A Field Guide · No. I · MMXXVI
You may be walking through a house without a way to read its roof, drainage, wiring, plumbing, and fresh paint. That leaves 84 commonly missed trouble spots to surface after the offer, when your leverage is gone.
This is not a home inspection, a code opinion, or permission to take apart a house. It is a field guide to the visible conditions and questions Raymond Keller documented over twenty-eight years of buyer inspections.
I · The math
This guide does not replace a licensed inspector. It gives you a better first read of the house before your inspection period and negotiation.
You notice a stain, a crack, a sloping yard, or a new patch of paint, then move on because you do not know what connects to what. The showing ends. The questions arrive later.
You move through the property in an order that makes sense: outside water first, then roof, structure, utilities, attic, and interior finishes. You leave with specific conditions to document and specific questions to put to the inspector or seller.
| Now | With the book | |
|---|---|---|
| At the curb | A quick look at siding and landscaping | A drainage, grading, roof-edge, and exterior-skin read |
| In the basement | A look for obvious leaks | A sequence for foundations, moisture clues, plumbing, electrical, and framing |
| At the panel | Guessing from labels and appearances | Hands-off warning signs to note for a qualified electrician |
| During a flip | Fresh paint reads as finished work | Corners, transitions, and mismatched repairs to question |
| After the showing | A vague concern you cannot explain | A documented question for the inspector, seller, or contractor |
The net gain is a written 84-item observation system before you commit to a house.
II · Inside the book
Thirteen chapters follow the order Raymond used to build a picture of a property: lot and drainage, roof, exterior, structure, basement or crawlspace, plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling, attic, interiors, renovations, reports, and walk-away arithmetic. Each section explains what can be seen, what it may indicate, and what deserves professional follow-up.
each method is a self-contained unit the reader can run alone
each method is a self-contained unit the reader can run alone
each method is a self-contained unit the reader can run alone
each method is a self-contained unit the reader can run alone
each method is a self-contained unit the reader can run alone
each method is a self-contained unit the reader can run alone
each method is a self-contained unit the reader can run alone
each method is a self-contained unit the reader can run alone
each method is a self-contained unit the reader can run alone
each method is a self-contained unit the reader can run alone
each method is a self-contained unit the reader can run alone
each method is a self-contained unit the reader can run alone
each method is a self-contained unit the reader can run alone
III · Who wrote it
IV · The offer
You are buying a repeatable way to read a house before the inspector arrives and before your questions become expensive afterthoughts. The guide puts the order of inspection, the visible clues, and the follow-up questions in one 152-page reference you can bring to a showing.
It begins earning its place at the first showing where a visible condition gives you a question worth asking.
What you get for $27:
A Field Guide · No. I · MMXXVI
A printable room-by-room checklist of the 84 items Raymond flagged most often in buyer inspections, organized by system and typical repair cost.
A two-page reference of the eleven excuses and deflections Raymond heard from contractors during re-inspections, with the honest translation of each and what it means for your timeline and budget.
Instant download · PDF · 152 pages
Published by Handover Books · secure checkout · your statement will show Handover Books
Read the guide and use the checklists for 30 days. If it does not give you a clearer way to evaluate a property and prepare for an inspection, request a refund within 30 days of purchase.
V · Questions
Because a showing moves quickly, and most buyers do not have a sequence for checking the conditions that deserve a second look. The guide gives you 13 chapters of that sequence, plus the printable 84-item checklist and contractor phrase reference included with your purchase.
Yes. Raymond's inspection work was in the Mid-Atlantic, but the guide covers common residential systems and visible conditions: grading, roofs, foundations, plumbing, electrical, heating, cooling, attics, and renovation work. Local codes, climate, and building practices still matter, so use qualified local professionals for conclusions.
No. It is not an inspection report and it does not diagnose defects. Use it to notice conditions, ask better questions, and decide what deserves attention from a qualified inspector or trade professional.
You receive an instant PDF download of the 152-page guide. The included checklist is designed to print, and the contractor phrase guide is a two-page reference.
You have 30 days to review it. If it does not give you a clearer framework for looking at a property, request a refund within that period.
A house can look finished and still leave a trail of visible clues. Read the clues in order, document what you see, and bring the right questions into the inspection period.
Get the guide · $27