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.

COMPLAINT FROM AN UNLICENSED TERMITE INSPECTOR
Inspector's in the House by Barry Stone, Certified Building Inspector

Dear Barry,
A pair of local homeowners are really bugging me. I'm a woodpecker. Since retiring from celluloid animation, I've been diligently inspecting and alerting homeowners to the presence of termites and wood boring beetles in their wood shingles and siding. But this one couple, instead of thanking me, bombard my ears with high frequency sounds, terrorize me with scary plastic owls, and insult me with unprintable words. So what if I hammer on their homes all day! Don't birds have rights too? Ha-ha-ha-Ha-ha!
Woody W.

Dear Woody,
Most homeowners do not appreciate, or even realize, the benefits you provide as a first stage warning of insect infestation in their homes. On the other hand, you and your feathered cohorts may sometimes carry a good thing too far.

While chipping holes in residential exteriors, in search of delectable crawlies, your incessant hammering can render unsightly damage; not to mention the loud and obnoxious din which is your trademark.

Certainly, birds have a right to eat. So peck away at forests and neighborhood trees throughout the land. Spare them from needless deaths at the mandibles or termites and beetles. But beware when extending your extermination skills to the realm of human habitations. The occupants of these structures are typically unaware of the valuable information your presence imparts. To most, you are seen as a pest, rather than a friend, and treated accordingly.

If woodpeckers were able to post signs "Ingestor of Wood-Destroying Organisms at Work!" people might take notice and employ the services of a duly licensed termite professional. In the absence of such awareness, you and your feathered fellows will be subject to the brutal devices of an unappreciative and unforgiving public.

If you persist in punching holes in peoples homes, let's hope that your retirement package includes extensive liability insurance. Otherwise, be advised for your own protection to curtail the practice of unsolicited termite inspections.

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