Home Inspection in Sherman, TX

Home Inspections in Sherman

Sherman is one of the oldest cities in North Texas and, as of this year, one of the fastest changing. The neighborhoods around the Grayson County courthouse square and Austin College hold homes from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Mid-century subdivisions fill in most of the rest. And on the south and west sides, along FM 1417 and Preston Road, builders are opening new sections as fast as they can to house the people coming for the semiconductor plants. Texas Instruments started production at its first Sherman fab in December 2025 with more planned on the same site, GlobiTech’s wafer plant breaks ground in 2026, and the city is planning for thousands of new homes.

So a Sherman buyer might be looking at a 1910 pier-and-beam house on a shaded street, a 1965 ranch that has had one owner, or a slab home that was a pasture eighteen months ago. I run RTI Home Inspections out of Gunter and drive up for all three. I spent more than 30 years in residential construction before becoming a TREC-licensed inspector, and on an older home most of my job is separating age from actual defect and telling you plainly what the next few years of ownership are likely to cost.

What Older Sherman Homes Tend to Need a Closer Look At

Electrical systems that predate modern demand

Older Sherman homes commonly have electrical that no longer matches how a household uses power. Undersized service, aluminum branch wiring from the 1960s and 70s, ungrounded outlets, remnants of earlier wiring in homes never fully updated, and panel brands with long-standing industry concern all turn up. Several of these are worth raising with your insurer and your electrician before closing. I document what is present and explain which items are routine, which are safety concerns, and which an electrician should address before or shortly after you take possession.

Plumbing materials with known failure histories

Galvanized steel supply lines, cast iron drain lines, and polybutylene supply lines all appear in Sherman homes of different eras, and each has a known problem. Galvanized corrodes from the inside and chokes off flow. Cast iron cracks and scales. Polybutylene fails suddenly, and its presence is worth raising with your insurer. I identify the visible materials, look for evidence of past leaks and repairs, and note where the visible condition already points to replacement rather than repair.

Pier-and-beam foundations after a century of clay

Homes built before the 1960s are often pier-and-beam, and in Sherman many have been riding expansive clay for 80 or more than 100 years. The specific concerns are rotted sills, piers that have settled or shifted out of plumb, and crawl space ventilation poor enough to keep the framing damp. Slab-era homes show their own cumulative record in cracked brick, separated trim, and out-of-square door frames. I distinguish movement that appears to have stabilized from movement that looks active.

Mechanical equipment on borrowed time

On Sherman homes held by long-term owners it is common to find HVAC equipment and water heaters well past typical service age and still running. Working on inspection day is not the same as reliable. I record the visible condition of each unit, along with the data plate and any service tags still attached, so replacement is something you plan for rather than something that happens in the first cold snap.

Roofs carrying layers and decades of repairs

Sherman has taken repeated hail over the past two decades, and many roofs have been repaired or replaced through insurance more than once. Older roof structures also tend to have additions and tie-ins where the workmanship varies. I evaluate the current covering, flashing and valleys, evidence of layered or partial re-roofs, and any signs of decking problems underneath.

Relocating to Sherman for the Fabs? Read This Part

If you are moving in for a job at Texas Instruments, GlobiTech, or one of the suppliers following them, you are likely buying new construction on the south or west side, possibly from out of state and possibly on a compressed timeline. Two things are worth knowing. First, neither the municipal inspector nor the builder’s quality control team works for you, so an independent new construction inspection before closing is the only look at the house taken from your side. Second, the builders opening sections in Sherman are the same production builders working the Collin County suburbs, and the findings travel with them: insulation gaps, crimped ducting, unsealed penetrations, and grading that runs toward the slab. A pre-drywall inspection while the framing is open catches what no later inspection can.

Scheduling an Inspection in Sherman

Most Sherman purchases call for a standard home inspection. Properties with a pool, and there are many in the established neighborhoods, benefit from adding a pool and spa inspection so the pump, filter, heater, and controls are documented on the same visit. I deliver the report within 24 hours, with photos and clear explanations of every finding.

I also serve Van Alstyne and Gunter on the way south, and the rest of the service area.