What Your Home Inspection Should Cover

1. Siding: Look for dents or buckling
2. Foundations: Look for cracks or water seepage
3. Exterior Brick: Look for cracked bricks or mortar pulling away from bricks
4. Insulation: Look for condition, adequate rating for climate
5. Doors and Windows: Look for loose or tight fits, condition of locks, condition of weatherstripping
6. Roof: Look for age, conditions of flashing, pooling water, buckled shingles, or loose gutters and downspouts
7. Ceilings, walls, and moldings: Look for loose pieces, drywall that is pulling away
8. Porch/Deck: Loose railings or step, rot
9. Electrical: Look for condition of fuse box/circuit breakers, number of outlets in each room
10. Plumbing: Look for poor water pressure, banging pipes, rust spots or corrosion that indicate leaks, sufficient insulation
11. Water Heater: Look for age, size adequate for house, speed of recovery, energy rating
12. Furnace/Air Conditioning: Look for age, energy rating; Furnaces are rated by annual fuel utilization efficiency; the higher the rating, the lower your fuel costs. However, other factors such as payback period and other operating costs, such as electricity to operate motors.
13. Garage: Look for exterior in good repair; condition of floor-cracks, stains, etc.; condition of door mechanism
14. Basement (if applicable): Look for water leakage, musty smell. But please note that not many homes in Florida have a basement
15. Attic: Look for adequate ventilation, water leaks from roof
16. Septic Tanks (if applicable): Adequate absorption field capacity for the percolation rate in your area and the size of your family
17. Driveways/Sidewalks: Look for cracks, heaving pavement, crumbling near edges, stains
18. Pools: In Florida, many homes have pools, but not all home inspectors cover pools. In many cases the home inspector will recommend a reputable pool service to complete an inspection.

Please note: Your buyer's agent can assist you in ordering the home inspection, termite inspection, and other inspections considered necessary for the home you are buying. Your agent will know inspectors he or she can recommend. Do not ask the seller's agent for recommendations of inspectors, as there might be a conflict of interest. The agent of the seller has to work for the best interest of the seller, not for yours.

Let the experienced Realtors of Florida-Online-Realty assist you to find the right house. Give us a call at 813-641-3339 or contact us by e-mail or by using the form below.

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