Our Inspection Blog

by Phillip McClain | Apr 22, 2026 | Home Inspection Notes

From the curb a roof can look fine. From inside the attic, on a hot Ocala afternoon, it usually has more to say. Here's what I look for up there and why it matters more than people think.

by Phillip McClain | Apr 8, 2026 | Home Inspection Notes

An AC unit doesn't really fail dramatically in Florida. It just gets a little less efficient every summer until your bill is forty bucks higher than your neighbor's for no obvious reason. Here's what's usually going on inside the system.

by Phillip McClain | Mar 14, 2026 | Home Inspection Notes

There's a common idea that brand new homes don't need an inspection. After years of looking at them in and around Ocala, I'd argue the opposite. Here's what I keep finding in homes that haven't even been lived in yet.

by Phillip McClain | Mar 10, 2026 | Home Inspection Notes

A small breeze around a window seems harmless. After a few summers in Florida, that gap is usually behind a higher power bill, a swollen sill, and sometimes a slow leak nobody noticed.

by Phillip McClain | Mar 10, 2026 | Home Inspection Notes

The main sewer line is the one part of the house I can't see during a regular inspection. A sewer scope is a small camera on a long flexible cable that goes down the line and shows what's actually happening. Here's what it finds.

by Phillip McClain | Feb 15, 2026 | Home Inspection Notes

A pool looks great during a showing. The water is clean, the deck is dry, and the pump is humming. Most of what can be wrong with a pool isn't visible at that point. Here's what I actually check when I do a separate pool inspection.

by Phillip McClain | Feb 11, 2026 | Home Inspection Notes

Smart thermostats, smart locks, video doorbells, leak sensors. These are normal in homes I inspect now. Here's what I do and don't do with that gear, and what buyers should know before closing.

by Phillip McClain | Jan 27, 2026 | Home Inspection Notes

Most new homes come with a one-year builder warranty. Most buyers let it run out without using it. Here's what an inspection at the eleven month mark actually catches, and why it usually pays for itself many times over.

by Phillip McClain | Jan 8, 2026 | Home Inspection Notes

A lot of the homes I inspect around Ocala were built in the 60s, 70s, and early 80s. The bones are usually fine. The electrical is where things tend to get interesting.

by Phillip McClain | Dec 12, 2025 | Home Inspection Notes

Most home inspection reports are 60 to 100 pages long. They contain a lot of yellow and red icons. They use words like deficiency and recommend further evaluation. Here's how to actually read one.

by Phillip McClain | Nov 5, 2025 | Home Inspection Notes

Houses get prepped for sale. Carpets cleaned, walls touched up, that one ceiling stain finally painted over. None of it stops an inspector from finding the story underneath.

by Phillip McClain | Sep 9, 2025 | Home Inspection Notes

Some energy upgrades pay back in two years. Some never pay back at all. Florida homes have a specific list of things that actually move the needle. Here's what I'd put my own money on.

by Phillip McClain | Aug 6, 2025 | Home Inspection Notes

A burst pipe is dramatic. A slow leak is what really destroys a Florida house. Here's where I find them, what they look like before they're obvious, and the signs you can catch yourself.

by Phillip McClain | Jul 8, 2025 | Home Inspection Notes

You don't need to climb a ladder to spot most bad roof installs. Standing in the driveway with the right things to look at, you can usually see what's going on. Here's what I look for first.