The Complete Book of Home Inspection

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Summary: Errors Noted In The Content
Review: There are incorrect items written about in a number of the topics discussed in this book. When you buy a book you want to know you paid for correct advice and information. Some items were helpful but I wonder how many other issues are wrong that I didn't check into further.

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Summary: Superbly written and an informative companion.
Review: This book covers all the major components of home inspection. It is not so obvious by its content that it is intended primarily for the home buyer. I definitely recommend it to home inspectors as it is as good a reference as any of the books written for home inspectors. There are a lot of first-hand cases experienced by the author in lower New York that will give helpful inspection clues to buyers/inspectors. Unfortunately I do not consider the book the "bible" of home inspection. I have not yet come across such a book.. when I do I'll be sure to let you know (in its own review).

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Summary: contents ok.
Review: this book covers all the topics on home inspection, and its material is ok. except that there is no color pictures, all the photographs are black and white, some of them could be barely seen. that put me off a bit.

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Summary: A "MUST READ" for all Home Inspectors!
Review: This book is the premiere reference book for new Home Inspectors. The authors' knowledge is based on thousands of inspections. The layout and style of the book make it very easy to read and reference. There is a lifetime worth of valuable home inspection information at a very reasonable cost. MUST READ

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Summary: Covers it all
Review: This book provides a general description of all aspects of inspecting a home. Very easy to read. Don't expect a lot of technical jargon.

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Summary: An excellent book for the first time home buyer.
Review: This book thoroughly walks the reader through the home inspection procedure in a step-by-step fashion. It is definitely worth buying and reading. Some chapters, such as the one on wood-destroying insects, have much detail. Others have a bit less detail and would benefit from additional illustrations and text. The author focuses on safety and cost considerations in performing home inspections. Sometimes he is a little puritanical in championing safety considerations first, but it's hard to knock that. He gives many useful tips to the novice home inspector, for example on how to check septic systems for proper function. I've read this book once over and have reread some chapters. It deserves careful study of the individual chapters. I intend to carry the book with me when I look through prospective houses.

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Summary: Not a good reference book for home inspectors.
Review: We have a home inspection business and I read many books on real estate topics. This book was OK but certainly not worth recommending to our inspection clients. Some of the topics discussed are irrelevant to home inspections - such as mold! There were many topics lacking in the amount of information the author provided. Maybe if you don't know anything about houses or construction you might learn a little bit from this book. If you have a novice level of knowledge about house inspections then you should buy a different book since this book won't teach you anything new.