What to Look at on an Austin Home Walkthrough That's Easy to Miss

Most people walk into a house and look at the kitchen first. I do it too, because I'm human and I like a nice countertop. But on an Austin home, the things that cost real money rarely sit on the counter.

They hide in door frames and electrical panels. They hide in attics and in the trees out back.

I'm James Brinkman, and I've lived in Northwest Austin since 1976. I've walked through a lot of houses with buyers, and I've learned that anyone can unlock a door. The useful part is knowing where to look once you're inside.

This post is for the longtime homeowner who's touring houses for the next chapter, or the grown kid tagging along to help. Here's what's easy to miss, one part of the house at a time.

Austin's ground moves. Much of Central Texas has clay soil that swells when it's wet and shrinks when it's dry. A slab foundation rides along with that motion.

You can't see the foundation on a walkthrough. You can see what it does to the rest of the house.

• Open and close the interior doors. A door that sticks, swings on its own or won't latch can point to movement.
• Look above door frames and windows. Diagonal cracks in the drywall at those corners are worth a note.
• Check the trim. Gaps where the walls meet the ceiling or the floor tell a story.
• Walk the floors slowly. You'll often feel a slope before you see it.

Then step outside and look at the dirt next to the house. The soil should slope away from the slab. The gutters should send water well away from the walls.

None of these signs means you should walk away. They mean you should ask a foundation specialist before you fall in love with the place.

These three things don't photograph well, so listing photos usually skip them. They also carry some of the biggest repair bills in a house.

Electrical. If the home was built in the late 1960s or early 1970s, ask what kind of wiring it has. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that about two million American homes were built or rewired with aluminum branch wiring between 1965 and 1973. CPSC Publication 516 says pre-1972 homes wired with aluminum are 55 times more likely to have a connection reach fire-hazard conditions than homes wired with copper.

That sounds scary, but it's a question for a licensed electrician. They can tell you what you're looking at and what your options are.

While you're at the panel, look at the labels. A neat panel with every circuit named tells you something about how the house has been kept up.

AC and water heater. Both have a data plate with a manufacture date, usually on a sticker on the side. Snap a photo of each one. In an Austin summer, the age of the AC matters more than the color of the cabinets.

Attic. If you can safely peek through the hatch, look at how deep the insulation is. Austin Energy says rebates through its Home Energy Savings Essential program average $1,500 for upgrades like attic insulation and air sealing. That's worth knowing if the home is in Austin Energy territory.

I love a big live oak. So does Cooper, my dog, who considers every one of them his personal property.

Trees are a big part of what makes Northwest Austin feel the way it does. They also come with a few things to check.

Oak wilt. The Texas A&M Forest Service calls oak wilt one of the most destructive tree diseases in the U.S. The agency says it has been confirmed in 76 Texas counties. It can also spread underground through connected roots, so a sick tree next door matters too.

If an oak on the lot looks thin or dead compared with its neighbors, have a certified arborist take a look.

Protected trees. The City of Austin protects trees on private property. Under its Land Development Code, removing a tree that measures 19 inches or more in diameter at 4.5 feet off the ground requires a permit. That matters if you're picturing a pool or an addition where a big tree now stands.

Floodplain. The City of Austin says about 10 percent of the land in Austin is in the floodplain. The city's free FloodPro map lets you look up an address and see where the floodplain lines fall.

The city and Travis County are also updating floodplain maps based on the Atlas 14 rainfall study. A fresh look at the map beats an old assumption.

Daily life happens in small moments. These are the details people tell me they wish they'd noticed sooner.

• Run the shower and a sink at the same time. Weak pressure or rusty water is worth asking about.
• Look closely at the windows. Fog or haze trapped between the panes usually means the seal has failed.
• Count the steps. Check the front entry, the door from the garage and the path to the main bedroom.
• Find the laundry. A washer upstairs or out in the garage changes your whole week.
• Open the closets. Staging can make storage look bigger by leaving it nearly empty.

I play in a band called Big State, so I notice sound. Houses have their own soundtrack. Stand still for a minute and listen for the AC, the fridge and the road.

I remember when 183 was two lanes. Traffic in Austin changes, so drive your real route at the hour you'll actually drive it. Come back at 5:30 p.m. if you toured at 11 a.m.

Look next door too. A new fence, a fresh roofline or a cleared lot can tell you what's changing on the street.

You don't have to memorize any of this. Here's a pocket version for your phone.

• Doors, drywall corners and trim
• Slope of the yard and where the gutters drain
• Panel labels, wiring type and the AC data plate
• Water heater date and attic insulation
• Oaks on the lot and next door
• The address on the city's FloodPro map
• Water pressure, window seals and steps
• A second visit at rush hour

Here's the bottom line. The stuff that's easy to miss is usually the stuff that costs the most.

When we tour together, I bring the flashlight and the questions. That way you can focus on whether the place feels like home. I'll also tell you when something looks like a quick fix and when it needs a specialist.

If you want to see how I guide a move from start to finish, my process page lays it out. You can also see what's on the market on my listings page.

Maybe you're getting ready to tour a few homes in Austin. Maybe you already saw one and something is nagging at you. Either way, I'm glad to walk it with you.

Send me a note here and tell me what you're looking at. There's no pressure, just perspective.

When you think real estate, think Brink.