Here are some of the resources available:
1. Home Inspection Video - See a home inspection!
2. Read an actual home inspection report.
3. Read/search Barry Stone's column, Inspector's In the House (below).
4. Send a question using the form to the right. ===>
5. If you are a Seller, get your own inspection before you put your home on the market.

California does not require any license to be a home inspector, so it is important for both home buyers and sellers to make sure that they hire an inspector who is a certified residential inspector and who carries errors and omissions insurance. To help you think through the selection of your home inspector, click here for our 10 Tips.

QUESTIONS/ANSWERS Click on any of these topics to read questions and answers by syndicated columnist Barry Stone.
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As a buyer, you can be present on the home inspection (and we really recommend it). Being there gives you a chance to ask questions, to see and discuss what Mark has found, and to ask other questions about your new home. Some of the areas inspected include: structure, heating and cooling, roof, electrical system, plumbing and fixtures, attic, basement and/or crawl space, foundation, gutters, insulation, interior and exterior walls, porches and decks, and the water heater and appliances.

A good inspector helps both buyers and sellers become aware of any defects that weren't already known. (If they had been known, they would have been disclosed.) Please note: Sellers have no obligation to repair any defects. Repair requests are just that--requests. However, if an unknown defect is a safety issue, violates the then-current building code, or affects functionality, many sellers will accommodate the request in one way or another. A good inspection helps to put all those issues on the table so that everyone is satisfied with the transaction.

For information about various topics, just click on any of the links to the left or run your own search! One of our 600+ articles is posted below.

Realtors Can Help Screen Buyers
Inspector's in the House by Barry Stone, Certified Building Inspector

Dear Barry,
We're preparing to do a 'for sale by owner' of our home and are wondering how to avoid undesirable buyers. 'We'd like to save the expensive sales commission and are wondering what advice you can give? George

Dear George,
This subject is outside the usual scope of home inspection questions, but as one who has witnessed many sales transactions, here is some educated layman's advice.

First, there is no absolute formula or guaranty for the screening of undesirable buyers. Of course, one must ask, what we mean by "undesirable." Definitions here can vary widely, depending upon one's outlook, experience, and temperament. For example, do we mean someone who drives an extremely hard bargain, someone who creates needless complications throughout the deal, or someone with bad breath and an egregious personality? Do we mean someone who phones at midnight to ask if you've got a copy of the title report, someone who initiates a lawsuit after the close of escrow, or someone who spends several months in escrow, only to be declined for a mortgage loan. The list is endless.

Before counting the commission dollars you plan to save, ask yourself if you're truly prepared to sell your home without professional representation. One advantage with a good Realtor is the experience to weed out unsavory characters or to help you deal with them once your home is in escrow. If you decide to go it alone, there are no guarantied methods or results. So consider carefully before you decide.

Distributed by Access Media Group. To write to Barry Stone, please visit him on the web at www.housedetective.com.