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Protect Your Home Foundation mortgage pre-approval

Protect Your Home Foundation

Protect your home foundation from shifting and cracking

Winnipeg home owners love their basement rec-rooms.  But several problems, including flooding basements, cracking and shifting foundations are always a concern.  Normally, our main concern is during wet weather, when sump pumps can become overwhelmed by the water, and tiny cracks in concrete basement walls allow water to seep into our prized man-caves and game rooms.

cracking and shifting foundations
cracking and shifting foundations

However, there are several causes of shifting and cracking foundation walls:

Extended drought causes foundations issues

Extended dry periods, such as what we’re experiencing this summer (2021), will cause the ground to dry up and crack, shifting soil all along your foundation walls.

Severe droughts can affect soil moisture levels even deep into the ground.  If it goes deep enough, and affects the clay around the foundation footings, the impact can be severe.

Drying clay will shrink, causing vacant pockets around and underneath the footings.  This will increase the chances of the footings shifting or dropping.

Prevention: Water your foundation on a regular basis.  When watering your lawn, make sure your sprinklers work right up to the basement walls, to keep the soil nice and moist.

While it is commonly believed that, if a house is beyond a certain age, it will have ‘settled as far as it’s gonna settle’, I know of cases where houses have shifted after 30 years of relative stability.

Sudden changes in soil moisture levels

I read once that a fully grown birch cluster can take 8 bath-tubs full of water out of the soil every single day.  If you have several large trees close to your home, and suddenly remove them, the moisture levels around your home will suddenly change.  This can affect home foundations, and can cause severe shifting and settling.

Sudden, or even gradual changes in soil moisture are quite often the culprit of these issues with foundations.

Tree roots effect foundations

Tree, planted too close to foundations, can over time develop roots that are big enough to crack concrete.  As prevention, don’t plant trees or even large shrubs too close to the house.  However, if your home already has several large trees around it, don’t be too hasty in removing them, because this can cause another, equally severe issue…Protect Your Home Foundation mortgage pre-approval

 



Protect Your Home Foundation mortgage pre-approvalAbout the Publisher

Bo Kauffmann is a residential real estate agent with over 18 yrs experience in helping buyers and sellers achieve their goals.  Inducted into the REMAX Hall of Fame in 2010 and receiving the REMAX Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, Bo has sold over 500 houses and condos in the Greater Winnipeg market.  He is an accredited buyer representative (A.B.R.) and a Luxury Home Marketing Specialist.   Bo provides exceptional service to First-Time Home-Buyers, Seniors looking to downsize and Home Sellers of all ages.   He can be reached easily   By E-Mail or call/text him   Call/Text Here

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Keystone Matrix

How To Read Real Estate Listings

KeystoneMatrix MLS listings: How to read them

If you are a buyer looking to purchase a house in Winnipeg, and are working with a real estate agent, you are probably receiving new MLS listings from your REALTOR® via KeystoneMatrix®. That is the real estate search program being used by your real estate professional.  In a previous post, we looked at how to use Keystone Matrix® to your best advantage.

How to read the MLS listings

Home buyers are well advised to work with their own agent when searching for a new homes for sale in Winnipeg.  There are a ton of reasons to do so, and no advantage to ‘going it alone’.  There are a number of reasons for working with your own agent, such as:

  • You save time
  • You get unbiased support
  • Increase in convenience
  • Have a professional in YOUR corner

And you receive the list of new homes for sale, as soon as they are posted, for example these luxury homes in Winnipeg.  

Once you get the available homes list, however, they tend to be full of abbreviations and confusing real estate terminology.  So here is a 10-minute video tutorial about how to read and decipher those new MLS listings (MLS= Multiple Listing Service) which you are receiving.

 

And if you are NOT yet working with your own agent, and are serious about buying a house or a condo in Winnipeg, please call me anytime…..I love to help.   Direct cell is (204) 333-2202…. Bo Kauffmann



How To Read Real Estate Listings mortgage pre-approvalAbout the Publisher

Bo Kauffmann is a residential real estate agent with over 18 yrs experience in helping buyers and sellers achieve their goals.  Inducted into the REMAX Hall of Fame in 2010 and receiving the REMAX Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, Bo has sold over 500 houses and condos in the Greater Winnipeg market.  He is an accredited buyer representative (A.B.R.) and a Luxury Home Marketing Specialist.   Bo provides exceptional service to First-Time Home-Buyers, Seniors looking to downsize and Home Sellers of all ages.   He can be reached easily   By E-Mail or call/text him   Call/Text Here

    Our Latest Web-Stories
Never miss an episode of our real estate podcast. Install our FREE Podcast App available on iOS and Android. For your Apple Devices, click here to install our iOS App. For your Android Devices, click here to install our Android App. Check my videos on Youtube

Check out our Podcast

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