Four Things You Should Know About Home Inspection in Florida
If you are buying a home in Florida, there are at least four things you should know about home inspection in this state.
The first one is that currently in Florida, there are no standards covering house inspection. There is no law defining residential inspection and there are no regulations about what should be included in a regular inspection.
A law requiring house inspectors to get licensed by the state starting July 1 has already been enacted, but standards and requirements for licensing have not yet been passed.
This means that you have to make a thorough research when choosing your house inspector. The common advice is to select your inspector from members of the American Society of Home Inspectors and the International Association of Certified Homes Inspectors.
This advice, however, does not ensure you are getting the inspector you need. You still should ask referrals from real estate agents that you know and investigate backgrounds through the websites of Best Business Bureau and home inspection associations.
The second thing you should know is the preponderance of mold in the state. Florida is mostly humid and when air conditioning systems are not working well, mold can easily grow in various parts of the house.
This means that you should consider getting a home inspection that includes infrared mold inspection. An infrared camera detects mold which is not yet visible to the naked eye.
The third important thing is the actual inspection of the roof and attic. As Florida lies across the paths of most hurricanes that hit the southeastern U.S., your roof and attic must be strong enough to weather strong winds and storms.
Your inspector should actually go up into the attic and should actually use stairs to look at the whole roof to check damages. There have been complaints that inspectors do not do these parts of the inspection process due to various reasons, such as lack of access or restrictions resulting from non-invasive inspection rules.
Septic inspection is the fourth important thing. There are places in Florida where houses are not on municipal water supply. Since water from private suppliers is more costly, septic maintenance could be lacking, so ensure that your chosen inspector includes septic inspection.
On the whole, home inspection in Florida, despite inadequate state regulations, can still help ensure you are purchasing a home worth your money if you exert effort to wisely choose your inspector.
