What is a four-point inspection?

An insurance inspection covering four systems: roof, electrical, plumbing and heating and cooling. Insurers commonly require one on older homes before writing or renewing a policy. It is not a full home inspection and its audience is an underwriter rather than a buyer.

What is a wind mitigation inspection?

A report documenting features that make a building more resistant to wind damage, including roof covering, deck attachment, roof to wall connections, roof shape and opening protection. It is used to apply insurance discounts, so it usually saves money rather than creating problems.

Should I get these before listing?

A wind mitigation report is usually worth it on an older Florida property because the credits tend to exceed the cost and it helps buyers get quotes. A four-point is a judgement call, worth considering where the age or systems make an insurer question likely.

Why do these affect my sale at all?

A buyer who cannot insure the property cannot get a mortgage, so insurability decides whether financed buyers can purchase. Premium cost also affects what a buyer can afford to pay for the house. These reports affect demand, not just paperwork.

What do insurers most often object to?

Roofs beyond a certain age, Federal Pacific and Zinsco panels, aluminium branch wiring, polybutylene plumbing, knob and tube wiring, fuse boxes, and missing or incomplete opening protection. Each is a known issue with a known effect, which means it can be planned for.

Can I give my reports to the buyer?

You can share them, and a favourable wind mitigation report is worth offering. Buyers and lenders generally want reports in the buyer's own name for their policy, so yours may not transfer directly, but it still lets them see the position quickly.

How much do they cost?

Both are inexpensive relative to almost every other cost in a sale, and both are usually completed within days of scheduling. The cost difference between finding something early and finding it during a contract is far larger than the price of the inspection.

Do these apply to condos?

Much less directly. For a condo the equivalent questions sit at building level and are the association's responsibility, covered by the master policy. Your own unit insurance is straightforward. The building's insurability is what affects a condo sale.

How long is a report good for?

Reports have a limited useful life for insurance purposes, so a very old one may need repeating before an insurer will rely on it. If you obtained one years ago, check whether it is still current before treating it as a selling point.

4-point and wind mitigation inspections for sellers

4-point and wind mitigation inspections are insurance documents rather than home inspections, and in Florida they often determine whether a buyer can insure your property and at what price. A seller who understands the difference between the two, and gets ahead of them, removes one of the more common reasons a Florida sale falls apart.

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What a four-point inspection covers

It examines four systems: roof, electrical, plumbing and heating and cooling.

It is not a full home inspection and does not attempt to assess the property generally.

Insurers commonly require one on older homes before agreeing to write or renew a policy.

The report describes the age, condition and material of each system rather than listing defects to repair.

An adverse finding on any of the four can lead to a policy being declined or conditioned on repairs.

Because it is an insurance document, its audience is an underwriter rather than a buyer.

What a wind mitigation inspection covers

It documents features that make a building more resistant to wind damage.

Roof covering, roof deck attachment, roof to wall connections, roof geometry and opening protection are the usual categories.

The report is used to apply insurance discounts, so it generally saves money rather than creating obstacles.

A property with impact windows, a hip roof and strong connections can attract meaningful credits.

Unlike the four-point, it is rarely a reason for a policy to be declined.

That asymmetry is why the wind mitigation report is usually worth obtaining and the four-point is a judgement call.

Why these matter to your sale

A buyer who cannot insure the property cannot obtain a mortgage, which removes financed buyers entirely.

Insurance cost affects affordability, so a high premium reduces what a buyer can pay for the house itself.

Buyers now ask about insurability early, having often been caught by it before.

An uninsurable or expensive-to-insure property narrows the pool toward cash, which usually means a lower price.

So these reports affect demand rather than merely paperwork, which is the part sellers underestimate.

Getting ahead of them turns a potential collapse into a known factor you priced for.

When a seller should get one in advance

A wind mitigation report is usually worth obtaining on any older Florida property, because the credits tend to exceed the cost.

A four-point is worth considering when the property is older and you suspect one of the four systems will be questioned.

If the roof is approaching the end of its insurable life, knowing that before listing changes your strategy.

If the plumbing or electrical is of a material insurers dislike, the same applies.

If the property is newer and in good condition, neither is usually necessary before listing.

The test is whether the information would change what you do, and on older properties it frequently would.

What insurers dislike

Roofs beyond a certain age, with the threshold varying by material and by insurer.

Federal Pacific and Zinsco electrical panels, and aluminium branch wiring.

Polybutylene plumbing, and in some cases cast iron or galvanised supply lines.

Knob and tube wiring and fuse boxes, which appear on genuinely old properties.

Absent or incomplete opening protection in wind-borne debris regions.

Each of these is a known issue with a known effect, which means it can be planned for rather than discovered.

What to do with a bad report

Decide whether to fix, disclose and price, or both, using quotes rather than assumptions.

Fixing an insurability problem often pays for itself by restoring the financed buyer pool.

Fixing a cosmetic issue rarely does, and the two should not be treated the same way.

Where you choose not to fix, price for the narrower pool rather than hoping a buyer will not check.

Disclose what the report found, because you now know it and a buyer will obtain their own anyway.

A report you commissioned and acted on reads very differently from one a buyer produces in week five.

Sharing the reports with buyers

A favourable wind mitigation report is a selling point and should be offered rather than held back.

It lets a buyer obtain accurate insurance quotes quickly, which speeds up their decision.

Buyers and their lenders generally want reports in the buyer's own name, so yours may not transfer directly.

Even so, providing yours lets them see the position before spending money on their own.

A four-point with problems is harder, and disclosure is the right instinct even where sharing the document is not required.

Ask your agent how reports are customarily handled in your market rather than assuming.

Costs and timing

Both inspections are inexpensive relative to almost every other cost in a sale.

They are usually completed quickly, often within a few days of scheduling.

Reports have a limited useful life for insurance purposes, so very old ones may need repeating.

Doing them before listing means the information arrives when you can still act on it.

Doing them during a contract means reacting to findings with a buyer waiting.

The cost difference between those two positions is much larger than the cost of the inspection.

How this connects to the rest of your sale

Roof age drives insurability, which drives the buyer pool, which drives price. It is the single most connected variable.

Plumbing material does the same thing less dramatically but along the same path.

In a condo, the equivalent questions sit at building level and are the association's responsibility rather than yours.

For a house, they are yours, which means they are also within your control in a way condo issues are not.

That control is the argument for getting the information early.

There are separate guides in this cluster on roofs and on plumbing materials.

What we recommend and why

We suggest a wind mitigation inspection on most older properties, because the credits usually outweigh the cost and it helps buyers.

We suggest a four-point where the property's age or systems make an insurer question likely.

We get quotes before recommending any repair, so the decision rests on numbers rather than instinct.

We put insurability findings into the pricing conversation rather than leaving them to the inspection period.

We prepare the documentation so a buyer can obtain quotes quickly instead of guessing.

Ask us to look at your property and we will tell you which of these is worth doing before you list.

This page explains how the money side of a Florida sale works so you can plan around it. It is not legal or tax advice. Tax on your sale belongs with an accountant, and the legal effect of your contract belongs with a Florida attorney. What we can give you is an accurate figure for what your home is worth and what you would net, which is the input both of those conversations need.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a four-point inspection?: An insurance inspection covering four systems: roof, electrical, plumbing and heating and cooling. Insurers commonly require one on older homes before writing or renewing a policy. It is not a full home inspection and its audience is an underwriter rather than a buyer.
What is a wind mitigation inspection?: A report documenting features that make a building more resistant to wind damage, including roof covering, deck attachment, roof to wall connections, roof shape and opening protection. It is used to apply insurance discounts, so it usually saves money rather than creating problems.
Should I get these before listing?: A wind mitigation report is usually worth it on an older Florida property because the credits tend to exceed the cost and it helps buyers get quotes. A four-point is a judgement call, worth considering where the age or systems make an insurer question likely.
Why do these affect my sale at all?: A buyer who cannot insure the property cannot get a mortgage, so insurability decides whether financed buyers can purchase. Premium cost also affects what a buyer can afford to pay for the house. These reports affect demand, not just paperwork.
What do insurers most often object to?: Roofs beyond a certain age, Federal Pacific and Zinsco panels, aluminium branch wiring, polybutylene plumbing, knob and tube wiring, fuse boxes, and missing or incomplete opening protection. Each is a known issue with a known effect, which means it can be planned for.
Can I give my reports to the buyer?: You can share them, and a favourable wind mitigation report is worth offering. Buyers and lenders generally want reports in the buyer's own name for their policy, so yours may not transfer directly, but it still lets them see the position quickly.
What if the four-point comes back badly?: Decide whether to fix, disclose and price for it, or both, using actual quotes. Fixing an insurability problem often pays for itself by restoring the financed buyer pool. Whatever you choose, you now know the finding, so it belongs in your disclosure.
How much do they cost?: Both are inexpensive relative to almost every other cost in a sale, and both are usually completed within days of scheduling. The cost difference between finding something early and finding it during a contract is far larger than the price of the inspection.
Do these apply to condos?: Much less directly. For a condo the equivalent questions sit at building level and are the association's responsibility, covered by the master policy. Your own unit insurance is straightforward. The building's insurability is what affects a condo sale.
How long is a report good for?: Reports have a limited useful life for insurance purposes, so a very old one may need repeating before an insurer will rely on it. If you obtained one years ago, check whether it is still current before treating it as a selling point.

Selling a home with an old roof in Florida

Selling a home with an old roof in Florida: how roof age decides insurability and your buyer pool, and whether replacing before listing actually pays.

Cast iron, polybutylene and galvanized plumbing

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Florida flood disclosure for home sellers

Florida flood disclosure for home sellers has been required since October 2024. What the form covers, when it must be given, and how flooding is defined.

From the Journal

Home Buying Tips

Why Are New Homes Cheaper to Insure in Florida? Build Year, Roof Age and Wind Mitigation Credits

Home Selling Tips

Repair Requests After Inspection in Florida: How Sellers Should Respond

Home Selling Tips

Do Florida Sellers Get a Copy of the Inspection Report? Your Disclosure Duty If the Deal Falls Apart

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