HELP - Homeowners Insurance on Older Houses in Jax? (Lakeland: sale, real estate)

[MisterCali]

Are you a homeowner in the greater Jax metro area with an older home? I'm buying a beautifully refurbished house built in the early 60s for all of the wonderful design aspects the people love about mid-century modern architecture -- walls of glass, low slope roofs, open floor plans, functional design etc.

But, the house still has some cloth covered wiring and that lower slope roof. The wiring was fully cleared by the house inspector as being in very good condition. Long term I may consider rewiring, but not in the short-term. So, as I get closer to closing I need to secure homeowners insurance and the number of insurance providers that cover houses with cloth wire sheaths becomes slim.

I'm looking for first-hand experience from homeowners, real estate professionals or insurance professionals with this specific experience. Do you live in the greater Jax area (Duval, Clay, St. Johns)? Have you insured a house with at least some cloth wire coverings? Would you share the name of the insurance company and confirm whether you went through a 4-point inspection? My new place will be in Clay County.

I'm already working with an insurance broker, but I want to shop around as much as possible as he already warned it would be a very limited number of providers.

[gypsychic]

If you are securing a mortgage, any house in Florida of that age will require passing a four-point inspection. So this is more important than what insurance company you use.

Last year we bought a 1950s house in Lakeland which pretty much failed everything on the 4 point. We went ahead with the sale and rushed getting a new roof, plumbing repairs, new water heater and upgrade the electric by having an electrician install a new higher amp panel as well as replace outlets with GFIs. This house does have cloth wiring which was mentioned as an issue first go round of inspections, but after the new panel installed, passed a new four-point with a different inspection co.

Good luck. Buying these old houses isn't for the faint of heart but it can be done!

[cfenn006]

A four point inspection is needed to secure almost any new homeowner's insurance policy upon purchase not I believe. Its pretty simple and IN NO WAY covers everything that can go wrong. The main parts of the 4 point basically is:


Water Heater: Is the wiring leading to the unit in a box, and sealed conduit. Is there rust on the bottom of the tank, and if it is not sitting on the concrete slab is there a pan with a drain line. Are water connections showing corrosion or leaks, and is the pressure relief valve installed and does it have 3/4 piping out without improper piping (ex pvc fittings on a cpvc piping). This does not immediatley disqualify you, but it makes the inspector look a little harder.


Wiring: I'd be a little concerned with the cloth encased wiring, that tells me its old regardless of the condition. Does the panel have breakers or screw in fuses? That will disqualify you for most policies. If you have all breakers, do you have all the same manufacturer breakers in the panel (ex. Square D with GE), thats immediate disqualification. Another major one is double posting (two wires tapping into one breaker) Are the wires copper, thats also a major deal breaker for most insurers. Are there any signs of double tapping in the 200 Utilities (water Heater HVAC), also immediate disqualification. GFIs are a must especially in watering areas like kitchens and bathrooms. Many insurers will not require you to replace them, but it is strongly advised, simple, and cheap to do or have done.



Plumbing: Are there signs of leaking? They check under the sinks, and faucets. They check for signs of water damage like cabinetry sinking.



HVAC: Do you have central, PTAC, Mini Split? There is a lot of different things they have to check each unit is unique. For heating, do you have radiant/space heaters (YOU BETTER SAY NO)? They don't want you using space heaters.



Roofing, if done recently is usually a visual inspection and a sign off. I must stress this however, you really want a professional to look it over outside the insurance inspection. When those minor leaks come in during the rain its coming out of your pocket, they all will DENY DENY DENY until an natural disaster happens.



Worst case scenario, you are given list of repairs to be made and quotes are fast and easy to get you go back to the seller for discussions.

[lps56]

I am planning to close on a townhome in Nocatee. Need a home inspector? Any ideas on where to get referrals?

[Thundarr457]

We used Inside and Out Home Inspectors and he was fantastic. Found 80 things that needed to be addressed. Very thorough.

[lps56]

Thank you! Will contact them!

[southernnaturelover]

Google “Florida four point inspection” and you will find many websites that give you an idea of what they look at.