Almost everyone needs a 4-point home inspection, but there are other types of professional home inspections that cover areas not included in the 4-point and address specialized areas of risk. Prominent among specialized home inspections is the wind mitigation inspection. As Florida is a very windy state, this is a very commonly ordered inspection type in our state.
But when does it make sense to have a wind mitigation inspection run? Here are five key situations where you should give it serious thought.
1. Your Home Is In A Windy Location
Although anywhere in Florida is at risk of being hit with a hurricane, tornado, or severe wind storm, there are certain locations that pose a higher wind-risk factor.
If your home is located on a hill or high, exposed ground, on or very near the ocean or has no significant tree cover nearby, for example, your overall risk of serious wind damage is increased.
As wind damage can necessitate expensive repairs or even lead to accidental injury and liabilities, it makes sense to guard against this extra risk with a wind mitigation inspection.
2. You Are Buying An Older Florida Home
Many times, older homes in Florida aren’t up to date or up to code and need a comprehensive home inspection. Your prospective homeowner’s insurance company will normally be insistent that any home it insures be inspected – but especially those built 40 or more years ago.
In many cases, you will want to make some wind mitigation upgrades to an older home to increase its safety level. You may need to strengthen the roof-to-wall connections with hurricane clips, for example, or install more wind-resistant windows, doors, and roofing.
You want the peace of mind of knowing that your new home, whatever its age, is safe to live in and will stand up against even severe wind storms.
3. Your Home Has Already Experienced Wind Damage
In some cases, you already may know firsthand how high wind speeds affect the risk of home damage. Perhaps, your home has recently been damaged in a hurricane, tropical storm, or other severe wind event and you want to make sure it will not happen again.
Your homeowner’s insurance will cover most forms of wind damage up to the limits of the policy, but it’s still no fun having to get major repairs done to your home. A wind mitigation inspection can identify any weak points where high winds would pose a great risk of future storm damage.
Your home inspector would then give you a detailed inspection report, make helpful suggestions on how you might upgrade, and answer any question you want to ask him/her.
4. You Want To Add A Key Selling Point To Your Listed Home
Trying to sell your home that is in a rather windy location? Being able to tell home shoppers that you’ve had a professional wind mitigation inspection done recently and they can see the results if they wish is a big plus!
Actually, any kind of home inspection can help put buyers at ease when they consider your listed piece of real estate. This includes wind mitigation, WDO (wood-destroying organisms), 4-point, and other types of inspections.
The buyer may also order an inspection before finalizing the purchase agreement, but it still helps to shorten selling time when you’ve already had the building inspected.
5. You Want To Save Money On Home Insurance!
If you are about to buy a new home or even if you already have homeowners insurance on your current home, you can potentially save money on your home insurance premiums by having a wind mitigation inspection performed.
How? In Florida, you score “wind mitigation points” for various positive findings during a wind inspection. The point system is standardized statewide, and insurers are actually required to offer discounts based on your wind mitigation points score.
This may mean you simply save money for wind-mitigation features your home already possesses, or it could mean you need to make certain specific upgrades in order to increase your wind mitigation level and score a discount.
Wind mitigation inspections can save you money, prevent property damage, lower the risk of accidents caused by wind damage, and help your listed property sell faster. These are only some of the major benefits they offer, and they are normally very affordable and can be done start to finish in a single day.
To learn more about wind mitigation inspections and when it might make sense for you to order one, contact Super Inspection Pros in Volusia County and Central Florida today for a free consultation!
