Retired Air Force Veteran Turned Home Inspector Has Done About 13,000 Inspections And Says Even Brand New Houses Need One

David Renner spent 24 years in the Air Force. When he retired, he needed something to do. In 2012 he got his inspector’s license and started looking over houses in Abilene, Texas. Fourteen years later, David estimates that the team he built has done around 13,000 inspections. And his advice to buyers might surprise you: even a brand new house needs one.

Veteran turned home inspector interview beside a stock photo of hands writing on a clipboard.

David shared his story in a sit-down interview with the host of the YouTube channel Living in Abilene Texas With The Tonya Harbin Team, in an episode called “What Every Texas Homebuyer Should Know Before Skipping a Home Inspection.”

From The Air Force To Abilene Crawl Spaces

David says he thought the work “kind of fit my skill set.” After 24 years in the Air Force, he also knew he wanted to work for himself and not for someone else. He had done plenty of work around his own homes over the years, and he liked the idea of setting his own schedule.

It was not smooth at the start. When the host asked whether he ever felt like quitting in that first year, David did not hesitate. Yes, he said, especially in the first couple of months. He remembers doing an inspection that took two or three hours at the house, and then spending hours and hours and hours writing the report. He thought there was no way he could keep going.

Then it got better. He got faster. He bought better software, and he says that investment paid off big time. Today the business is no longer just David. He now has other inspectors working with him, and he believes they were the first team of inspectors in Abilene. According to the video description, David still answers the phone himself.

Why Abilene

The answer was simple. His family lived there, his kids lived there, and he had been there a long time. Abilene became home. David says the community has trusted him, and that trust is how the business grew and grew.

When the host pointed out that buying a home is the biggest investment most people ever make, and asked what it means that people trust him with it, David’s answer was just as plain. It means everything. These are people spending hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars, he said, and they need to know what they are getting. His goal is to tell them everything he possibly can about the house, the good and the bad.

That last part matters. A good inspection is not meant to kill a deal or to scare you. It is meant to give you the full picture before you sign.

Why Even A New House Needs An Inspection

According to the video description, David recommends an inspection even on brand new construction, and the two of them talk about what he actually finds in Abilene homes. It is easy to assume that a house nobody has ever lived in must be in perfect shape.

But new does not automatically mean flawless. Houses are built by people, and people make mistakes. An inspector is the one person whose entire job is to look at the house from your side of the table.

It also helps to know what an inspection is. It is a visual look at the home’s major parts, such as the roof, the foundation, the electrical system, the plumbing, and the heating and cooling. It is not a guarantee, and it will not find everything. But it is often the only time a trained set of eyes goes through the whole house before you own it.

How To Get The Most Out Of Your Inspection

You do not have to be an expert to make an inspection work for you. A few simple habits go a long way.

Hire your own inspector. Pick someone who works for you, not someone the seller or builder suggests without you checking them out. Ask how long they have been doing it and how many homes they have looked at.
Be there if you can. Walking through with the inspector lets you see problems with your own eyes and ask questions on the spot. Many inspectors are happy to explain what they are looking at.
Read the whole report. Do not stop at the summary. The long version has photos and details that can help you decide what to fix first.
Sort the findings. Safety issues and anything that could let in water come first. Small cosmetic items matter less.
Use it to negotiate. If the report turns up real problems, you can ask the seller or builder to repair them or to adjust the price. That is one of the best reasons to have the report done before closing.

The Takeaway For Buyers

David’s story is a reminder that experience is built one house at a time. Thousands of inspections in, his message is still that buyers need to know everything they can before they sign. Whether the home was built in 1975 or last spring, the cost of an inspection is small next to a purchase of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

If you are shopping for a home in Texas or anywhere else, the full interview is worth your time. It runs about 16 minutes, and it comes from someone who has spent more than a decade walking through other people’s houses so that buyers do not have to be surprised later.

Willow and Hearth