trails from cracks in the basement walls or stagnant water in the crawl space are another sign that your foundation is compromised. You should call a foundation professional in Minnesota as soon as you spot this.

Foundation Settlement or Sinking

When your foundation settles unevenly, it alters the distribution of stresses along your home’s structure. This is indicated by walls that bow outward, sinking or uplifted floor slabs, and stair-step cracks.

Interior Separation

Your house naturally settles over time, so you’re bound to notice uneven areas. However, the obvious separation of interior home elements often points to something more serious, like a foundation issue:

• Cracks at the junction of walls and ceilings
• Gaps around window frames and door jambs
• Sloping or uneven floors
• Gaps or cracks between walls and floor slabs

Foundation Repair Types

You’ll want a professional inspector to assess your home in Minnesota and determine the type of repairs it needs. Let’s look at the common ones:

Hydraulic Piers

A type of foundation repair underpinning method, piers are concrete or steel tubes driven deep into the ground using a hydraulic ram. The ram works like a giant hammer, driving the piers towards a more stable soil layer under your property. Think of them as posts, but underground. This prevents your current overstressed foundation from being further damaged.

Estimated cost: $25,000

Helical Piers

This is similar in principle to hydraulic piers, but instead of being hydraulically driven underground, the piers are “drilled” towards the hard soil layer, similar to a giant screw.

Estimated cost: $25,000

Slab Jacking

This is a common repair method when soil settling or sinking is observed, dragging your floor down with it. To perform slab jacking, the contractor drills holes into the slab and then injects concrete grout or high-density polyurethane foam to lift it. Slab jacking is more cost-effective compared to replacing the slab outright.

Estimated cost: $2,000

Epoxy Injection

If foundation cracks are caught early, epoxy injection is one of the simplest and most affordable fixes available. A contractor injects structural epoxy directly into cracks, sealing them and preventing further damage.

Estimated cost: $150-$400 per crack

Soil Modification

When the soil beneath your foundation has weakened or shifted, soil modification helps restore its strength. Cement grout or mortar is pumped into the soil voids, making them firmer and more stable so they can properly support your foundation again.

Estimated cost: $4-$30 per square foot

Options for Selling a House with Foundation Problems in Minnesota

Once you’ve decided to sell your Minnesota home that has foundation issues, here are your options:

Option #1: Fix First, Sell Later

The Minnesota market has been seeing steadily rising inventory. This means increased competition among sellers and more leverage for buyers. Since there are a lot more properties to choose from, buyers scrutinize a home’s condition more closely. If you want to stand out as a seller, your property would need to be move-in ready. To do that, you’ll want to address the foundation issues before putting your home on the market.

If getting funds for the repairs is a challenge, you can reach out to companies that offer flexible payment plans. You can also take out a loan against the equity that you’ve built up.

Since you’re already doing the structural repairs, you can include cosmetic fixes as well. 

These include replacing your cabinet hardware or repainting your home. You can also go further by adding some landscaping or replacing your front door. These changes can boost your home’s curb appeal and help you find a buyer, whether you sell with a real estate agent or go at it alone as a For Sale by Owner (FSBO).

Taking care of foundation concerns will also help your buyer, especially those who depend on financing, as most lenders won’t approve a mortgage for a home with existing major issues.

Option #2: Sell As-Is to Cash Buyers

When selling as-is, cash buyers are your best bet. While most buyers see structural issues and take off running in the other direction, these buyers specifically seek them out.

This type of buyer includes real estate investors, house flippers, and cash buying companies who are always on the lookout for distressed properties. With their team of construction professionals, they repair, rehabilitate, and renovate problem properties before selling them for a profit. If you’re worried that you might be losing out on money that could be made, selling your home in Minnesota for cash can actually save you more money in the long run. Instead of spending thousands of dollars on repairs, why not leave it to the experts? After all, depending on the true extent of the damage, there’s no guarantee that you’ll get a return on the money that you spent upfront.

Fix the Problem or Sell As-Is: How to Decide?

To decide whether to sell before or after repairs, get a professional foundation inspection report. The report will tell you:

How Bad Is the Damage?

If the problem turns out to be too expensive to fix, such as wide foundation fissures resulting in severely bowed walls, you can just sell your home as is. In this way, the buyer can transactions with the demolition and build on the lot.

If the inspection finds that the cracks are superficial and can be repaired for a small fee, you can fix them before listing the house with a realtor.

How Much Is It Going to Cost?

Once the scope is clear from the inspection report, you can send it to contractors in Minnesota and request quotes.

Bottom Line

The bottom line depends on whether you’re willing to spend the money, time, and effort to fix the problem. Are you ready to take on major repairs if it means you can sell your Minnesota house for a higher price? Or would you be content with lowering your asking price to sell the house fast and move forward sooner?

Tips on Selling Property with Foundation Concerns

Get Multiple Foundation Repair Quotes

When looking for a Minnesota contractor to handle the repairs, don’t settle for the first quote you get. Reach out to several companies to compare prices and find the most qualified person for the job. Check online reviews from other homeowners, or ask friends and family for referrals.

Be Transparent With Your Buyer

Minnesota is a mandatory disclosure state, meaning you’re legally required to disclose any known issues, such as a damaged foundation, a termite infestation, or the presence of asbestos. Being upfront about past and present problems, even ones you’ve already fixed, builds buyer confidence and improves your chances of closing. Some buyers may see past foundation damage as a red flag, but the right buyer is out there.

Get a Written Buyer’s Acknowledgment

To protect yourself down the road, ask your buyer to sign a written acknowledgment confirming that you disclosed all known issues about the property.

Give Your Buyer the Repair Quotes That You’ve Collected

If you decided not to move forward with repairs, share the quotes you gathered with your potential buyer. This gives them a clearer picture of what they’re taking on, and lets them decide whether to handle the repairs themselves or walk away.

Final Thoughts: Selling a Minnesota Home with Foundation Problems

Sometimes, dealing with the headache of repair and rehabilitation work, especially for your home’s foundation, may not feel worth it. You may just want to sell as-is to simplify things and free yourself from the stress and expense of fixing everything that’s broken.

If that’s the case, Henry Home Buyer is here for you. We’re a company that buys houses in Minnesota, in business since 2004, and we buy homes in any condition: sagging eaves, leaning chimneys, cracked brick, crumbling foundations, and all.

You don’t have to pay a penny in commissions or hidden fees, and you’ll get cash for your house!

If you want the benefits of a fast cash sale and a fair cash offer, fill in our form below with your property address, email, and phone number. We’ll have our offer delivered straight to your inbox. We’re proud to be among the most trusted cash home buyers in Minneapolis, MN.

Have questions? Feel free to contact us at (612) 430-8822, and we’d love to tell you about our home-buying process.

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