Do You Perform “4-Point” Inspections?

In some parts of the country (not San Antonio), inspectors frequently perform a much quicker, simpler inspection known as the “four-point” inspection. The 4-point inspection is known as such because it only focuses on:

• The Roof
• The Air-Conditioning System
• The Plumbing System
• The Electrical System

This creates a much quicker and more compact inspection that is primarily used by home insurance companies to estimate premiums and coverage. This home inspection takes less time to perform and is narrower in scope than a TREC standard home inspection and as such is often cheaper to perform in the areas its used in compared to a full-service home inspection. Some notable exclusions to a 4-point home inspection include: the foundation, insulation, windows, doors, drainage around the house, gutters, appliances as well as identifying water penetration and in some cases, wood-destroying insects.

If a “Four-Point” Inspection is Cheaper and Faster, Why Doesn’t Everybody Do It?

Because in the State of Texas, if the home is the subject of a real estate transaction (i.e. being bought or sold), home inspectors are REQUIRED to apply the entire TREC Standards of Practice to the home. That means that in the San Antonio and New Braunfels area, if you’re buying a home, you are getting a full-fledged home inspection or no home inspection at all. This is to ensure that a home buyer is getting the full picture of the home they are purchasing, including many important systems and components that would otherwise not be present in the 4-point inspection.

Otherwise, you run into an issue where some inspectors are offering 4-point inspections at a cheaper rate than inspectors offering full home inspections, and less diligent or unknowing buyers may be fooled into hiring them to perform a worse inspection than they would have actually prefered.

In summary, Ensure Home Inspections does not perform “four-point” inspections, and neither most other home inspectors in Texas, but if you live in Florida, you may have that option. We still recommend you go with a full-service home inspection.