The Polybutylene Problem
I checked the water heater closet first. Sure enough, gray plastic pipes. Polybutylene. The plumbing material of choice for builders in the late 70s through mid-90s, and a known failure risk.
"Is that bad?" asked Marcus, one of my buyers, peering over my shoulder.
I explained the situation. Polybutylene pipes can fail without warning, often at the fittings. The material becomes brittle over time, especially when exposed to chlorine in municipal water. Jacksonville's water has chlorine. Every home with poly pipes will eventually need replumbing.
The question isn't if, it's when. And whether it happens while you're at work or while you're on vacation makes a big difference in the damage.
I estimated $8,000 to $12,000 to replumb the house with PEX. Not a small number for first-time buyers, but also not a reason to walk away if they factored it into their offer.
Original HVAC at 40 Years
The air handler in the garage had a manufacture date of 1985. The condenser outside matched. Forty years old.
Here's the thing about HVAC in Jacksonville: our systems work hard. Running 8-10 months a year, fighting humidity, cycling constantly. A well-maintained system might last 15-20 years. This one had lasted twice that.
It was running when I tested it. Cooling the house down. The temperature split was acceptable. But the unit was on borrowed time, and I said so in the report.
"The seller just had it serviced," Marcus's partner Jenna said, showing me a receipt from three months prior.
That's good maintenance, I told her. It's also not a guarantee. A 40-year-old system can fail next month or run another five years. You just can't predict it. Budget for replacement within the next few years.
What the Previous Owner Got Right
Not everything was deferred maintenance. The roof had been replaced in 2019, with architectural shingles rated for Florida's wind requirements. That's a $15,000-$20,000 item they wouldn't need to worry about for another 15-20 years.
The electrical panel was a 200-amp Square D, probably updated in the 90s based on the installation style. Clean, properly labeled, no signs of overheating. Good shape.
The windows were double-pane replacements, maybe 10 years old. Energy efficient and hurricane-rated.
Whoever owned this house before understood priorities. Roof, electrical, and windows are big-ticket items that also affect insurance rates. They'd invested there. They'd skipped on the plumbing and HVAC, which are easier to ignore until they fail.
Foundation Settling in Sandy Soil
Mandarin sits on sandy Florida soil. After 40 years, some settling is normal. I found a few diagonal cracks at window corners in the block foundation, consistent with minor differential settling.
The doors all operated smoothly. No sticking. The floors didn't slope noticeably. The cracks weren't fresh and hadn't been recently patched, suggesting they'd been stable for years.
I recommended a structural engineer verify, but my assessment was that this was typical age-related settling, not active foundation failure. In Jacksonville's soil conditions, you see this in most homes of this vintage.
The Inspection Summary
Marcus and Jenna bought the house. They negotiated $10,000 off the asking price, citing the polybutylene plumbing and aging HVAC. The seller, who'd inherited the property, accepted.
Six months later, Marcus emailed me a photo. They'd replumbed the whole house with PEX during a kitchen renovation, killing two birds with one stone. The HVAC was still running, but they'd set aside money for when it finally quit.
That's how it should work. The inspection finds the issues, you factor them into your decision and your budget, and you move forward with your eyes open. A 1980s Mandarin ranch has predictable concerns. None of them were deal-breakers for buyers who understood what they were getting.