My Home Inspector Said I Need a WDO Inspection Before Closing in Spring Hill. Is That Different From a Regular Inspection?
You thought you were done with inspections. You scheduled the home inspection, you got through it and now your home inspector or your real estate agent is telling you that you still need a WDO inspection before you can close. You are wondering if this is something your home inspector should have just included or if it is actually a separate thing that requires a separate appointment and a separate fee.
It is completely separate and your home inspector could not have done it even if they wanted to.
Two Different Inspections Covering Two Different Things
A general home inspection covers the mechanical and structural systems of the home. The roof, the HVAC, the plumbing, the electrical, the foundation, the windows, the doors. Your home inspector is looking at how everything functions and whether there are any visible defects or safety concerns with the systems in the home. They are a generalist looking at everything.
A WDO inspection is a licensed inspection performed by a licensed pest control professional looking specifically for evidence of wood destroying organisms. Termites, wood boring beetles and wood decaying fungi. That is it. Nothing else. The WDO inspector is not evaluating your HVAC or your roof condition. They are walking the home with a trained eye looking specifically for the signs that wood destroying organisms leave behind. Mud tubes on the foundation. Soft or hollow wood in baseboards and door frames. Evidence of beetle exit holes in wood framing. Moisture conditions that support wood decay.
Florida law requires that WDO inspections be performed by a licensed pest control operator and documented on the official Florida Department of Agriculture WDO inspection form. A general home inspector cannot legally perform or certify a WDO inspection in Florida regardless of their experience or qualifications.
Why You Need Both
The general home inspection and the WDO inspection complement each other but neither replaces the other. Your home inspector might notice soft wood somewhere and flag it as a concern but they cannot tell you whether it was caused by termites or moisture and they cannot certify the finding on a legal document that satisfies your lender. The WDO inspector can.
On the other side your WDO inspector is not going to evaluate whether your water heater is at end of life or whether the electrical panel needs to be updated. Those are outside their scope entirely.
Both inspections are standard parts of a real estate transaction in Spring Hill and throughout Hernando County. If your home inspector told you to get a WDO inspection they were doing you a favor by making sure you do not skip a step that could either delay your closing or leave you with an undisclosed termite problem after you take ownership.
How Long It Takes and What You Get
A WDO inspection of a typical Spring Hill home takes between 45 minutes and an hour depending on the size of the home and how accessible the attic and other areas are. You get the completed official Florida WDO inspection report the same day or the following business day. That report goes to your lender, your real estate agent and your closing agent and satisfies the WDO requirement for your transaction.
If the inspection finds evidence of wood destroying organisms the report documents what was found and where. If it comes back clean the report documents that no evidence was found at the time of inspection. Either way you have the official documentation your transaction requires.
How to Get It Scheduled Fast
Real estate closings in Spring Hill move on tight timelines and a WDO inspection that gets delayed can push your closing date. Call us as soon as you know you need the inspection. We work around closing timelines and can usually get out to the property quickly to keep your transaction on schedule. Our licensed WDO inspectors in Spring Hill complete the official Florida state form and deliver fast so your closing keeps moving.