Straight answers about cost, timing, what an inspection covers, Texas licensing, and the things that are specific to Central Texas. If your question is not here, call or text Jeremy at (210) 997-8871.
Price depends on the square footage, the age of the home, and the foundation type. Rusted Anchor quotes each property directly rather than publishing a flat rate that would be wrong for most homes. Call or text Jeremy at (210) 997-8871 with the address for a firm number.
Most homes take two to four hours on site. Larger, older, or more complex properties take longer, and acreage with outbuildings, a well, and a septic system takes longer still because each structure and system is inspected individually.
Within 24 hours of the inspection, and usually the same day. The report arrives in a personal Hive dashboard with photos, viewable online any time and downloadable as a PDF.
As early in the option period as possible. In Texas the option period is negotiated between buyer and seller rather than set by law, and it is often short. Booking on day one leaves room to get the report, price any repairs, and negotiate or walk before the option expires.
It varies with the season and how busy the market is. Call or text (210) 997-8871 as soon as you are under contract; Jeremy schedules around real estate deadlines, including relocation and PCS timelines, and will tell you honestly what is available.
A home inspection is a visual examination of the accessible major systems and components: roof and gutters, foundation and crawlspaces, structure, grading and drainage, exterior and interior, attic, insulation and ventilation, fireplace, plumbing, heating, air conditioning, electrical, and built-in appliances. Findings are documented with photos in a written report.
A home inspection does not include destructive investigation, opening walls, code compliance certification, engineering analysis, or anything concealed behind finished surfaces. It is not a warranty or a guarantee against future failure. Where something needs a specialist, such as a structural engineer or a licensed septic evaluator, Jeremy says so directly rather than leaving you to guess.
The visible and accessible components are evaluated: well pump operation, pressure tank, water flow at fixtures, and visible septic conditions and drain field indicators. Full well yield testing, water quality laboratory analysis, and licensed OSSF septic evaluation are separate specialties, and Jeremy will tell you clearly when a property needs them. This comes up constantly on acreage around Canyon Lake, Spring Branch, Bulverde, Boerne, and Driftwood.
No. Rusted Anchor performs residential home inspections. Mold assessment and radon measurement are separately licensed and certified specialties in Texas, and Jeremy does not hold those credentials. The inspection documents visible moisture and evidence of past water intrusion, and where laboratory testing is warranted he will tell you plainly and refer you to a properly licensed specialist.
Yes, if you can. Jeremy walks the home with you and your agent at the end and explains the general condition, what needs attention soon, and what to monitor over time. Twenty minutes walking the property with the inspector teaches you more about the house than reading the report alone. If you cannot attend, the report plus a phone call covers it.
Yes. Texas requires home inspectors to be licensed by the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC). Jeremy Wagner holds TREC Professional Inspector license 26975-PI, which anyone can verify through the TREC license holder search.
Jeremy Wagner is the owner and inspector at Rusted Anchor Home Inspections, based in Canyon Lake, Texas. He is a native Texan who served more than 20 years in the US Navy as a Naval Pilot and Intelligence Officer, and holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Master's degree in National Security and Strategic Studies. He performs every Rusted Anchor inspection personally.
Inspections follow the Standards of Practice for home inspectors established by InterNACHI, the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors. Jeremy is also an AHIT Certified Home Inspector and holds TREC license 26975-PI.
Yes. Rusted Anchor is not a multi-inspector franchise. Jeremy answers the phone, performs the inspection, writes the report, and takes your follow-up questions afterward.
No. Rusted Anchor does not sell repairs, take vendor referral fees, or put third-party promotions in the report. The report is about the house, not a channel for advertising, and client data is never sold or shared.
Not automatically. Much of the Austin–San Antonio corridor sits on expansive clay that swells when wet and shrinks in summer heat, so seasonal movement is normal and nearly every older home shows some evidence of it. What matters is the pattern, the amount of elevation change, and whether previous repairs are holding. The most common underlying cause is not the slab itself but drainage that keeps soil moisture uneven around the perimeter.
It can be worth testing. A common assumption is that Texas has no radon problem and that homes without basements are safe, and neither is reliably true. Testing is the only way to know your level. Rusted Anchor does not perform radon measurement; if you want a home tested, ask Jeremy and he can point you toward a certified radon measurement professional.
Yes. A municipal code inspection confirms minimum code compliance at a few checkpoints during construction; it is not a top-to-bottom review of workmanship on the finished home, and it is not performed on your behalf. Fast-growing Central Texas markets such as Kyle, Buda, and New Braunfels produce a consistent set of real defects that nobody else will catch for you.
An 11-month inspection is a full re-inspection timed before a builder's one-year warranty expires, so documented defects remain the builder's cost rather than yours. It matters disproportionately in Central Texas because entire subdivisions close within months of each other and hit month eleven together, and because a home here goes through a hard freeze and a 100-degree summer inside its first year. Schedule at around month ten so there is time for the builder to act.
Groundwater across Comal, Kendall, and the surrounding counties moves through limestone and comes out heavily mineralised. Scale shortens water heater life, clogs fixture aerators and dishwasher inlets, and ruins tankless units that were never flushed. It is not a safety issue, but it is a budget item, and the condition of any softener or treatment equipment is worth knowing before you buy.
You read it, and you call Jeremy with questions — follow-up conversations are part of the service, not an upsell. From there you and your agent decide what to request, what to price in, and what to accept. The report is written to support that conversation, with the urgent items separated from the deferred maintenance.
Rarely, and a good report usually saves deals rather than breaking them. Most findings on any house are maintenance items with known costs. What breaks deals is a surprise discovered late with no time to price it, which is exactly what an early inspection prevents.
Yes, and that is one of its main practical uses. A written report with photographs documenting a specific defect is far harder for a seller or a builder to dismiss than a verbal list, which is also why 11-month warranty inspections work as well as they do.
An inspection assesses the physical condition of the house and its systems, for you. An appraisal estimates market value, for the lender. They answer different questions, they are performed by different professionals, and one does not substitute for the other.
Each service and each city has its own questions answered on its own page, including what changes locally.
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