Home Purchase Deal-Killer or Saturday Project?
A Central Texas Agent’s Guide to Separating Routine Maintenance from Serious Inspection Findings
As a real estate agent in Central Texas, you know the feeling: the inspection report for your Georgetown listing or your high-end Rollingwood sale just hit your inbox, and it looks like your old college textbook. Before your client assumes the house is falling down, it’s important to help them understand why the report is so long.
At First Responding Home Inspections, we are required by TREC standards and legal liability to document every single deficiency, no matter how small. But in the real world of real estate negotiations, not all "defects" are created equal.
1. Home Maintenance & Cosmetics
These items often take up the most space in a report. While they are technically deficiencies, they usually represent minor homeownership chores rather than deal-breaking repairs.
Broken Fence Boards: In neighborhoods like Round Rock and Hutto, the Texas sun is brutal on cedar. We flag broken pickets because they are a functional gap—and as a dog-lover, I want to make sure Fido or Lassie doesn't escape. This is a quick trip to The Home Depot and $10 fix, not a reason to re-negotiate the sales price. In fact, I have an experienced dog-owner/teenager you can hire to fix it!
Missing Doorstops: If a doorstop is missing, a handle could hit the drywall. It’s a 30-second fix that costs less than a cup of coffee. The inspection report on first home in Wells Branch was chock-full of this fix.
Broken Window or Torn Screens: Common in our area, from extreme weather or future MLB players hitting backyard homeruns. It doesn't mean the window is failing; it just means it’s time for a quick fix (and to get the autograph of the slugger next door).
These are weekend projects for new home owners and frankly, ones that are likely to be repeat over the ownership of the home. This is your opportunity to remind buyers not to let perfect be the enemy of great.
2. Standard home ownership upgrades
These are items that are currently functioning but may be nearing the end of their life or don't meet modern building codes (even if they were fine when the house was built). These are likely not worth walking away from a house but, realistically, the new owner should set aside a small fund to cover upgrades or replacements in the future.
Water Heaters & HVAC Age: We report the age. An 11-year-old water heater isn't "broken," but it is "senior." Same for an older HVAC unit. This is an informational call-out.
GFCI Protection: Older homes in Pflugerville or Round Rock may not have modern GFCI outlets in every wet area. This is a safety upgrade, not a structural failure.
If there are no high priority defects, these could be used in negotiating small concessions or upgrades, especially in the current buyer’s market. A seller looking at ANOTHER mortgage payment is likely to consider knocking $1500 off the price so the buyer can upgrade the water heater or similar.
3. High-Priority house defects
This is where my background in public safety comes in. These affect Life, Safety, and Solvency.
Foundation Defects: With the expansive clay soils of Austin, Round Rock and across Central Texas, the home’s foundation is a top priority. In addition to visual checks, we offer high-precision altimeters to take elevation measurements throughout the home. This data tells us exactly how much the foundation has shifted or sloped. A floor that looks level to the eye might actually be 2 inches off—a discovery that can save your buyer from a $20k foundation repair bill later (or be a major negotiation factor now).
Wood Destroying Insects (Termites): Termites… just the word makes most people shudder and with good reason. These pesky pests work silently behind the shiplap and baseboards. Our WDI inspection looks for mud tubes, "frass" (droppings), and hollow-sounding wood. In Central Texas, it’s not a matter of if termites will be an issue, but when. Catching them during the option period allows you to negotiate treatment before it becomes a structural catastrophe.
Electrical Fire Hazards: In many older homes in Austin, Westlake or Round Rock, we look for "arcing"—where electricity jumps between loose connections. If I see blackened insulation or smell a faint "fishy" or "metallic" scent, it means the wire is already smoldering. This is a primary cause of house fires because it happens behind the drywall where smoke detectors can't reach it early.
If you see these items in the house inspection report, take them seriously. For a planned flip, they could provide significant negotiating power. However for buyer who wants a turnkey home and to be moved in before the Austin weather changes again, you can build trust by acknowledging the trouble these really do cause.
The Bottom Line
A textbook-thick report doesn't mean it’s a bad house; it means you have an inspector who is thorough and didn't take shortcuts. As a firefighter-owned business, we don't just "check boxes"—we provide the data-driven context you need to keep your clients informed and safe. Our goal is to give you a clear, non-alarmist report that empowers you to negotiate with facts, protect your buyer’s investment, and keep the transaction moving forward with confidence.
