So You Want to Buy a House?

By Charles Myles Jr.

This book is a short easy-to-use guide that will take you through the basic process of home inspecting. This guide will show the new home buyer what to look for when viewing a property for sale. During this tour we will cover the main features and structures from the exterior to the interior, from the roof to the basement. The early stages of buying a home are the most difficult. Ill show you what to look for and what to expect as the process runs its course. This guide will save you time and money and give you the confidence youll need in the days to come as you strive to become a home owner.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: May 21, 2013
• ISBN: 9781466994867

Charles Myles Jr.

Charles Myles Jr. lives and practices home inspections in the state of Pennsylvania, USA. He is an associate member of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI). Charles has over thirty years’ combined experience in construction and the field of home inspecting.

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© Copyright 2013 Charles Myles Jr.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

isbn: 978-1-4669-9487-4 (sc)

isbn: 978-1-4669-9488-1 (hc)

isbn: 978-1-4669-9486-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013908983

Trafford rev. 05/15/2013

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CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1 Grounds

Chapter 2 Roof, Siding, Chimney, and Gutters

Chapter 3 Exterior Electric and AC Compressor

Chapter 4 Decks, Porches, Fencing, and the Garage

Chapter 5 Basement, Heater, and Hot-Water Tank

Chapter 6 Kitchen

Chapter 7 Windows and Doors

Chapter 8 The Main Body

Chapter 9 Bathrooms

Chapter 10 Conclusion

Introduction

I t’s no secret that owning a home gives people certain freedom and power that are not afforded to those who rent. There are pros and cons to be sure, but when you own property, you own a piece of the government, a piece of the state, and a piece of the neighborhood. Home ownership still remains an important fiber of American life. It’s as American as apple pie.

One of the primary causes for the recent housing market crisis was the fact that a good number of new homeowners did not fully understand what they were getting into. Some were misled into thinking that they could afford more than they could by greedy lenders. Others became prey to some unscrupulous real estate agents, and some were double-teamed by both.

These things have happened—and that’s a fact—but unlike random acts of crime and violence, those buyers bear a large part of the blame for what happened. Excluding those unfortunate victims of the recession who lost their jobs or saw their incomes reduced, they are guilty of underestimating the financial responsibilities of home ownership and not doing the proper research on the home before settling on it.

My hope is that if you’re reading this book, you have met all the criteria that are required before purchasing a home and you have carefully considered all the various responsibilities of home ownership and are ready to embrace them. But even if you’re in the early stages and are just out looking, this book will definitely provide you with some useful, easy-to-understand information.

I’m not going to bore you with hard-to-understand language and a bunch of technical jargon. I’m going to keep things simple and give you some basic information that