Questions every South Florida buyer asks.

A home inspection is a detailed visual evaluation of the home’s structure and major systems, roof, foundation, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, appliances and safety devices, designed to identify conditions that are not obvious on a walkthrough. It is a condition report, not a code inspection or an appraisal.

Most inspections take about two to four hours depending on the size, age and condition of the property. Larger homes, older homes, and properties with pools, docks, wells or septic systems take longer. We would rather run long than miss something.

Yes, when you can. Walking the property with your inspector is the fastest way to understand what the report will say, and there are things far easier to explain standing in front of them than to describe in writing.

Make sure everything is accessible: attic hatches, electrical panels, the water heater, the AC air handler, and any locked gates or sheds. Confirm the utilities are on, an inspection with the power or water off has to be rescheduled or reported as incomplete, and secure pets before the inspector arrives.

No. A home does not pass or fail. The inspection gives you an objective look at the property’s condition so you can decide what to do with that information: proceed, negotiate, repair or walk.

A wind mitigation inspection documents your home’s wind-resistant construction features on the Florida Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form (OIR-B1-1802). It is not required, but it is one of the largest discounts available on a Florida homeowners policy: for many homes the annual premium reduction exceeds the cost of the inspection several times over.

A focused inspection of the four systems insurance carriers care about: roof, electrical, plumbing and HVAC. A 4-point may be required by an insurance company before a homeowner's policy is written. It verifies the current condition of those four systems to reduce the carrier's liability, components in poor condition may fail and lead to fire or water damage. Note that a 4-point inspection is not a home inspection and should not be used as one.

Carriers in this market decline over a predictable list: Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco electrical panels, aluminum branch wiring, polybutylene supply piping, cast-iron drain lines past their service life, water heaters beyond their expected life, and roofs with only a few years of service life remaining. Knowing which of these apply before you apply for coverage is the whole point of inspecting early.

If the house was built before about the mid-1970s, strongly yes. Cast-iron drain lines were standard here, and they corrode from the inside out until they restrict and eventually collapse. Mature tree roots are the other common cause of failure. Lateral replacement runs into five figures and is not covered by a homeowners policy.

The humidity in this region does not give buildings the seasonal drying that limits microbial growth elsewhere. An oversized AC that short-cycles never dehumidifies, a backed-up condensate line wets a wall cavity quietly for months, and a stucco or flashing defect keeps sheathing wet all rainy season. The growth is the symptom: the moisture source is the actual problem, and that is what we look for.

No, deliberately. We test and sample only, and we do not take referral arrangements from remediation companies. A test result is only worth something if the person collecting the sample has no financial interest in the answer being yes.

Both systems should be inspected, and the water should be laboratory tested, a mechanically sound well can still deliver water that is not safe to drink. If you are financing with an FHA or VA loan, certified water testing is required. Septic drainfields have a finite service life and are the expensive half of the system to replace.

Yes. Seawalls are excluded from every standard home inspection, and they are frequently the most expensive structure on a waterfront lot. Replacement is a five- to six-figure expense, it is not covered by a homeowners policy, and permitting adds time you will not have after closing. On any waterfront purchase it deserves the same scrutiny as the roof.

Yes. A builder’s walkthrough is not independent, and the municipal inspection confirms code compliance rather than workmanship. We routinely document missing roof-to-wall connectors, stucco and flashing defects, condensate lines that will not drain, loose electrical terminations and grading that pushes water toward the slab: on brand-new production housing.

Most builder warranties cover workmanship for one year. After a full South Florida summer, defects that were invisible at closing have surfaced: settlement cracking, stucco movement, HVAC and drainage issues. An inspection near month eleven documents them while they are still the builder’s responsibility.

Quickly, and always with photos. Every finding includes an image, a plain-English description of what it is, and why it matters, with the significant items pulled into a summary you and your agent can act on immediately.

Yes. We perform condition and property assessments on office, retail, warehouse, industrial and multi-unit buildings, and we coordinate directly with your lender, attorney and transaction team on your due-diligence timeline.

Palm Beach County, Martin County, St. Lucie County and the northern half of Broward County, roughly from Fort Pierce down to Fort Lauderdale, and west to Belle Glade and Indiantown. If you are not sure whether we cover your address, call and ask.