Why get a home inspection — and what salt air adds to the list

The baseline

What a general inspection covers

A Florida home inspection is a visual, non-invasive review of the readily accessible parts of a property. It is not code enforcement, not an appraisal, not a warranty. It is a written record of what one qualified person could observe on one day without taking anything apart.

Expect coverage of the roof surface and structure, attic, insulation and ventilation, foundation and visible structure, exterior cladding, drainage and grading, windows and doors, electrical panel and accessible wiring, plumbing supply and drains, water heater, HVAC and ductwork, built-in appliances and the garage.

What it does not cover is anything behind a wall, under the yard, or below the waterline. On coastal property that last one matters, which is why the add-ons below are not optional extras here.

The two reports that decide your premium

Wind mitigation and the 4-point

On this coast the insurance premium is often the number that decides whether a deal works. Two reports drive it, and neither is part of a standard home inspection unless you ask.

The coastal add-ons

What I want checked on waterfront and near-water property

• Seawall or bulkhead. Cap cracking, tieback condition, voids or sinkholes behind the wall, weep hole function, and any sign the wall is leaning. Replacement is a six-figure conversation on some lots. Where a wall looks doubtful, bring in a marine contractor or engineer, not a general inspector.
• Dock, pilings and boat lift. Piling condition at and below the waterline, decking and stringers, electrical to the lift, lift cables and motor, and whether the structure matches what is actually permitted.
• Permits and riparian status. Ask early whether the dock, lift and any shoreline work were permitted and whether a submerged land lease applies. This is a title and survey question as much as an inspection one.
• Elevation and flood. Get the elevation certificate. Flood zone determines whether flood insurance is a loan requirement, and elevation drives the premium.
• Corrosion, everywhere. Salt air attacks HVAC condenser coils, garage door hardware, fasteners, hurricane straps, railings, lighting and exterior electrical. On a house within a mile of open water, an air handler and condenser can age faster than their nameplate life.
• Windows, doors and impact glazing. Whether the openings are actually rated, and whether the labels and product approvals exist. It affects both safety and the wind mitigation credit.
• Stucco and moisture intrusion, particularly on 1990s and 2000s construction. A moisture survey is money well spent.
• Crawl space and pier foundations on older beach and river cottages — ventilation, moisture, and the condition of any steel.

Money

What it costs on the First Coast

Against the price of a waterfront property, this is not where to economise. The one number people regret skipping is the seawall assessment.

After the report

Sorting sixty pages into four decisions

1. Insurability first. Roof age, panel type, plumbing material, four-point findings. If the house cannot be insured at a sane price, nothing else on the report matters.
2. Structure and water intrusion second. Seawall, foundation, active leaks, stucco moisture.
3. Big-ticket age third. HVAC, water heater, dock and lift. Not defects — dated bills.
4. Cosmetic last, and mostly ignore it.

Then choose: repairs before closing, a credit at closing, a price adjustment, or nothing. My general advice is to take money rather than repairs where you sensibly can, because a departing seller hires the cheapest available contractor and you would rather choose your own.

Choosing

Picking an inspector on the coast

• Verify the Florida licence yourself at DBPR.
• Ask specifically whether they inspect docks, seawalls and lifts, or whether they exclude them. Many exclude them, and that is a legitimate answer — you just need to know before the day.
• Ask for a sample report on a comparable property.
• Confirm whether wind mitigation and the 4-point are included.
• Walk it with them. The attic and the shoreline are where you learn the most.

A list of licensed local companies, with the licence numbers they publish, is on my home inspectors directory. It is a directory, not a recommendation.