Looking for a bargain? Find a home with structural issues. They are the ugly ducklings swimming around in the rainwater under filled gutters and unpiped downspouts. Flip a few and head over to the Swan Ball.

Almost all home sales stipulate that a home inspector will evaluate the condition of the house. The person who coined the "fine-toothed comb" phrase may well have had visions of these detectives crawling into places fit neither for man nor beast and ascending high into the heavens shingle by shingle. Armed with more devices than Neil Armstrong carried to the moon, they can shuck a home down to the cob, as the saying goes. They also are regulated by the state and must be licensed to perform their craft. They are paid to find everything and they do.

There was a recent story that referred to "real estate's dirty little secret" and suggested Realtors prefer to have homes inspected by inspectors that will give homes a clean bill of health. It has, as one might expect, raised the ire of area real estate practitioners.

Radon inspections can be administered without a home going on the market, as can any inspection, of course, yet rarely are. Home owners and renters alike would be wise to have their homes inspected routinely. A person could be living on a mold-ridden radon pit with gas leaks and exposed electrical wiring around a termite infested, compromised floor system.

Following the grueling negotiations between buyers and sellers, the inspection ensues. There is one item in particular that has been included in a number of inspection reports that I have seen over the years that hit home — literally — this week. The citations made by the inspectors pertain to canned, or recessed, lighting.