Barry Stone
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Do new homes really need a home inspection?Jun 04, 2023 7:00 am - Q: You often recommend home inspections for newly built homes, but in my case, this has proved to be unnecessary. Since buying my home about six months ago, I've had two...
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The home inspector has no clothesMay 28, 2023 7:00 am - Q: Last year, we purchased a 1947 home. Since then, we've noticed a lot of new cracks in the plaster walls and some unevenness of the floors. Before buying the house, we...
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Standards for legal basement bedroomsMay 21, 2023 7:00 am - Q: As a Realtor, I sell a lot of older homes, some of which have portions of basements that were converted to bedrooms. In many of these, the rooms do not comply as lega...
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Contractors often blindly remove asbestosMay 14, 2023 6:00 am - Q: In one of your columns, you stressed the importance of testing for asbestos before removing some types of building materials in older homes. In particular, you mentio...
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Home inspector ignores known fire hazardMay 07, 2023 6:00 am - Q: When I bought my house, the home inspector reported no problems with the main electrical panel. After moving in, my insurance company requested a photograph of the pa...
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Growth, change and liability in inspection businessApr 30, 2023 6:00 am - Q: As an insurance agent for more than 40 years, I've watched with interest the rapid growth of the home inspection business. Back in the 1980s, I didn't know what home ...
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No excuse for ground-level roof inspectionsApr 23, 2023 7:00 am - Q: I've got two complaints against home inspectors. The last two inspectors I hired inspected the roofs from the ground only, and neither reported any defects. That's pr...
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Heavy snow hinders home inspectionApr 16, 2023 6:00 am - Q: This is not a question, but a comment. I met a home inspector in Montana. He told me he loved doing home inspections in the winter because exterior problems were ofte...
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Builder makes excuses for squeaky floorsApr 09, 2023 6:00 am - Q: Floors that squeak and groan. That's what we've got in our newly built home. We've asked the builder to do something about this, but he says: "It's normal." Can you b...
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Why it is difficult for new home inspectors to gain experienceApr 02, 2023 6:00 am - Q: Your column often advises people to find the most experienced home inspector possible. That's all well and good, except for those of us who are just starting out in t...