Best Home Inspections in Orlando 2024: Expert Picked

Florida is known for having a heavy hurricane season, and it’s common for home insurance companies to require certain inspections that test the wind resistance of your home to receive a discount on your premium. One of these is called a wind mitigation inspection. This type of inspection considers seven indicators of a home’s wind resistance: its building code, roof covering, roof-deck attachment, roof-to-wall attachment, roof geometry, secondary water resistance, and opening protection (i.e., windows and doors).

Another common insurance inspection is a four-point inspection. Think of these like a mini home inspection that’s for your home insurance company. Four-point inspections don’t take long, and they look at the “four points” of a home – its roofing, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems. If you need one of these for home insurance, look for a company that offers these inspections alongside a standard home inspection – oftentimes, they can be easily added onto an existing home inspection service. Wind mitigation and 4-point inspections can cost from $75 to $150, but they’ll likely cost more if they’re purchased as a standalone service.

Another key service to look out for when picking an Orlando home inspection company is a mold or moisture assessment. It’s no secret that central Florida is humid, and excess moisture can wreak havoc on the structure and quality of a home. Mold and moisture inspections look for both the visual signs of mold within the structure of your home as well as the hidden signs – mold spores and air quality – that can be identified with technology.

However, a mold assessment by a home inspector can only do so much. If an inspector notices a lot of mold growth, they’ll likely recommend an evaluation by a certified and licensed mold assessor. The licensed assessor will be able to more clearly investigate the mold problem and provide steps to remediate it. Some home inspection companies have a licensed mold assessor on staff, like Hero Inspection Services, while others will refer you to specialized mold companies they work with.

Read reviews of home inspection companies carefully, especially three- and four-star reviews – these tend to be the most balanced. You can find a company’s reviews on Google, Yelp, or Angi’s List, and you can go a step further by reading about them on local forums and social networks like Nextdoor. Avoid home inspection companies with a history of unprofessionalism, lack of detail, or poor communication, and also stay away from any companies with customers that mention incentivizing five-star reviews.

When looking for a home inspector, keep an eye out for a few key qualities. Mike Powell, owner of Red Flag Home Inspection notes that “a strong home inspector needs to have a comprehensive knowledge base, meticulous attention to detail, and clear communication skills.” Many times, these can be gleaned from your initial interaction with a company: Are they easy to talk with? Is their pricing clear? Do they understand the type of inspection your home will need?

For some Orlando home inspection companies, figuring out how much you’ll need to pay for a service before booking can be a chore all on its own. That’s why many of our top picks offer clear and publicly available pricing.

Typically, pricing is based on the size and age of a home. A smaller home will cost less to inspect than a larger one, while a home that’s either very new (new construction inspections are much lengthier than regular inspections) or very old will cost more to inspect than one built in the early aughts. If your home has features like a pool, septic tank, or well, expect to pay more too – these systems require additional expertise and inspection. If you’d rather not deal with variable pricing, use our budget pick, Murray Home Inspections. It provides standard inspection at $375 for homes under 4,000 square feet.

While what’s included in a standard home inspection is generally the same across Orlando home inspection companies, not all companies provide the same add-on services. If your home requires a certain additional service, like a pool inspection, make sure the home inspection company you choose includes it. Common add-on services include pool and spa inspections, insurance inspections, termite inspections, and sewer inspections.

Less common additional services are things like certified mold inspections and septic or well inspections. Similarly, if you need a certain type of inspection, like a mobile home or pre-listing inspection, pick a company that has plenty of experience in these realms. We like Murray and Inspectagators for specialty inspections like these.