Field notes: real findings, explained.
Straight from actual Jacksonville-area inspections — what we found, why it happens here, and what it means for you. No fear-mongering, no wall of jargon.
All field notes
The family room floor shows visible termite damage to the wood covering
Termite damage was visible in the family room's wood floor covering — here's what buyers should know.
The water heater's safety valve has a discharge pipe that runs upward before it exits
A relief-valve pipe routed against gravity was noted at the water heater.
Stepped cracks in the brick veneer span from the front corner across a window and up to the roofline
Brick cracks at the front and rear right sides of the home were wide enough to allow water entry.
The garage-to-house door is missing its threshold
No threshold was in place at the door connecting the garage to the home's interior.
The outlet behind the range sits where you can't easily reach it — and that affects the safety bracket too
One outlet placement is doing double duty as a problem — blocking easy access and interfering with the range's anti-tip bracket.
The chimney doesn't clear the roof by the margin the industry standard calls for
An inspector flagged the chimney height against a standard industry benchmark.
A closet light is wired with an extension cord and sits close to the shelf where things get stored
A closet light fixture was close to the storage shelf and connected with an extension cord rather than fixed wiring.
Cuts visible on roof shingles
Visible cuts on roof shingles caught the inspector's eye on this roof.
The exhaust vents in this attic discharge into the attic instead of outside
Exhaust vents were found releasing air into the attic rather than to the exterior.
Elevated moisture showed up inside a bedroom wall below a window — here's what that means for you
High moisture readings inside a bedroom wall — and clues on the brick outside — deserve a closer look before closing.
The fasteners holding the roof-to-wall connectors in place appear to be the wrong type for the job
The roof-to-wall connectors were fastened with screws that appear inconsistent with structural requirements.
A supporting beam was drilled to run a drain line through it
A structural beam was drilled for a drain line, raising questions about its load-bearing capacity.
The garage door sensors are mounted higher than the recommended maximum of 6 inches above the floor.
Garage door sensors were found above the recommended mounting height.
The back-door landings are too shallow to let the doors swing open safely
Entry landings don't give outswing doors enough room to open without making you step back onto a lower surface.
A decommissioned water heater was found sitting in the attic above the living area
An abandoned water heater tank was found in the attic space above the living area.
The chimney flue has displaced liner sections and no rain cap or spark arrester
A chimney inspection found displaced liner joints and a missing rain cap at the flue opening.
Scorched wiring in the garage needs an electrician's eyes before you close
Scorched Romex in the garage, worst at the staple points, warrants a licensed electrician's review.
A section of roof shingles shows cut damage to the surface
Cut marks on a section of roof shingles need a roofer's attention.
Cracked tiles and open grout joints on an upstairs bathroom floor caught our attention
A pattern of tile cracks and an unlevel surface in an upstairs bathroom is worth a closer look from a structural professional.
The hall bathroom walls are holding more moisture than they should
Elevated moisture showed up in the hall bathroom walls during inspection.
The dryer duct ends inside the attic instead of at the roof vent
Dryer exhaust was discharging into the attic, with visible lint buildup on attic surfaces.
A floor joist was notched for plumbing and the repair next to it was fastened with the wrong kind of screws
The sistering looks right at a glance, but the fasteners holding it aren't up to the job.
The service door has a deadbolt that needs a key to open from the inside
One door lock needs a key to exit from the inside—worth a closer look before you move in.
The patio steps have uneven riser heights, no handrail, and a screen porch door that swings open over the top step
Patio steps need a handrail, a landing, and consistent riser heights.
Two burners on the kitchen gas range need attention before the stove is used again
The kitchen gas range had two burner issues that a technician should evaluate.
The roof decking felt soft where this unit meets the one next door
A soft spot in the roof decking at the joint between units is worth a closer look before you close.
The screen enclosure has damaged framing, and the super gutter above it is missing support and a downspout.
Missing framing and no downspout leave the rear enclosure's water-collection gutter unsupported.
The insulated sleeve where the utility lines meet the house shows visible damage
Damage to the insulated collar at the utility connection point was observed.
One roof brace is cracked, and several others are built from lumber that's on the light side for the job
A cracked brace and some slender lumber in the roof structure are worth a closer look from a structural pro.
The primary bedroom's exterior walls showed elevated moisture readings confirmed by two meters, with plaster crumbling at the probe and rot visible at the window trim — all hidden behind intact wallpaper
Elevated moisture and concealed plaster deterioration were found behind intact wallpaper in the primary bedroom.
Staining on the screen porch ceiling points to water working through the balcony floor above
Staining at the screen porch ceiling suggests water is getting into the balcony floor system overhead.
The firewall between dwelling units showed gaps when viewed from the attic
Gaps in the shared firewall were visible from the attic space.
Scorched wiring insulation was observed in the attic above the main living area
Burn marks on attic wiring flagged as a major electrical finding.
Scorching and charred wood were observed at a flexible conduit connection in the basement
Heat damage at a basement electrical connection point is a major finding worth prompt attention.
The family room fireplace has a gas log set, but the chimney above appears sealed with no clear venting path for combustion gases.
Gas logs were observed in a fireplace whose chimney appeared sealed at the roof, with no CO alarm in the room.
The bulkhead shows erosion, backing fasteners, and wood splitting along the grain
Erosion and wood deterioration were observed at the bulkhead.
The roof shingles are showing advanced wear that warrants a contractor evaluation before closing
The roof covering showed signs of aging significant enough to warrant a professional assessment.
A vent pipe at the side of the house points to a possible underground fuel tank that needs professional evaluation.
A vent pipe at grade level is a sign a buried fuel tank may be on the property.
The wires in the attic had burn marks
Scorch marks mean a circuit already ran hot — the warning you only get once it matters.
The water heater was out of service. The power to it wasn't.
A forgotten attic tank, still wired live and quietly heating water nobody uses.
The AC was running. It just wasn't cooling much.
Why we measure the temperature split instead of settling for “the AC turned on.”
A deadbolt that needs a key from the inside, too
Secure — until you need to get out. Why we flag them, and the one-hour fix.
Discoloration on the floor, moisture at the baseboard
Reading the early signs — telling active trouble from an old, dried-out stain.
Your AC still runs on R-22?
It can run fine today and still be a real cost you should see coming.
When shingles age faster than they should
What premature wear looks like — and what attic ventilation has to do with it.
“Aluminum wiring, remediated”
The phrase that should raise a question before it closes one.
Two wires, one screw: the double-tapped neutral
A small, common, genuinely fixable safety finding at the panel.
Rust blistering on a cast iron drain line
How worried you should actually be when the old pipe starts to show its age.
A 19-year-old water heater and lukewarm taps
What the age of the unit alone already tells you.
The corner of the bulkhead is where the trouble starts
Soil settling and erosion at a bulkhead corner — why it shows up there first.
Cloth-jacketed wiring: old-looking isn't the same as unsafe
What actually matters about mid-century cloth-braided branch wiring.
That staining under the balcony is a drainage story
A failed floor-to-wall edge detail, not just a cosmetic stain.
A nail driven too deep can cost more than the nail gun saved
Overdriven fasteners in fiber cement siding — an easy-to-miss install defect.
Where does your dryer vent actually go?
Ours ended in the attic — a quick check with an outsized payoff.
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