The Restoration Revolution Podcast

The Inspector's Eye: Avoiding Money Pits and Insurance Nightmares

• Chad Mallonee • Episode 16

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Why Is It So Important To Hire An Unbiased, Experienced Home Inspector? 

Ever wondered what lurks behind that fresh coat of paint in your dream home? In this eye-opening conversation with Michael Donahue of A&M Home Inspections, we peel back the layers of Florida's unique housing market to reveal critical insights every property owner needs to know.

Michael brings over 30 years of building science expertise to our discussion, drawing from thousands of inspections across the Treasure Coast. He explains why hiring an unbiased inspector who works exclusively for you—not your realtor—is the single most important decision you can make when purchasing or insuring a property. "We're there working for you, our client," Michael emphasizes, highlighting how this independence allows qualified inspectors to provide honest assessments without pressure to downplay potentially expensive issues.

The conversation takes a particularly relevant turn when addressing Florida's current roofing crisis. Those replacement roofs installed after the hurricanes of the early 2000s are now approaching or exceeding 20 years of age, creating perfect storm conditions for both insurance challenges and unexpected expenses. Michael shares remarkable stories of clients who either walked away from money pits or successfully negotiated major repairs after receiving detailed inspection reports. As he aptly puts it, "great work isn't cheap and cheap work isn't great"—a philosophy that has saved countless homebuyers from making six-figure mistakes.

Whether you're a first-time homebuyer, a seasoned investor, or simply trying to maintain appropriate insurance coverage on your existing property, this episode delivers actionable wisdom that could save you thousands. Discover why establishing a relationship with a qualified inspector isn't just about one transaction, but about creating a resource for the entire lifecycle of your home. Ready to see beyond the staging and protect your investment? This conversation is your essential first step.

To learn more about Hazard Clean Restoration visit:
https://hazardclean.net/
Hazard Clean Restoration
772-259-5018

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Restoration Revolution podcast, where we help restore hope and put your family on the road to recovery, one episode at a time. Here's your host and owner of Hazard Clean Restoration, chad Melody.

Speaker 2:

So welcome back to another episode of the Restoration Revolution, where we dive into essential conversations that homeowners and business owners need to hear. I'm your host, chad Maloney, with Hazard Clean Restoration. Today's guest is someone whose knowledge of Florida homes is second to none. Please welcome Mike Donahue of A&M Home Inspections. Based out of Port St Lucie, florida.

Speaker 2:

Michael is a state-licensed home and mold inspector who's been serving the Treasure Coast for over 30 years. His experience spans three decades of building science, property evaluation and helping homeowners make informed decisions. Whether you're buying, selling, renewing your insurance or just want peace of mind, michael's insights into property inspection are vital. Michael, thanks for joining us today. Hello, chad, thanks for having me on Great to be here. I'm definitely excited to have you on today and when we were trying to prepare for this podcast, I just kept coming back to you know, when it comes to you know someone buying a home or getting approved for insurance. Why is it important to hire an unbiased or an experienced home inspector? Because I always see things about home inspectors out there in the community and I think the average homeowner they could gain a lot of insight from your knowledge.

Speaker 3:

Sure, sure, that's a great question. Um, you know we get a lot of insight and feedback from clientele after our inspections that how they didn't see the big picture before even entering into the process of buying a home, for example. You would get in there not knowing what we really do and what we dig and dive deep into. And hiring someone unbiased, you avoid a conflict of interest. We're there working for you, our client, whether it be for the home purchase or for an insurance renewal or something like that, it doesn't matter. Unbiased inspectors need to be working for you and your potential of spending or costly hazards that could come down the road from not taking care of your home or buying something that is a money pit. So when someone's working for you, they're not working for the realtor.

Speaker 3:

You know, sometimes we want you might hear, oh, we just got to get this deal through, you know, we just got to make it happen, and that's not really what you want to have an inspector doing for you, Walking around biased or with one eye open, maybe turning a blind eye to something that may or may not be as big an issue up on the surface, but then down the road you're paying for a new roof, for example, and things like that. So common issues like roof age, big, big problems. That hinders things on the purchasing side and the insurance side both. So there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes and is. Hiring the right inspector really helps you get through the process because they do it right the first time you know getting it right, right for the insurance.

Speaker 3:

That's what they want to see. They don't want to come back and say, oh well, this was wrong on the report or that, and so yeah, hiring someone with experience and really has your back, it's vital. You can't go wrong. Sometimes you'll hear oh, I can do it cheaper or I find that cheapest inspector I can find.

Speaker 3:

That's really really a bad, bad way to go. You're paying for someone's professional experience and should always keep that in mind. So hiring the best inspector for you, the one that you can connect with and have good dialogue with before and after the inspections. It's vital and we're here for that. That's part of our service. Just because we helped you close on the home and we found you a nice home, we're here for you. Service and support're always here.

Speaker 2:

Give us a call, email, whatever it takes you know we're here, send smoke signals, exactly lots of ways to get in touch with you. Yes, you know, and yeah, you talked about what is the the line? That great work isn't cheap and cheap work isn't great. So uh, just falls into that category.

Speaker 3:

you know inspectors and you'll hear it sometimes too and unfortunately it comes sometimes from realtors as well as say oh, I've got a cheaper inspector for you, or something like that. Maybe not always the best bet, you know. Or just do your due diligence and check, check on things, do some research and make sure that the company vibes with you and your interests.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, and make sure that the company vibes with you and your interests. Make sure the person you're hiring you vibe with and you trust them and have a good relationship with them.

Speaker 3:

Absolutely, absolutely. We build a bond with all our clients. Part of what we like to do here is in our team and making new friends and people that we'll always be in contact with or in the life of their home, sometimes Exactly.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, have you seen cases where a proper inspection actually helped a homeowner either renegotiate or walk away from maybe it was a bad investment?

Speaker 3:

Oh, absolutely, it happens quite often, not that we're going in to ruin a deal for any realtor or anything like that.

Speaker 3:

But when a home has a serious deficiency, that is a high dollar type item. That's our big topics are safety and high dollar items to prevent you from buying a money pit. So, yes, I just recently had a client who it was not the best option for that home and so they decided to, you know, walk away from that one and move on and find a better home for them. You know every every buyer, for example, is a little different. Some have intention of coming in and working on the home, some of them want to do a little fix up, some of them want to turn key. Each one is different.

Speaker 3:

So knowing your limits and your boundaries there is important, and our detailed reports really help you get an idea of the big picture of the home. Is it really going to hold up in the long run? Has it been maintained properly? And so, yeah, those telltale signs. I'll find things where you know fresh coat of paint. Why was this painted all of a sudden? You know things you want to hope everyone's got the best integrity when they're trying to sell their home but at the same time they're polishing it up to sell, you know. So sometimes you've got to be keen on some of the hidden tricks here and there.

Speaker 3:

They go on behind the scenes when people are selling a home. But overall it happens pretty regular when we find big topics like if roofs are the big thing these days because of the age of the homes, and here in the Treasure Coast, when the hurricanes passed through in the early 2000s, all those roofs now are over 20 years old and it's time for another new roof for many of them.

Speaker 2:

so, and that comes up in insurance and these purchases that are taking place out there in the market right now and it is a big topic for roofing, you know as a deficiency I mean, it sounds like you know when you're hiring a home inspector, you really need to hire someone that tells you you know what you need to hear, not necessarily what you want to hear correct yes, it can turn out that way sometimes, okay.

Speaker 3:

Okay, you always have to have the good and the bad, no matter what. So, as long as you're prepared and you get real facts and real, real information on the property that you're looking at, you know you want to have all the details and it helps your negotiating. That's our big key too is your negotiating factor where, if I found that the roof is only has a couple of years life left it, okay, now you've got some more wiggle room to make that deal happen a little bit more in your favor. It is very common for us to have that scenario go on. Our reports give all our clients a great information to work with and negotiate, and we've seen it. I've seen new roofs come out of the deal. You know I've seen a lot of stuff take place just because of having a proper home inspector and the proper inspection done.

Speaker 2:

Well, thanks, michael, and to our listeners. If you're in the Treasure Coast area and you want to get ahead of costly repairs or to make sure your insurance inspection is rock solid, don't hesitate to reach out to Michael and team at A&M Home Inspections. You can find them at wwwanmhomeinspectionscom and, as always, if you found today's conversations valuable, make sure to subscribe, leave us a review and share this episode with someone who could benefit. I'm Chad Maloney with Hazard Clean Restoration, and you've been listening to the Restoration Revolution, where we turn chaos into clarity, one episode at a time. Until next time, stay informed, stay prepared and stay safe. Bye, everyone.

Speaker 1:

Thanks, Chad. Thanks for listening to the Restoration Revolution podcast, where recovery starts here. Let us help put your family on the road to recovery. Go to hazardcleannet or call 772-259-5018. That's 772-259-5018.