What to Read? … What to Read?

Thank you Amazon for the picture

“Home inspectors should provide the reality check that almost every buyer needs. They help you look beyond the surfaces of the house you’re considering. They tell you about the condition of the plumbing, the electrical system, the structure, the foundation, the windows, the roof…you get the picture. They can tell you the age of the house, and they can spot renovations that have been done—and how well. When they point out problems, they can explain why one problem might be safely overlooked for the time being but why another is serious and will need attention right away. They will show you the relatively cheap fixes and the ones that will cost you a lot of money to make it right. That’s important information when you’re calculating how much you’re willing to pay for a house.”

Well now, for those of you like me who have NO CLUE as to what get our dear old dad’s for Father’s Day this June 15, 2008, might I suggest The Holmes Inspection written by the most wonderful Mike Holmes.

Mike Holmes is on a mission. Now that he’s helped Canadian home renovators with his mega-selling Make It Right, Canada’s most trusted contractor offers his expertise and passion for excellence to anyone with plans to sell or buy a home. In The Holmes Inspection, Mike shows us how to sell smart and buy smart so there’ll be no surprises when it comes to the single largest investment most of us will ever make.

Homebuyers today are in a bind. Before signing on the dotted line and handing over their hard-earned cash, they need advice about the product itself: the house they’ve got their eye on. But to get that good advice, says Holmes, it often takes more than a single call to a “professional” home inspector. Mike tells readers what a home inspector can and can’t do, and what options are open to prospective homebuyers who need to know what they’re getting. Holmes deconstructs the often mystifying and downright scary process of buying and selling a house, walking readers through, into and around the average house so they can see past the tasteful, neutral decorating scheme.

Using real case studies, “red flag” sidebars and hundreds of photographs, The Holmes Inspection shows readers how to spot problems that could be expensive or even catastrophic, giving them the information they need to judge a house wisely. From the mechanicals (furnace, electrical and plumbing) to the “envelope” (floors, walls, doors and windows) to issues of location and siting, this book alerts readers to the ugly realities behind the “lipstick and mascara” that many vendors use to cover up problems when selling their homes.

This is great for those of us who are first time buyers; or even if you have gone through the troubles of buying a home before and it will make a great gift for Dad; now all I need to do is wrap it. Too bad the book doesn’t come with Mike Holmes himself.

Happy Reading

Sarah