You've found the house. The general home inspection is scheduled. The inspector will check the roof, HVAC, plumbing, foundation, and yes — the electrical. But here's the reality: a general home inspector is not an electrician, and the electrical review in a standard home inspection is, by necessity, surface-level.

For homes more than 15–20 years old in the Kyle, Austin, or Central Texas area — or any home where you have questions about the electrical system — a dedicated electrical inspection by a licensed electrician is one of the best investments you can make before closing.

What a General Home Inspection Covers Electrically

A general home inspector will typically:

  • Open the panel and look at the condition of the breakers
  • Test a sample of outlets with a plug-in tester for basic function and polarity
  • Note visible issues like missing cover plates or exposed wiring
  • Check that GFCI outlets in kitchens and bathrooms trip and reset correctly
  • Note the panel brand if it's a known problem brand

What they typically won't do:

  • Identify the wiring type throughout the home (copper vs. aluminum vs. knob-and-tube)
  • Evaluate the condition of the service entrance and weatherhead
  • Assess whether the panel has adequate capacity for the home's actual load
  • Test all outlets and switches — only a representative sample
  • Verify GFCI protection coverage in all required locations
  • Identify double-tapped breakers or other panel code violations
  • Evaluate the grounding system
  • Identify undersized wiring on specific circuits

What a Licensed Electrician Looks For

When we conduct a pre-purchase electrical inspection, we go significantly deeper:

Panel Evaluation

We open the panel and assess the age and brand of the equipment, the condition of breakers and bus bars, whether the panel is properly rated for the service size, double-tapped breakers (two wires under one breaker terminal — a code violation), signs of overheating or corrosion, and whether GFCI and AFCI breakers are present where currently required by code.

On panel brand specifically: Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) Stab-Lok panels and Zinsco/Sylvania panels have well-documented safety issues and are difficult or impossible to insure in some markets. We identify these immediately.

Wiring Type and Age

Wiring type matters enormously for safety and for what the home will need going forward:

  • Copper NM-B (Romex) — Standard modern wiring. No concerns.
  • Aluminum branch circuit wiring — Common in homes built in the late 1960s and 1970s. Requires specific devices and connections. Can be a fire hazard if improperly maintained. Not necessarily a deal-breaker, but needs to be documented and understood.
  • Knob-and-tube (K&T) — Found in homes built before the 1950s. Ungrounded, not rated for modern loads, and may be degraded after 70+ years. Insurance companies increasingly won't insure homes with active K&T wiring.
  • Cloth-insulated wire — Common in 1940s–1960s construction. The insulation degrades over time and can crack, exposing conductors.

GFCI Coverage Audit

Modern code requires GFCI protection in kitchens, all bathrooms, garages, unfinished basements, crawl spaces, outdoor outlets, and areas within 6 feet of sinks. Homes built before current code was adopted often lack GFCI protection in many of these locations. This is a safety issue and a potential insurance issue.

Service Entrance Assessment

The weatherhead, service entrance conductors, meter base, and service entrance cable outside the home are often overlooked. We check for damage, outdated materials, and signs of deterioration that may require utility coordination to repair.

What Happens When We Find Something

After the inspection, we provide a written report that covers:

  • Everything we found — safety critical, code issues, and informational items
  • Priority classification for each finding (immediate safety concern / code violation / advisory)
  • Estimated scope of work for any recommended repairs

This report gives you real negotiating power. If the panel needs replacement, the wiring is aluminum throughout, or there are significant GFCI deficiencies — those are real costs that should be factored into the purchase price or negotiated as seller-paid repairs before closing.

When Is an Electrical Inspection Most Important?

  • Homes built before 1990 — panel brands, wiring types, and code compliance have all changed significantly since then
  • Homes with no documentation of prior electrical work
  • Homes where the general inspector noted electrical concerns
  • Any home you're planning to upgrade, remodel, or add EV charging to — knowing the starting point is essential
  • Homes in rural areas or on private water/septic systems — these sometimes have electrical systems that don't match city-home norms

An electrical inspection typically reveals the actual condition of a home's electrical system — the thing that causes house fires when it fails. It's among the most cost-effective pre-purchase inspections you can get.

The Bottom Line

A general home inspection is the baseline. For any home more than 15–20 years old, or any home with electrical concerns flagged in the general inspection, a dedicated electrical review by a licensed electrician gives you the complete picture before you commit to one of the largest purchases of your life.

We schedule pre-purchase electrical inspections throughout Kyle, Buda, Austin, San Marcos, Bastrop, Lockhart, Mustang Ridge, and Creedmoor. The inspection includes a written report you can take to your real estate agent or negotiation.

Schedule your pre-purchase electrical inspection or call (512) 393-9253.