Mo Mufti, REALTOR® LPT Realty, LLC FL Lic. SL3600299
FLORIDA SELLERS · BEFORE YOU LIST
A seller-ordered inspection can give you time to understand the house before negotiating with a buyer. The useful question is not “Will it guarantee the sale?” It is “Will this information help me make better preparation, disclosure and pricing decisions?”
The short version: Consider an inspection when uncertainty about condition is making your sale plan difficult. Hire a properly licensed professional, understand the written scope, and budget for follow-up quotes. New information can create disclosure responsibilities. A seller's report does not guarantee a buyer will waive inspections, an insurer will accept the house or the price will increase.
Florida's §468.8311 defines home inspection services as a limited visual examination of readily accessible installed systems and components. These include structure, electrical, HVAC, roof covering, plumbing, interior, exterior and site conditions affecting the structure.
Under §468.8323, the written report identifies inspected items the inspector considers significantly deficient or near the end of their service lives, plus present items not inspected and why. The inspector is not required to estimate repair costs. Ask appropriate contractors for actual quotes before treating a report item as a specific dollar deduction.
A limited visual inspection is not an assurance that every hidden issue has been found. Ask what is excluded and whether a concern needs a specialist. Keep permit-record questions, insurance questions and legal disclosure questions on separate lists rather than assuming one report resolves them all.
DBPR licenses and regulates Florida home inspectors. Verify the professional's current license through DBPR, not just an advertising badge. Before contracting for or beginning the inspection, §468.8321 requires a copy of the license and written scope and exclusions.
Ask for the fee, expected delivery date, sample report, inaccessible-area policy and cost of any return visit. Florida §468.8322 requires home inspectors to maintain at least $300,000 in commercial general liability insurance; that coverage is not a guarantee against defects in your house.
Keep repair quotes independent. §468.8319 generally bars the inspector or their company from repairing a home they reported on, with a narrow home-warranty-company exception. It also prohibits specified financial conflicts, agent referral compensation and engagements contingent on report findings or closing.
If you do not know the condition of major systems, consider whether an inspection would improve your preparation decisions. An inherited home or a property you manage remotely may warrant a particularly careful access and document plan.
Ask whether independent information would help distinguish a meaningful defect from cosmetic work. Compare proposed repairs using written quotes, time and likely buyer concerns rather than spending just to make the report shorter.
A prior leak or an unresolved repair question may call for a qualified specialist as well as, or instead of, a general inspection. Ask the inspector and relevant licensed professional which evaluation fits the issue.
These are planning considerations, not claims that every older house needs the same package or every newer house can skip due diligence. Compare the inspection fee and follow-up costs with the decisions the information will actually support.
Florida Realtors' disclosure-law summary explains the seller's duty under Johnson v. Davis: disclose known facts materially affecting value that are not readily observable and not known to the buyer. It also explains that selling as-is does not remove that duty. §475.278 separately sets out residential-property disclosure duties for real estate licensees.
Do not treat avoiding an inspection as a way to hide a problem already known. If a report identifies an issue, ask a Florida real estate attorney what must be disclosed and how to address any uncertainty. Keep repair invoices and permits; ask whether the underlying history still needs disclosure after a repair. See the seller disclosure guide for related topics.
Citizens currently requires a four-point inspection for property owner, dwelling and mobile-home applications on properties more than 20 years old. Its report focuses on roof, electrical, plumbing and HVAC information. Citizens also describes wind mitigation inspections as a way to document approved features for possible premium discounts. Those are insurer-specific purposes—not a rule that every seller must order both reports.
Ask the buyer's or your own licensed insurance agent which form, qualified inspector, report age and supporting photos the proposed insurer will accept. Do this before buying a package. Do not assume Citizens' requirements govern every carrier or that a seller's existing report will be accepted for a buyer's new policy. The four-point and wind mitigation guide explains the distinction.
Use the seller net sheet for a working comparison, not a guaranteed return. An inspection cannot promise a higher sale price or remove the buyer's contractual rights. Review the actual signed contract for inspection periods and cancellation provisions; do not rely on a generic number of days.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Do not assume that it does. Your report is prepared for you as the client. The buyer’s inspection, cancellation and repair rights depend on the signed contract, so review the actual terms and deadlines with your agent and attorney.
A seller must disclose known facts materially affecting the home’s value that are not readily observable and are not known to the buyer. Selling as-is does not remove that duty. Ask a Florida real estate attorney how to handle the report and any repair history.
Florida Statutes §468.8319 generally prohibits the inspector or the inspector’s company from performing or offering repairs on a home they reported on. The statute has a narrow exception for certain home-warranty-company repairs under a warranty claim.
No. A four-point report focuses on roof, electrical, plumbing and HVAC information for insurance underwriting. A general home inspection has a different scope. Ask the insurer which reports, forms and report dates it will accept.
Mo can help compare the home's current-condition sale strategy with a defined preparation plan. The inspector evaluates condition; your attorney and insurance professional handle the questions in their specialties.
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Mo Mufti, REALTOR® · LPT Realty, LLC · 352-298-8602
Checked October 12, 2026. Confirm the current inspection scope, license, contract and insurer requirements for your property.
Important: General real estate information, not legal, insurance, engineering or financial advice. Mo is a REALTOR® with LPT Realty, LLC, not an attorney, insurance agent, contractor or home inspector.