The most critical error a person can make when buying a home is not truly looking at the home. Sure, we peer into the cupboards and measure the closet space and admire that beautiful, wonderful bay window. But what about storm drainage? Do we know where the next heavy rain is going to pool? What could have caused that little crack along the chimney and what is it going to do from here? How big a problem is that bulge in the retaining wall near the driveway?It is not the beautiful things in our homes that give us the most trouble and cost us the most money, but the mundane ones. Quite often the they are the hardest to see because we don't know what we're looking for.Eyes Wide Open shows you what to look for. In detail. It not only explains in layman's language floor structures and fireplaces, but illustrates every structural part of the house, both what it ought to look like and the tell-tale signs that can signal bigger problems. It explains the (literal) tools that you should always bring with you on a home tour and how and where to use them. It explains building codes, why they change, and how to insure your new house is compliant with them. It features checklists so you don't have to remember everything yourself. It also contains a full glossary of housing, finance, and structural terms so you not only know the right questions to ask, but can understand the answers and their implications.
This is an indispensable reference for those who are buying homes in the current market, where repossessions are common and the owners are not always available to answer questions. Written by a home inspector, Eyes Wide Open will teach the prospective buyer how to look at a home the way a structural engineer does: with an eye toward what problems can be expected and how they can be avoided before they occur. And just think how much more you'll enjoy that beautiful bay window when it doesn't overlook a flooded, washed out back yard.
Product Description
Just exactly how well built is that house for sale? In Eyes Wide Open, professional home inspector and author, Larry Wood, and his wife, Lisa, will help you answer that question and prepare you to take the lead in finding the right home and negotiating the best deal. The authors takes you, step by step, through every part of the house showing you how to identify potential problems and repairs; obtain financing, work with Realtors and much more. Loaded with photographs and illustrations, the authors explain, in layman terms, the many components and potential problems of a home. If you are purchasing or selling a home, give it a fresh look with Eyes Wide Open.
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