This book has me brooding about my septic field. I now realize that despite my best hopes and my incredibly finely-honed ability to put off thinking about unpleasant problems that may cost large amounts of money, the green gooey leak in the backyard isn't going to just go away.

On the other hand, looking at the stark photos of other people's mistakes - ivy covered electric meters, floor separating from baseboard, holes in ceilings from long-term leaks - I guess I feel a little better.

This is a book for pros or wannabe-pro home inspectors, but it could serve as a good guide for any homeowner trying to get a house ready for sale. Home inspection is becoming mandatory or at least highly recommended in my area and probably in yours, too, and it just makes sense to know what you're up against. Contrariwise, if you're buying, you need to know what the potential hazards are - like that pesky little fountain of sewage in my back yard - before you buy and it's too late to sue.

The book is the brainchild of Guy Cozzi, who has other similar how-to volumes in print. His grammar isn't always the slickest but he knows his subject, inside and out. It would take someone as knowledgeable and detail-oriented as he to find the kind of flaws in his information that he can find in your electrical wiring.

Full of photos illustrating the kinds of horrors you might encounter as you search for your dream home, especially if you're hoping to save some bucks on a fixer-upper, this book is a useful manual of operations. It's clear, well-organized and not without humor (though I'm still not smiling about that septic sludge).

Cozzi is a self-starter and deserves a pat on the back for making his own publishing dreams a reality, bringing him a success in at least two careers. This book is an unabashed self-promotional organ as well as a fact-rich smart buy.