Other than your inspector looking like an Eskimo, there are 2 main things that change with an inspection in winter.

The air conditioner

The first one is the air conditioner. On days that temperatures are below 60°F the air conditioner likely won’t be tested, because operating the unit at those temperatures can damage it. Instead, it will be visually inspected and any deficiencies found noted in the report.

Here’s the part that catches people out. Central Texas winters swing around a lot, so this isn’t a whole-season thing, it’s a that-particular-morning thing. A December inspection at 70°F gets a full cooling test. The same house the following week at 45°F doesn’t. If the cooling system is a big question mark on a house you’re buying, it’s worth watching the forecast when you schedule.

The roof covering

The other item is the roof covering. At low temperatures and wet conditions, ice and snow can make a roof very slippery. Therefore an inspector may have no choice but to inspect the roof from the ground or with another method instead of walking on it, for their own safety. We don’t get many of those days around here, but we do get them, and a wet roof on a cold morning is not worth anybody getting hurt over. On those days a drone usually gets us most of what we’d have gotten on foot.

So make sure that on cold days you check with your inspector on whether or not they could normally inspect these items so you are comfortable with the level of information that you or your clients have about the property. If something did get limited by the weather, that’s a good candidate for a re-inspection later on.

If you or a friend are in need of a high-value inspector, Panther Inspections can help.

Updated July 2026

People ask this one a lot, usually because they assume a warranty inspection is some lighter, cheaper version of the real thing. It isn’t. Here’s what actually changes and what doesn’t.

What actually differs

In short the only real difference is the type of issues or deficiencies your inspector will find on a new home versus a resale home. In new homes improper installation and poor materials performance are the most common issues. Where on an older home the most common deficiencies are code updates and maintenance issues.

Think of it as new problems versus worn problems. A one-year-old home usually hasn’t had time to wear anything out, so what turns up is something that was put in wrong to begin with and has had a year to start showing it. An older home has had everything work correctly for years and is now just getting tired.

How the inspection is performed

In regards to how the inspection is performed, every company is a little different. We at Panther Inspections believe there should be no difference in how a recently finished home is inspected in relation to one that is older. We treat the warranty inspection the same way as a resale or pre-purchase inspection so that comparisons can be made between the home inspections and proper performance of each system is ensured.

Timing the warranty one

The one thing that really matters on a warranty inspection is when you book it. Builder warranties commonly run a year, so the inspection needs to happen with enough room left for the builder to actually come back and fix what gets found. Leaving it until the last week of the eleventh month is cutting it close. A month or two of margin is a lot more comfortable, and it’s the difference between the builder paying for a repair and you paying for it.

There’s more on why new construction is worth inspecting at all in our post on why new homes need inspections.

So, whether you or a friend have a home coming up on its first birthday, and need a thorough warranty inspection or are buying a resale home and need to have it evaluated we can help. Call us now to book your inspection.

Updated July 2026

Buyers don’t usually get to pick whether the house they’re looking at is lived in or sitting empty, but it does change what an inspection can tell you. Here’s what each one means for the report.

Vacant homes

As far as the inspection goes, it’s generally better to have a vacant home. This is because the inspector has full access to the home and all of its interior and exterior surfaces. However, vacant homes see more intrusion of insects and rodents because there is no one there making the normal noise of living to ward them off, putting down pesticides, or calling a pest control company. They also can be in greater disrepair since no one is there constantly seeing what needs to be repaired. For these homes, a thorough home inspection coupled with a termite inspection is recommended.

The other thing to watch on a vacant home is whether the utilities are still on. Power and gas often get shut off once a house empties out, and anything that can’t be powered up can only be looked at, not tested. That’s worth sorting out before the inspection rather than after. We wrote about that in more detail in why re-inspections are necessary.

Occupied homes

Occupied homes, on the other hand, have many belongings and furnishings that make inspecting some areas impossible and others difficult. Things not inspected could include some windows, many outlets, large areas of flooring and walls. They do, however, tend to be better maintained and show fewer signs of pest inhabitation.

None of that is anybody’s fault, it’s just what a lived-in house looks like. But it does mean the report will have some items marked as inaccessible, and it’s worth reading those rather than skipping past them. A wall behind a bookcase isn’t a wall that passed, it’s a wall nobody saw.

Whether a home is vacant or occupied, new or old, no home is perfect. So, every home needs a great inspection to identify any major issues. If you or someone you know is buying a home and would like even more peace of mind, Panther Inspections has many inspection types to make the home buying process a little easier. On any home more than a year old the termite inspection comes with it at no extra cost, and you can see the rest of what’s covered on our what’s inspected page.

Updated July 2026

Some (but not all) home inspectors take the time after the inspection is complete to either provide a brief summary of the findings or present the entire report to their clients. This practice has some major benefits.

The reason it matters is that an inspection report is a long document full of photos and terminology, and it lands in your inbox at one of the busier moments of a transaction. Plenty of people skim it, spot the scariest-looking item, and worry about the wrong thing. Twenty minutes of somebody walking you through it fixes that.

For first-time home buyers

First time home buyers often need extra explanation about some of the materials used in a home or the proper function of a system. With a presentation, these buyers get the extra explanations they need to fully understand the report and the home. It’s also where we can separate the “this needs a licensed electrician this week” items from the “this is normal for a house this age, keep an eye on it” items, which is a distinction that doesn’t always come through in writing.

For experienced home buyers

More experienced home buyers benefit by getting the info they need about the home as soon as it’s available and have any specific questions and concerns addressed on the spot.

For home sellers

For home sellers, they get access to an inspector with experience in what issues buyers are most concerned with on an inspection report. This gives them the ability to focus on making repairs that help the home sell.

For agents

Agents get something out of it too. A client who understands their report is a client who negotiates on the items that actually matter, instead of handing over a repair list with forty things on it and stalling the whole deal over a loose doorknob.

While a home inspector can’t answer all questions, they can answer many questions that clients may have about the home they are purchasing or selling, putting them in a more educated position.

At Panther Inspections, all of our inspections include a report presentation giving our clients extra insight and knowledge about the home they are buying or selling. Reports go out the same day, and there’s more on how that works on our home inspection FAQ. So, if you or someone you know could use that extra insight call us now to schedule an inspection.

Updated July 2026