Home Inspection Dilemma - 24 Hours to Decide (pics included)

[Jesse Petrillo]

Hello all,

I'm in the process of purchasing my first single family rental property as a long-term buy and hold. I'm located in CT and purchasing in the Atlanta area, so I can't see the subject property in person. I received the inspection report today and everything was good, except for a structural concern pointed out by the inspector on the right side of the property. My inspection contingency date expires tomorrow, so I want to make a decision on this quickly.

I'm not familiar with concrete block foundations. Therefore, I wanted to share photos from the inspection report and ask for your opinion. The inspection recommends grading the land next to the property and installing a gutter extension to prevent further washout and settling. I'm okay with all that, but unsure how concerned I should be with any damage that has already been done.

The inspection report also recommended a structural engineer inspection due to the foundation recently settling from extensive rain. I've asked the realtor to ask the seller to order a structural engineer inspection at their expense and extend my inspection contingency, but I'm preparing myself if the seller doesn't agree and I need to make a 'take it or leave it' decision tomorrow.

I also want to mention the full appraisal was completed last week and there was no indication of any foundation issues/concerns within the appraisal report. There was also an older inspection that was completed about 7 months ago, and no mention of any foundation issues/concerns within that report either. So maybe this isn't as big a deal as I'm making it out to be in my head, but nonetheless I wanted to share these photos and hear your thoughts.

Thank you in advance for your feedback! It's much appreciated.