Inspect Before You Buy: Insider Secrets You Need to Know About Home Inspection—With Companion CD-ROM
Home inspections are an important step in the home-buying process. Everyone agrees that you should use a home inspection service before buying a home. Home inspectors conduct a thorough examination of your home to detect any problems before you purchase. A detailed home inspection usually takes a few hours, and you get a written report.
But there are two problems: First, the cost — a good home inspection can cost several hundred dollars depending on the size of the house. Second, they are not flawless — mistakes are made. It is difficult to test everything in a house in just a couple of hours. No one will examine a house like the prospective owner.
Now you can be armed with the right information that can save a lot of money and time. Through explanations, the experiences of others, and dozens of forms and checklists you will learn all about foundations, floors, walls, paint, windows, decks, garage doors, roofing, flashings, chimneys, plumbing, piping, fixtures, faucets, water heating and fuel storage systems, pools and equipment, wiring, main service panels, conductors, switches, receptacles, heating, air conditioning and heat pumps, ceilings, floors, railings, doors, attics, kitchens, and bathrooms. In addition you will gain valuable information about septic systems, wells, water quality testing, mold, radon testing, asbestos, termites, carbon monoxide testing, and lead testing.
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Here is a review I posted at Amazon:
I’ve read and reviewed many real-estate investment books on Amazon.com, but I’ve never declared one among them to be truly indispensable: Charlie Rose’s Inspect Before You Buy is the first to earn that distinction.
The key to Inspect Before You Buy’s value is in the narrowness of its focus. It is not an all-inclusive “become a millionaire in real estate” guide. Rather, it is 200+ pages (242 including the invaluable checklists; 267 including all appendices) devoted to the all-important subject of home inspection, which is usually all but ignored by real estate “gurus” in their how-to books filled with fluff. After all, how can you possibly spot bargains without appreciating the structural integrity of a property? Should you trust an expensive property inspector on every property you consider buying? You can save a lot of time and money by learning how to spot problems early, and with this book, you’ll be able to. In fact, this book is detailed enough that a professional property inspection may not even be necessary.
I’ve read thousands of pages about getting into real estate, but the one thing that’s always held me back was my inability to properly evaluate a home from a property inspector’s point of view. With the information in this book, I will be ready to take the plunge into real estate investing when the time is right for my strategy.
Comment by J.D. Seagraves — September 28, 2007 @ 10:38 am
This is really a must have book -
If you are in the market for a new home, you need this book! Whether you are a first time home buyer or have been doing it for years, Inspect Before you Buy will provide you with detailed information on what you need to be looking for to prevent potential future costly repairs and problems before making your offer. Author Charlie Rose is extremely thorough in his approach to home inspection, covering not only the obvious (roof, electrical systems, plumbing), but other areas you may not realize could cause complications in future (grading and drainage, crawl space ventilation, propane tanks, decks).
Each chapter investigates a specific room or area of the house, moving logically from inside out, and also covers hidden dangers such as lead, radon and asbestos in the home. The language is very user-friendly and easy to understand. Rose also helps you identify variations in household accoutrements, such as windows (horizontal and vertical sliders, jalousie, casement, double hung, fixed, hopper and awning), shingles, attics and heating systems (who knew there were so many?) and even the different types of piping used in hot water systems. Notably, Rose doesn’t just focus on newer homes, but also gives abundant advice concerning older and historic residences, including the sorts of systems you might typically find, depending on the age of the house.
The appendices are chock full of great reference information. You get a variety of comprehensive checklists to take with you on your home buying trips – a tool that would have been invaluable to me when I recently bought a house. Instead of trying to remember everything you “should” be looking for, taking a copy of the checklists along will not only keep you organized, but allow you to compare “apples to apples” later on as you narrow your decision among the houses you have seen. Other appendices contain lists of common defects in major areas of the house and how to detect them, as well as an item-by-item listing of what you should and should not be seeing in items such as the propane tank, roof, landscaping and foundation. Finally, Rose includes an extensive glossary for any terms you aren’t already familiar with from reading the book - you’ll be speaking the jargon like a pro after you finish!
On a side note, besides getting an indispensable reference and immediately useful tool for your home buying ventures, the publisher is donating a portion of the profits of this book to the Humane Society of the United States in memory of their recently deceased “vice president of sunshine.” In purchasing this book, not only are you helping yourself become an expert in buying a great home that will bring you many years of happiness, you’re helping animals in the process – a win-win situation for all!
Comment by LM Cepluch — October 4, 2007 @ 6:52 pm
“Inspect Before You Buy” is not a replacement for a professional home inspector. On the contrary, it’s a thorough and straightforward guide to help you find the right home inspector and make sure he (or she) is doing a good job. Not only that, but it offers plenty of advice for your life as a home owner even after you’ve moved into your new abode.
Charlie Rose begins with the sage advice that it’s better to spend some extra money on a qualified and experienced home inspector before you buy, rather than suffer the consequences days, months or even years after you’ve signed the dotted line. “Inspect Before You Buy” is full of similarly useful tips, such as where and how to look for water seepage and signs of flooding, and it’s loaded with professional advice; for example, check all the power outlets, and inspect during the day and with flashlights to get the best light.
Charlie Rose covers every angle, form walls and windows to doors, siding and circuit breakers. His book also provides an indispensable set of checklists to make sure you don’t miss anything when you’re ready to get to work. I highly recommend this practical, user-friendly guide to approaching home-ownership.
Comment by Samantha Lemont — November 5, 2007 @ 9:25 am
This book will get your attention with the first sentence in the first chapter: “Inspecting for poisons and carcinogens may make the difference between life and death.” The chapter then proceeds to discuss asbestos, lead poisoning, radon, carbon monoxide and carbon monoxide and establishes one of the focuses for the entire book–safety. But this book is not just about how to have a safe home. Instead, its primary goal is to help the homeowner or the home inspector to take an in-depth look at every area of the home to find potential problems or concerns.
Chapter by chapter, the reader is taken through the entire house, looking at virtually everything from the floor joists in the basement or crawl space, to the quality of the walls, to the plumbing, to the kitchen sink. The reader is consistently asked throughout “does it work” and “does it leak?”
The inspector will find practical advice such as taking a light bulb to check all light fixtures, even the ones without bulbs. Furthermore, the appendices serve as both review and summary and cover everything from common house defects to inspections room by room.
In other words, this is a practical guide for taking a close look at every corner of the house. But in addition to helping find potential problems, you will also find solutions. For example, when talking about poorly vented attics, the author suggests two solutions: opening vents wider or installing a power vent.
Many times, these kinds of practical books may not look all that good, even if the content is valuable. This one is an exception. The information is good and so are high quality photographs which have been effectively placed throughout, usually at the end of each chapter along with a helpful tip.
If you own a home, plan to sell your home or work in the housing market, you will find this book an important one for your library. And if you are a home inspector or plan on going into this business, this book is an absolute must have.
Comment by Judy Miller — November 27, 2007 @ 7:08 pm
Did you know that state regulations prevent some home inspectors from moving, lifting or detaching anything even when they suspect a problem? Or that some real estate agents recommend friends to inspect a home and both parties benefit from the transaction? When you’re making the largest purchase of your life, you want not only a reliable home inspector but a detailed guide so nothing is overlooked or forgotten.
Written in a straightforward manner and divided in easily referenced chapters, this book includes chapter headings such as: asbestos, radon testing and other serious health and safety concerns, what and how to inspect inside a home, the kitchen, bathroom, basement, electrical wiring, plumbing, attic, heating/cooling, appliances, exterior doors/windows, siding and foundation. Each chapter is divided into subheadings that take the reader, step-by-step, through the same checklist a good inspector will have.
With sound advice on how to select an inspector, where to look for one, what to be cautious of, this book trains the reader on how to inspect a house as both a buyer and seller. Handy checklists can be copied and used during and after the inspection. It is also helpful in describing what to look for when house hunting to help narrow down selections. It’s a valuable maintenance resource to continue to use years after you’ve moved into your perfect, trouble free home.
Comment by L. Fiore — January 2, 2008 @ 2:57 pm
Buying a new home can be a mind-boggling task. So many things to consider, where to live, schools, financing, realtors, and the list goes on and on. One thing homeowners might overlook or brush to the side is a home inspection. However as author Charlie Rose reiterates in his book Inspect Before You Buy, a home inspection is one of the most important processes you should embark upon to safeguard your home.
This book provides specific details of what a home inspector should be checking for in your new home. And also what you should look for when it comes to a home inspector. This book not only focuses on issues of what might need repaired or is the house structurally sound, but it also focuses on issues such as does this house contain poisons or carcinogens that can harm your family.
From the windows to the basement, nothing is overlooked in this book. It provides the homeowner with valuable information so they aren’t left in the dark when it comes to the home inspection process.
Comment by Nikki Stiles — January 14, 2008 @ 10:53 am
For most of us, our home is our biggest financial investment. Given this, it seems logical that we’d want to know as much as possible about our investment so we can take the best care of it. That knowledge begins before a house is purchased with the home inspection that’s done as part of the buying process. But why depend on information from a second party? With Inspect Before You Buy at your side, you can do your own inspection and know a lot more about your home before you even move in.
The author takes you through every step of a home inspection, describes what you need to look for, from roof to foundation and everywhere in between, and provides detailed checklists for recording your findings. Also covered are the big concerns—asbestos, radon, lead paint, water quality—and how to identify and test for them.
Although the title positions this book as one to read before buying a house, it’s an equally valuable guide to the inspections a homeowner should do on a regular basis to make sure things are as they should be. “There’s always something,” is a frequent homeowner lament. Inspect Before You Buy can make it one that’s not often heard around your house.
Comment by Sonia Castleberry — January 30, 2008 @ 10:49 am
Inspect before you buy - Charlie Rose
Thinking of buying a house? With quite a few books on the market that deals with the subject, here is an A-Z guide that provides all the details you need to know before you sign on that dotted line. This handy manual examines the finer points of the inspection, not only from the basement to the attic, but does a virtual tour of the grounds to include the health of the lawn, pool, and also deals with pest infestation issues as well. It is so easy to miss some minor defects which could become major ones (costly too!) after the deal is concluded. This practical, easy-to-read guide includes a detailed checklist, and provides a formidable list of questions for the seller you’d hardly have thought of yourself! As a matter of fact, the manual is so thorough, I’d recommend you get it even if you’re thinking of selling, to gain an advantage over potential buyers, who just might have read this gem from cover to cover!
Comment by Kadene Porter — February 4, 2008 @ 2:58 pm
Inspect Before You Buy, is a must read by any potential homebuyer. Charlie has covered every nook and corner of inspecting a house to uncover what buyers need to know before buying. This guide would have saved me thousands of dollars in repairs to my previous homes. His simple terms and descriptions make the reading easy to understand.
Individuals considering selling their home will also benefit from this book. You will be able to learn exactly what homebuyers and inspectors look at during the inspection process. Simple fixes like changing out the front door could mean the difference between a potential sale or getting passed over for the next house.
If you are considering buying or selling a home, get this book. From the front yard, to under the house and everything in between…this book covers it all. It gives insightful tips like checking the kitchen sink water pressure to insuring the air conditioner is properly functioning. Inspect Before You Buy will be a permanent addition to my library.
Comment by Mrs Kim Kelly — February 13, 2008 @ 11:12 am