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.

Burning Christmas Tree in Fireplace Not a Hot Idea
Inspector's in the House by Barry Stone, Certified Building Inspector

Dear Barry,
I'm writing to share some fireplace maintenance advice that may be of benefit to your readers. Let them know they can save the cost of a chimney sweep by burning their Christmas tree after the holiday season. The high heat produced by the pine oils will burn out the creosote in the flue, leaving it as clean as a whistle.
Arnie A.

Dear Arnie,
You are hereby urgently advised that burning your Christmas tree in a fireplace is an ill-conceived and highly dangerous procedure. Please promise me that you won't do it again. In the past, you may have gotten away with it, but some people have managed to drive drunk without inciting an accident. Sooner or later, both practices are likely to incur tragic results.

The creosote that accumulates in your chimney is a highly combustible fuel. When it ignites, unusually high temperatures are produced. These can literally melt metal chimneys and can cause structural cracks in masonry ones. Without realizing it, you may already be in possession of a damaged chimney. You could even be venting hot smoke into your attic.

I strongly recommend that you have the system inspected by a certified chimney sweep and that you cease and desist from practicing Russian roulette with your fireplace.

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