An N2NHU Labs production. Case file for a documentary on how homes are advertised and what is actually inside them.

“Ready for your finishing touches.”

That is how the listing for 3645 Alberta Street closes. It is a 1909 brick two-family in South St. Louis, offered at $135,000. Three days after the listing was last updated, a home inspector spent an afternoon inside.

14action items in the report
10more items to watch
12hazards to people, shown below
Front of 3645 Alberta Street, a two-storey red brick two-family building
The building on inspection day, November 5, 2026. Photo from the inspection report.

Twelve ways this building could hurt someone

None of these appear in the listing. Each one comes from the inspector’s written report, with the inspector’s own photo. Pick a hazard to see the evidence.

    A listing is an advertisement. An inspection is evidence.

    Nobody audits a listing before it goes online. The seller’s side writes it to bring buyers through the door. The only person in this deal who was paid to look for problems was the inspector, and the buyer had to hire that person. Never buy on the listing. Always hire your own qualified inspector before you are committed.

    What the listing said, line by line

    The listing names five “recent updates” and makes two broader promises. Here is each one beside what the inspector recorded.

    Screenshot of the public listing: $135,000, 2,052 square feet, built 1909, tagged Fixer upper, followed by the property details paragraph quoted below

    The public listing as captured for this file. Listing last updated November 2, 2026.

    What the listing left out

    The listing gives years for water heaters, a furnace, a panel and a sewer repair. It gives none for the items below.

    What held up

    An honest file shows both columns. These checks came back clean or close to it.

    • Termites and other wood-destroying insectsNo visible evidence found. The inspector could only look, not open walls, so the form recommends a yearly check.
    • Air conditioningBoth systems cooled properly on test day. They are about 25 years old, well past the 13 to 17 years the report gives as typical service life.
    • FramingVisible wall and roof framing was “performing as intended.” The attic could not be entered, so it was not inspected.
    • Electrical serviceThe service equipment outside was secure and in good repair. The problems start inside the panels.

    Radon in the basement, hour by hour

    A 48-hour test averaged 3.0 pCi/L, under the EPA action level of 4.0. EPA also suggests considering a fix between 2 and 4. Eight of the 48 hourly readings were above 4.0, and the peak was 5.8. Hover or tap a bar.

    Average 3.0 pCi/L over 48 hours

    What it cost to find out

    The blue bar is the asking price. The yellow sliver at its left edge is everything the buyer spent on inspections.

    $1,049 in inspections, 0.78% of the price$135,000 asking price
    Two-unit building inspection$695
    Termite inspection$75
    48-hour radon test$180
    Sewer camera inspection$99
    Total$1,049

    The lender’s appraisal was a separate $645. An appraisal estimates value for the bank. It is not an inspection and would not have opened the electrical panel.

    Before you sign anything

    Nine habits this file argues for. Tick them off as you go.