INSIDE INFO
2023 HOME EDITION
HOME
Inspections take place during the option period—a negotiable time frame during which a buyer can inspect a home, amend a contract for relevant repairs or cancel a deal—and are often sought before one-year warranties expire. INITIATING AN INSPECTION
INSPECTIONS
COMPILED BY BEN THOMPSON
One key piece of the process to buy a home is having it inspected. Community Impact spoke with the Texas Real Estate Commission and Joey O’Brien, the owner of Austin- based Inspect It, to lay out the details of the inspection process. The inspection involves a professional canvassing of a new or existing home to ensure it’s up to various building and safety standards. WHAT'S A HOME INSPECTION? Texas does not mandate that home inspections take place, but lenders may require an inspection before a purchase to secure nancing. ARE HOME INSPECTIONS REQUIRED? Professional real estate inspectors are state certi ed, trained and quali ed to inspect homes for both buyers and sellers during a real estate transaction. WHO ARE HOME INSPECTORS?
Final negotiations and closing, or ending option
Agent helps their client searching for a new home
After nding a home, client submits an o er and signs a purchase contract
During the option period, the buyer or seller may schedule an inspection*
*UTILITIES TURNED ON PRIOR TO THE INSPECTION
FINDING AN INSPECTOR
The TREC lists all licensed inspectors, including details on education and disciplinary history, at www.trec.texas.gov.
Real estate agents can con rm licenses and provide a list of preferred inspectors. Friends and family can also provide recommendations based on past experience.
WHAT DO TEXAS REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS DO?
HAVING ISSUES?
Sales agents: handle property transactions for clients on behalf of a broker
Brokers: manage all activities of a real estate o ce, overseeing agents
Appraisers: estimate property values
Inspectors: inspect real estate
Consumers may le complaints with the TREC within four years of an incident. Complaints must be written, and the commission has a stock form available to use at www.trec.texas.gov .
SOURCES: INSPECT IT AUSTIN, TEXAS REAL ESTATE COMMISSION COMMUNITY IMPACT
WIC supports you and your child from pregnancy to delivery, to raising a toddler, and up until your child’s 5th birthday. We are here to provide nutritious foods, promote and support breastfeeding, and provide referrals for health and social services. WIC IS HERE TO HELP YOU AND YOUR BABY EVERY STEP OF THE WAY! For more information, visit sanantonio.gov/health or call 210-207-4650 .
17
NORTH SAN ANTONIO EDITION • JULY 2023
Powered by FlippingBook