⭐ Certified Master Inspector
Certified Master Inspector
Sarasota & Manatee Home Inspections
Professional, thorough, customer-focused inspections with same-day reporting, so you can buy with total confidence.
Professional · Reliable · Experienced
Inspected Once, Inspected Right!
Sarasota & Manatee Home Inspections
Hello, I’m Michael Koester, CMI (Certified Master Inspector) & Founder of Direct Inspections. We are a professional, customer-focused home inspection company working in Sarasota & Manatee region. Our inspections include evaluation of the Roofing System, Air Conditioning, Electrical, Plumbing, Structure, Interior, Pool & Spa. As your trusted home inspector in Sarasota, we can also schedule an independent Termite Specialist & HVAC Professional upon request! Furthermore, we can provide contacts for special examinations including Mold, Dock & Davit, Elevator, Chinese Drywall and many more. Just ask!
Michael Koester, CMI, Owner
Direct Inspections
Professional · Reliable · Experienced
Inspected Once, Inspected Right!
Why Sarasota Homeowners choose Direct Inspections:
Certified Master Inspector, Less than 3% of Florida’s Inspectors achieve Master Inspector Certification
Board-Certified: InterNACHI Certified Professional
FLIR Thermal Imaging: Allows us to see what others can’t
Same Day Reporting: Direct Inspections reports are always issued same day!
One Source: Full Home Evaluation, Condo Inspections, Insurance Inspections
We Carry a SUPRA Key: Quick & Easy Access to locked homes
Local & Experienced: We’ve inspected every type, age and size dwelling.
Excellent communication & customer service!
Why Sarasota Homeowners choose Direct Inspections:
Certified Master Inspector, Less than 3% of Florida’s Inspectors achieve Master Inspector Certification
Board-Certified: InterNACHI Certified Professional
FLIR Thermal Imaging: Allows us to see what others can’t
Same Day Reporting: Direct Inspections reports are always issued same day!
One Source: Full Home Evaluation, Condo Inspections, Insurance Inspections
We Carry a SUPRA Key: Quick & Easy Access to locked homes
Local & Experienced: We’ve inspected every type, age and size dwelling.
Excellent communication & customer service!
Recent Notes & Observations
If you are buying an older home in the
Sarasota and Manatee region, it is important
to check the plumbing. Houses built in the
1950s through 1980s primarily used copper
for their water supply lines. Unfortunately,
copper lines are prone to developing pinhole
leaks. The exact cause of pinhole leaks is
difficult to pinpoint, however many attribute it
to aggressive water treatment procedures
which will degrade copper over time. As you
can see in the picture, these copper lines
are riddled with pinhole leaks. Fortunately,
these plumbing lines were running through
the attic and were visible. However in most
instances, the lines are run through the
concrete slab foundation and cannot be
seen. This is a complicated situation
because those pipes are not visible and
cannot be professionally assessed. There is
a possibility that one day you will develop a
series of leaks, areas of water coming up
through the flooring of your house. At that
point is best to replumb the house with a
newer type of plastic piping such as PEX or
CPVC.If you are purchasing a brand new home, you
would expect the interior ceilings to be
completely dry. The last thing you would
expect is an active moisture source making
your drywall ceiling wet. Recently, a home
buyer contacted us to inspect the roof of a
brand new home in Sarasota. As part of our
roof inspections, we go up on the roof, into
the attic and we also do a infrared scan of the
interior ceilings. Infrared (IR) is very cool
technology. While scanning the ceilings for
moisture, we came across a wet spot. We
confirmed the moisture using a pin probe
moisture meter. After that we went up in the
attic to look for the moisture source, which
turned out to be an HVAC refrigerant line
whose insulation had been torn. The line was
buried under 12 inches of blown insulation
and would never have been discovered in the
short-term. The builder of this home is an
excellent builder, but even so, hiring a
professional home inspector to inspect your
home helps to uncover defects that even
great builders can overlook. Michael Koester,
Lead Inspector Direct Inspections (T)
941-251-1000Here is a picture of a brand new air
conditioning condenser that was installed on
uneven ground. The HVAC condenser is
crooked which is a problem because
mechanical issues can develop as a result.
There are several problems with having an
unlevel air conditioning condenser. One issue
is that the rotating components including the
compressor itself and blower fan use
lubricated bearings. In order to prevent uneven
wear, these rotating components should be
as close to level as possible. Secondly, the
refrigerant that is being cooled by the
condenser needs to flow through the exterior
coils without unnecessary interference due to
a sloped unit. If you find that your air
conditioning system is sloped, it is better to
have an air conditioning company assess and
make the adjustment for you especially if the
system is older. Older or more brittle
components can develop damage when the
system is moved, possibly causing a
refrigerant leak.
Direct inspections includes a comprehensive
air conditioning inspection along with its home
inspection service. If you would like inspection
call Michael at 941-251-1000.Here is a picture of a Federal Pacific Stab-
Lok electrical panel. These panels were
installed in millions of homes between the
1950s and 1980s. These panels are
dangerous because the circuit breakers in
them can fail trip, causing overload
conditions and fires. Independent testing has
proven nearly one in three Federal Pacific
breakers are defective. If a breaker fails to
trip when it should, the home’s wiring may
catch on fire. If you have a Federal Pacific
Stab-Lok breaker panel in your home, it is
recommended that you immediately call an
electrician to have them evaluate the panel
four likely replacement. You may not see any
issues with the panel until it is too late. In the
course of our Sarasota home inspections,
we do see these panels on occasion so they
are still around. Be cautious.The Vue is a new condo development in
downtown Sarasota. Its location is hard to
miss. The building has sweeping views of
Sarasota Bay. We recently inspected one of
the condos for an occupant that had been
living there for close to a year. A handful of
issues had emerged over the course of the
year that the owners wanted repaired. One of
the issues was a leaking plate glass window
which had cause moisture damage to the
baseboards in one of the rooms. Home
buyers and homeowners alike can benefit
from a home inspection. In this case the
repairs will be done under their warranty
because their condo was not yet one year
old.Home buyers often call us asking if we do
newly-built home inspections. There’s often
a lack of certainty in their voice, unsure if a
home inspection is really needed on a new
home. The buyers often say they just have
“a feeling.” Here’s a great example of why
having a new home inspected is essential.
In the picture above, this Lakewood Ranch
home had the plumbing clean-out stack
broken off during the building process. The
horizontal drain line that runs out to the
county sewer was cracked and full of sand.
Because of this damage none of the
showers or tubs in the home or draining.If you are buying a home, you have likely
walked around the outside of the house.
Many homes in the Sarasota and Manatee
region have stucco cracking. It can be scary!
Why is the house cracking? Well, in nearly
every case it’s not as bad as you think. After
a home is built, it will settle on the building
site. The settlement is the natural way of the
house finding its level. Think of it as making
yourself comfortable in an armchair after you
sat down. This process is where most
stucco cracks come from. The home’s
stucco coating is not elastic and settlement
cracks will form along the settlement points.
It is generally advised to keep the cracks
sealed up with an outdoor grade caulking in
order to keep moisture from entering. That’s
typically all that needs to be done. There are
some cases where the cracks are more
extreme. Larger offsetting of sections of the
building or cracks that extend from the
outside to the inside of the home. In these
cases, extreme settlement is taking place.
These conditions should be reviewed further
by a structural engineer to determine what
repair are needed.You may be thinking about getting opening
protection for your home. Hurricane
protection comes in a variety of types and
prices. Today I wanted to show you fabric
screen protection. These impact-resistant
screens mount over your windows and
doors. They provide Florida-approved large
missile impact protection for your home.
They are simpler to install and put away then
rigid metal or plastic panels. One popular
brand is Armor Screen. In the case that your
windows do break, these Fabrics screen
have the ability to slow hurricane-force winds
down to tolerable speeds. Also they are
highly moisture-resistant, excellent at
shedding the majority of rain that is thrown
against them. An additional benefit to these
screens over metal shutters is that they are
semi-transparent. Metal shutters are opaque
and will generally blackout any rooms that
they are covering. If you are looking into
getting opening protection for your home, it is
highly recommended to explore the option of
fabric screens.When we find moisture staining, we do our
best to verify whether it is wet or dry. There
are several ways to achieve this. Often
times we use an infrared camera which will
allow us to see if the spot is cold, which can
indicate that it is wet. As a secondary
means of confirmation, we prefer to stab
the questionable staining with a pin probe
moisture meter. These types of moisture
meters have two pins that run a little
electrical current between them. The wetter
the material, the easier the flow of
electricity which the moisture meter will tell
you. The meter that I prefer to use is the
original GE Protimeter. It’s display goes
from green to yellow to red, indicating the
wetness of the material being tested. It is a
very good tool to know with absolute
certainty whether moisture is present or
not.Here is an infrared image of an air
conditioning supply vent that is right next to
the air conditioning return vent. The cooled
air is being sucked directly back into the
return, effectively making this setup useless.
Properly spacing air conditioning supply lines
away from any returns is important during
the design process of your HVAC installation.
As part of our home inspections, we always
perform a quality air conditioning inspection
on the home that you are purchasing.Here’s a situation in Sarasota that nobody
should have inside their electrical panel.
What you see here is double tapping of the
main service feed. This homeowner decided
to take the power directly from the main taps
rather than using a breaker. Breakers are
very important safety devices because they
shut off power when an unsafe amount of
current is drawn. However if you tap directly
off of the uncapped county electrical supply,
the amount of potential power is only limited
to what FPL can supply, which is way more
than you need or want.
If there is any electrical work that needs to
be done in your home, please contact a
licensed electrician to have the work
completed professionally. The situation
above is recklessly unsafe.If you’re having a wind mitigation inspection
done, one of the critical components the
inspector will look at are the hurricane straps.
Pictured here are hurricane clips which are
similar to straps. Insurance companies are
looking to certify that these components are in
place (they help to hold the roof on during
hurricane force winds). Additionally, insurance
companies would like to certify that there are
three nails in the hurricane straps or clips. As
you will see above, there are only two nails
present. Insurance companies view this
condition as a “nice try but no thanks.” This
homeowner will be best served to have a
contractor add a third nail. This will allow them
to receive an insurance discount.Long May You Run … Most air conditioning
systems generally last 10 to 15 years in
Florida. The closer you are to the coast, the
shorter those numbers become due to the
corrosive nature of the salt air. Every once
in a while we see an air conditioning
system that is defying all the odds.
Yesterday we came across a General
Electric air conditioning system that was 37
YEARS OLD. It was installed in 1981 and
was still running acceptably. The system
had an 18 degree temperature split which
is very respectable for a new system, let-
alone one that is 150 years old in human
years. That being said, almost every
component in that system showed
advanced age, wear and depreciation.
Nevertheless, it must be recognized that
General Electric produced some fantastic
central air conditioning systems before they
sold the division to Trane in 1982.Bulldog-Pushmatic electrical panel! These
panels were commonly installed in the
1950’s to 1960’s throughout the United
States. They are often found in older condo
developments on Siesta Key, Florida. They
have experienced a high level of
malfunction due to their age and antiquated
design. The breakers have operating
difficulty; it’s not always clear if the breaker
is on or off. Also they rely on lubrication of
internal components to function well.
Overtime these breakers malfunction
which results in a fire hazard. If you have
one of these panels in your home it is
recommended to contact an electrician to
have it replaced.Here is a picture of a damaged rooftop
plumbing vent. These vents are typically
made out of PVC plastic or cast iron. The
roofer will wrap the vent with soft pliable
lead during the roofing process. The
purpose of this wrap (flashing) is to keep
the area water tight. However, squirrels and
other wildlife like to chew on the lead
because it is sweet. These animals also
sharpen their teeth in the process. This
leads to many chewed on vents that require
repair. Without repair, water can get into
the attic and eventually damage the home’s
interior components.
What Clients Say
“I’m new to the Florida Market and used Direct Inspections for the home we planned on purchasing. Michael was very professional, polite, personable. and extremely thorough. He took the time to explain his findings and offered suggestions on mitigation during and after the inspection was complete. In addition, he used a Drone for the roof inspection. He also followed up the next day to make sure didn’t have any more questions/concerns. His report was completed that same day including pictures, and Wind Mitigation report, I highly recommend Direct Inspections and would look no further should we purchase another .property here in Florida.”
“Our realtor highly recommended Michael for our home inspection stating that he was very thorough so we went with him. I can totally see why he would recommend him for the job. Michael took his time looking everything over & checked things that no other home inspector that I have had has ever taken the time to check. Not only was he thorough but even cleaned up after himself when he was done with everything. Without a doubt, he would be the person I would call if we ever buy another home.”
“Purchased Condo in Sarasota from out of state – Direct Inspections completed our inspection while under contract! Impressed with their professional & well written reports! The attention to detail is next to none! Michael Koester was available at all times during the inspections process. He helped beyond the report by providing detailed information and professional advice before we finalized our purchase. This gave us a comfort in knowing what we were purchasing and helpful in our continued negotiating of a 2+ million condo. The inspection has been invaluable and worth every penny spent. Thank you, Michael for your professionalism, expert advice & detail knowledge of the industry. The passion in your line of work absolutely shows!! We 100% recommend Direct Inspections to anyone local or out of state looking to buy in FL!”
“Michael is the best of the best! A true leader in his profession. As a first time buyer for NEW construction, he was referred to me by my realtor and I couldn’t be happier from A to Z. Please note that just because you are purchasing a new home, it doesn’t mean there aren’t any issues. He checked all the boxes for me and I felt I had someone on my side. His report was very thorough and detailed (clear pictures including descriptions and if remediations were required); we went over the 50+ pages; he answered all my questions and educated me about the roof and more. He showed exemplary patience and customer service throughout the process. I highly recommend him and I plan to have him re-inspect the home before my one year warranty expires.”
Ready to Inspect With Confidence?
Call now to schedule your Sarasota or Manatee inspection, 8 AM to 8 PM, 7 days a week.
Map of Our Recent Inspections
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