NHIE Home Inspection Manual

The chapters consist of delineated parts of the house (roof, electrical system, exterior conditions) etc, with each consisting of an introduction, a list of construction techniques and then a list of defects, maintenance, safety, and code standards.Sounds thorough, yes? Well actually...The problem is with the gap between the review questions (and ultimately the exam questions) and the text. The questions consist of descriptions of structures and systems and typical problems associated, with most of the questions structured as "you observe x defect, how was this problem most likely caused?" But the text doesn't deal with that: it presents typical defects but lacks much detail about causes. It will typically list possible causes but often in a deliberately vague way and without any explanation.Update: about two weeks in now. There's still a lot of gap between the material and the exam questions, and I'm spending about 75% of my time online reading articles and watching videos to compensate. That's fine, I know the book can't be exhaustive but what is frustrating is where the book goes silent: it's often why one thing causes another. It will list typical defects and typical causes, but you have to struggle to find your way from point A to point B. For instance, why would truss uplift cause a change in the gap between a drywall ceiling and wall, and why would it get worse in the winter? (Taken from a review question, chapter 3.) That's a question google can answer, but it's something that I would want to have in the book, ya know? The relationship there- temperature, pressure, wind direction, and how all of that can affect structural components- is fairly complicated and could use spelled out.Not sure you can find a better source for your exam, and I would still likely recommend it. I just feel I had to put that caveat out there.

This is an awesome book if you are looking to take the exam or just want a nice reference book. I found the book in depth but methodical in the way it was arranged. The book is arranged as if you are performing a home inspection so it starts with the exterior and roof and works its way inside. So if you read it that way it will make it a little easier to follow along.

There are not enough illustrations for a book that is 700 pages. There are too many instances where chapter to chapter the information is very repetitive, I mean literally the paragraphs are cut and pasted from one chapter to the next.

Very thorough, but not a good "study guide" for the exam. Currently looking for a better study guide.

Everything you need for the exam you will find in here!

Nice book

Very informative and serves as a great resource to prepare for the exam. It contains detailed images that are a very useful reference. It shipped quickly as well.

Very good information works inline with InterNACHI training material