According to Florida’s standard FARBAR real estate sales contract, the buyer is responsible to pay for any inspections deemed necessary. This would include a general home inspection and any of the numerous specialty inspections, such as WDO (termite), mold, lead paint, and any insurance inspections, to name a few.

    There are a just a couple of exceptions:

1. WDO inspections are required to be paid by the seller when the buyer is financing with a VA (Veterans Administration) guaranteed loan.
2. Sometimes, but rarely, the cost of a home inspection is negotiated to be paid by the seller in the terms of the sales contract.

    Also, we always recommend that you only do the general home inspection and WDO first, and review the inspector’s findings before ordering any additional inspections.

If something comes up on the basic inspections that cannot be resolved with the seller to your satisfaction, then you will have wasted your money on a radon, pool, or septic system inspection, for example, when you don’t wait. It is usually better to do them next, if you have enough time in your contractual inspection period. 

    Also, see our blog post What makes a house fail the home inspection?

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  To learn more strategies for getting the best possible home inspection, here’s a few of our other blog posts:

• How can I make sure I don't get screwed on my home inspection? 

• How thorough is a home inspector required to be when inspecting a house?

• Should I trust the Seller's Property Disclosure Statement?

• Can I do my own home inspection?

• How can homebuyers protect themselves against buying a house over a sinkhole? 

• The seller gave me a report from a previous home inspection. Should I use it or get my own inspector? 

    To read about issues related to homes of particular type or one built in a specific decade, visit one of these blog posts:

• What are the common problems to look for when buying a 1940s house?

• What are the common problems to look for when buying a 1950s house?

• What are the common problems to look for when buying a 1960s house?

• What are the common problems to look for when buying a 1970s house?

• What are the common problems to look for when buying a 1980s house?

• What are the common problems to look for when buying a 1990s house?

• What problems should I look for when buying a country house or rural property? 

• What problems should I look for when buying a house that has been moved?

• What problems should I look for when buying a house that has been vacant or abandoned?

• What are the most common problems with older mobile homes?

• What do I need to know about a condo inspection?

• What are the "Aging In Place" features to look for when buying a retirement home?

   Visit our HOME INSPECTION page for other related blog posts on this subject, or go to the INDEX for a complete listing of all our articles.