Agent said house was ‘built to code’

Q: Our son just made an offer on a home. The sellers and their agent say the house was “built to code,” but they won’t say whether the addition was built with a permit. Our son's home inspector reported that the addition is not secured to the foundation. How would you assess this situation?

A: Your son should proceed with caution. He is clearly dealing with people whose behavior is suspect. The home inspector’s findings bear this out, but even before the home inspection took place, red flags were waving.

How can a real estate agent declare that a home is “built to code?” To make that kind of judgment with any degree of authority, the agent would need to have extensive knowledge of several volumes of building standards and codes. The agent would also have to inspect the framing, plumbing, electrical wiring, mechanical systems, and numerous other aspects of the construction, not merely on the surface, but also in areas of the building that are not accessible for inspection.

Worse than this is the agent’s and seller’s refusal to say whether the addition was built with a permit. Declaring that the work was done to code is a demonstration of ignorance. Withholding disclosure is a violation of common ethics.

In cases where sellers or agents are not dealing in a straightforward, honest manner, the best advice is to find another property. Better deals are not hard to find.

Q: Every time I use my ventless gas fireplace, a powdery gray dust settles on everything in my home. I’ve stopped turning it on because I have to clean my entire house after each use. What could be causing this?

A: There are a few possible causes for this fireplace problem. Natural gas contains fine particulates of physical matter. If you use a ventless fireplace for several hours, these can be emitted into the air as fine whitish-gray ash. The manufacturers of ventless fireplaces recommend not operating these fixtures for more than two hours at a time. They also advise opening a window when the fireplace is in use.

Another possible cause involves combustible materials that might have been left in the fireplace at the time of installation. Examples include sawdust, paper labels, and packaging materials.

Regardless of the cause, you should have the fixture serviced and evaluated by a qualified fireplace professional.

Q: Every time the sun shines, I get wasps on the inside of my living room window. My exterminator said he sprayed for this, but I still get 50 to 100 wasps a day. What should I do?

A: Your exterminator must be doing a general spraying around the building, without searching for the locations of wasp nests. Before spraying, he should take some time to investigate.

In the meantime, you can kill any wasps that get into your home by spaying them with rubbing alcohol. Just fill a spay bottle with alcohol, set the nozzle to the squirt position, and try it out. You’ll feel like an anti-aircraft gunner. A dab of alcohol drops the invaders on contact.

• Distributed by Action Coast Publishing. Questions to Barry Stone can be emailed to barry@housedetective.com.