Texas Buyers Beware: A Guide to Home Inspectors and Home Inspections

Amazingly, that healthy interest in ensuring you make the best, most educated purchase doesn’t always stretch to one of life’s most significant decisions and purchases: buying or selling a home. Whether it’s new construction or a more mature house, some folks get carried away and forget to check the foundations on which they’ve built their dreams. 

If you’re moving to Texas or buying a home within the state, thorough home inspections are essential to uncover different issues, from termite infestations to HVAC or water damage. Hiring a qualified home inspector delivers a detailed report to ensure a worry-free move. 

Why Should I Carry Out a Home Inspection? 

When you get a professional home inspection by a qualified and licensed home inspector, it takes away the guesswork from home buying. Need help to determine what that stain on the ceiling is all about? Or why the garden paving stones are raised a little? 

For buyers, home inspections bring protection and peace of mind, especially for first-time buyers. A home inspection report, which costs an average of $377, could save you many thousands of dollars on repairs. Moreover, almost four in five money lenders make a home inspection mandatory in their mortgage approval process. 

Home inspections help you avoid any nasty surprises when moving in and being able to negotiate a lower price or fixes before exchanging contracts. Inspection contingency clauses allow buyers to renegotiate the house price, get compensation for repairs or even back out of the deal dependent on a home inspection report. Real estate and loans are a serious business with serious money involved. A home inspection may assist in avoiding a wrong purchase, help bargain a lower sale price and allow you to understand your new property. This applies to older and new properties. 

Who Carries Out Home Inspections in Texas? 

In Texas, home inspectors, often working for home inspection companies, are overseen and regulated by the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC). TREC has drawn up a Standards of Practice that home inspections cover. 

TREC’s regulatory oversight means people can trust their home inspector. That’s important in an industry where more than half of the people hiring inspectors do so through their real estate agents. Furthermore, almost three in four people only look at one inspector and don’t shop around after their realtor’s suggestion. 

Home inspectors will check a home’s condition and structural and mechanical operations. Structural elements include foundations, rooftops, drainage, walls, doors, crawlspace, fireplaces, and more. The mechanical elements include HVAC, plumbing, appliances that may remain, HVAC, air conditioning, and so on.  

Extras to add on, if appropriate, often at extra cost, include insulation, swimming pools, septic tanks, and wood-destroying insects (WDI) like termites, ants, beetles, and carpenter bees. 

What Are the Most Common Problems Found in Home Inspections? 

Some 86% of home inspections find issues, the most common being: 

• Roof (in 20% of home inspections) 

• Electrical (19%) 

• Windows (18%) 

• Gutters (17%) 

• Plumbing (14%) 

• Branches overhanging roof (13%) 

• Fencing (13%) 

• Water heater (12%) 

• Driveways, patios, sidewalks, and entrances (12%) 

• Air conditioning and HVAC (10%) 

• Exterior paintwork (10%) 

• Foundations (9%) 

• Downspouts (9%) 

• Proper grading of grounds (9%) 

• Moisture issues (8.5%) 

There’s a lot that can be wrong with your dream home. It’s best to be prepared for the potential work and costs involved in getting everything up to standard. 

What Do Home Inspectors Check in Texas? 

A general home inspection process includes revising the home’s exterior, including walls, foundation, roof, drainage, garage, doors, windows, deck, balconies, fences, walkways, patio and driveways. 

Inside the home, an inspector should review the building’s HVAC, crawlspaces, attic, ceilings, floors, kitchen, attic, plumbing and electrical system, and basement. 

Here’s more detail on what should be covered and what inspectors are looking for: 

• Foundations: Mildew, cracks, damaged floorboards, upheaval, sinking, uneven floors. 

• Walls: Mold, cracks, and damage caused by moisture, water, heat, or leaks. 

• Roofs: Leaks, mold, and structural issues. 

• Garages: Safety of walls, doors, foundations, and doors. 

• Grading: Rainwater and floodwater should flow away from a home or towards a drain, thanks to the surrounding area’s slopes. 

• Electrics: Earthing, circuits, and faulty electrical wiring. 

• Plumbing: Leakages, damaged fittings, and pipelines relating to sinks, toilets, showers, and baths. This could range from a major leak to a cracked tile or broken tap. 

• Kitchen: Safe appliances, electrics, cooking equipment, and general hygiene. 

• HVAC: Ensuring the system’s components work, sufficient airflow, and maintenance history. 

• Exterior: Fascia issues like rotten or missing pieces, plus ventilation. 

• Fireplaces: Chimney flashing, water entry points, adequate chimney caps, and cracked tiles in the chimney flue. 

• Basements: Standing water, dampness, mold, and ventilation.