Recommendation - Home inspection (Austin, San Marcos: sale, real estate, how much)

[anku]

Hi,

I have an accepted offer for a property build on 1996. It's a 2 story 3600 sq ft house. Now I need to get the home inspection done. Does anyone has recommendation for a good home inspector ? What should I be looking for when I am interviewing/choosing a home inspector ? How much should I be expected to pay for 3600 sq ft, 2 story, 1996 build (no pool or spa) property ?

Appreciate your help.

[FalconheadWest]

Has your Realtor not giving you any recommendations? I always give out three choices to my clients. Probably 90% end up picking the same guy. The biggest interview question to ask is are they available and how quickly can they get there? If you have an option period of 7 days, you can't wait until day 6 to have your inspection.

Inspectors are all licensed by the state and using the same forms, so they should all be looking for the same thing. Depending on if you're wanting a Termite inspection also, you should look at spending $200-350.

Talk with your Realtor for referrals.

[TexasHorseLady]

What FalconheadWest said. First resource is your real estate agent. They should be able to give you two or three names. You do want to get the inspection done as quickly as possible, so that if anything turns up there's time to get estimates, if necessary, and make a decision about what to ask the seller to do about it, if anything, and to allow the seller time to make their own decision/get their own estimates.

I've noticed things moving towards a 7 day option period from the 10 day we had before, and given that that includes weekend days, I think it's a big mistake for ALL parties.

You'll want to ask the inspector how much they charge, of course (should be between $250-300 in this area, plus any extra inspections you might need, and it usually depends on the size of the house), and if they are licensed to do a termite inspection themselves or if there needs to be another party involved and, if so, will they arrange for it. Same with septic, if that's an issue. Some inspectors can do it all - most will need to farm out the others (nice for coordination purposes, as they can all show up at the same time and it's done) or you'll need to hire a septic inspector/termite inspector yourself.

You'll want someone thorough, but who doesn't tend to incite panic in buyers. (Being thoroughly informed as to what you're dealing with is one thing; having an inspector who convinces you that a burned out lightbulb is a major problem, not so much.) That's harder to tell on first contact, which is where your agent comes in - they'll have seen enough inspections and dealt with enough of the local inspectors to have a feel for this kind of thing.

[Building Inspector]

The #1 question to ask your inspector is about their experience / background. What do they know about construction? I have seen many inspectors who lost their job at IBM, or the police dept, etc and went and got a home inspection license and think they can inspect homes. Just because they have a State License and can follow a check list does not mean they can "really" inspect a home.

If you need a surgeon or lawyer do you really want the guy who just got his / her license? I don't!

If you think the city or county inspectors are "really" inspecting these new homes....think again. Please! A city official spends on average 15 minutes in a home. Can you inspect any home in 15 minutes? A thorough inspection takes at least 2 to 4 hours depending on the size of the home. The report will usually take just as long. One of my top issues in new home construction is that the builders are not adequately bolting / securing the homes to the foundation, and the city inspectors don't even catch it.

As for cost, I know several inspectors who charge a flat $200 for most any inspection. They are usually the ones who just got their license. Expect upwards of $300 for a 2000 sq ft home for the Central TX areas.

[StephanieRN]

I used Nunnalee inspectors. Bill was incredibly thorough. It cost $400 with termite inspection.

[rg80]

We have used Bill from Alpha Star Home INspections and he is very thorough. About $400 for an inspection: home inspection services Travis County || home inspection services Hays County || home inspection services Comal County || home inspections services San Marcos || Alpha Star Home Inspections

[dguild]

We used Glen Davis. He is extremely thourough. His website is Real Estate Inspector Austin

[austin-steve]

Originally Posted by dguild

We used Glen Davis. He is extremely thourough. His website is Real Estate Inspector Austin

I used Glen for new home inspections. He's very thorough and informed.
Steve

[atlanta hope]

I used Doyle at Texcode. We thought he did a very good job.

[anku]

Hi, Thanks for all the replies. I didn't want to go with the recommendation offered by my real estate agents because I heard that they have vested interest for not finding issues i.e. to make the sale go through for the real estate agent (so he/she can get the commision). After much search I went through 'Precision Inspection'. I paid about $400 for the inspection with termite inspection. 'Bob' from Precision Inspection was the inspector. He seemed to be very much in hurry and just wanted to get over with. I was expecting a home inspector to explain all the things about the house as he is going through it. He did not do that, even though I told him that I am expecting him to do that. He was just interested to check items on the form. I did not come out of the home inspection as know all about my house. Before moving to Texas, I lived in California and I had such a different experience with the home inspection. There after the home inspection, it felt like I knew so much about my house. I had similar expection here too but that didn't happen.I DO NOT RECOMMEND 'PRECISION INSPECTION'.