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.
Here’s how to avoid being Tom Hanks and Shelley Long in that classic 80s movie “Money Pit” and steer clear of a pitiful real-life home situation.
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?
Home inspectors look for minor and major issues throughout residential homes and their surrounding areas like yards and gardens — and if required, swimming pools and other features.
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.
For sellers, a home inspection can remove any surprises when a sale is agreed upon, giving time to mend any issues and stick to your guns on selling prices. In Texas, the average seller spends on repairs and upgrades before listing their real taste is around $14,000.
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.
Top Tips on Hiring a Professional Home Inspector
Texas has three types of professional inspectors registered with the TERC.
- Apprentice inspectors must be supervised directly and sponsored.
- Real estate inspectors need sponsors and indirect supervision during the inspection process.
- Professional inspector doesn’t require supervision or sponsorship to conduct home inspections.
There are a few recommendations to ensure homebuyers get a reliable home inspection:
- Hire an inspector who is a member of the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI) or the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI).
- Expect to pay between $300-500 for your home inspection.
- Accompany your home inspector on site and ask any questions you may have. The inspector can also help you grasp the scale of any issues they find.
- Remember you may need to pay more for insect checks, swimming pool inspections etc.
- Ask if they offer a warranty for their property inspections.
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.
What Is a Specialized Home Inspection Report?
Like humans, all homes are individual, and each has its own foibles. A home inspector may recommend a further report from an expert to cover these more specialized areas.
Carcinogenic asbestos or radon may be present in the house, causing health and safety hazards. Lead-based paint is another possible flag. In some cases, a four-point inspection may be advised, which is an in-depth look at a home’s roofing, plumbing, HVAC, and electrical systems.
Mold presence may require extra investigation; certain types can provoke serious health issues. A property’s septic tank needs proper grading so it functions properly. Pest infestations are a serious issue. In Texas, a property may require a termite inspection or one for other wood-destroying insects.
Some Texas areas are prone to hurricanes. A windstorm or wind mitigation inspection can assess the building’s wind and water resistance for facing potential storms.
Recommended Questions to Ask Your Texas Home Inspector
Be bold and ask your home inspector how many previous inspections they’ve completed, their rates, and if their report includes pictures.
Other FAQs to ensure they cover include any repairs for walls and foundations, the state of the plumbing and sewage systems, and in what condition the HVAC, heating, and electrical systems stand. Ask about any safety hazards, defects, immediate repairs required upon moving in, and costs.
It’s worth checking if a specialized inspection would reveal further issues. Your home inspector may also have tips on maintaining and improving the home’s functioning.
What Are the Most Common Home Inspection Issues in Dallas?
According to one report, the most common defects in Dallas homes include faulty smoke detectors, doors needing adjusting, and no ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) that help prevent electric shocks.
Dodgy faucets, faulty light bulbs, and missing caulk were common. Almost half of all homes had drainage problems or issues with the electric service panels or outlets. The cost of fixing even minor defects soon adds up. The dollars will all come from your own back pocket unless there’s a home inspection report to spotlight them and give you leverage in negotiations.
What Happens After Getting a Home Inspection?
You’ve made your offer, paid for the home inspection, asked your inspector your questions, and are ready to take the next step. What happens before closing? That depends on the report and your decisions about your new home.
Lots of minor, easily fixed issues are more of an inconvenience than a deal breaker. On the other hand, a substantial structural problem may give cause for rethinking the whole thing.
Options for homebuyers include closing the sale at the agreed price without any repairs being carried out or a price reduction.
Some buyers ask the seller to make repairs to issues the home inspection found; these should be done before closing. Another tactic is to use the home inspection report and any problems encountered to reduce the asking price. The thinking behind this is the buyer will need to use the money saved on the real estate to fix the spotted issues.
Problems that are safety hazards may mean you can cancel the deal and walk away. Ensure you have an inspection contingency in place before making an offer.
Who Pays for Home Inspection Services in Texas?
In Texas, buyers pay for home inspections, usually after making an offer on a property. Some sellers also pay for a home inspection prior to listing their homes. That way, they anticipate any issues and can repair them before putting up the “For Sale” signs. Sellers know about problems or fix them and are in a stronger position to keep to their asking price.
Does a Home Inspection Affect an Appraisal?
In Texas, you don’t have to have a home inspection, but every home sold requires a home appraisal. A home appraisal is a fair valuation of a house carried out by a licensed real estate appraiser.
A negative home inspection that unveils many issues at a property will often lower that property’s value. Therefore, a home inspection affects a property’s appraisal in Texas.
Know the Facts About Home Inspections in Texas
Moving is a stressful but joyful time. It’s probably the most expensive purchase anyone ever makes yet most people don’t know the ins and outs of a building’s structure. That means it’s hard to evaluate what you’re buying.
Does the basement flood? Does the air conditioning work? And who knows what’s on the rooftop? These and many more questions are common concerns when buying a home.
A property inspection, called a home inspection, eases the worries. Texas law doesn’t make a home inspection a requisite. Still, many mortgage lenders will only approve loans to homeowners with one.
A professional home inspection gives buyers a range of crucial information about their new property. Expensive repairs can be avoided, and the purchaser goes in with eyes wide open about the state of the property. The final asking price may be lowered to take into consideration the required repairs’ cost.
We recommend home inspections wherever you are, be it in Lubbock, Texas or Palm Beach, Florida. Once you know your new home in Texas is in tip-top shape, remember to find the best utilities to suit your new lifestyle.
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