The Red Flag Almanac

I · The math

Turn a walkthrough into written leverage

This guide does not diagnose a house. It gives you an order of operations for seeing the visible clues before they are forgotten.

You are touring without a sequence

You notice a stain, a crack, or a new patch of paint, then move on because the next room is waiting. The house is being shown in its best light, and the details that matter are scattered across the lot, roofline, basement, attic, and utility room.

You leave with questions worth answering

You work through the house by system. You know what to photograph, what to put in writing, what to ask the inspector, and which combinations of signs deserve a pause before an offer or contingency deadline.

	Now	With the book
The exterior	A quick look at siding and landscaping	A curb-to-grade read for drainage, roof edges, walls, windows, and settlement clues
The basement or crawlspace	A dark room you leave quickly	A hatch-side check for moisture, structure, plumbing, and previous repairs
The attic	A space you may not enter	A hatch-side read for insulation, ventilation, staining, and roof evidence
The utility room	Equipment labels and pipes blur together	A system-by-system list of visible plumbing, electrical, heating, and cooling concerns
The inspection report	A long document after the decision is underway	Specific observations and questions ready for the inspector, seller, or contractor

The net gain is a written list of concerns before closing, not a vague feeling after the tour.

II · Inside the book

Thirteen chapters follow the house in order

Start at the curb, then move through drainage, roof, exterior, foundation, basement or crawlspace, plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling, attic, interior finishes, renovation work, the inspection report, and walk-away arithmetic. Each chapter keeps the observation tied to the system you are looking at.

1. The Curb Read: Lot, Grading, and Drainagepp. 3–13

2. Roof From the Groundpp. 14–23

3. Walls, Windows, and the Outside Skinpp. 24–33

4. Foundation and Structure: The Walk-Away Sectionpp. 34–44

5. Basements and Crawlspaces From the Hatchpp. 45–53

6. The Plumbing Read (No Wrenches)pp. 54–63

7. The Electrical Read (Hands Off the Panel)pp. 64–72

8. Heating, Cooling, and the Big Ironpp. 73–81

9. Attic From the Hatchpp. 82–91

10. Interior Finish Forensics: What Fresh Paint Hidespp. 92–100

11. Flip Forensics: Reading a Renovation's Cornerspp. 101–112

12. The Report, the Inspector, and the Negotiationpp. 113–121

13. The Walk-Away Arithmeticpp. 122–164

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III · Who wrote it

Twenty-eight years of repeat findings

Raymond Keller walked through more than eleven thousand Mid-Atlantic houses over twenty-eight years. He wrote up the same hidden water damage, improvised wiring, poor drainage, tired roofs, and rushed renovations often enough to recognize the pattern before the explanation arrived. He now records what a homeowner can notice during a showing: what breaks, what gets covered with fresh paint, and what should move from a passing concern to a written question.

IV · The offer

$17 once. No subscription. Yours forever.

164 pages · 13 chapters · 84 checklist items · 11 contractor phrases

You are buying a repeatable way to inspect a showing with your eyes open: where to begin, what visible evidence matters, and what to record before the details disappear. At $17, it is a compact reference for the questions that should be settled before a house becomes your problem.

$17 $69 Launch price — ends August 31

Use it on the first showing, before your inspection window starts narrowing.

What you get for $17:

The Red Flag Almanac

A Field Guide · No. I · MMXXVI

$27

BonusPre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

A printable room-by-room checklist of the 84 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.

$9

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

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Instant download · PDF · 164 pages

Published by Handover Books · secure checkout · your statement will show Handover Books

Read the guide and use the included references for 30 days. If it does not help you approach a house with clearer observations and better questions, request a refund within 30 days of purchase.

V · Questions

The questions worth settling before purchase

Why pay $17 for this guide?

A general homebuying article rarely gives you a complete sequence for moving from the lot to the attic. This guide organizes Raymond’s recurring findings into 13 chapters, with a printable 84-item checklist and a contractor phrase reference included.

Will this apply outside the Mid-Atlantic?

The examples come from Mid-Atlantic houses, but water management, roof wear, foundation movement, visible wiring concerns, plumbing clues, attic staining, and rushed renovation work appear in many regions. Local construction practices, climate, codes, and conditions still matter.

Is this a replacement for a home inspector?

No. Use it before and alongside a licensed inspection. It helps you notice visible concerns, document them, and ask informed questions. It does not diagnose defects or replace a qualified inspector, engineer, electrician, plumber, roofer, or HVAC technician.

What format is it in?

You receive an instant PDF download: the 164-page Red Flag Almanac, the printable Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist, and the two-page Contractor Red-Flag Phrase Guide.

What if it is not useful for my situation?

You have 30 days to request a refund. Read it, compare it against the houses you are considering, and decide whether it gives you a better inspection sequence and better questions.

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Do the first pass before the house changes hands

A showing moves quickly. Fresh paint dries, storage boxes hide walls, and a seller’s explanation can sound settled until you know where to look next. Take the 13-chapter sequence with you and leave each house with observations worth following up.

Get the guide · $17