I've put in an offer on the first, the seller has accepted and we are now proceeding to the inspection phase. Seeing as this is my first time going through the process, any insight as to how the process goes, questions to ask, advice in general?

2 things

Go meet the inspector at the home. Contact him and see how long it will take a get there 30 minutes before he's finished and get a verbal report.

They will nit pick the home so get with your realtor and make two buckets. First one is items needed to negotiate with seller and second bucket not worry about and you can handle.

be there for the inspection. Follow them around and ask lots of questions. Take pics and notes too. if something really gives you concern, and you really want the house - get that trade expert in there to look more into it.

Think about a separate HVAC inspection. Of the two houses we bought in the last 5 years, we only did the HVAC inspection on one. Guess which one has had the issues...yep, the one we didn't do the inspection on. Your HVAC guy will charge about $100 or so. Do NOT simply rely on paperwork/warranty presented by the seller. Get YOUR HVAC guy in there, especially if the unit(s) is(are) older. All your regular inspector will do is check the AC and heat temps at the vent, they won't hook-up gauges or do a detailed inspection of the system.

Aggiemike96 said:

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Think about a separate HVAC inspection. Of the two houses we bought in the last 5 years, we only did the HVAC inspection on one. Guess which one has had the issues...yep, the one we didn't do the inspection on. Your HVAC guy will charge about $100 or so. Do NOT simply rely on paperwork/warranty presented by the seller. Get YOUR HVAC guy in there, especially if the unit(s) is(are) older. All your regular inspector will do is check the AC and heat temps at the vent, they won't hook-up gauges or do a detailed inspection of the system.

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Just paid an $80-add on for A/C guy during inspection, and everything came back tip-top. $ well spent.

Aggiemike96 said:

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Think about a separate HVAC inspection. Of the two houses we bought in the last 5 years, we only did the HVAC inspection on one. Guess which one has had the issues...yep, the one we didn't do the inspection on. Your HVAC guy will charge about $100 or so. Do NOT simply rely on paperwork/warranty presented by the seller. Get YOUR HVAC guy in there, especially if the unit(s) is(are) older. All your regular inspector will do is check the AC and heat temps at the vent, they won't hook-up gauges or do a detailed inspection of the system.

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Wish I would have done this with my house. All the inspector did was check temps. Being a first time buyer myself, I didn't know any better. A more thorough inspection would have revealed that both air handlers were shot. This resulted in replacing both systems within the first 2 years. At least it could have helped us get a concession on the price.

If the house has stucco, which many new construction do, I would recommend a separate stucco inspection. We had one and it found 30k in stucco damage that our regular inspector didnt catch.

I've been a TREC licensed Real Estate Inspector for about almost two years. For the first time in my 25 years of construction experience I actually know that I am helping people on a daily basis and for the first time I absolutely love what I do.

I was a commercial and industrial electrician before and during my time at A&M (including a small company that also was an air conditioning company for some cross training), after graduation I began building homes. I built almost 250 homes as a project manager for Perry and Princeton Classic homes, the last home I built was a $700k model about two years ago. I am also extremely mechanically minded and things like structure are like breathing to me, a home looks like a 3d model in my head. I can manipulate that model like an exploded diagram or cross section detail.

I say these things because, in my opinion, this is the experience your looking for in an inspector. Ask if they have any previous construction management or trade experience. I would also ask if they are physically able to fit into all spaces needed to thoroughly inspect the home. I also coach at a crossfit gym, which may not seem pertinent until you need to get way back into an attic, crawl space or on a difficult roof.

It's my absolute goal to be the best inspector in the San Antonio area and tell everyone I meet of that goal. I believe I have a fiduciary responsibility to tell my clients everything I can about the home so that they can make an informed decision. I always encourage my clients to meet me there for the entire inspection and to ask any questions they may have along the way. It's not a distraction to me, it makes me better to answer every question I can. I love homes and to get to walk two a day is a blessing to me, it's not work.

Good luck and congrats on the first home!

Foamcows said:

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If the house has stucco, which many new construction do, I would recommend a separate stucco inspection. We had one and it found 30k in stucco damage that our regular inspector didnt catch.

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Hey Foam! Do you have any pictures of before and after? What was the problem, was it EFIS? I would be interested in learning about the problem, sounds pretty extensive!

Dallas area inspector here. I concur that you should be there the whole time. A good inspector can handle this. Be respectful of the inspector's process and don't necessarily follow at his heels and bug him. Having the client present can allow discussion and explanation that can be helpful and educational, especially for first time buyers. Also gives the buyer a nice unrushed time to spend d around the house measuring and stuff.

Regarding stucco, I have a good stucco specialist for the Dallas area I can recommend.

Email me at AbsoluteInspections@gmail.com