Proof in the report.
Power at the table.

What the inspection covers

What we look at. What to have ready.

Insurance inspections first. Then the full home inspection. Then the rest of the menu. A clear path to each system lets us finish the file. If an area cannot be reached, we note it so your agent and the carrier know exactly what was available to us.

Insurance Home inspection Other services

Start here

Insurance inspections

A 4-point, a wind mitigation, and a roof certification are written for an insurance company or a lender. They are not a full home inspection, and they are not a code inspection. We use current Citizens documents as our standard. A combo is the same work in one appointment, not a different inspection.

4-Point

Roof, plumbing, electrical, and HVAC. The four systems underwriting asks about.

What we look at

Roof. Covering type, age when we can document it, visible wear, leaks, flashing, and an opinion of remaining useful life.
Plumbing. Supply material, fixtures, shutoff valves, the water heater’s age and location, and any active leak we can see. Polybutylene and galvanized supply lines are recorded because carriers ask.
Electrical. The panel cover, then the inside of the panel with the cover removed. Service size, panel brand, wiring type, double taps, scorching, and open knockouts. Names underwriters watch for include Federal Pacific, Zinsco, Challenger, and Sylvania.
HVAC. The indoor air handler and the outdoor unit. Age, whether heat and cool respond, the condensate line, and the disconnect.

Where we look

On the roof when it can be walked safely, and from the eaves when it cannot. Under every sink. At the water heater. At the main shutoff. Standing in front of the electrical panel with the cover off. At both the indoor and outdoor HVAC equipment. In the attic if a stain or the roof deck has to be confirmed.

Before we arrive

Please leave a clear working space in front of the electrical panel. Shelving, furniture, stored items, or a vehicle parked against it will need to be moved so we can stand at the panel and remove the front cover.
Please clear the cabinets under the sinks so the supply lines, drains, and shutoff valves are easy to see.
Please unlock the water heater closet and leave the space around it open. A clear path to the outdoor unit, an unlocked gate, and pets secured for the visit are a great help.

Wind mitigation

The 2026 form. Photos of the features that can change a premium.

What we look at

Year built, and the building code that applied, including the region field on the current form.
Roof covering type, and the permit or installation year when we can document a reroof.
Roof deck attachment. From the attic, we record nail or staple size and spacing. The form is marked from the weakest fastening we find.
Roof-to-wall connection. Toenails, clips, single wraps, or double wraps. The form is marked from the weakest connection we find.
Roof shape. Hip, gable, or a mix.
Secondary water resistance, when a sealed roof deck can be verified. A single layer of felt, on its own, is not accepted as secondary water resistance.
Opening protection on every window, door, skylight, and the garage door. Product labels and the garage-door bracing or rating tag.

Where we look

In the attic. That is where the deck nailing and the straps live. Around the entire exterior for opening protection. In the garage, on the door and the operator. On the roof covering when the permit record is not enough. Each credited feature needs a photograph.

Before we arrive

Please keep the attic hatch clear, including the floor beneath a pull-down stair. That access is how we document the credits that are verified in the attic.
Please leave product labels on the windows, doors, and garage door in place. Those labels are often what confirms the opening protection.
Spray foam covers the roof deck and the straps. That visit is an exploratory wind mitigation: we make a small opening, measure, photograph, and close the foam. Please let us know ahead of time so we can plan for it.

Roof certification

Visible condition, photos, and a letter a carrier can read.

What we look at

Covering type and how the surface is actually wearing: granule loss, curled or missing shingles, cracked tile, exposed fasteners, soft decking underfoot.
Flashings, pipe boots, valleys, ridges, and any skylight or penetration we can see.
Signs of active leaking at the eaves and, when the attic is open, on the underside of the deck.
An opinion of remaining useful life for the letter, with photographs of each slope so the file shows the whole roof.

Where we look

On the roof when the pitch and the covering can be walked safely, and from the eaves or the ground when they cannot. A steep, wet, or brittle roof is documented from a safe vantage so no one is put at risk for a photograph.

Before we arrive

Please leave a clear place to set a ladder, and move any vehicle parked along the eave we will use.
Please unlock side gates. If a courtyard is the only way to a slope, having it open when we arrive is a great help. Pets secured inside is appreciated.
The letter describes the visible condition for the insurance file. It is not a roof warranty. The carrier makes its own decision about the roof.

When we can locate the last reroof permit, a copy goes with the file. If we cannot find it online, we ask the homeowner. If a copy is not available, the report says so. A permit that has to be requested after the appointment can delay a same-day or 24-hour release.

After the insurance work

The home inspection

A visual inspection of the systems and components that are readily accessible. Not invasive. Not a code inspection. Not a wood-destroying organism inspection, a sewer camera, a septic pump-out, or a lab water test unless those are booked with it. FLIR thermal imaging is included on a full home inspection.

Thermal imaging is included on full home inspections only.

2–2½ hrs

On site for a home under 1,650 square feet. That is the inspection itself, not the drive.

Larger homes

Homes over 1,650 square feet, older homes, crawl spaces, guest houses, and homes with additions take longer. We will tell you the time when the appointment is booked. The report is written after we leave, then reviewed by management and by the owner before it is released.

What we look at

Roof and attic. Covering, flashings, visible decking, insulation, ventilation, and stains that suggest a leak.
Exterior and structure. Walls, grading that sends water at the house, visible foundation, decks, and the parts of the frame we can see.
Electrical. Service, panels with the covers removed, visible wiring, and a representative sample of devices. Thermal imaging is used where a hot breaker or a wet wall would not show up with a flashlight. Thermal imaging is included on full home inspections only.
Plumbing. Supply and drain where visible, fixtures, the water heater, and shutoffs. Water is run at the fixtures. Toilets stay in place, and walls are not opened.
Heating and cooling. We operate the system in the mode the weather allows and look at both the indoor and outdoor equipment.
Interior. Floors, walls, ceilings, doors, and a representative sample of windows. Installed kitchen appliances are operated in their normal modes.
Fireplace. If one is present, the visible firebox, damper, and hearth. A chimney cleaning, if you would like one, is scheduled separately.

Before we arrive

Please have the water, electric, and gas on. If the water is off, the plumbing portion cannot be completed.
The same clear access as a 4-point is a help: the panel, under each sink, the water heater, the attic hatch, the indoor air handler, and the outdoor unit.
If the home has a crawl space, please leave the access door uncovered.
Please have locked rooms, the garage, the gates, and utility closets open.
Please secure pets before we arrive so we can move through the home safely.
If someone is available who knows about recent leaks, repairs, or which breaker serves the air conditioner, that is helpful. It is not required.

Any area we cannot reach is noted as not inspected. That keeps the report accurate, and it tells your agent, the lender, or the insurance company exactly what was available to us.

The rest of the menu

Other services, and what each one is for

Choose the visit that fits the question. A walk-through consultation is a conversation on site, not a home inspection. Sewer-camera work is performed by a Florida-licensed third party.

Exploratory wind mitigation

For a spray-foam attic. Foam covers the roof deck and the roof-to-wall straps, which is where the wind-mitigation credits are verified. We make a small opening, measure, photograph, and close the foam. Please let the seller know before the inspection day, and leave the attic access clear.

Insurance combos

4-point plus wind mitigation, 4-point plus roof certification, wind mitigation plus roof certification, or all three. Same scopes as the cards above, one trip, one file. Please have the panel, the attic, the sinks, and a ladder path available at the same time.

Condo inspection

The unit being purchased. We look at the interior, the equipment that serves that unit, and the building envelope as seen from the unit and the limited common areas we can walk. The association roof, structure, and reserves are outside this visit. A high-rise roof we cannot safely reach is noted as not inspected.

Pre-listing inspection

The same review a buyer would receive, completed before the home is under contract. The goal is to find items a lender or an insurance company may ask about while the seller still has time to address them.

Re-inspection

We return for the items that were agreed to be repaired. The rest of the home is not re-inspected unless that was booked. Please have the work completed, the area open, and any invoices or photos available. If a repair has been painted before the work is finished, we report the condition that is visible.

New construction

Three different visits. Pre-pour: drains, plumbing rough, elevation, and grading before the slab is covered. Framing and pre-drywall: framing, visible fireblocking, plumbing, wiring, and HVAC before drywall. Final: a full walkthrough at substantial completion. An 11-month warranty visit is the same review later, while the builder’s warranty is still open. These visits do not replace the building department’s inspections.

Sewer-scope camera

A camera through the building sewer, looking for breaks, bellies, offsets, and roots. A working cleanout gives us access. This is performed by a Florida-licensed third party. Palm Valley coordinates it and includes the video and findings in the file.

Septic inspection and pump-out

Also a third-party service, not Palm Valley. When a pump-out is requested, the tank is opened, pumped, and documented with photos and a written report. Please have the lids located before the appointment. If a lid sits under a deck or another structure that cannot be opened, the visit may need to be rescheduled.

Well water testing

We draw the sample, ice it, and drive it to the laboratory the same day. The laboratory issues the results. A tap that is not downstream of a filter or a reverse-osmosis unit gives the clearest sample. If that is not available, we note exactly where the sample was taken. A private-well panel is often what a lender is waiting on. Treatment, if the results call for it, is a separate contractor.

Pool and spa

The equipment, the visible shell, and the safety items we can see, including the barrier. The pump, filter, and heater are operated when they can be. This visit is not a leak investigation or a remodel plan. Please leave the equipment pad unlocked and the water at a normal operating level.

Tenant condition report

Move-in or move-out. Photographs and a written record of the condition, so a stain, a scratch, or a missing blind is documented while everyone can still see it. It records condition. It is not a repair estimate.

Walk-through consultation

A conversation on site, with no written report. It is useful when you are still deciding, or when you are reviewing several properties. Florida home inspection standards of practice do not apply. It is not a home inspection, and it is not the document a lender or an insurance company uses.

Still have a question

Don’t see it covered here?

Call or text the office. A person on our team will answer and tell you whether that visit is something we do, or point you to the right one. The number below opens your phone, ready to call or text.

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