01
What is the biggest red flag in a home inspection report?
TREC's Standards of Practice let an inspector depart from a required inspection. Section 535.227(f)(2) then puts two duties on the inspector. The client has to be told at the earliest practical opportunity. The reason has to be noted on the report. A departure note is easy to skim past. The note marks the part of the house nobody checked.
What a strong answer sounds like
A good answer points at the page. Something like: the report says the attic inspection was not performed, and the reason given was limited access. In Georgetown, Round Rock and Liberty Hill, where T. Kerr Property Group works, Tanya Kerr has been named an expert source on the Central Texas market.
Red flag
A report that lists a departure and never says why is short of the rule. Section 535.227(f)(2) requires the reason on the report. An inspector who calls the note standard language has not answered the question. Ask for the reason in writing while the option period is open.
02
What does it mean when the report says a system was not accessible?
Section 535.227(c) sets where a Texas inspector has to look. The rule covers accessible systems or components, viewed from near proximity. The rule also covers the view from inside the attic and from crawl spaces. An attic or crawl space that could not be entered leaves a gap. The report is thinner than its page count suggests.
What a strong answer sounds like
A good answer names the barrier and the fix. Something like: the crawl space hatch was blocked by stored boxes, the seller will clear it, and the inspector returns Thursday. Paragraph 7A of TREC Form 20-19 gives the buyer access at reasonable times. A second visit is already in the contract.
Red flag
A shrug about tight attics is not an answer. Boxes and stored items are something a seller can move. Section 535.227(f)(2) still calls for the reason a required inspection was skipped. A buyer who lets the gap stand is paying for a report on the easy parts.
03
Was the plumbing pressure tested during the inspection?
Hydrostatic testing sits outside a standard inspection. Paragraph 7A of TREC Form 20-19 says it must be separately authorized by the seller in writing. The Standards of Practice add that an inspection does not require any method employing destructive testing. So the plumbing in an older Central Texas house stays untested unless someone asks.
What a strong answer sounds like
A good answer is a signature, not an opinion. Something like: the seller authorized hydrostatic testing in writing on Tuesday, and the test ran Wednesday. Written seller authorization is the trigger in Paragraph 7A. A buyer who wants the test asks during the option period, while the right to terminate is still live.
Red flag
An inspector who says the plumbing looked fine is reporting a look, not a test. Nothing in the Standards of Practice requires destructive testing. A seller who will not authorize the test is giving an answer too. Paragraph 5B still runs until 5:00 p.m. on the date in the contract.
04
Why does the report name a problem but not what caused it?
Section 535.227(d) says an inspector is not required to inspect the cause or effect of deficiencies. The same rule drops any duty to anticipate future events or conditions. A note about foundation movement can sit alone on the page, with no reason beside it. A line with no cause is a referral to somebody else, not a conclusion.
What a strong answer sounds like
A good answer names the next step and who takes it. Something like: the report flags foundation movement at the rear wall, and the next order is a written opinion, not a repair bid. Paragraph 7A lets the buyer pick the inspectors, licensed by TREC or otherwise permitted by law. So a second opinion is already allowed.
Red flag
A spoken reassurance that cracks are normal in Central Texas is not in the report. Section 535.227(d) asks the inspector for no cause at all. Ask for anything said out loud to be written down. Or get the cause priced by somebody willing to put a name on it.
05
What if the power or water was off when the inspector arrived?
Paragraph 7A of TREC Form 20-19 puts the utilities on the seller. The seller, at the seller's expense, must immediately turn existing utilities on. Existing utilities then stay on while the contract is in effect. Section 535.227(c) has the inspector operate fixed equipment in at least one mode. Equipment with no power cannot be operated at all.
What a strong answer sounds like
A good answer is a date for the return visit. Something like: the water was off Monday, the seller restored it Tuesday, and the inspector re-checked the fixtures Wednesday. Paragraph 7A keeps the utilities on for the rest of the contract. A later walkthrough is covered too.
Red flag
A report that says a system could not be tested, with no plan to come back, leaves the buyer guessing. Turning the utilities on is the seller's duty under Paragraph 7A, at the seller's expense. A buyer who pays for the second trip is paying for somebody else's obligation.
06
Does a Texas home inspection test for mold or other hazards?
Section 535.227(d) puts environmental work outside a standard inspection. The rule names lead based paint, mold and mildew. The rule also names any other environmental hazard, pathogen or pollutant. An inspection does not require environmental testing either. A line about moisture on a wall is an observation, not a test result.
What a strong answer sounds like
A good answer splits what was seen from what was measured. Something like: there is staining under the window, and a testing company is the next call, because testing is not part of the standard inspection. A buyer who wants a number orders the test separately, inside the option period.
Red flag
An inspector who rules on whether mold is dangerous has stepped outside the standards. Section 535.227(d) requires none of that work, and an inspection does not require environmental testing. A confident verbal answer with no lab behind it can cost a buyer the chance to order a real test in time.
07
Does the inspector check for termites and wood damage?
Section 535.227(d) says the presence or absence of pests is not required. The rule names termites and other wood destroying insects or organisms. The same section drops wear and tear from ordinary use. So a note about soft wood can appear with no finding on what caused it. The pest question stays open until somebody is paid to answer it.
What a strong answer sounds like
A good answer sends the buyer to a separate report. Something like: the trim at the back door is soft, so a wood destroying insect report is the next order, booked for Friday. Paragraph 7A of TREC Form 20-19 lets the buyer pick that inspector, licensed by TREC or otherwise permitted by law.
Red flag
An answer that there is no sign of termites reads as a clearance, and it is not one. The standards require no finding on the presence or absence of pests. Treat a pest comment in a general report as a prompt. A clearance comes from a separate report by somebody who inspects for it.
08
Why was a shutoff or safety device left alone during the inspection?
Section 535.227(c) sets the bar for operating equipment. An inspector operates fixed or installed equipment in at least one mode, with ordinary controls, at typical settings. Work past ordinary controls is not required. An inspection does not require any method employing destructive testing either. A device left untouched is a gap in the record, not a pass.
What a strong answer sounds like
A good answer states which rule applied. Something like: the device was not operated because the standard stops at ordinary controls, and a licensed trade can test it properly. The standards do not prohibit a higher level of performance, provided the inspector has the competency. So asking is fair.
Red flag
A report that lists a safety device with no comment at all leaves a buyer nothing to act on. Where the item was part of a required inspection, Section 535.227(f)(2) wants the reason on the report. Ask which it was. A verbal never had trouble with those is not a finding.
09
What if something on the report is not covered by the standards at all?
Section 535.227(d) says an inspector is not required to inspect items other than those listed in the standards. The report form shows the boundary. The Texas form is the Property Inspection Report, REI 7-6, effective 1 February 2022. A comment on something off that list is a courtesy. It cannot be read as a full inspection of the item.
What a strong answer sounds like
A good answer points at the form. Something like: that system is not on REI 7-6, so the note is a general comment and a specialist should look at it. The standards do not prohibit a higher level of performance, provided the inspector has the competency. A buyer can ask for the extra work up front, in writing.
Red flag
A long comment on an item outside the standards can read like a finding. Section 535.227(d) required no inspection of it. Buyers then negotiate repairs over a note nobody inspected to a standard. Ask whether the item was inspected under the standards, or just noticed in passing.
10
Why is the sprinkler system or the pool missing from the report?
Section 535.233(a) makes a set of systems optional. The list covers landscape irrigation systems, swimming pools, spas and hot tubs, outbuildings, private water wells and private sewage disposal systems. Other built in appliances are on the list too. Where an inspector agrees to inspect one, the standards for that system then apply.
What a strong answer sounds like
A good answer is a scope line in the inspection agreement. Something like: the irrigation system and the septic system are both included, so the standards for each one apply. On a Williamson County acreage homesite, the well and the private sewage disposal system have to be added by agreement. The ask goes in before the inspection, not after.
Red flag
A missing pool or sprinkler section is not always an oversight. The standards require neither one. The real problem is a buyer who assumed the inspection covered them. Confirm the scope in writing before the inspector arrives, because an optional system left out stays out.
This article is general information about the Central Texas market and is not legal, tax or financial advice. Statutes, rates, deadlines and district rules change. Confirm anything that affects a decision with a licensed attorney, a tax professional, the Williamson County Tax Assessor Collector or the Williamson Central Appraisal District before acting on it.
