Are there protections for me when buying a home?

Home Warranty is your best play here. You can even extend after a year with a few companies now. Also sometimes your utility companies offer a warranty options as well for a small monthly cost.

Yes, the FAR/BAR AS-IS contract -- which is the standard form used for almost every Florida resale -- has multiple protection windows built in for buyers. The three big ones are the inspection contingency, the financing contingency, and the title review period. In Hernando County and across the Nature Coast, the inspection window is typically 10 to 15 days from Effective Date, during which the buyer can cancel for any reason or no reason and recover their deposit. Financing contingency generally runs 30 to 45 days and protects the buyer if the loan is denied in writing. Florida also requires sellers to disclose known material defects that are not readily observable -- the Johnson v. Davis standard. What I would do in Spring Hill: use your inspection period aggressively, order a four-point and wind mitigation report early, and get title commitment review completed within the first week. Silence is not the same as safety. You have rights, but you have to exercise them inside the contract windows. The protections work if you use them. -- Kevin Neely & Kaitlynd Robbins | K2 Sells

Yes, but you have to build those protections into the deal upfront. For resale homes, your main protection is the inspection contingency. That gives you a window to find issues and either walk away or ask the seller to fix things or give you a credit. You can also ask for a home warranty for the first year. It won’t cover everything, but it can help with HVAC or appliances early on. For bigger concerns like mold or roof or HVAC, you can request special inspections or even have the seller service those systems before closing. With new construction, it’s more about the builder warranty. Most offer 1 year for workmanship, 2 years for systems, and longer for structure, but read the fine print. Not everything is covered. One thing people miss is insurance. Make sure your policy is solid from day one. You can’t eliminate risk, but you can reduce surprises by being thorough before you close. That’s where most of your protection comes from.

Yes—buyers actually have several layers of protection, and you can (and should) build more into your contract. First, rely on contingencies: a thorough home inspection contingency lets you negotiate repairs, credits, or walk away if issues like HVAC, roof, or mold are found, and you can add specialized inspections (HVAC, sewer, mold). Second, review seller disclosures carefully—sellers are legally required to disclose known defects, and failure to do so can give you recourse later. Third, ask for a home warranty (often 1 year) to cover major systems like HVAC, plumbing, and electrical—this is common in resale homes. For new construction, most builders provide a structured warranty (often 1-year workmanship, 2-year systems, 10-year structural), but read the fine print. You can also negotiate seller credits to build a repair reserve, request repairs before closing, or hold funds in escrow for unfinished items. Finally, make sure you have proper homeowners insurance in place from day one to cover unexpected damage.

There are protections you can put in place when buying a home, you just want to be proactive about them before you close. The first and most important step is your inspection period. Whether it’s a resale or new construction home, a thorough inspection can uncover issues with the HVAC, roof, plumbing, or even early signs of moisture or mold. If something comes up, you can ask the seller to make repairs, request a credit, or walk away altogether. One of the best ways to protect yourself, especially in that first year, is with a home warranty. Companies like American Home Shield or Choice Home Warranty offer plans that typically cover major systems like HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and appliances. Instead of being hit with a large unexpected expense, you’re usually just paying a service fee if something breaks. In many cases, I negotiate for the seller to pay for that first year, which gives you a nice safety net while you’re settling in. If you’re looking at new construction, most builders include warranties as well. Builders like Lennar and DR Horton commonly offer coverage that includes one year on workmanship, a couple of years on systems like HVAC and plumbing, and longer-term structural protection. That said, not everything is covered the way buyers assume, so it’s important to review those details carefully. Mold is one of those concerns you want to address before closing, because it’s typically not covered after the fact. You can add a mold inspection during your inspection period and request remediation or credits if anything shows up. At the end of the day, the combination of a solid inspection, a home warranty, and the right negotiation strategy can significantly reduce your risk and help you avoid major out-of-pocket expenses during those first couple of years.

Yes! Be sure to ask for a home warranty, detailed inspections, and repair credits at closing. For new builds, review the builder’s warranty closely. Also consider contingency clauses to protect against major issues early on.

Yeah, there are definitely ways to protect yourself—you just have to set it up before you close. On a resale home, your biggest protection is the inspection. You want a thorough inspection, and if anything big comes up like HVAC, roof, moisture, you either negotiate for repairs, ask for a credit, or walk away. You can also ask for a home warranty, which can help with things like HVAC in that first year, but just know those warranties are helpful, not perfect. On new construction, it’s a little different. Most builders include a warranty, usually one year for general items and longer for structural stuff. The key here is still doing your own inspection, even on a brand new home. Don’t assume it’s perfect. Now here’s the part people don’t always say. Once you close, most of the risk shifts to you. There’s no “undo” button if something fails unless it was intentionally hidden or there’s a specific warranty covering it. So the real strategy is this. Inspect hard, negotiate smart, and don’t stretch yourself so thin that one repair puts you in a bad spot. That’s how you protect yourself.

Short answer: yes—and this is exactly how you protect yourself from expensive surprises. You can’t eliminate every risk, but you can significantly reduce it with the right protections in place. 1. Inspection contingency (your biggest safeguard) This allows you to inspect the home and renegotiate, request repairs or credits, or walk away if major issues like HVAC, roof, or mold are found. 2. Home warranty You can often ask the seller to include a 1-year home warranty, which can help cover major systems if they fail after closing. 3. Seller disclosures Sellers must disclose known issues. Reviewing these carefully helps you catch red flags early. 4. Specialized inspections If needed, you can add inspections for things like mold, sewer lines, or structural concerns—especially important in older homes. 5. Appraisal and financing contingencies These protect you if the home doesn’t appraise or if your loan runs into issues. For new construction Protections look a little different: • Builder warranty (often 1–10 years depending on the item) • Final walkthrough + punch list before closing • Independent inspection (highly recommended—even for new builds) The bottom line The goal isn’t to avoid every issue—it’s to avoid costly surprises you didn’t see coming. As a REALTOR®, I always guide buyers to put the right protections in place upfront so they feel confident—not stressed—after closing.

First step would be getting a qualified inspector. Believe it or not builders are out to make money and some of the easiest money to be made is cutting corners. I often see more issues with new construction than existing. An inspection will only go so deep though as they won't be opening up walls and peeling back the siding so there items that they will potentially miss that is out of their control. There are several home warranty companies out there now that offer a later payout on potential issues in exchange for a set monthly payment amount. These run on the same idea as an extended car warranty and depending on which one you go with you will hear both good and bad experiences. Work with a qualified agent, one with contracting experience would be a plus. Lastly use caution with "freshly rehabbed" properties. It is easy to get distracted by all of the new and shiny on the surface and fail to see the truth hiding just below the surface...

This is a great question—and a smart one. The short answer is: yes, there are protections you can build in, but what you can realistically get depends a lot on whether you're in a buyer’s market or a seller’s market, and whether you’re purchasing resale vs. new construction. On an existing home; a Home Inspection Contingency is your biggest protection. It covers concerns like HVAC condition, mold, roof, electrical, etc. and allows you to negotiate repairs or credits or simple to walk away if the inspection reveals issues of concern. In a strong seller's market, the Seller will have the leverage and it may not be the best approach for negotiations. If items are small, move ahead and take care of them yourself. If a Buyer's market, you have more leverage to request repairs or credits. Credits are more appealing to seller's as they typically do not want to do the work. On new construction; You should have a Builder Warranty, a 1 yr warranty on workmanship and a 1-2 yr on your systems, HVAC electrical and plumbing as well as a structural warranty. Again do an inspection and a final walk thru inspection. This is important. Have a Punch List with you for you final walkthrough and document everything before closing. In a Buyer's market you have more leverage for repairs, credits or home warranty. Items should be completed or money to be put into escrow. I hope you find this helpful. Lori