Chimney seperation repairs

[Steve S]

Hi I am an aspiring investor in Richmond, VA. I have looked at several properties recently that i was interested in until I observed the chimney seperating from the house. I believe this is caused by inadquate footings. Has anyone delt with this kind of repair before? Is there a way to repair or stablize the footing like one would with a foundation? How much could i expect this to cost? I think i could get these houses really cheep but this is a big unknown for me. a

[Jason Fant]

It's hard to tell what the repair costs might be without more detail. The best advise I could give you without knowing more is to have your contractor take a look and give you a firm estimate on the repair costs. Don't let that stop you from getting the property under contract, just make it contingent on the chimney repair estimates not to exceed $xxxx.xx. Then get your contractor over quickly to assess the situation. If the repair estimate(s) are too high, then either walk away, or use it to negotiate further.