Home Inspection

A standard home inspection includes a visual evaluation of the roof, attic, foundation, structure, exterior, electrical system, plumbing, HVAC, water heater, windows, doors, insulation, ventilation, and all readily accessible interior areas. Your inspector documents findings with photos and provides recommendations in a written report.

Specialty tests for mold, radon, termites/WDO, lead paint, asbestos, sewer lines, and pools are not part of a standard inspection but can be added when you book on HomeInspections.com.

A home inspection typically takes 2 to 4 hours. Smaller homes under 1,500 square feet often finish in about 2 hours, while larger homes over 3,000 square feet or older properties can take 4 hours or more.

Add-ons like wind mitigation, 4-point, pool, or septic inspections add 30 to 60 minutes each. Your report is usually delivered within 24 hours of the inspection.

Yes — attending your home inspection is strongly recommended, especially the final walkthrough. Being there lets you see issues firsthand, ask questions in context, and understand the home's maintenance needs better than a written report alone can convey.

If you can't attend the full inspection, plan to arrive in the last 45 to 60 minutes for the summary walkthrough. Inspectors on HomeInspections.com are happy to walk buyers through their findings on-site.

A home inspection evaluates the condition of the home — its systems, structure, and safety. An appraisal evaluates the market value of the home for the lender.

The inspector works for you, the buyer, and looks at what's wrong with the property. The appraiser works for the lender and looks at what the property is worth based on comparable sales. You'll typically need both when buying a home with a mortgage, and they serve completely different purposes.

No — a home cannot pass or fail an inspection. A home inspection is not a pass/fail test. It's a documented report of the home's current condition. The inspector identifies defects, safety concerns, and maintenance issues, then provides photos and recommendations.

It's up to you and your real estate agent to decide what's a dealbreaker, what's negotiable, and what you can live with. Some loan types, like FHA or VA, do have minimum property standards that are evaluated separately from the inspection.

Yes — you should get an inspection on new construction even if the home is brand new. Builders make mistakes, subcontractors cut corners, and municipal code inspectors only check a limited set of items. A new construction inspection often catches missing insulation, improper flashing, electrical defects, plumbing issues, and grading problems before your builder warranty expires.

Many buyers also schedule an 11-month warranty inspection just before their one-year builder warranty runs out, to give the builder a final chance to fix issues at no cost.

A home inspection typically costs between $300 and $500 in most U.S. markets, with the national average around $400. Price depends on square footage, the age of the home, location, and any add-on inspections you select. Larger homes over 3,000 square feet, older homes, and homes with crawlspaces or detached structures generally cost more.

On HomeInspections.com, you can enter your address and get an instant quote based on your actual property data — no guessing.

The buyer almost always pays for the home inspection. It's part of your due diligence as a purchaser and is typically paid directly to the inspector at the time of booking, not rolled into closing costs.

Sellers sometimes order a pre-listing inspection at their own expense to surface issues before going to market, and in some negotiated transactions a seller may agree to credit the buyer for inspection costs — but the default is buyer-paid.

Yes — HomeInspections.com offers location-based discounts for active military, veterans, first responders, teachers, and healthcare workers in many of our markets. The available discounts in your area are shown automatically when you enter your address and select your inspector.

Note: discounts do not stack. If you qualify for more than one promotion (for example, a service-member discount and a pay-in-advance discount), the higher of the two is automatically applied at checkout. Inspectors verify eligibility on-site with a valid ID.

Yes — bundling inspections almost always saves money. In Florida, combining a full home inspection with a 4-point and wind mitigation typically saves $50 to $150 compared to booking each separately, because the inspector is already on-site.

Common bundles include: home inspection + 4-point + wind mitigation, or home inspection + WDO (termite) + pool. On HomeInspections.com, eligible bundle pricing is applied automatically when you select multiple services at booking.

Yes — HomeInspections.com offers a 5% discount for paying in advance at the time of booking. The discount is applied automatically at checkout when you select pay-in-advance.

Discounts do not stack. If you also qualify for a service-member, first-responder, or other location-based discount, the system applies the higher of the available discounts — you always get the better deal, never less.

Booking takes about 60 seconds. Enter the property address on the homepage — we pull the property details automatically from public records, so you don't have to guess at square footage or year built.

Pick your inspector from the licensed inspectors serving your area, select your date and time, add any specialty inspections like 4-point or wind mitigation, and confirm with payment. You'll get an instant confirmation by email and text. No account, no callbacks, no haggling.

If you're the seller or current occupant, make sure the inspector has access to every area of the home: unlock electrical panels, attic hatches, crawlspaces, garage, sheds, and any locked rooms. Clear belongings from in front of the water heater, HVAC unit, and electrical panel. Make sure all utilities are turned on — water, gas, and electricity — pilot lights lit, and pets secured or removed.

If you're the buyer, just show up; your inspector handles the rest.

Most inspection reports are delivered within 24 hours of the inspection, and many inspectors on HomeInspections.com deliver same-day.

Reports are sent by email with a secure link and include detailed findings, embedded photos, summary of defects, and maintenance recommendations. You can share the report directly with your real estate agent or attorney from the report dashboard.

Yes — every inspector on HomeInspections.com includes free follow-up support after the inspection. Once you've reviewed your report, you can call or message your inspector with questions about specific findings, repair priorities, or what to ask contractors.

Most inspectors will hop on a brief follow-up call at no additional charge. If you need a more in-depth re-inspection after repairs are completed, that can be added as a separate service.

A 4-point inspection is a Florida insurance inspection that evaluates the four major systems insurers care about: the roof, electrical system, plumbing, and HVAC. It's a focused report — typically 4 to 8 pages — that documents the age, condition, and remaining useful life of each system.

A 4-point usually costs $75 to $150 and is required by most Florida insurance companies before they'll issue or renew a homeowner's policy on a home that's 20 to 30 years old or older.

A wind mitigation inspection documents the features of your home that reduce the risk of wind damage during a hurricane — roof shape, roof-to-wall attachments, roof covering, roof deck attachment, secondary water resistance, and opening protection like impact windows or shutters.

The inspector completes a Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form (OIR-B1-1802) that your insurance company uses to apply credits to your premium. In Florida, wind mitigation credits can reduce homeowner's insurance premiums by 20% to 50% or more, often saving hundreds to thousands of dollars per year — far more than the $75 to $125 inspection cost.

In Florida, most homeowners need both. The 4-point is typically required by your insurance carrier to write or renew the policy on older homes. The wind mitigation is technically optional from a requirements standpoint but is almost always worth the cost because the insurance premium credits it unlocks far exceed the inspection fee.

We recommend bundling both with your home inspection — or with each other — to save on trip fees.

A 4-point inspection report is generally valid for 1 year — most Florida insurers want a current 4-point at each annual renewal for older homes.

A wind mitigation inspection report is valid for 5 years from the date of inspection, after which insurers will ask for a new one to continue applying premium credits. If you re-roof, install impact windows, or make structural changes, get a new wind mitigation inspection immediately — the upgraded features can unlock additional discounts.

If the inspection finds problems, you have four options under most standard purchase contracts: ask the seller to make repairs before closing, negotiate a price reduction or closing credit equal to the repair cost, accept the home as-is and handle repairs yourself after closing, or terminate the contract during your inspection contingency period.

Your real estate agent will help structure the negotiation. The inspection report is your leverage — it documents what's wrong so you're negotiating from facts, not feelings.

No — a professional home inspector won't tell you whether to buy the house. That's not their role. The inspector's job is to give you an objective, factual report on the home's condition so you can make an informed decision with your real estate agent.

They will, however, clearly call out major safety concerns, structural issues, and expensive defects so you understand what you're looking at. The buy/don't-buy decision is yours, informed by their findings.

Most home inspectors do not provide formal repair cost estimates. Inspectors are trained to identify and document defects, not to bid the work — and providing estimates can create a conflict of interest.

That said, many inspectors will share rough ballpark ranges based on local experience to help you understand the scale of an issue. For accurate numbers, get quotes from 2 to 3 licensed contractors in the relevant trade (roofer, electrician, HVAC, plumber) once you have the report in hand.

Every inspector on HomeInspections.com is state-licensed where licensing is required, carries active general liability and E&O insurance, and holds a certification from a recognized professional association — InterNACHI, ASHI, or equivalent.

We verify license status, insurance certificates, and certifications before an inspector can list on the platform, and we re-verify on renewal. Inspector profiles show license numbers, certifications, years of experience, service areas, and verified customer reviews so you can choose with confidence.

Yes — choosing your own inspector is a core part of how HomeInspections.com works. After you enter your address, you'll see every licensed inspector who serves your area, with their profile, certifications, customer reviews, and availability. You pick the inspector that fits your needs, not the platform.

Unlike lead-generation sites that sell your information to multiple inspectors, here you book a specific inspector at a specific time, with the deposit paid — no phone calls, no spam, no bidding.

You can reschedule or cancel your inspection directly from your booking confirmation email or the customer dashboard. Reschedules made 24 hours or more before the inspection are free. Cancellations made 24 hours or more in advance receive a full refund.

Cancellations or reschedules within 24 hours of the inspection may be subject to a partial fee depending on the inspector's policy, which is shown on their profile before you book. Real estate transactions move fast — we built in flexibility for that reality.

Yes. At booking and from your report dashboard, you can add your real estate agent, attorney, mortgage lender, or anyone else to receive a copy of the inspection report. They'll get the report by email with the same secure link you receive.

You can also share or revoke access at any time. The report belongs to you — you control who sees it.