How the Inspection Runs
Outside first, then up, then in, then the mechanical systems, then the panel. That order is not arbitrary. The exterior tells you the construction type, the roof tells you the maintenance history, and by the time the panel cover comes off you already know what era of work to expect behind it.
Exterior and Structural
- Foundation, slab edge or pier condition
- Wall construction, finish and visible cracking
- Lintels and headers above openings
- Grading and drainage away from the structure
- Driveway, walkway and patio settlement
- Soffit, fascia and fastener corrosion
- Exterior fixtures, hose bibs, receptacle covers
- Garage door panels, tracks, springs, opener reverse
- Fencing, gates, decking and any dune or river-side structure
Roof and Attic
- Covering type, approximate age, remaining service life
- Fastener condition on exposed elevations
- Flashing at walls, valleys, vents and chimneys
- Drip edge attachment and eave condition
- Gutters, downspouts and where they discharge
- Attic framing, decking and prior repairs
- Insulation depth and coverage
- Ventilation, and evidence of past or active leaking
Electrical
- Service size, drop and meter condition
- Panel make and model, including Federal Pacific and Zinsco
- Bus bar and lug terminals, checked for corrosion
- Breaker sizing against conductor gauge
- Branch wiring type, including aluminum
- GFCI and AFCI protection where required
- Representative sample of devices throughout
- Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
Plumbing and Water Heater
- Supply piping material and condition
- Drain, waste and vent material and age
- Functional flow and drainage at every fixture
- Water heater manufacture date and capacity
- Relief valve, discharge and drain pan
- Visible leaks, corrosion and prior repairs
- Shut-offs and hose bib backflow
- Toilets, tubs, showers and sinks
HVAC and Interior
- Condenser age, coil and cabinet corrosion
- Air handler, condensate line and secondary drain
- Temperature split across the coil
- Accessible ductwork and return sizing
- Windows and sliders, hardware and tracks
- Doors, locks and weather sealing
- Ceilings, walls and floors
- Thermal imaging, confirmed with a moisture meter
What "not accessed" means: if the attic hatch is painted shut, the panel is behind shelving or a crawl space cannot be safely entered, the report records it and says why. A report that simply omits the attic reads like a clean attic. You should never have to guess which one you are holding.
What Changes by Decade in Indialantic
This is the part a generic checklist cannot carry, because the town has been building since 1917 and the answer depends entirely on which house you are standing in.
Pre-War and Early Post-War Frame
Wood-destroying organism inspection becomes a headline item rather than a footnote. Accessible framing gets probed rather than eyeballed. Sheathing moisture matters, because frame construction a few hundred yards from the Atlantic takes salt and humidity into materials that block simply does not have. Structural connections and any pier or crawl foundation get examined where they can be safely reached. Original wiring and any surviving fabric-insulated conductors are identified.
Nineteen Sixties and Seventies Block
Cast iron drains, now 50 to 65 years old and at the end of their service life. Galvanized supply piping where it survives. Original service panels, with Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco identified on sight and flagged as insurability items. Aluminum branch wiring from the 1965 to 1975 window. Single-pane aluminum windows and the opening protection question that follows from them.
Late Century and Newer
Polybutylene supply lines in some houses of a certain vintage. Installation quality on additions and enclosures, which is where a lot of beachside houses accumulated square footage without accumulating permits. Roof covering age against its wind mitigation profile. On genuinely new construction, the questions become workmanship and warranty rather than age.
Preparing for the Inspection
Utilities on, all three. Panel, attic hatch, water heater and air handler accessible, which in most houses means moving what is stacked in the garage. Gates and sheds unlocked. Pets secured. Any recent repair paperwork out on the counter, because an inspector who can read a 2023 date on a water heater writes a different sentence than one estimating from a corroded label.
Leave the house rather than following the inspection around. You will get more out of the last hour walking the findings than the first three watching someone take photographs.
Book It
From $299 under 1,200 sq ft to $680 at 6,000 sq ft with the wind mitigation report included, and no travel fee anywhere in Indialantic. See the cost guide for the full breakdown, the pre-purchase page for how the timing works inside a contract, or the Indialantic overview. Get a number from the rates page.