The Checklist, System by System
This is the working list. It is the same order we move through the property, starting outside and finishing at the panel, because the exterior tells you what to expect inside.
Structure, Site and Exterior
- Foundation, slab edge and visible cracking
- Block walls, stucco condition, lintels above openings
- Grading and drainage away from the slab
- Driveway, walks and patio settlement
- Soffit and fascia, including fastener corrosion
- Exterior fixtures, hose bibs and receptacle covers
- Garage door panels, tracks, springs and opener reverse
- Fencing, gates and any seawall or dune-side retaining structure
Roof and Attic
- Covering type, approximate age and remaining service life
- Fastener condition on exposed elevations
- Flashing at walls, valleys, vents and chimneys
- Drip edge attachment and eave condition
- Gutters, downspouts and termination points
- Attic framing, decking and any prior repair
- Insulation depth and coverage
- Ventilation, and evidence of past or present leaking
Electrical
- Service size, drop and meter condition
- Panel make and model, including Federal Pacific and Zinsco identification
- Bus bar and lug terminals, checked for corrosion
- Breaker sizing against conductor gauge
- Branch wiring type, including aluminum
- GFCI and AFCI protection where required
- Receptacles, switches and visible junctions
- Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
Plumbing
- Supply piping material and visible condition
- Drain, waste and vent material, cast iron age where present
- Functional flow and drainage at every fixture
- Water heater age, capacity, relief valve and drain pan
- Visible leaks, corrosion and prior repairs
- Shut-offs and hose bib function
- Toilets, tubs, showers and sinks
- Irrigation backflow where accessible
HVAC and Interior
- Condenser age, coil and cabinet corrosion
- Air handler, condensate line and secondary drain
- Temperature split across the coil
- Ductwork where accessible, and return sizing
- Windows and sliders, including track and hardware condition
- Doors, locks and weather sealing
- Ceilings, walls and floors
- Thermal imaging across suspect areas, confirmed with a moisture meter
What "not accessed" means in our reports: if the attic hatch is painted shut or the panel is blocked by shelving, the report says so and says why. A silent report reads like a clean one, and it is not the same thing. You should always be able to tell the difference between "we checked it and it was fine" and "we could not get to it."
Checklist Items Specific to the Barrier Island
These are the additions. A checklist written for Orlando covers the same eight systems and would still miss most of what shortens the life of a house in 32937.
What the Ocean Actually Does
Salt in the air settles on every exposed metal surface and holds moisture against it. The result is corrosion that runs continuously rather than seasonally, and it concentrates in a predictable set of places: the condenser coil, the service panel, roof and soffit fasteners, garage door springs and tracks, window and slider hardware, and light fixtures. On the dune side of A1A the effect is measurably faster than three streets inland.
The condenser is the one that costs the most and gets checked the least. A coil that has lost a third of its fin surface to corrosion still runs, still blows cold air on a mild day, and fails in August.
What to Do With What We Find
Corrosion findings sort into three buckets. Cosmetic, meaning it looks bad and does nothing. Serviceable, meaning it shortens life and should be cleaned, rinsed or re-fastened on a schedule. And structural or electrical, meaning it needs to be corrected before it becomes a failure or a fire. The report tells you which bucket each item is in, because a homeowner who treats all three the same either overspends or ignores the one that matters.
The Seller's Version of This Checklist
If you are listing a house in Satellite Beach, work the same list in reverse and start with anything that affects insurability.
Getting the House Ready
Utilities on, all of them. Panel accessible, which usually means moving the shelving in the garage. Attic hatch clear and openable. Water heater and air handler reachable. Gates and sheds unlocked. Pets handled. Recent repair invoices in a pile on the counter, because an inspector who can see that the water heater was replaced in 2023 writes a different sentence than one who is estimating from a rusted label.
What Trips Up Beachside Sellers
An obsolete service panel is the most common single item, and it is the one most likely to hold up a closing, because some carriers will not bind a policy over a Federal Pacific Stab-Lok regardless of how it tests. After that: a roof covering old enough that its wind mitigation profile no longer earns credits, a water heater past ten years sitting in a garage with no drain pan, cast iron drains that have never been scoped, and condensate lines that have been dripping into a wall cavity long enough to soften the drywall behind the air handler.
None of those are unusual on a sixty-year-old coastal house. All of them are cheaper to handle before there is a contract than during one.
How to Read the Report
Our reports group findings by consequence rather than by room, so everything affecting insurability sits together and everything that is maintenance sits together. Photographs are captioned with what you are looking at and where it was, not just "electrical panel." Anything we recommend a specialist for says which specialist and what question to ask them.
Which Findings Actually Matter
Most reports on a 1970s house run to a few dozen items and that number frightens buyers unnecessarily. A worn hose bib washer and a corroded panel bus bar both appear as findings, and they are not remotely the same problem. Read the consequence grouping first, deal with anything that blocks insurance or presents a safety hazard, then work down. If you cannot tell from the report which is which, the report is badly written.
Book the Inspection
Full home inspections in Satellite Beach start at $299 under 1,200 sq ft and run to $680 at 6,000 sq ft, with the wind mitigation report currently included free. There is no travel fee anywhere on the barrier island. See the instant quote tool, read more about pre-purchase inspections and how they fit a Florida contract, or go back to the Satellite Beach home inspection overview.