Our Service To Our Austin Inspection Customers

Home Manual

Professional License
#5702

National Association
of Certified
Home Inspectors

At Austin Structural Inspections, we understand that once the purchase offer has been accepted, the buyer may have only a few days to get a professional Home Inspection completed. We are able to accommodate you quickly and thoroughly, enabling you to have as much time as possible to make your decision

How Quickly Can I Schedule An Appointment?

After calling our office at 512.751.5199, most appointments are scheduled within 24 hours. Saturday appointments are available. At the completion of the Home Inspection, a Computer generated report will be e-mailed to you in a .pdf format. Or, if you prefer, it can be faxed instead.

We are a State licensed Inspection company regulated by the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC). As such, we adhere to certain practices and policies that govern our license. We are an independent service agency that provides you with an unbiased opinion about the working condition of the home you are considering. We do not work for the Real Estate Agent, we work for YOU!

Why A Home Inspection?

� Home Buyers - To know what you're are buying
� Home Sellers - To make your house more marketable
� Home Owners - To find out what might be wrong with your home before costly remodeling begins
� Banks - To know the true condition of a foreclosed house
� Mortgage Companies - Most are making home inspection mandatory.

An Austin Structural Inspection is an evaluation and analysis of the building and its mechanics. We inspect the house looking for major and costly defects, as well as numerous less common problems. Our job is to make sure our clients know what they are getting into. Knowing the overall condition of the house not only educates you, it lets you to take the guesswork out of buying a house.

All Inspections are Performed by Kenneth L. Larson, Professional Inspector #5702. As a former U.S. Air Force Civil Engineering Supervisor and licensed Professional Real Estate Inspector I maintain strict quality control and complete independence from 3rd party influences. I adhere to a code of ethics that is of the highest caliber within the property inspection industry. My reputation and continued referrals are based upon my personal commitment to quality and customer service to the home buyer. I work for you!

Buying a home? The process can be stressful. A home inspection is supposed to give you peace of mind, but often has the opposite effect. You will be asked to absorb a lot of information in a short time. This often includes a written report, checklist, photographs, environmental reports, and what the inspector himself says during the inspection. All this combined with the seller's disclosure and what you notice yourself makes the experience even more overwhelming. What should you do?

Relax. Most of your inspection will be maintenance recommendations, life expectancies and minor imperfections. These are nice to know about. However, the issues that really matter will fall into four categories:

Major defects. An example of this would be a structural failure.
Things that lead to major defects. A small roof-flashing leak, for example.
Things that may hinder your ability to finance, legally occupy, or insure the home.
Safety hazards, such as an exposed, live buss bar at the electric panel.

Anything in these categories should be addressed. Often a serious problem can be corrected inexpensively to protect both life and property (especially in categories 2 and 4).

Most sellers are honest and are often surprised to learn of defects uncovered during an inspection. Realize that sellers are under no obligation to repair everything mentioned in the report. No home is perfect. Keep things in perspective. Don't kill your deal over things that don't matter. It is inappropriate to demand that a seller address deferred maintenance, conditions already listed on the seller's disclosure, or nit-picky items.

Pre-Listing Inspection

Eventually your buyers are going to conduct an inspection. You may as well know what they are going to find by getting there first. The author points out that having an inspection performed ahead of time helps in many other ways:

It allows you to see your home through the eyes of a critical third-party.
It helps you to price your home realistically.
It permits you to make repairs ahead of time so that ...
Defects won't become negotiating stumbling blocks later.
There is no delay in obtaining the Use and Occupancy permit.
You have the time to get reasonably priced contractors or make the repairs yourself, if qualified.
It may encourage the buyer to waive the inspection contingency.
It may alert you of items of immediate personal concern, such as radon gas or active termite infestation.
It may relieve prospect's concerns and suspicions.
It reduces your liability by adding professional supporting documentation to your disclosure statement.
Alerting you to immediate safety issues before agents and visitors tour your home.

Copies of the inspection report along with receipts for any repairs should be made available to potential buyers.

The above is an excerpt from Sell Your Home For More by Nick Gromicko.

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