Barry Stone
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Permit peril: Will new owners have to restore converted garage bedroom to original use?Jan 14, 2023 6:00 am - Q: We received a notice from our local building department informing us that our garage was converted to a bedroom without a building permit. The conversion was actually...
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Inspector downplays mold and leaksJan 08, 2023 5:00 am - Q: Our home is over 50 years old and has major mold problems. When we bought it, our home inspector said we had surface mold that was no big deal. Since then, we've had ...
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Home inspections in a hot marketJan 01, 2023 5:00 am - Q: In a past article, you wrote: "It is the height of professional irresponsibility for any real estate agent to advise a client against having a home inspection." In mo...
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Buyer complains about home inspectorDec 25, 2022 6:00 am - Q: We hired a home inspector to check out our house before we bought it. His report indicated no problems, but after closing the deal we discovered many problems: The po...
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Finding a qualified home inspectorDec 16, 2022 5:00 am - Q: You often advise buyers to find a home inspector who has done thousands of inspections. Frankly, this may not be the best advice. I know home inspectors who have prac...
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How to find a qualified home inspectorDec 11, 2022 5:00 am - Q: You often advise buyers to find a home inspector who has done thousands of inspections. Frankly, this may not be the best advice. I know home inspectors who have prac...
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Agent complains about home inspectorsDec 04, 2022 5:00 am - Q: May I help you shed some naiveté? As a high producing real estate agent in the Seattle area, I have watched growing numbers of home inspectors. with their authoritari...
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No one disclosed ungrounded outletsNov 27, 2022 5:00 am - Q: We recently purchased a 70-year-old home and no one mentioned the two-prong, ungrounded outlets. They weren't disclosed by the sellers, and our home inspector didn't ...
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Fireplace flaws should have been reportedNov 20, 2022 5:00 am - Q: We have an old deteriorated fireplace in a 1914 home. There are holes in the mortar, smoke stains on the mantle, numerous cracks in the exterior stucco, and the chimn...
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Very few air ducts are made of asbestosNov 13, 2022 6:00 am - Q: The gas company man just checked our furnace and said the air ducts are made of asbestos. The house was built in the 1960s and I'm afraid that the old ducts may now b...