A hillside home listed at a bargain price caught one prospective buyer's attention, but its tiered retaining walls raised concerns that a routine inspection could not resolve.
With the backyard rising steeply behind the house, the buyer wanted to know whether an inspection showing no apparent problems was enough to move forward.
Here's what to know
In a post on Reddit's r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer, the prospective buyer described a home built in 1994 with a concrete slab foundation and no basement. The property sits near the bottom of a neighborhood hill, with only a couple of houses separating it from a ravine.
For the buyer, the unresolved concerns were erosion, foundation movement, and the steep ground above the house. An inspection that found no apparent moisture intrusion didn't put those worries to rest.
"The home inspector won't give me a straight answer about potential issues, he's just saying that so far it looks alright," the original poster wrote.
In a follow-up, the buyer noted that the property had been listed for six months at a low price and speculated that its hillside location explained the discount.
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More background
One commenter reported spending about $65,000 on a driveway-widening and retaining wall project that included two new walls, each approximately 50 feet long and three feet high.
Beyond construction costs, the homeowner described the challenges of navigating 13 front steps, carrying a lawnmower between levels, and accommodating elderly relatives.
For friends of another commenter, repairing a retaining wall would also mean routing equipment across neighboring properties. A bomb cyclone had moved soil, leaving them in need of retaining wall repairs.
Separately, a hillside homeowner reported spending two years adding vegetation uphill of a retaining wall to limit soil loss.
What can be done?
A general home inspection alone wasn't the pre-closing check one commenter recommended: the buyer should also have a structural engineer assess the slab and retaining walls.
Insurance was another item to check, particularly how the policy addressed earth movement and water damage, the commenter said. A visit during or after heavy rain could reveal where runoff goes; reviewing seller disclosures, wall permits, and responsibility for each wall's maintenance was also on the recommended checklist.
To make a sloped yard easier to maintain, upgrading to a natural lawn can reduce mowing, save maintenance time and money, and lower watering needs and water bills. Options include native plants, clover, buffalo grass, and xeriscaping; even partial replacement can provide benefits.
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