Identifying the age of a property is a fundamental step in understanding its form of construction and in being prepared to differentiate between the characteristic defects of that age of property and defects which are more unusual and may warrant particular care in investigation and assessment. This second edition of Inspections and Reports on Dwellings: Assessing Age updates the market context within which surveyors and valuers are now operating. In particular it has a new section on post-2000 properties, reflecting the profound impact of Government policies and environmental concerns on the modern urban landscape. The book is divided into thirteen age bands with over seventy color photographs of dwellings for each period. A commentary on each age band outlines the social, environmental and technical influences on properties being built at the time, helping to explain why they look as they do. A broad range of dwellings is covered: large and small, private and public sector, old and new, and particular features which help to place a dwelling within one of the defined periods are highlighted in comments on the photographs. This book is intended for all those engaged in inspecting dwellings, whether experienced, newly qualified or studying for appropriate qualifications to become members of professional institutions.

Inspections and Reports on Dwellings is a three-volume series that comprehensively explores the process of independent professional home assessment required for the purchase of residential property. This fully updated second edition of Inspecting retains a focus on the needs of the surveyor to recognise and interpret the significance of observations on site, whilst updating the market context within which surveyors and valuers are operating. Inspecting includes a consideration of the important benchmarking by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) of three distinct survey service levels for independent surveyors and a review of the wider choice of survey options professional surveyors can now offer to potential clients in addition to the RICS Home Survey range. There is additional content on preparing for the inspection and on reporting, and there are expanded or completely new sections on a variety of subjects such as conservatories, renewable energy technologies, and innovative techniques and forms of construction. With over 500 colour illustrations and an enhanced structure, the new edition reflects the very latest approach to inspecting and reporting on services, risk and legal matters. This book is essential reading for all those engaged in inspecting dwellings, whether experienced, newly qualified or studying for appropriate qualifications to become members of professional institutions.

At forty, Sarah Einstein is forced to face her own shortcomings. In the wake of an attempted sexual assault, she must come to terms with the facts that she is not tough enough for her job managing a local drop-in center for adults with mental illness and that her new marriage is already faltering. Just as she reaches her breaking point, she meets Mot, a homeless veteran who lives a life dictated by frightening delusion. She is drawn to the brilliant ways he has found to lead his own difficult life; traveling to Romania to get his teeth fixed because the United States doesn't offer dental care to the indigent, teaching himself to use computers in public libraries, and even taking university classes while living out of doors. Mot: A Memoir is the story of their unlikely friendship and explores what we can, and cannot, do for a person we love. In unsparing prose and with a sharp eye for detail, Einstein brings the reader into the world of Mot's delusions and illuminates a life that would otherwise be hidden from us.