Five Star Inspections prides itself on quick, reliable, and reasonably priced services. We believe our business separates itself with our communication skills. We enjoy going over the inspection with the buyer and Realtor, and then providing reasonable solutions to the issues that may be brought to light. Our job is not to scare or determine whether you should or shouldn't buy the property; only to inform you of our findings. We serve Bay, Walton, and Washington Counties, and look forward to working with you.

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Post Hurricane Inspection

The devastation of Hurricane Michael has been a terrible experience for our community. As we attempt to rebuild our homes we must not be blind to the potential issues that your insurance adjuster may miss.

Most adjusters will not walk on your roof, climb in your attic, or use thermal imaging to search for water within the walls. These unseen issues may lead to long-term issues with your home after your claim is settled.

Five Star Inspections is now providing a Post Hurricane Inspection and this evaluation will focus on:

Roof Structure:

We will climb in your attic to search for any rafter damage, truss damage, gable damage, and wall framing damage. If would be a huge mistake to install new shingles on a structure that had already been significantly weakened.

Roof Covering:

We will evaluate the shingles/metal/tile from the roof level to access the damage. What many adjusters are not looking for is how well the shingles are now adhered to the roof. The high winds of the hurricane have loosened many shingles that are still in place. This makes them look like they are in satisfactory condition from the ground level, while in reality they are soon to start falling off. It's also important to check for small areas of projectile damage that have created leaks yet to be seen. In addition, many shingles are no longer produced which makes finding a replacement shingle impossible. Don’t think that just because a few shingles are missing that the repair will be easy.

Foundation:

The foundation of many homes has been compromised by the trees falling on them. It's important that a professional evaluate the structure. You don’t want the insurance company to pay for tree removal for $3,000 when a $15,000 foundation repair is necessary. Also, the root systems adjacent to homes have been removed by many trees leaving potential for erosion under the home. This is a repair that if not made soon will cause foundation sinking in the following years.

Moisture Intrusion:

One of the most devastating phenomena of Hurricane Michael was its sustained winds that have created moisture intrusion where no obvious point of entry is present (broken window, hole in roof). The winds have blown water into the attic from the vents, door frames, window frames, and siding. As most homes have insulation in their exterior walls and attic this water cannot easily evaporate which can lead to mold problems. Also, many residents evacuated and don’t know which areas have had moisture intrusion because the visible spots had dried before the owner returned. We will crawl your attic and scan your home with a thermal imaging camera to check for moisture in your home.

Electrical Service:

This is the area that most homeowners are least likely to know how to evaluate. The majority of the main electrical panels in our area are on the exterior of homes. The high winds and debris have loosened or removed many of the main components of the main electrical service. This issue can also be masked due to a lack of power in our area currently.

Five Star will conduct the inspection of your property and provide a written report along with photos of the areas of concern. We can also meet your adjuster to go over the inspected damage. The fee for this inspection is $200, however, due to the current circumstances in the area the fee is not due until 90 days after the inspection.

There are also two other options that can be a part of the Post Hurricane Inspection process:

1. Continued Monitoring: The large amounts of damage to both the community infrastructure and the large quantity of homes will most certainly delay repairs. For an additional fee of $200 we will come back to the home once a week until the repairs are made to check for moisture issues from recent rains and visible signs of mold growth. Tarping the roof is a temporary solution, so we will also check the tarps for potential leaks.
2. Repair Inspection: Thousands of contractors have entered our community in an effort to get rich quick on repairing the homes. Sadly, many of these out of town contractors are not familiar with the strict building codes in Florida. One of the biggest issues we have seen, even prior to the storm, is the roof decking not being nailed to the proper code as required on new roofs because crews don’t have to take this extra step in surrounding states. Also, this is an issue that is not visible from the exterior, is NOT checked by the building department (the roofer merely signs an affidavit promising to do it), causes increased insurance premiums, and makes the roof more susceptible to detaching in future storms. For an additional $100 we will evaluate the repairs post construction and provide a new Wind Mitigation form for all roofs

Post Hurricane Inspection: $200
Continued Monitoring: $200
Repair Inspection: $100
A Combination of All Three Inspections: $450
No fees are due for 90 days.
Some insurance companies may provide reimbursement as a preventive measure.

Please fill out the Quick Quote at the top of this page if you would like us to contact you about scheduling an appointment, or feel free to call (850) 819-3388, or email Cory@PanamaCityHomeInspections.com

(850) 819-3388

Five Star Inspections is the only Home Inspection company in the Panhandle that provides the Video Inspection. Video Inspections allow you to see a detailed view of each report item so you can make the most informed decision. To see more information about the Video Inspection check out the Sample Video Inspection here.

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Our website seeks to not only serve our clients, but to help educate our agents on the home inspection process. Our Realtor Page provides information that is specialized for our local Realtors.

This page will provide articles and video links on issues such as asbestos,
roof leaks, wood rot, and much more.