A home inspection is a visual examination of a home’s condition, usually done during the inspection period of a real estate contract. In Florida, inspectors are licensed by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. The inspector describes the condition of the home at the time of the inspection; the report doesn’t guarantee future performance or the remaining life of any component. Here are the three reasons the inspection is worth doing on every purchase, including new construction.

1. It finds safety defects you won’t see on a showing

Every house has issues, and some of them can hurt someone. The ones we find most often in Naples: electrical panels with double-tapped or oversized breakers, missing GFCI protection in kitchens and baths, aluminum branch wiring in 1960s–70s homes, water heaters with missing temperature-pressure relief discharge lines, and windows that won’t open in bedrooms. None of these show up in listing photos.

2. It tells you what the house is going to cost you

The purpose of the inspection isn’t to make the house perfect — it’s to tell you what you’re buying. A roof with three years of life left, an air conditioner from 2009, a water heater that’s rusting at the base, or a pool pump that’s leaking all go in the report with photos. You can negotiate with that information, or decide the house isn’t for you. Either way, you’re not surprised six months after closing.

3. It catches structural and moisture problems early

Most Naples homes are concrete block with stucco, so catastrophic structural failure is rare, but settlement cracks, deteriorated lintels, and moisture intrusion at windows and sliding doors are not. We use infrared imaging and a moisture meter on every inspection because the expensive problems in this climate are almost always water problems, and they’re invisible until they aren’t.

What it costs

Inspection fees depend on the home’s size, age, and type. Our current fees are on the pricing page. Measured against the price of the house, or the cost of one roof leak that goes undetected for a year, the fee is small.

Request an inspection in Naples, Bonita Springs, Fort Myers, or Cape Coral.