If you're lucky with the property you choose, you'll never come across anything quite bad enough to make it into the Aston Property Inspection House of Horrors, but if you do, wouldn't you be grateful to have the issue pointed out by an InterNACHI Certified Inspector? Recently, we collected together some of the worst examples of "property maintenance" we've seen over the years. Sadly these issues occur all too frequently in homes and commercial buildings in the Bay Area. Take a look through House of Horrors, and make sure you don't buy a property with any of these "features" unless you know exactly what you're buying and are prepared to pay to put it right.

HOUSE of HORRORS #1 an open/uncovered Electrical Panel - stick you hand in here and it could be the last thing you'll ever do. It should go without saying that all electrical panels, junction boxes and wiring should be covered with insulated boxes!

HOUSE of HORRORS #2 planting a tree right next to your house is not the best idea, but putting one right next to the house and the main sewer is asking for trouble. Twenty years later you walls are being pushed inwards and the foundations and sewer have been virtually destroyed. It's going to cost a lot of $$$ to fix this mistake.

HOUSE of HORRORS #3 water soaking through concrete foundations is a process known as efflorescence - it leads to a white crystalline deposit. Although relatively common, this is easily the worst case we've seen recently

HOUSE of HORRORS #4 soil erosion can be a major problem, particularly in the Oakland Hills - if the soil is not properly retained, rain washes the dirt down the slope. Eventually this leads to exposed foundations and can have implications for the structure.

HOUSE of HORRORS #5 keeping your property water tight is vitally important. If your siding is rotten like it is on this house, painting it is not going to help - you would be much better off putting the cost of paining towards the cost of new siding.

HOUSE of HORRORS #6 brick foundations tend to survive longer in the Bay Area than other parts of the country, mainly because of the milder climate. However, once a brick foundation begins to crumble, it is a big issue - replacing foundations in a very expensive business

HOUSE of HORRORS #7 everyone knows the extra value you can add to your home by adding a bathroom...but you can also devalue your property if you don't put the bathroom in the best location. We assume this outdoor urinal was intended to serve the hot tub in the backyard.

HOUSE of HORRORS #8 adding insulation to your property is always a smart move, and the current tax incentives can only help. When you insulate your basement or crawlspace, it is important to put the insulation material the correct way round: the Kraft vapor barrier (brown paper) should always be on the "warm" side of the partition. When insulation is installed as in this example it loses effectiveness and creates a fire hazard.

HOUSE of HORRORS #9 The roof on your garage should be water tight - usually this means you cannot see daylight through the roof! If you are buying a property with any derelict structures, make sure you budget for the cost of removal and replacement.

HOUSE of HORRORS #10 we see a lot of foundation issues, which is a shame as they are usually expensive to correct. If you cannot afford to do foundation repairs properly, there is not really much point propping your house up on cinder blocks - it probably won't help and it draws attention to the problem.