Travis County · Veteran-Owned · TREC 26975-PI
Austin is split by a geologic line that runs straight through the housing market. East of MoPac you are buying on deep Blackland clay that moves; west of it you are buying on limestone that does not move but brings drainage and rock-excavation problems of its own. The same inspection report means two different things depending on which side of town the house sits.
Hyde Park, Travis Heights, and much of central Austin predate slab construction. That means crawlspaces, and crawlspaces in Austin mean sistered joists from past repairs, failed shims, rodent activity, and decades of retrofitted plumbing and ductwork stuffed underneath. I get under the house rather than photographing the access hatch and calling it inspected.
Austin protects its trees, and the result is live oak and pecan limbs sitting directly on roofing across the older neighborhoods. That traps moisture on shingles, fills valleys with debris, and gives squirrels and roof rats a bridge into the attic. Deferred limb clearance is one of the most common and cheapest-to-fix findings I write up here.
Shoal Creek, Waller Creek, Onion Creek, and Williamson Creek all have a history of putting water where it does not belong. Beyond the FEMA map, what matters at inspection is what the lot does with a four-inch rain: negative grade against the foundation, downspouts dumping at the slab edge, and patio pours that slope back toward the house.
Austin has years of accessory dwelling units and garage conversions behind it, and a meaningful share were finished without permits. Undersized electrical feeds, no egress window in a converted bedroom, HVAC that was never sized for the added load, and plumbing that was never vented all turn up. I document what I can see and tell you which items are worth a call to the city before you close.
1930s-1950s bungalows and pier-and-beam cottages in the central core, 1960s-1980s slab ranch homes in Crestview and Allandale, and large master-planned new construction in Circle C, Steiner Ranch, and out toward Manor and Del Valle.
Austin Water and Austin Energy across most of the city, with well and septic systems common in the western hills, out past Bee Cave, and in unincorporated Travis County.
A buyer's inspection is the one chance you get to understand a house before it becomes your responsibility.
A pre-listing inspection puts you in control of your own sale.
Your builder's one-year warranty is the most valuable thing you own after closing, and most people let it expire without using it.
ZIP codes served: 78701, 78704, 78717, 78722, 78731, 78735, 78739, 78745, 78749, 78759
Yes, and I go into the crawlspace whenever it is safely accessible. Most of what matters on a pier-and-beam house in Hyde Park or Travis Heights is only visible from underneath: beam rot, failed shims, past sistering, and plumbing that has been patched four times.
Within 24 hours of the inspection, usually the same day. Austin option periods are short and frequently competitive, so the report lands in your Hive dashboard fast enough to actually negotiate with it.
Rarely on its own. Blackland clay moves seasonally and nearly every older East Austin home shows some evidence of it. What matters is the pattern, the amount, and whether previous repairs are holding. I give you elevation readings and a plain read on the risk instead of a scary adjective.
Serving Austin & San Antonio. Veteran-owned, detail-driven, zero conflicts of interest.