The short answer: schedule your inspection the same day your offer is accepted, and get it done as early in the option period as you can. Delays cost buyers money and leverage, and in a busy San Antonio market, good inspectors' calendars fill up fast.
Right after the offer is accepted
As soon as your offer is accepted, your agent will set the clock on the option period. Because the inspection has to happen inside that window, do not wait. Send your inspection request the same day if you can, especially on a Friday, because weekend and Monday slots go first.
Inside the option period
In a typical Texas home purchase, the option period runs about 7 to 10 calendar days. It is the buyer's due-diligence window: during it you may terminate the contract for almost any reason and get your earnest money back, while the seller keeps only the option fee. The inspection is the centerpiece of that window. Finish it early, so there is still time to negotiate repairs or credits before the window closes.
Before the option deadline
Planning for the report to arrive on day nine is how option periods get missed. Have the inspection done by day three or four of the option period, with the report in hand a day or two later, so you and your agent can decide what to ask for. If the house needs big-ticket work and the seller is not budging, you keep your right to walk away.
The takeaway
Treat inspection day like the most important appointment in the transaction, because it is. Book early, show up if you can, and use the full option window to negotiate from a position of knowledge, not hope.
Christian Schmeis
Certified Professional Real Estate Inspector and owner of Rodeo Home Inspections LLC. Two decades in construction, now inspecting San Antonio’s homes full time.