Was there any perimeter spread footings, or all just post and pier?

We live in Northern-Atlanta, outside the perimeter, and do have a foreclosure in our past from 3.5 years ago.

Very musty in the basement and possible signs of mildew.My interpretation on the situation- it appears that the underground drainage around the perimeter has failed, causing water buildup and stagnation underground, This causes pressure to the walls, and has resulted in a bowed wall and water intrusion into the basement.

I had to install steel jack studs every 9 feet along the wall perimeter with 12 inch deep footings & 1 inch plate up against a 2x8 header across the floor joists.

However, it is still on the eastern perimeter of Allegheny County.

Your best bet would probably be a perimeter drain and a sump pump going outside far away from the house. 

The house is on a 1/3 acre lot which isn't square since it's at the end of a cul-de-sac, so there is a lot of lawn perimeter with flower beds next to the fence. 

You'd have to cut around the perimeter of the floors (where they meet the stud wall).

You will need to dig a 6 inch trench around your entire perimeter of your building.

If you want to get a bit more upscale, look around Norcross, Sandy Springs, and Perimeter areas (north of city), or even East Cobb and/or Alpharetta (further north of city) where prices start to get into the $200K+ range (with REOs in the $100K+ range).Then there are the high-end areas in the city, like Druid Hills and Buckhead, where prices will rival what you're seeing in your area ($500K+, up to several million), as will the quality of the neighborhoods.This is the reason why investing out-of-state is difficult...without knowing the details of the MSA, it's very hard to make quick and qualified decisions.