Barry Stone
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Home inspector: Shed fuels conflict over property rightsApr 29, 2011 12:00 am - Q. My neighbor has a storage shed that is built against the side of my garage. It encroaches onto my property and prevents me from painting the garage wall. I’d like...
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Home inspector: Should sellers disclose old inspection reports?Apr 22, 2011 12:00 am - Q. We bought our house about six months ago. Since then, we’ve learned that someone else nearly bought the property and that those buyers hired a home inspector. The...
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By Barry Stone/Home inspector: Clothes dryer vent buckets: are they legal?Apr 15, 2011 12:00 am - Q. Our home was built without a clothes dryer vent to the outside. The laundry is in the garage, and the previous owners used to let dryer lint settle on everything....
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Home inspector: Protecting a water heater in a garageApr 08, 2011 12:00 am - Q. We’re buying a new home with a water heater in the garage. It’s installed on a raised platform, as required by code, but our home inspector says it needs further ...
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Home inspector: Inspector minimized major problemsApr 01, 2011 3:00 pm - Q. When we bought our home, we hired a home inspector who was recommended by our real estate agent. The inspection report contained what appeared to be two minor dis...
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Home inspector: Home sale deadlocked over repair demandsMar 24, 2011 2:00 am - Q. Our home is in escrow. We disclosed every defect we could think of, but the buyers relied on their home inspector. The inspector didn’t find any serious problems,...
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House detective: Gas appliances are safeMar 17, 2011 2:00 am - Q. We have begun shopping for a home, and all the ones we see have gas appliances. Our current home uses electricity for the stove, forced-air heat, clothes dryer an...
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House Detective: Sellers failed to disclose roof leaksMar 10, 2011 1:00 am - Q. We bought our home six weeks ago. The sellers had inherited the property and claimed to know nothing about its condition. After moving in, there was a rainstorm. ...
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Read fine print when determining home inspector's liabilityMar 02, 2011 11:00 pm - By Barry Stone Q. We purchased a townhouse about five months ago, and now we have major problems with the heating and cooling equipment. Our contractor said the furn...
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Homeowner gets shoddy work for a reasonFeb 24, 2011 12:00 am - Q. I hired a concrete contractor to replace the foundation on my 1907 house. I was responsible for engineering and permits but did not get either. He proceeded wit...