The topsoil can also help cover any gutter drainage pipe more easily with less trenching. This will also cure the problem of puddling water standing next to the house. As for the basement, are you sure that the water is coming from the floor? This can sometimes be deceiving in exactly where the water is entering the basement. Depending on how the basement walls are finished, it would be wise to determine how the finished walls were installed. Such as, are they 2×4 framed walls at the block? Just firring strips nailed to the block? I have even seen drywall glued straight to the block wall.

Waterproofing the floor is a good idea and making sure that the walls are not part of the leaking problem is another. Without finding the area or area’s of water entrance and getting that treated and stopped, One instance of basement flooding proves there will be another if action is not taken.

It is hard to advise on whether to back out of the closing or to press on with repairs. Each leaking basement is different in ways but also similar in others. The amount of work and expense to dry up a problem basement can vary greatly depending on the actual cause of the problem. Just from the sound of your situation it would seem that some gutters and landscaping can greatly improve your chances of success, although some inside work will also need to be evaluated and performed. How much remains to be seen.

Good luck and I hope this helps.
References :
http://yourhowtopartner.com

Also, IF you ever use a muriatic acid or any cleaning solution on a "very porous"/very absorbant brick
especially if it is dry, that brick WILL absorb that acid solution right in ! and guess what, after you try to rinse off the cleaning solution the bricks will be wet again, and bring out more effloressence !

IF you ever use a cleaning solution on any brick, you must pre-wet the bricks, saturated with plain water so that the cleaning solution doesn’t get absorbed into the bricks, and stays on the surface where you want the cleaning solution to be to rub out the unwanted stuff. Rinsing afterwards is mandatory too so that the solution doesn’t start damaging the brick or the brick colour. Your bricks WILL get wet again and bring out effloressence.

There is no quick instant fix for effloressence off of newly laid bricks !

You will just have to have patience and let the effloressence come out in the following months. You could use a stiff nylon-bristle or wood-fibre brush and dry brush it off.

Also, sealers will not stop effloressence, as the effloressence process will simply lift off the sealer with it ! Its best to not seal the bricks, let them stay natural and breathable.

IF you or the owner persists insisting on putting a sealer on anyways, the brick must be absolutely totally dry. Keep in mind too, sealers don’t last forever, only a few years at most, and may change the look of the brick, especially if some parts’ sealer deteriorates sooner than other parts of the wall. Its still not good idea to seal the bricks.

That building supply place should learn right information before they tell people to damage the materials they just bought.
References :

edit: couldnt view your pics by the way…
References :