Homeowners insurance, wind mitigation and the 4-point

Why this page exists

The number that ends deals

Twenty years ago the homeowners insurance quote was an afterthought — a line item somebody handled in the last week before closing. It is not that any more. In Jacksonville today it is one of the two or three numbers most likely to end a transaction, and it is still the one buyers leave until last.

The mechanics are simple enough. A lender will not close without insurance in place. Carriers underwrite the house as hard as the lender underwrites you. And a house that a carrier does not want is a house you cannot finance, regardless of how much you like it.

Underwriting

What a Florida carrier is actually looking at

The report that saves money

Wind mitigation, and why it is worth doing on every house

Florida law requires insurers to offer premium discounts for construction features that make a home more resistant to windstorm damage. You do not get those discounts automatically — you get them by producing a wind mitigation inspection report, on the state's uniform form, showing that the features exist.

The report documents:

• Roof covering and whether it meets current code, evidenced by the permit date.
• Roof deck attachment — how the sheathing is fastened to the trusses.
• Roof-to-wall attachment — toe nails, clips, single wraps or double wraps. This is often the largest single credit.
• Roof geometry — a hip roof performs better in high wind than a gable and is credited accordingly.
• Secondary water resistance, a barrier under the roof covering.
• Opening protection — impact-rated windows and doors, or shutters, and whether the protection is complete.

The report typically costs between seventy-five and a hundred and fifty dollars standalone, and many local inspection companies bundle it with a full home inspection at no extra charge. On a newer home in particular it can be worth many times that in the first year alone. Get it on every purchase.

The report they demand

The 4-point, and how it differs

The 4-point is not for you. It is an underwriting document written for the carrier, covering the age and condition of four systems: roof, electrical, plumbing and HVAC. Carriers commonly require one before writing or renewing a policy on an older home — around thirty years is the usual trigger, though it varies by carrier.

The distinction matters because buyers routinely assume their home inspection covers it. It does not, unless you ordered it. And the 4-point can come back with a finding that costs you the policy even when the home inspection was unremarkable, because the two documents are asking different questions.

When it goes wrong

What to do when a house is hard to insure

1. Shop more than one carrier. Appetite varies enormously between companies and changes from year to year. An independent agent who writes with many carriers is worth more here than a captive one.
2. Price the fix. Sometimes the obstacle is a two-thousand-dollar panel replacement standing in front of a policy. Get a licensed contractor's quote and take it to the negotiation.
3. Ask about the roof specifically. A roof at the end of its life is often solvable through negotiation, because the seller has the same problem with the next buyer.
4. Understand Citizens. Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is Florida's insurer of last resort, with its own eligibility rules and its own inspection requirements. Ask a licensed agent whether it applies and what it would mean.
5. Reprice the whole deal. If the premium is two thousand dollars a year above what you assumed, that is real money against the payment, and it belongs in the price conversation.
6. Be willing to walk. This is the hardest and most valuable option, and it only exists while your inspection period is open.

Separate policy

Flood is not homeowners insurance

Standard homeowners policies in Florida do not cover flood. Flood is a separate policy, and if the property is in a Special Flood Hazard Area and you have a federally backed mortgage, it is a requirement rather than a choice.

Two things worth knowing. First, the premium goes into your debt-to-income ratio, so it directly affects what you can qualify for. Second, plenty of Jacksonville flooding happens outside mapped flood zones — being in an X zone means flood insurance is optional, not that water cannot reach the house. There is more detail on my flood zones page.

How to run it

The order to do all of this in

1. Day one of the inspection period: book the home inspection, and ask for wind mitigation and the 4-point at the same visit.
2. Same week: give an insurance agent the address, the roof age and the year built, and ask for a preliminary quote.
3. As soon as the reports land: send the wind mitigation and 4-point to the agent and get a firm quote.
4. Then negotiate, with the inspection findings and the insurance reality in the same conversation.
5. Before the period closes: decide. Proceed, renegotiate, or withdraw.

There is more on the inspection itself, including what it costs, on my home inspection guide, and a directory of licensed local inspection companies on the inspector page.