The inspection report says wood rot: what Texas sellers and buyers should do next

First move after the report lands

When a Texas inspection report flags wood rot, treat the note as a flag rather than a full scope of work. Have a repair specialist probe every flagged area and the surrounding wood, and get a written, itemized estimate with photos while there is still time on the contract, ideally before any option period ends. With that in hand, the buyer and seller can decide with their agents whether the fix is a repair before closing, a credit or a price change.

I'm Ben Henderson, owner of Preservan Dallas. We at Preservan repair rotted windows, door jambs, trim, porch posts and deck posts in place with structural epoxy, and real estate deadlines are a regular part of our work. This is general information from that experience, not legal advice; your agent, and if needed a real estate attorney, should guide the contract side.

What the inspector's note does and does not tell you

In Texas, the Texas Real Estate Commission requires inspectors to use its Property Inspection Report form, REI 7-6, for real estate inspections. The form describes an inspection as a visual survey of a structure and a basic performance evaluation of its systems and components. The inspector is required to inspect only what is present, visible and accessible at the time, and to mark an item Deficient when a condition adversely and materially affects its performance or is a hazard.

That tells you what a wood rot note is. It means the inspector saw something wrong at a door, window, trim board or post. It does not tell you how far the decay runs under the paint, what caused it or what it costs to fix. The form says plainly that it is not a technically exhaustive inspection and may not reveal all deficiencies.

The form also says that items marked Deficient do not obligate any party to make repairs, and that the client is responsible for getting further evaluations and cost estimates from qualified service professionals, recommending that this happen before contractual time limits such as option periods expire. In other words, the next step is yours, and the clock matters.

Where inspectors usually find it

The REI 7-6 form has separate sections for exterior and interior doors and for windows, and that is where most wood rot notes appear, along with trim, porches and decks. Knowing the usual spots helps a seller check ahead of time and helps a buyer read the report with the right questions in mind.

• Window sills, especially the lower corners and the joint with the jamb
• The bottom of exterior door jambs, the brick mold and the threshold
• Garage door frames where they meet the driveway
• Fascia and trim below gutters
• Porch posts, columns and deck posts where they meet the floor or the ground

If you are the one selling

The best time to deal with wood rot is before a buyer's inspector finds it. Walk the house with a screwdriver before you list, paying attention to sills, the bottoms of door jambs, brick mold, garage door frames and porch posts. A repair done ahead of time, with photos and a warranty, turns a negotiation item into a line in your disclosure. Your listing agent can help you decide which items are worth handling before the house goes on the market; for the pricing side of that decision, see how to price a home before you list it.

If the buyer's report has already flagged rot, get your own specialist estimate quickly. A buyer's estimate from a replacement company may assume new windows or doors where a repair would do, and a firm, itemized repair price gives your agent something concrete to negotiate with.

Keep the paperwork from any repair, whether it happens before listing or during the contract. A buyer's agent who sees an itemized invoice, before-and-after photos and a written warranty has far less reason to push for a large credit than one looking at a fresh coat of paint with no explanation.

If you are the one buying

Use the time you have. Book a repair specialist to probe the flagged areas as soon as you have the report, because scheduling, the visit and the written estimate all need to fit inside your deadlines. Ask for photos of each location and an explanation of what caused the damage. Rot tied to a sprinkler or an overflowing gutter is a different story from rot that has spread into framing.

Then talk with your agent about the options. Some buyers prefer a credit so they control who does the work and when. Others prefer the seller to complete the repair before closing, with documentation. Either way, a specific estimate from someone who probed the wood is much stronger ground than a line in a report.

If you are buying an older home with original wood windows, ask the specialist to look at every window, not only the ones the inspector flagged. Inspectors work within limits on access and time, and a full picture now is worth more than a surprise the first winter after you move in.

Why the repair estimate can be bigger than the report suggests

Inspectors are not required to probe every inch of exterior wood, move stored items or climb over obstacles, and rot spreads along the grain under paint that still looks sound. So a single line about a soft sill can turn into a repair that includes both jamb legs and the brick mold below. The TREC form anticipates this, noting that evaluations by service professionals may find additional deficiencies that were not present, visible or accessible during the inspection.

The reverse also happens. An area flagged for peeling paint can probe firm, needing only preparation and paint. A probe answers both questions, which is why it is worth getting done early rather than assuming the worst or the best.

Posts and decks are where a larger-than-expected scope matters most. A soft porch post, column base or deck post deserves faster attention than a soft sill, because it holds something up. Ask the specialist to tell you whether the damage is cosmetic, structural or somewhere in between, and to put that in writing. Many of these can be stabilized and rebuilt in place, but where decay has gone too far, the estimate should say so plainly rather than proposing a patch.

If the inspector also noted signs of insects near the damaged wood, a licensed pest professional needs to inspect and treat before any repair. We repair wood weakened by termites and other insects, but we do not provide pest control, and the treatment has to come first.

Repair, credit or price change

There is no single right answer, and the choice belongs to the parties and their agents. From the repair side, here is what I see. A completed repair before closing removes the uncertainty for both sides, as long as it is documented and carries a warranty. A credit gives the buyer control but leaves them to schedule the work after moving in, sometimes in a busier season. A price reduction is simple but tends to be negotiated from rough numbers, which is where a firm estimate helps.

Whichever route you choose, make sure the work addresses the moisture source as well as the wood. A buyer who later finds the same sill soft again because a sprinkler head was never moved will not be happy with anyone involved.

Fitting the repair inside a contract deadline

In-place repair suits real estate timelines because it is fast. Most of our repairs are finished in about a day, and larger or multi-area projects take two to three days, including primer and color-matched paint. There is no wait for a replacement window or door to be made and delivered. When you book, tell us your closing date and any deadlines in the contract, so we can plan the inspection and the work around them. The full sequence is in what happens during a rot repair.

One thing to know: the TREC form says inspectors are not required to provide follow-up services to verify that repairs were made. If the buyer wants the repair checked, that is something to arrange separately, and good documentation from the repair company makes it much easier.

Documents the other side will want to see

A repair only settles an inspection item if the other side can see what was done. Ask your repair company for a package you can pass to the agents, and keep a copy with the house records.

• The itemized estimate and final invoice, naming each location repaired
• Before-and-after photos of every area
• A description of the repair method and products used
• Any moisture source found, and what was done or recommended about it
• The warranty terms and length; ours is ten years on epoxy repairs

Getting it handled before closing

Request an assessment and tell us it is for a sale, with your deadline. A technician probes each flagged area and the wood around it, photographs everything and sends an itemized digital quote with recommendations and no upselling. Our inspection is free. If you want to understand how that number is built before you negotiate with it, read what drives the cost of a rot repair.

If you want to understand the decay itself, how rot starts and how to probe for it covers it in depth. We work with sellers, buyers and agents across Dallas and the northern suburbs, including Uptown, the Highland Park area, Richardson, Plano, Frisco and McKinney.

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