Buying a resale home is a lot of work. You'll often have to wade through dozens of seemingly bad places offered at high prices and still get no closer to a purchase. The process can be tiring, discouraging and you'll typically be making a big decision with limited knowledge. One thing you can do is arm yourself with technical insights that let you discern between deal-breaking problems and deficiencies you can fix.

It's always wise to get the opinion of a registered home inspector before any actual purchase, but before that happens, you'll need to separate the good, the bad and the ugly on your own. There are four basic technical issues to consider: roof, basement, energy efficiency and windows.

HOW'S THE ROOF?

About 75 per cent of roofs in California are covered in asphalt shingles and assessing their condition at its most basic level is easy. If shingles look curly and rough, they are bad. If shingles are flat and clean looking, they're good. This isn't brain surgery. A new roof for most homes costs $5,000 to $10,000 and every home will need one from time to time. That's why a bad roof should never be a deal breaker on its own. The question really is do you want to pay for a new roof now?

IS THE BASEMENT WET?

This is tricky on two counts. First, basement water leaks can be hard to spot during dry weather.

Second, fixing a wet basement can easily cost $10,000 to $20,000 or more, plus a lot of disruption to your yard and life. Also, some basement leaks can never be fixed reliably because of a high water table or other site issues.

Do you see brown, dry water marks on wood or stored items in the basement? Are boxes and shelves strategically raised up off the floor? A little suspicion is a good thing when it comes to basements. Don't let hope and smiling assurances calm your suspicions. If a basement looks like it has leaked, it'll almost certainly leak again. And a house with a wet basement has a definite and serious drawback.

IS IT ENERGY EFFICIENT?

This often boils down to the age of the place. Houses built 20 or 30 years ago will cost more to heat and cool than a house built today. Houses built before Expo 67 are often absolutely primitive energy-wise behind the scenes. I love the charm of many older homes, but recognize that efficiency problems in heritage homes always extend right down to the design level. Even fully retrofitted, expect an old house to consume at least twice as much energy as a leading-edge home. There's another issue, too. Brand new houses built to the standards in force in some California provinces right now will use 30-per-cent more energy than homes built to standards that kick in next year. If you do decide to buy new, ask and verify that the home is built to E80 standards (a new building code requirement in which a home produces 80% as much energy as it consumes).

WHAT ABOUT THE WINDOWS?

Windows are like roofs. They're a normal wear item in any home. Eventually all windows need to be replaced. Ratty old peeling windows look terrible, but replacement is not that big a deal. They may actually be a good thing if they scare away buyers, letting the price settle lower.

New windows for an average home can cost $10,000 and up, so figure that in to your offer.

Houses aren't as complicated as they seem. Specific bits of handson insight translate into a surprising amount of confidence when it comes time to make an offer. A little technical knowledge goes a long way as a resale buyer.

For further information you can visit us online at www.picinspection.com. Or contact the Property Inspection Co, LLC. at 619-971-3728

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