The Red Flag Almanac

I · The math

Five places buyers lose the plot

This is not an inspection report. It is the difference between walking through a house generally and checking the parts that most often deserve a closer look.

A showing tells you what is staged

You notice the kitchen, the paint, and the square footage. The attic hatch stays shut. The grading looks ordinary. The electrical panel is out of sight. A fresh repair can look settled until it is not.

You know where to look before closing

You walk the lot, roofline, basement, utility room, attic hatch, and renovation edges with a written sequence. You leave with specific observations and questions for your inspector, seller, or contractor.

	Now	With the book
Site drainage	A damp corner gets dismissed as old-house smell	You trace the grade, downspouts, and water path before asking questions
Roof condition	You judge the roof from curb appeal	You read the roofline, edges, penetrations, and visible wear from the ground
Foundation movement	A crack is either ignored or treated as a verdict	You record its location, direction, and related signs for professional review
Electrical concerns	The panel stays closed and unmentioned	You identify visible warning signs without touching the panel
Fresh renovation work	New paint ends the conversation	You check the corners, transitions, and unfinished details paint does not explain

The gain is a written list of 88 things to notice before you rely on appearances.

II · Inside the book

Thirteen chapters, from curb to closing

The Red Flag Almanac follows the path through a property: lot and drainage, roof, exterior, structure, basement or crawlspace, plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling, attic, interior finishes, renovations, the inspection report, and walk-away arithmetic.

1. The Curb Read: Lot, Grading, and Drainagepp. 3–14

Slopes, downspouts, swales, trees, cracks, and leaning walls that signal costly water or soil trouble.

2. Roof From the Groundpp. 15–26

Shingle edges, ridge sags, granules, tar, moss, and layer stacks visible from the driveway.

3. Walls, Windows, and the Outside Skinpp. 27–38

Brick cracks, rusted lintels, warped siding, failed window seals, and moisture-stained cladding.

4. Foundation and Structure: The Walk-Away Sectionpp. 39–51

Horizontal cracks, sticking-door patterns, sloping floors, repairs, and temporary supports worth specialist review.

5. Basements and Crawlspaces From the Hatchpp. 52–62

Tide marks, sump sounds, crawlspace moisture, termite traces, mold odors, and local radon zones.

6. The Plumbing Read (No Wrenches)pp. 63–74

Gray supply pipes, creeping meters, pressure numbers, stained ceilings, sewer clues, and leak-swollen cabinets.

7. The Electrical Read (Hands Off the Panel)pp. 75–85

Panel brands, crowded breakers, old wiring, outlet faults, warm plates, and missing GFCIs.

8. Heating, Cooling, and the Big Ironpp. 86–96

Data plates, dirty filters, short cycles, cabinet scorch, window units, and damaged ducts.

9. Attic From the Hatchpp. 97–108

Daylight, insulation depth, misrouted fan ducts, frosted nails, rodent trails, and exposed splices.

10. Interior Finish Forensics: What Fresh Paint Hidespp. 109–118

Fresh paint, nail patterns, plug-in fresheners, bouncy floors, soft sills, and mismatched trim.

11. Flip Forensics: Reading a Renovation's Cornerspp. 119–131

Permit records, cheap fixtures, quick resale dates, untouched systems, added bathrooms, and wiring mismatches.

12. The Report, the Inspector, and the Negotiationpp. 132–142

Inspector credentials, severity words, scope gaps, repair credits, reinspection choices, and as-is signals.

13. The Walk-Away Arithmeticpp. 143–186

Repair totals, stacked defects, specialist bids, insurance hurdles, disclosure conflicts, and exit costs.

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III · Who wrote it

Twenty-eight years finding what buyers missed

Raymond Keller walked through more than eleven thousand Mid-Atlantic houses over twenty-eight years before retiring from inspection work. He saw the same concealed water damage, shortcut wiring, bad drainage, tired roofs, and hurried renovations repeat. He now records the findings homeowners should notice before they call an inspector. His lists follow the systems that fail, the places sellers and contractors tend to cover, and the questions worth asking while there is still time to ask them.

IV · The offer

$17 once. No subscription. Yours forever.

186 pages · 13 chapters · 88 documented red flags

You are buying a repeatable way to look at a house before the inspection window closes. The manual puts the order of operations, the visible signs, and the questions in one place, so less of the visit depends on memory or a seller’s explanation.

$17 $69 Launch price — ends September 15

The manual pays for itself the first time it helps you raise a documented concern before closing.

What you get for $17:

The Red Flag Almanac

A Homebuyer Field Guide · No. I · MMXXVI

$27

BonusPre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

A printable room-by-room checklist of the 88 items Raymond flagged most often in buyer inspections, organized by system and typical repair cost.

$12

BonusContractor Red-Flag Phrase Guide

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.

BonusLifetime updates

Every future revision of this book, free. When a checklist tightens or a price moves, the new edition reaches you at no charge.

$21

Everything together: $69 of material — today $17

You pay today ~~$69~~$17

Get the manual · $17

Secure checkout by Gumroad. Your card statement will show GUMROAD.COM.

Instant download · PDF · 186 pages

Published by Handover Books · secure checkout

Read the manual and use the checklists on your next walkthrough. If it does not give you a more useful way to notice and document concerns, you have 30 days to request a refund.

V · Questions

Questions worth settling before you buy

Is this a substitute for a licensed home inspection?

No. It helps you notice visible warning signs and prepare better questions. It does not diagnose conditions, replace an inspection, or tell you what repairs a property needs.

Will this apply outside the Mid-Atlantic?

The examples come from Raymond’s Mid-Atlantic inspection work, but the systems covered—drainage, roofing, structure, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, attics, and renovations—appear in houses across the United States. Local codes and conditions still vary.

Can I use it while touring a house?

Yes. The chapters are organized by where you are standing and what system you are looking at. The included checklist gives you a printable room-by-room reference for a buyer walkthrough.

What format is the manual?

It is an instant-download PDF with 186 pages. You can read it on a phone, tablet, or computer, or print the pages you want to carry with you.

What if it is not useful to me?

You have 30 days to request a refund. The manual is meant to be useful before you buy, not another file you never open.

Get the manual · $17

Before you buy, spot 88 red flags

Five places buyers lose the plot

A showing tells you what is staged

You know where to look before closing

Thirteen chapters, from curb to closing

Twenty-eight years finding what buyers missed

$17 once. No subscription. Yours forever.

The Red Flag Almanac

Questions worth settling before you buy

Do not let fresh paint end the inspection