Frequently Asked Questions

Since 1989, Residential Inspector of America has provided a wide range of home and commercial inspection services throughout the Northern Florida area, including Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and all nearby communities. Call us today at (904) 590.1306 for an instant quote or schedule online now.

It is important to choose a home inspection company that has the experience, certifications, insurance, and reputation to stand behind their inspections. When shopping around for a home inspector, you will want to check their reviews and ask some very important questions in addition to verifying the price.

In Florida, becoming a licensed home inspector involves a background check, obtaining insurance, and meeting specific education requirements set by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). Make sure that your inspector has properly qualified for their inspector license and continue to maintain it through consistent renewals and continued education.

Since buying a home is the largest investment you will make in your lifetime, look for a competent, experienced inspector who will conduct a thorough inspection as well as guide you through the entire inspection process. Remember, you get what you pay for when it comes to home inspections!

All RIA home inspectors are licensed through the State of Florida and go through ongoing training to constantly improve their knowledge and skillset.

We carry Errors and Omissions, General Liability, and Workers Comp insurance to protect all parties involved.

If you need to cancel your inspection, please call our office at least 24 hours in advance to avoid a $95 charge. Same day cancellations will be charged half of the inspection fee. If you are purchasing a new construction or foreclosure home, you or your realtor should make sure the utilities are turned on at least 24 hours before your inspection is scheduled.

This is our contract that must be signed prior to the home inspection. It will outline what the inspection includes and does not include. It will also have important notes about the standard protocols we follow. It is important that you read and understand the agreement prior to your inspection.

During the inspection, our inspector will look at all aspects of the house, including the exterior, interior, plumbing, electrical, and HVAC. The average inspection takes approximately 2.5 – 3.5 hours.

For a pre-drywall construction phase inspection, the inspector will look at the structural components, as well as the plumbing, electrical, and HVAC rough-ins. This inspection will take approximately an hour and a half.

When you schedule a final new construction inspection, be sure all the utilities are turned on. Cosmetic items and inaccessible areas are not part of the inspection process.

If at all possible, you should attend the inspection. It is best if the inspector can point out problem areas to you and ease any additional concerns you may have. If you cannot attend the entire inspection, you can come to the inspection about an hour and a half after the scheduled time.

Your inspector will email a link for the digital report to you on the same day as your inspection. You can then download it as a PDF file if you wish or view it as an HTML. The report includes digital photos and details of what we discovered during the home inspection. Each inspection report is considered confidential and other than your realtor, no one can view it without your permission. You are not required to give the report to the homeowner or the listing agent.

When you schedule your appointment, we will send an email link that allows you to pay by credit card or ACH. We do not accept checks or cash.

To help distribute the cost of the home buying process, RIA offers Inspect Now, Pay Later. Click here to learn more.

Mold is commonly found in homes and thrives where spores can find sources of water, including moisture from flooding, plumbing leaks, roof leaks, showers, bathtubs, and more. Mold can be dangerous to one’s health as some molds are toxic and mold spores travel through the air, making it possible to inhale mold spores. Most molds only cause allergic symptoms in people; however, some molds have been linked to more serious conditions. Those with asthma or allergies and people with weakened immune systems (such as children, elderly, pregnant women, or cancer patients) will have more difficulty coping with mold.

It is impossible for anyone to distinguish between toxic and nontoxic molds from a visual inspection. Mold samples must be taken and sent to a mold laboratory for analysis. If the mold in your home is toxic, it must be cleaned by a professional remediation company and the source of the mold growth must be corrected. If the source is not corrected, the mold will likely return.

RIA performs indoor air quality testing to determine if mold is toxic, poses an unusual growth condition, or is actively reproducing. Samples are sent to a laboratory for analysis, which generally takes 3 – 5 business days. The analysis is emailed as a PDF file, and we provide assistance to interpret the results.

Yes! Our new home inspections typically uncover items such as code violations, damaged roof shingles, nail holes in the roof shingles, missing flashings, deck problems, electrical problems, HVAC problems, and plumbing problems. Many people feel that the county inspections and/or the walk through with the builder are adequate substitutions for completing a private inspection.

County inspectors may not spend the necessary time in your home to find all the issues. RIA will spend 2 – 3 hours inspecting the home on YOUR behalf! Catching problems early on can save thousands of dollars in repairs later. If there are code violations, the builder may be required to fix the items for you. Any code violations or problems that exist in your home may pose a problem when you decide to sell if they are not found and corrected sooner. Cosmetic items are not part of the final inspection.

The sale of a new construction home typically includes a one-year warranty in which the builder will correct any problems encountered within the first year of ownership. It is wise to have an inspection conducted shortly before the one-year warranty expires so you will know what the builder needs to correct. RIA can inspect the home whether or not we conducted an inspection prior to purchase.

 

RIA will come out before your final walk-through and do a complete home inspection, which is a structural and mechanical analysis of the home. If you completed a framing inspection, the inspector will refer to the framing report to ensure all visible repairs were made correctly. We will then complete a full inspection on the completed home.