If it matters to you and your family, to know what condition a property is in, then, Yes. The average home owner, buyer or seller, doesn’t have the experience and knowledge to understand all that may be concerning with a home. 

We recommend getting an experienced home inspector to safeguard you and your families interest. Sometimes, you only get one chance to get right!

The price will vary depending on a number of things. 

• The age of the home
• The location
• The type of construction
• The size of the home
• The actual condition
• What items you want other than a standard inspection
• The home inspection firm you choose
• We carry $1,000,000.00 Errors & Omissions insurance. Many home inspectors don’t! It’s expensive. 

We always remind price shoppers, “You usually get what you pay for“. You’re going to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on the home, don’t let $50.00 or $75.00 more for the home inspection, cost you a ton of money and heart aches because you chose a cheaper, less experienced inspector. 

That varies based on a number of things.

The SOP practice the inspection company goes by. We, for example, use InterNACHI’s SOP and where appropriate, the State of Florida SOP. 

We cover;

• the exterior drives, walkways,  grading, drainage conditions, the home exterior walls, visible foundation, (we don’t do crawlspaces. We recommend Kevin Bressman of i-Inspect. He has a robot that can access most of the  crawlspace areas.  I know of no other inspector in our area that has a robot. That’s of profound importance to you), windows, roofing, gutter system, flooring, walls, ceiling interior doors & trim, accessible areas of the attic, insulation,  the plumbing, electrical, HVAC, the appliance for what is present, not for the function, and many, many more items. 

Generally there are two additional Orlando insurance inspection you may need. Depending on the age of the home, underwriters may require;

• Orlando four point inspection. This is for homes, by some underwriters, 15 years or older. They want to know the age, condition and useful life of the roof, HVAC system, electrical and the plumbing system. The inspection is not as involved as a standard home inspection. They will not, however, allow a full home inspection report to replace the four point inspection. 
• Orlando Wind Mitigation Inspection.  This inspection is not generally “Required” by your insurance company…but, may save you money on your insurance premiums. It can be done by your licensed home inspector. A Wind Mitigation Inspection is done on form: OIR-B1-1802 (Rev. 01/12) Adopted by Rule 69O-170.0155. The form considers seven things as they relate to your home.
  • Building code: Was your home was built in compliance with the Florida Building Code 2001 or later or South Florida Building Code 94.
  • Roof covering: What about the roof. The type of roof coverings your home has. Is it  asphalt, fiberglass shingle; concrete, clay, tile, metal, built up, etc. Has the roof ever been replaced? as the permit number and date. How many years of useful life is left?
  • Roof-deck attachment: How well your roof deck is secured to the trusses or rafters and what type of attachment (option A is the weakest and C is the strongest). Length of the nails that attach the roof sheathing to the roof trusses or rafters. (8d are the longest) and the spacing they are. (6 inches is preferred).
  • Roof-to-wall attachment: How well your roof is attached to the walls of your home. There are eight options for connections: (A) toenails, (B) clips, (C) single wraps, (D) double wraps, (E) anchor bolt, (F) other, (G) unknown, and (H) no attic access. Double wraps are considered the strongest type of connection; toenails are considered the weakest.
  • Roof geometry: What’s the shape of your roof. That has a big impact on how well your home will  withstand strong winds. There are three roof shapes considered: hip roof, flat roof, and other. Hip roofs are the strongest. They slope down on all sides and help resist clashes with hurricane winds. They will get the biggest premium discount.
  • Secondary water resistance: Does your home has a protective layer under the primary layer of the main roofing?  This options is often difficult to determine. 
  • Opening protection: Does your home have “glazed openings” (i.e., openings with windows or glass) and “non-glazed openings” (e.g., entry doors and garage doors) and how impact resistant they are. For instance, they will check for shatterproof windows, bracing on the garage door, hurricane-rated doors, and storm shutters. Without these measures, flying debris can compromise your home’s pressure barrier. 

It would be because we are seeing things that require service, repair or possible replacement by others and it’s in your best interest that we make that call. Some examples are;

• Possible structural concerns
• Moisture issues
• Possible organic growth
• Roof that appears to be leaking
• Items that appear at or near the end of their useful life

It’s always best to have accurate cost from licensed and/or qualified tradesmen that are licensed and insured to protect you and your family. Remember, you can’t go back after you close and ask for help with the cost on items not addressed by you BEFORE you closed.

Andrew and I are both licensed home inspectors with the State of Florida. We both carry $1,000,000.00 Errors & Omissions insurance.

We both participate in InterNACHI’s “Buy Back Program”. If we miss something, InterNACHI will buy back you house based on their guarantee. Read about InterNACHI’s Buy Back Back Program. 

Cast Iron pipes can be a serious concern when buying a home. Or, simply owning a home with cast iron. The product was designed to last for a century, but many times it fails and creates a nightmare for the home owner. 

If your home has cast iron pipes, we recommend you have what’s known as a “Sewer Scope Inspection”. A special camera can view the accessible piping and record the condition. Cast iron deteriorates from both the exterior and the interior. Here is a link and referral that may help you. Use referrals at your own choosing.  https://i-inspect.biz/orlando-sewer-scope-inspection/ 

We do not. The reason is, it’s so important to know the condition of your structural status of your foundation. Our SOP call for: Inspect as safe and accessible. We often can’t access many areas of a crawlspaces because of inadequate head clearance. 

As a result, we offer, at your decision, a referral that has a robot. It can access areas as low as 18″. The link to learn about it is: https:i-inspect.biz/robot-inspections/

Disclaimer: I offer no guarantees with any referral. I receive nothing for the referral. 

360 degree images are produced with an expensive and specialized camera.  The process is also known as VR photography, it allows the viewer see the property, room, etc., in 360 degrees. You are also able to be interactive with the images from your computer or smartphone.

They are available as an optional item at $5.00/images with a 10 images requirement. Note: You must request these at the time you book the inspection. 

A WDO inspection is often referred to as a “Termite Inspection”. We recommend that all homes in Florida should have an Orlando WDO inspection. Either from the builders vendor on a new construction home or from a local Orlando Pest Service. Especially “BEFORE” you close if you’re buying a home. 

We have a New Vendor Referral service for that. Just ask when you call.