Inside and Out Property Inspectors is proud to help support our community by teaming up with our favorite non-profit K9s United to provide shirts for campers/coachers at Cheer Camp, youth tees for Football season players, and Cheer Season travel uniforms for the St Johns County Police Athletic League.
“We can’t thank you enough for your generous sponsorship of our Camp Shirts for PAL Football Camp and PAL Cheer Camp. Almost a hundred boys attended football camp from ages 5-14, and over a hundred giggly girls ages 6-14 attended Cheer Camp. Thank you for partnering with us.” – Mary Courter, PAL
If you live in Florida, and you’ve recently purchased a home, you may be wondering what “4-point inspection” is, and why you need it. In this article, we’ll discuss the basics about 4-point inspections – what they are, what is included, and what you need to do if any issues are found with your home. Let’s get started now.
A 4-point inspection is a type of home inspection that is required in Florida, either to obtain or maintain insurance coverage. This inspection was designed by home insurance companies to help them get a more comprehensive understanding of the buildings that they are insuring.
This is especially important if you have an older home. Older homes are more likely to be in disrepair, or to have had multiple repairs and additions that may not be up to modern standards. The insurance company must be aware of these things, to ensure that the home is eligible for coverage under their existing underwriting coverage.
For example, older homes often use fuse boxes with screw-in fuses – which was normal (and standard) in homes built in the 1950s. However, some insurance carriers have rules that prevent them from knowingly insuring any home with these kinds of outdated circuit breakers panels.
Most insurance companies will only request a 4-point inspection after the home reaches a certain age. Some others will require any newly-purchased home to have a 4-point inspection performed. This varies, based on your insurance company and their underwriting rules.
The 4-point inspection includes a visual-only examination of the following four systems, as the name suggests.
● HVAC systems
● The roof and related systems
● Plumbing
● Electrical systems
These four “points” are responsible for the vast majority of insurance issues and risks, which is why they are chosen for this inspection.
This depends on the age of your home, and your insurer. Most insurers in Florida require a 4-point inspection in homes older than 40 years, or rentals older than 30 years. Make sure to ask your insurer about their policy, to understand if you need an inspection.
There are many things that can cause your home to fail a 4-point inspection, such as shingle roofs that are over 19 years old, roof damage, knob-and-tube electrical wiring, a hot water heater over 18 years old, and other such problems.
Some insurance companies will not insure you at all if you do not fix the problem. Others will insure you – but add an exclusion for the faulty system. For example, if your home has knob-and-tube wiring, it may be insured – but any electrical issues will not be covered.
In most cases, the best thing to do is to replace the faulty system. This may be expensive – but it’s better than risking home damage that is excluded from your insurance policy.
If your insurance company is asking for a 4-point inspection, don’t wait. Use our website’s online scheduler to make an appointment now, and ensure that your home is in good shape, and will be covered by your insurance company.
Thinking of moving to the St. Augustine, Florida area? This southeastern coastal town is the nation’s oldest. When you move to St. Augustine you will experience a taste of history, cultures, and the beauty of the Atlantic Ocean. This area is well known for its tourist attractions, yet people do make St. Augustine their permanent residence. With a population of 14,280, St. Augustine has a small town feel to it that is inviting.
In order to make your move to a new town flow more smoothly, we’ve put together a real estate and homeowner resources guide.
Zillow predicts that home values should increase by 2.1 % in the upcoming year. That’s a few percentage points less than the increase from last year, which was at 4.5 %. The median value of a home in this area is $234,500, and the median price is sitting at $299,900 – $325,000.
As you prepare to move into your dream home in St. Augustine, Florida, you’ll need to have resources to assist you along the way. Here are some of the most necessary ones.
St. John’s County Utility Department handles the water, sewer, and water treatment for the St. Augustine area. They will also be responsible for reading your meter. You can contact them or check out their website here.
Every year you will need to pay your property taxes. You can make your payment online here or mail the bottom portion of your bill. The main postal address for the tax office is: P.O. Box 9001, St. Augustine, FL 32085-9001. If you’d like to receive information about your bill by email, simply complete the form on the following link.
For driver’s license and motor vehicle registration services, you can go to 4030 Lewis Speedway, St. Augustine. For more information about what you will need to bring or about what services they cover, check out this website here. There are other DMV locations, but their services are limited. The location on Lewis Speedway is a full-service facility. However, if you think you only need limited services and this location is not close to you, you can check out the other addresses and services here.
Always keep the following telephone numbers handy:
Flagler Hospital is located at 400 Health Park Blvd. For more information call (904) 819-5155 or visit their website at flaglerhospital.org.
Living in a historical, coastal town means you will have plenty of attractions to visit. Some of which include:
This historical jail housed criminals from the late 1800’s to mid-1900’s. It’s located at 167 San Marco Avenue.
Located at 3 Aviles Street, this museum will shed light on colonial medicine.
Walk through the oldest fort in the U.S. and examine the wonderful architecture. Also, on some days of the week, you can enjoy living history demonstrations. The location for this fort is 1 South Castillo Drive.
If you love a gorgeous bird’s eye view of the ocean, then you’ll enjoy climbing up to the top of St. Augustine’s Lighthouse. Find your way to the 219 steps at 100 Red Cox Road.
If you plan on being in St. Augustine this year, consider joining the residents in one of these upcoming activities:
Drake’s Raid Reenactment features an “exciting historical reenactments” which “brings to life the siege of San Agustin by Sir Francis Drake in 1586.” This event takes place on June 2nd at 11 Magnolia Avenue. You can partake in activities from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm and the reenactment of the burning of the town will occur at 7:00 pm.
Night of Lights will dazzle and brighten up the entire city from November 17 until January 31 for the holidays. Three million lights will deck the streets of historic St. Augustine for a truly splendid view. In addition, enjoy a horse-drawn carriage ride through the town to enjoy the sights. For more information, visit here.
As you prepare to move into your new home, don’t forget to find a home inspector you can trust. Inside & Out Property Inspectors are standing by to give your new place a thorough inspection. Contact us for more information.
Contact Inside & Out Property Inspectors Inc. today to schedule your home inspection with an InterNACHI Certified Professional Inspector in Northeast Florida.
