Closer Look Inspections, Inc.

Florida’s housing market has seen tremendous growth over the past few decades, especially from the 1980s through the early 2000s. Today, many of those once-new homes are now 20, 30, or even 40 years old. While these properties often have great bones, desirable neighborhoods, and mature landscaping, they also come with the realities of age—wear and tear on systems, outdated materials, and components that have reached or are nearing the end of their expected life spans. As a Florida home inspection company, we see firsthand how time impacts the integrity and safety of a home. Buyers exploring older homes should be prepared to look beyond the fresh paint or new flooring and understand what’s happening behind the walls, under the roof, and beneath the surface. In this article, we’ll take a close look at what an aging housing stock means for Florida buyers, the systems and components that most often need attention, and how understanding these elements can help buyers make informed, confiden...

If you’re considering buying a home — especially here in Florida — understanding the plumbing system and potential hidden risks can save you thousands of dollars down the line. We often find that one topic causes a lot of questions around inspections, negotiation, and long-term ownership: when a home needs to be repiped because of aging or defective plumbing material. In many Florida homes, the culprit isn’t just old pipes, but specifically Polybutylene (often called “Poly” or “Poly-B”) plumbing. In this article we’ll explain: What “repiping” a home means and why it may be necessary What Polybutylene plumbing is, why it became such a problem, and how it affects homes How plumbers access the areas of a house in order to run new plumbing (what you’ll see during repipe work) How the fact of a repipe (or the need for one) affects the home-inspection process How this knowledge gives you, the prospective buyer in Florida, a strong advantage What Does It Mean to “Repipe” a Home? When we talk ...