What Do Home Inspectors Look For During a Home Inspection?
Many buyers, sellers, and homeowners wonder, what does a home inspector look for? The answer: it depends on the type of home inspection you’re receiving. From roof inspections to 4 point inspections, home inspections offer a detailed evaluation of your home’s systems and structures to understand the strength of your home and uncover hidden issues.
Why Do I Need a Home Inspection?
There are a handful of common situations where you may need a home inspection, here’s a quick breakdown:
- When buying a home. Buyers can use the inspection report to negotiate repairs, negotiate price, or even walk away from a risky deal.
- When selling a home. Sellers can uncover hidden issues before listing the property and avoid last-minute surprises. This report can also provide buyers with the peace of mind they are making a smart investment in their new home.
- When shopping for or renewing home insurance. Most insurance providers require at least a 4 point inspection before binding a home insurance policy. They need to know about the condition of the home to provide the proper insurance coverage.
- When looking for insurance discounts. In the state of Florida, homeowners can receive discounts on their home insurance when they provide a favorable wind mitigation inspection report. Homeowners can realize big savings with this one inspection.
How Do I Schedule a Home Inspection?
At My Safe Home Inspection, we make scheduling easy. You can either Request an Inspection Online or simply Give Us a Call and we’ll get you scheduled. We offer flexible scheduling to find a time that works for your busy schedule. No matter where you live in Florida, we have licensed inspectors statewide that specialize in inspecting homes in your area.
What Does a Home Inspector Look For?
Our certified home inspectors conduct a visual inspection of major systems relevant to the type of home inspection.
Many homeowners opt to bundle inspections to save time and money. The most common combination is four point inspection and wind mitigation inspection.
Here is an overview of what our home inspectors look for during each inspection.
You guessed it! This inspection focuses on assessing the condition of your roof. A Roof Certification inspection aims to assess the overall age and condition of your roof system by looking at the following:
- Covering material
- Roof age and remaining useful life
- Date of last roof permit and date of last update
- Overall condition and visible signs of damage or deterioration
A Wind Mitigation inspection is designed to inform insurance companies whether a home has appropriately installed features which may increase the chances it will be able to withstand damages normally caused by high winds and rain associated with tropical storms and hurricanes. Our inspectors will evaluate the following during your inspection:
- Building code
- Roof covering
- Roof deck attachment
- Roof to wall attachment
- Roof geometry
- Secondary Water Resistance (SWR)
- Opening Protection
Four Point inspections are needed to satisfy the insurance requirements when a homeowner is purchasing a new homeowner’s insurance policy or renewing their existing policy. These inspections cover the four main points of a home which tend to be some of the most common areas resulting in an insurance claim, including:
- Electrical
- HVAC
- Plumbing
- Roof
Combination 4 Point and Wind Mitigation Inspection
Save time and money when you bundle a 4 point inspection and wind mitigation inspection. One visit, two reports. When you combine inspections like 4 point and wind mitigation inspections, you can save an average of 15% and our inspectors can complete both inspections in about one hour. Not only do you get the necessary 4 point inspection report for buying or renewing your home insurance, but you may also qualify for insurance discounts with a favorable wind mitigation report. During this combination inspection, our inspectors look for:
- Building code information
- Roof covering
- Roof deck attachment
- Roof to wall attachment
- Roof geometry
- Secondary Water Resistance (SWR)
- Opening Protection
- Electrical
- HVAC
- Plumbing
- Roof
When you are buying or selling a home and require a thorough inspection of the structure, a full home inspection is imperative. Our inspectors thoroughly assess the home from top to bottom, performing a visual inspection of each room and each system. Some of which, include:
- Inspection details (year built, stories, type of building, etc.)
- Exterior
- Roof
- Foundation, crawlspace, and structure
- Garages and carports
- Heating and cooling
- Plumbing
- Electrical
- Appliances
- Interior
- Attic, insulation, and ventilation
For a comprehensive view of a home inspection checklist, check out this blog: Home Inspection Checklist: What Is Looked for in a Home Inspection?
The Bottom Line
Regardless of your reason for getting a home inspection, our detailed reports will empower you and your insurance provider with the right information to make informed decisions. To answer the question, what does a home inspector look for? The bottom line is, it depends on the type of home inspection. If you have questions about the different types of inspections, feel free to give us a call! We’re here to answer your questions. Ready to learn more about the condition of your home? Book your appointment with a certified home inspector today.
SETTING THE STANDARD FOR FLORIDA HOME INSPECTIONS STATEWIDE.