01
Why would I order anything beyond the standard home inspection?
Section 535.227(d) says the inspector is not required to inspect items other than those listed in the standards. The same subsection excludes wear and tear from ordinary use. It also excludes the cause or effect of deficiencies. And the inspector is not required to anticipate future events or conditions. A clean report covers the listed items on one day. It is not a forecast.
What a strong answer sounds like
A good inspector names the excluded systems before the visit. The standards do not prohibit a higher level of performance. An inspector with the competency may agree to inspect extra systems. So the first question is simple. Does the buyer's own inspector already cover these?
Red flag
A report with a blank section and no explanation is the warning sign. Section 535.227(f)(2) covers that. An inspector who departs from a required inspection must tell the client at the earliest practical opportunity. The reason belongs on the report too. In Georgetown, Round Rock and Liberty Hill, where T. Kerr Property Group works, acreage homesites are part of the mix. A gap with no reason attached becomes the buyer's problem after closing.
02
Do I need a septic inspection on a Williamson County property?
Section 535.233(a) does not require an inspector to inspect private sewage disposal systems. If the inspector agrees to inspect one, the standards for that system then apply. So the tank, the drain field and the pumps sit outside the standard scope. Nobody looks at them unless the buyer orders it. On a property with no city sewer that is the largest system on the land.
What a strong answer sounds like
The Williamson County Department of Infrastructure issues on site sewage facility permits. The exception is land inside the City of Austin. A good request is the permit file plus a licensed inspection of the tank and field. Applications are accepted only online through My Government Online.
Red flag
A Texas seller who says the system works fine, with no paperwork, is the red flag. Construction cannot begin on a facility until an Authorization to Construct is granted. A property owner must also receive authorization from the department to install a system. No authorization on file is a question for the county, not for the seller.
03
Does the home inspector test the water from a private well?
Section 535.233(a) does not require an inspector to inspect private water wells. The state does not regulate the water quality of a private well either. The well owner is responsible for addressing water quality problems. So the pump, the casing and the water all sit outside the standard report. On an acreage purchase that water is the household supply.
What a strong answer sounds like
Testing can cost from about $20 for the presence or absence of coliform and E. coli bacteria. A full drinking water standards analysis runs up to about $400. Some groundwater conservation districts test free or at reduced cost. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation licenses water well drillers and pump installers.
Red flag
A seller with no well registration is not hiding anything. Private well owners do not register wells with the state. The driller files a State of Texas Water Well Report instead. Reports from 2003 onward sit in the Submitted Drillers Reports Database. Earlier paper reports were scanned into the Water Well Report Viewer at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
04
Should I get a sewer scope or a plumbing test on an older house?
An inspection does not require specialized equipment or any method employing destructive testing. A camera run down the sewer line is specialized equipment. So the line under the slab is not scoped on a standard inspection. Older Central Texas houses can carry cast iron or clay lines. A broken line out of sight does not show up in a clean report.
What a strong answer sounds like
Paragraph 7A of TREC Form 20-19 carries the rule that matters here. Hydrostatic testing must be separately authorized by the seller in writing. A good buyer's agent asks for that authorization early. Paragraph 7A also requires the seller to turn existing utilities on and keep them on. So the test can actually run.
Red flag
Assuming the general inspector scoped the line is the common mistake. Asking for a hydrostatic test after the option period is the expensive version. The seller has no obligation to agree once that date passes. Put the request in the first conversation, not the last.
05
Is the sprinkler system part of a standard home inspection?
Section 535.233(a) lists landscape irrigation systems among the systems an inspector is not required to inspect. A sprinkler system can pass through a whole sale with nobody running it. Central Texas heat does not wait for a slow repair. A broken zone turns up as dead turf weeks after closing.
What a strong answer sounds like
A licensed irrigator runs every zone and checks the controller. The report should name the zone numbers and what each one covers. Leaks at the valves and the heads get found the same way. If the buyer's own inspector agrees to inspect the system, the standards for it then apply.
Red flag
A seller clicking through one zone at the controller is not an inspection. Neither is a line on the report saying the system was not operated. Central Texas summers are long, and a season of broken zones costs real money. Ask for every zone to be run.
06
Does a home inspection cover termites, mold or other environmental hazards?
Section 535.227(d) says the inspector is not required to inspect the presence or absence of pests, termites or other wood destroying insects or organisms. The same subsection excludes lead based paint, mold and mildew. It also excludes any other environmental hazard, pathogen, carcinogen, toxin, mycotoxin, pollutant, fungal presence or poison. An inspection does not require environmental testing.
What a strong answer sounds like
A wood destroying organism report is a separate order from a separate licensed inspector. A good report names the structure inspected and the evidence found. On an environmental question, a good answer names the test and the laboratory result.
Red flag
An inspector who says the attic looked dry and clear of mold is offering an opinion the standards do not require. Mold, mildew and fungal presence are excluded by name. A Georgetown buyer with a specific worry should order the test. Section 535.227(d) also rules out anticipating future conditions.
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.
