01
Do I have to disclose foundation repairs in Texas?
Texas Property Code Section 5.008 requires a written notice of the property's condition on most residential sales, and the structural questions sit near the top of it. Central Texas sits largely on expansive clay that swells and shrinks with moisture, so slab movement is common here. A repaired slab is not a deal breaker, but a repaired slab discovered late usually is.
What a complete entry includes
A complete entry names the year of the repair, the company, the scope of work and the warranty, with the invoice and any engineer's letter attached. Transferable warranties get transferred in writing. A buyer who can read the paperwork stops imagining something worse than what happened.
Red flag
Marking the structural questions unknown after living in the home for years. An owner who has patched cracks or watered a foundation through August knows something. Unknown is for facts an owner truly could not have.
02
What does the disclosure form ask about the roof?
The form asks about the roof and about any known leak, past or present. Age matters because insurance underwriting keys off it, and Central Texas hail makes roof claims a normal part of owning a home here. A roof replaced after a storm reads as maintenance, while a patched leak nobody wrote down turns into an argument after the first heavy rain.
What a complete entry includes
A complete entry gives the replacement year, the contractor, whether the work was a full replacement or a repair, and whether an insurance claim paid for it. A copy of the invoice or the claim settlement usually answers every buyer question on its own.
Red flag
Describing the roof as fine because it is not leaking today. The question is what the seller knows, not what is currently dripping. A past leak that was properly fixed is a disclosure with a good ending.
03
Do I have to disclose a past plumbing leak or water damage?
The form asks about water penetration and about previous repairs to that damage. A slow leak under a slab, a window that let water in, or a yard that drains toward the house all belong on it. Blackland clay holds water near the surface, so drainage complaints are a routine Williamson County topic rather than an unusual one.
What a complete entry includes
A complete entry says where the water came in, when it happened, who fixed it and what was replaced. Photographs of the repair help, and so does a note about changes to the grading or the gutters, because that shows the cause was addressed and not just the stain.
Red flag
Answering no because the damage was repaired years ago. Repaired damage is still known damage. A repair with paperwork behind it reads far better than a silence the buyer uncovers during the option period.
04
What do I disclose about a septic system or a water well?
The form asks about the water supply and the sewer system, including a septic system or an on site treatment system. Acreage homes around Georgetown and Liberty Hill often run on septic and a private well. Those systems carry maintenance records, county permits and sometimes a service contract, and a buyer will ask for all three.
What a complete entry includes
A complete entry names the system type, the last pump out or inspection, the service company and any county permit. For a well, add the depth if it is known, the last water test and the age of the pump. Records settle questions that reassurance never will.
Red flag
Treating septic as the buyer's inspection problem. The form asks what the seller knows, and handing over the folder early is also the fastest way to keep an acreage deal from stalling.
05
Does the form cover the air conditioner and the electrical system?
The form asks about heating and cooling equipment, the electrical system and any known defect in either. Central Texas heat runs a system hard for months at a time, so age and service history matter more here than in milder places. A unit near the end of its life is one of the first things a buyer prices into an offer.
What a complete entry includes
A complete entry gives the install year for each unit, the last service date and any repair still pending. For electrical, note a panel replacement, added circuits or aluminum branch wiring. Buyers and insurers both ask about panels, so having that answer ready saves a round trip.
Red flag
Saying everything works because it is running right now. Working and defect free are different claims. A unit that needs a charge every summer is a known condition, and it belongs on the form.
06
Do I have to disclose termites or a past termite treatment?
The form asks about termites and other wood destroying insects, about damage from them and about any treatment. Central Texas carries steady termite pressure, so treatment is common and is not a mark against a home. What damages a sale is a treatment record that surfaces in the buyer's inspection instead of on the seller's form.
What a complete entry includes
A complete entry names the treatment date, the company, the type of treatment and whether a renewable bond is still in force. Attach the last inspection report. A bond that transfers is worth telling a buyer about, because it removes a cost they were about to assume.
Red flag
Leaving the pest questions blank because the treatment happened before this owner bought the house. Records from a prior owner are still records. If a report sits in the file, the honest answer is to disclose it and hand it over.
07
What do I have to disclose about flooding?
The form asks about flooding on the property, about flood insurance and about whether the home sits in a flood zone. Central Texas rain arrives fast and creeks rise quickly, so this section carries real weight in Williamson County. The answers also shape what a buyer's insurance will cost, which is why they get read first.
What a complete entry includes
A complete entry states whether water has ever entered the home or the garage, when and how high. Name any flood policy the home has carried and whether a claim was paid. Naming the creek or drainage feature nearby is more useful than a plain yes or no.
Red flag
Answering no because the house has not flooded while this owner has lived in it. The question reaches further back than one ownership period. A seller who has heard about older flooding from a neighbor should say so.
08
What counts as an environmental problem on the disclosure?
The form asks about hazardous or toxic conditions on the property. Common entries include asbestos, lead based paint in older homes, radon, underground storage tanks and contaminated soil or water. Rural tracts around Williamson County sometimes carry an old fuel tank or a past agricultural use that the current owner knows about.
What a complete entry includes
A complete entry describes the condition, where it sits and what testing or removal was done. If a tank was pulled, the removal paperwork is the document a buyer wants. If the home is old enough that lead based paint is possible, ask the agent which additional forms belong with the sale.
Red flag
Guessing at an environmental answer in either direction. Yes without evidence frightens a buyer needlessly, and no without checking exposes the seller. When the answer is genuinely unknown, unknown is correct, and it should be paired with what the seller does know.
09
Do I have to disclose an addition built without a permit?
The form asks about improvements, additions and alterations, and about whether they were made with the required permits. An unpermitted conversion does not become permitted because it was built years ago. Appraisers often leave unpermitted space out of the square footage, and buyers ask why the tax records and the listing do not match.
What a complete entry includes
A complete entry describes what was built, when, by whom and what the permit status is. Pulling the record from the permitting authority that covers the address before listing turns a vague worry into a fact. Sometimes a retroactive permit is possible and worth waiting for.
Red flag
An agent who suggests advertising the space as finished square footage and letting the appraiser sort it out. That sets up a fight at the worst possible moment, and it puts the seller's own disclosure at risk.
10
What do I disclose about the HOA, a MUD or a PID?
The form asks about mandatory homeowner association membership and about unpaid assessments, and district obligations sit right alongside it. TREC promulgates a Notice to Purchaser of Special Taxing or Assessment District, which a seller inside a MUD or a PID has to deliver. Municipal utility districts are created under Texas Water Code Chapter 54 and levy a rate of their own.
What a complete entry includes
A complete entry names the association, the dues and how often they are billed, any transfer fee and any special assessment that has been voted or discussed. For a district, the notice goes to the buyer early rather than at the closing table.
Red flag
Leaving the district question to the title company. The notice belongs to the seller to deliver. A buyer who finds an extra rate in the payment estimate after the option period has run has a reason to feel misled.
11
Do I have to disclose a death that happened in the house?
The form asks about a death on the property, and Texas handles this question differently from the condition questions. The rules are narrow, and they turn on the reason for the death rather than the fact of it. A seller who is not certain should ask a licensed attorney rather than guess, because a wrong answer in either direction creates a problem later.
What a complete entry includes
A good answer from an agent is a referral, not an opinion. It names the question, says that the rule is specific, and sends the seller to a real estate attorney. Either way, the entry on the form should match what the seller would say under oath.
Red flag
An agent who answers this from memory, or says nobody ever asks. Buyers do ask, and some ask in writing. Confidence from someone who is not a lawyer is the wrong kind.
12
Does a seller have to disclose past insurance claims?
The form asks about previous claims and about damage that was never repaired. Claim history follows a house through industry databases, so a buyer's insurance agent often sees it during the option period anyway. A hail claim that paid for a new roof reads as maintenance, while the same claim left off the form reads as something hidden.
What a complete entry includes
A complete entry lists each claim, the year, what it covered and whether the money was actually spent on the repair. If a claim paid and the work was never done, say so plainly and price it. Buyers can handle a known cost far better than a surprise.
Red flag
Treating a claim as private because insurance is a private contract. The form asks what the seller knows, and the buyer's insurer is going to find the history regardless. Discovery by the other side is always worse than disclosure.
13
What about repairs I already know the house needs?
The form asks about known defects and needed repairs, and that includes the ones a seller has decided not to make. A known repair does not become unknown because it was postponed. Nationally, buyers have been regaining leverage, so an undisclosed repair found during the option period costs more in negotiation than it once did.
What a complete entry includes
A complete entry names the item, what it will take to fix and whether the seller intends to fix it before closing. A written estimate attached to the disclosure turns a frightening unknown into a number. Pricing the repair into the list price is a valid choice, as long as the repair is disclosed.
Red flag
Being advised to leave a known repair off because the inspector will find it anyway. That is the whole problem. Found by the inspector and disclosed by the seller lead to very different negotiations.
14
What if something changes after I fill out the form?
The disclosure describes what the seller knows on the day it is signed. A pipe that bursts, an inspection finding the seller now knows about, or a newly announced assessment all change that picture. Knowledge gained after signing does not stay private, and the clean response is a written update to the buyer rather than a quiet hope that nobody asks.
What a complete entry includes
A good process is simple. Anything learned between signing and closing goes to the buyer in writing, dated, through the agent, with a copy kept on file. In Georgetown, Round Rock and Liberty Hill, where T. Kerr Property Group works, that update usually travels with a repair estimate so the buyer can price it.
Red flag
An agent who says the form is finished once it is signed. It reflects a moment, while the seller keeps the knowledge and the exposure that comes with it.
This article is general information about the Central Texas market and is not legal, tax or financial advice. Statutes, exemptions and district rules change. Confirm anything that affects a decision with a licensed attorney, a tax professional or the Williamson Central Appraisal District before acting on it.
