Most people coming to southwest Florida to live the waterfront dream know that when they find the right home they will be doing a home inspection.  More than likely they have been through the drill on northern home purchases and may/may not had good experiences in the past.  Most come with many concerns and get information on the internet regarding things to worry about on a waterfront home purchase.

Many of the things they have learned through the internet and television up north are hyped up and often there is no need for concern.  Some of the things they should worry about won’t even appear on the radar screen.  I take the home inspection seriously and advise my customers on all aspects of homes on the water and what to watch for.

A sailboat access waterfront home and a “power boat” waterfront home have distinctions worth pointing out regarding docking, waterways, depths, etc. but for now the focus will be on the house home inspection.

First, with over 16 years of nearly 100% waterfront sales, I have never found it to be an advantage to my customer for them to find a home inspector on their own.  Some folks coming from bigger city areas simply don’t trust as much and worry about the home inspector not being neutral and as a result pick their home inspector (ignoring my recommendations) based on home inspector blogs, websites, etc.  Not once has this worked in their favor.  Typically, they end up not feeling the inspector was very thorough and often the cost is higher than truly competent inspectors.  I have only a few out of perhaps a hundred inspectors serving the area that I feel are good at their job and fairly priced.

In addition to the home inspection, the inspector can do a Wind Mitigation Survey and 4-Point Inspection at an additional charge each.  These 2 items are often needed for insurance purposes.

My next blog will cover the most important aspects for consideration in a home inspection.  I will also cover defects or issues that are quite likely to be discovered in nearly every home inspection and which are to worry about and which issues are not a worry.

The post Home Inspections on Waterfront Homes:  What Is Important!  PART 1 appeared first on Sailboat Home Listings.

Garage door rot:  The side door exit from the garage will often have rot at the door jamb on the bottom with rot also on the frame in the same area.  It happened on my garage door after it was replace within 7 years.  Largely, a cosmetic item.  There is something about the air flow that when the interior door opens a plume of air flows through the outside door and apparently traps moisture which causes the rot.  Fifty percent of the homes seem to have this when inspected if not more.

Circuit Breaker:  The most common siting on a circuit breaker box is double wiring a single breaker.  This is against code and should be resolved by an electrician, normally a minor issue unless there is no other room for another breaker switch.  On older homes (60’s-70’s) the worst case scenario with the breaker panel is if there is a Federal Pacific panel in place.  They have been identified as possible fire hazards and insurance companies will not insure a house with this panel so the entire panel would need to be replaced.

Roof tile issues:  Barrel tile roofs in particular often exhibit a few slipped or broken tiles.  Its an easy fix to glue them back in place or to seal the crack.  Cracks or slipped tiles may have occurred during a roof power washing.  This issue normally does not cause a roof leak because the rubberized membrane beneath it is the actual water barrier.

Cracked interior floor tiles/foundation:  Not uncommon for a few tiles to exhibit cracks which I have never seen to be related to a foundation issue.  In fact, I have never seen a foundation issue which is a common worry up north.

Corrosion on water heater valves, under sink piping:  About half the time the home inspector will site corrosion on copper fittings especially associated with the water heater and under sink plumbing fittings.  Rarely, ever a major issue.

Cracks in exterior block walls/stucco:  A very common observation that rarely is cause for concern.  Most often the cracks follow the concrete mud line between the blocks.  Primarily cosmetic and often the next time you paint the house you can fill in the cracks and paint over and they disappear.  However, if cracks penetrate the actual block and travel through multiple rows than further investigation might be required.

Cracks on concrete and pool decks:  You can expect this in most all houses and there is not much you can do about it and generally is not a worry.  If located on the pool deck, if cracks involve the coping stones around the edge and cracks are observed in the pool than an expert should be called in.

Minor plumbing leaks:  A common observation and often only requires a fitting to be snugged up.  Of course, sometimes a faucet may need replaced as well.  When an inspector traverses the house with a flashlight and inspects places we often don’t think about a minor leak here and there might be observed.

The post Home Inspections Waterfront Homes, Part 3 What Not To Worry About/Common Sitings appeared first on Sailboat Home Listings.

A home inspection in southwest Florida is an important part of the purchase process and there are many things to be concerned about and many things that are of much lesser importance.

First, the most important aspects of your home inspection will be items you would expect anywhere.  The roof and A/C are first.  Plumbing, the electrical panel (not the house wiring) and pool equipment would round out the Top 5 concerns from my perspective.

Items of much less worry will be:  Structural integrity of the house, Chinese drywall (and American made drywall), Termite infestation/damage, roof integrity (for most tile roofs), cracks in the pool deck & driveway and walk ways, cracks in the house stucco/block and mold.

Structural integrity:  In over 16 years in this business I have not seen any real problems with the common block home with a truss built roof.  It was a big concern after Hurricane Charlie but in reality very few homes had structural issues, perhaps a tribute to the quality of construction here locally.  Of course, the home inspector will go into the attic and look for issues and it remains an important part of the inspection.

Chinese Drywall (CD):  The home inspector has been trained on what to look for and it is reasonably obvious if present but unlikely on most waterfront homes based on my sales.  Overall, in Charlotte County Florida there were minimal incidences of CD back in the day.  To our south where an extreme building boom was underway, CD became a common concern for about 2-3 years after Hurricane Charlie.  Overall, CD leaves a distinctive smell in the house, causes corrosion on house wiring, A/C, etc and has simply not shown up very often since then.  With that said, it is still an important component of the inspection process.  The northern media has blown this way out of proportion.

Termite and Wood Destroying Insects (WDO):  An important part of the inspection process during your “Due Dilligence” period, however the likelihood of having a serious problem with termites is very small.  Block homes are not the favorite place for termites however it can happen.  I have only seen some termite activity on wood structures outside the house.  The termite guys will tell you there’s lots to worry about and of course, will sell you a plan.  A service plan for insects of all types including termites will keep your house worry free and bug free if you have a quarterly treatment on an annual basis.  Generally, there is a modest cost to the service or you can do it yourself.

Roof Problems:  Most homes got a new roof in/around 2004-2005 so rarely does a roof have a major issue unless they were older.  It is very important to have the roof inspected by the home inspector and call in a roofer if signs of water ingress are evident in the attic or elsewhere.  It is very common to find a small leak and it happens on about 40% of the homes I have inspected.  Usually, a minor fix regardless of a tile roof or shingle roof.  Another common observation on tile roof’s are:  broken tiles, slipped tiles.  Generally, a minor fix and remember that the tile is not the true water barrier but the rubberized underlayment is.  A cracked or slipped tile does not let the water in.  More cosmetic but worthy of repair to protect the underlayment.

Cracks In The Concrete:  You can expect to see cracks in the driveway surface and pool deck.  This is a normal southwest Florida home inspection observation and some people get upset by it.  With our sunny weather, comes some rain and then sunny weather. This condition will ultimately cause cracks in concrete.  Not a problem and you will learn to live with it and will largely ignore it.

Cracks In The Stucco and Block:  This is a common observation on about 40% of homes.  Rarely is it a real problem and almost never a structural issue which would be the main concern other than cosmetic concerns.  The cracks most often follow the grout line or cement line used to stick the blocks together.  Sometimes a step wise crack working its way in a more vertical direction is most common.  Rarely do you see cracks running straight through block but if that were observed it might be time for a structural engineer to consult on the issue, albeit very rare.

Mold:  Mold is a scary word and certainly to be taken seriously.  The media loves to hype this up but on a home that has been properly cared for it is very unlikely.  Occurrences of mold most often take place when a home has been left unattended and a significant water event occurs (pipe breaks inside, hole in roof) and the home sits for months; then you have a problem.  We still want to be aware of strange smells in the house and if we have concerns a mold “sniff test” can be performed at a reasonable cost.

More to come in Part 3 and down the road what to watch for on seawalls, docks, boat lifts, canals and exit areas into the harbor.

The post Home Inspections on Waterfront Homes, What’s Important/What’s Not, Part 2 appeared first on Sailboat Home Listings.

Most people coming to southwest Florida to live the waterfront dream know that when they find the right home they will be doing a home inspection.  More than likely they have been through the drill on northern home purchases and may/may not had good experiences in the past.  Most come with many concerns and get information on the internet regarding things to worry about on a waterfront home purchase.

Many of the things they have learned through the internet and television up north are hyped up and often there is no need for concern.  Some of the things they should worry about won’t even appear on the radar screen.  I take the home inspection seriously and advise my customers on all aspects of homes on the water and what to watch for.

A sailboat access waterfront home and a “power boat” waterfront home have distinctions worth pointing out regarding docking, waterways, depths, etc. but for now the focus will be on the house home inspection.

First, with over 16 years of nearly 100% waterfront sales, I have never found it to be an advantage to my customer for them to find a home inspector on their own.  Some folks coming from bigger city areas simply don’t trust as much and worry about the home inspector not being neutral and as a result pick their home inspector (ignoring my recommendations) based on home inspector blogs, websites, etc.  Not once has this worked in their favor.  Typically, they end up not feeling the inspector was very thorough and often the cost is higher than truly competent inspectors.  I have only a few out of perhaps a hundred inspectors serving the area that I feel are good at their job and fairly priced.

In addition to the home inspection, the inspector can do a Wind Mitigation Survey and 4-Point Inspection at an additional charge each.  These 2 items are often needed for insurance purposes.

My next blog will cover the most important aspects for consideration in a home inspection.  I will also cover defects or issues that are quite likely to be discovered in nearly every home inspection and which are to worry about and which issues are not a worry.

The post Home Inspections on Waterfront Homes:  What Is Important!  PART 1 appeared first on Sailboat Home Listings.