Foundation intricacies when buying property

[Alessandro C.]

Hello fellow RE investors!!

Hoping to gain some insight on the below questions revolving around foundations, negative slopes and french drains.

1. If a home inspector does not know whether or not a french drain has been installed without digging up the ground, how can a buyer ensure he is not buying something where water will find it's way to the foundation, enter existing cracks (however small), expand and eventually cause a bigger problem? Note sellers declarations do not disclose this information and it is very common for a home inspector not to know, where I am from (Quebec.)

2. Also, in regards to negative slopes to property foundations, whether grass or cement, the ground isn't perfectly straight, earth saturation levels differ and not all properties have declining ground on each of its sides. By that logic, I don't think every property that has somewhat of a negative slope (due to normal ground unevenness) is considered a no go?

3. From your experiences, have you noticed any major differences between properties where grass is perpendicular to the foundation pier versus cement?

Thank you!