Home Inspection Troubleshooter [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

by Robert Irwin (Author) "WHEN you inspect a home, time should not be of the essence..." (more)
Key Phrases: peripheral foundation, safety pressure valve, earthquake retrofitting, Troubleshooter's Guide, One-Hour Inspection Checklist, Seller's Disclosure Statement (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
If you're buying or selling a home, consult this troubleshooter's inspection guide first: it provides many hands-on and professional advice on how to hire and work with a home inspector or do some of the work yourself, from conducting a full-house investigation to evaluating various home systems. -- Midwest Book Review

Product Description

If you're about to buy or sell a home, having it inspected first can save you time and money.
The Home Inspection Troubleshooter can help you quickly determine if your house is in shape, and if not, what to do about it. Written in factual, entertaining style, this book is the key to understanding the home inspection process. It is a must read for sellers, buyers, and landlords who need to detect problems before they become expensive.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Kaplan Business; illustrated edition edition (November 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0793110912
• ISBN-13: 978-0793110919
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #494,243 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Home Inspection Troubleshooter, November 29, 2000

By	"jhillan" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

The book provided great hints and advice to a variety of specific home inspection subjects. The book by itself is not or intended as a full do it yourself guide. I purchased this book as a reference and to get additional insight and ideas.

I found it easy to read and very enjoyable.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Home Inspecton Troubleshooter, January 23, 2004

By A Customer

This is a great book for prospective homeowners to have not just prior to, and during the home inspection (which, by the way, they should always attend), but before an offer is even made on a property. What I liked most about this book is its organization. Chapter One is a "one-hour" home inspection... a handy checklist of things to look for and a great tool for buyers to use during the looking stage, before they fall in love with a home or property. Not being a contractor or construction expert, I can't vouch for the accuracy of the content, but there is plenty of great information here to raise the necessary red flags at the very first go-through or during the inspection.

As a new real estate agent, I plan on recommending this book to all my clients as a valuable tool for the looking, pre-inspection, inspection stages, when they are doing due diligence prior to signing off on the Agreement of Sale. Rather than being afraid of so-called "deal killers", as many agents are, I believe in arming my clients with the information they need to make intelligent, informed choices in purchasing their property, as any reputable agent should.

I own 2 copies of this book...one is at home and one is at the office...just in case. And, I never loan them out. Buy it, read it, hi-lite it, speak up and and ask questions, and you should have nothing to worry about.
It even has a home maintenance checklist of things to stay on top of after you've moved in.
I hope Robert Irwin has plans to update this edition, and keep writing new edditions so that we can count on having this valuable reference around for a long time.

4.0 out of 5 stars Very useful for introduction to home inspection, July 14, 2006

By	CiC "HOMEBUYER" (Chevy Chase, MD USA) - See all my reviews

We bought this book 2 days before we did a home inspection of our new house. We hired an inspector, but wanted to know more in order to understand the whole process and have questions for the inspector. We didn't have time to read the whole book, but it did provide us with excellent information about what to look for. I would definitively recommend it for anybody in similar circumstances.