Bulging Brick and Star Bolts - A Concern?

[Nina Ricci]

Hey everyone!

So my partner and I were looking at this property in Philadelphia. Everything looks good, but we did notice on the outside a set of those star-shaped bolts. Should this be a huge concern/is this a red flag?

I know a great deal of row homes in Philadelphia have these, and I never really thought it was a huge concern, but I'm interested to know what other investors or potential buyers might think of it.

Thanks in advance!

[Joe Norman]

I suggest having a structural engineer look at it no matter what.  I've had them come out for houses that appeared (at least to my uneducated eye) to have significant bulges, but the engineer told me it was well braced and not going anywhere.  Conversely I've had them look at seemingly fine walls and tell me that its unsound.