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Couple feels guilty buying FSBO

By Barry Stone, Monday, September 22, 2008.

DEAR BARRY: Our Realtor has been showing us listings for several weeks. But last week, we found a for-sale-by-owner property and made an offer to the owner without calling our agent. Since our Realtor spent so much time trying to find a house for us, are we obligated to involve him in this purchase? --Rob

DEAR ROB: This type of situation is a sore spot with many real estate professionals. Your Realtor devoted many hours to your search for a home and now will receive nothing for those efforts. more...

How did home inspector miss THIS?

By Barry Stone, Monday, September 15, 2008.

DEAR BARRY: When we purchased our home, the inspector was very thorough. At least we thought so. He spent hours looking at the house and reported a lot of defects. But later we discovered that one of the toilets was not connected to the septic system. Instead, it flushed directly onto the ground under the house. This mess was discovered by our cable man. What is the likelihood that something like this could have been missed by a home inspector? --Jesse more...

Should contractor perform home inspection?

By Barry Stone, Monday, September 8, 2008.

DEAR BARRY: We're selling our home, and the buyer wants his brother, a contractor, to do the inspection, instead of hiring an actual home inspector. We've never heard of this kind of inspection and are not sure if we should allow it. What do you think? --Amy

DEAR AMY: If your buyer chooses an inspection by someone who is not a professional home inspector, he is the one on the short end of the stick -- not you. Many people assume that home inspectors are merely contractors who inspect homes instead of building them. more...

Rid septic system of tree roots

By Barry Stone, Tuesday, September 2, 2008.

DEAR BARRY: We moved into our home about three months ago, and this week we had a professional inspection of the septic system. The septic contractor found a large mass of tree roots in the tank and recommended that we flush about 10 pounds of copper sulfate down the toilet. He said this would eventually kill the roots. I'm concerned that the copper sulfate won't get rid of the roots, or that it might harm or kill the two large trees in my front yard. What do you recommend? --James more...

Home inspection nightmare: Attic access denied

By Barry Stone, Monday, August 25, 2008.

DEAR BARRY: When we bought our home, the sellers prevented our home inspector from inspecting the attic. They simply told him that there was no access, and he merely confirmed this in his inspection report. We later discovered that the access was on the wall of the master closet, behind some clothes. Our concern now is whether we have asbestos insulation in our attic. If so, are the sellers liable for asbestos removal? --Kim more...

Why won't my mobile home sell?

By Barry Stone, Monday, August 18, 2008.

DEAR BARRY: We moved out of our mobile home and are having trouble selling it. The park management has a requirement that they must approve all prospective buyers. So far, we've sent three buyers to their office. In each case, the manager sold a park-owned mobile home to our buyers. The park got the sale, while we continue to pay monthly rent for our park space. This seems very underhanded. Is there anything we can do about it? --Thomas more...

You're 'too scary for my buyers'

By Barry Stone, Monday, August 11, 2008.

Dear Barry,

As a real estate broker, I read your column regularly and with great interest. But some of your articles trouble me. They suggest that Realtors routinely avoid the most thorough home inspectors and that they even label good inspectors as "deal killers." This charge seems unfair and in poor taste. Good agents, whether they represent buyers or sellers, want an inspector to perform a thorough inspection. Would you be willing to rethink your position on this? --Terry

Dear Terry,

Let's both give some thought to this issue. more...

Should buyer forfeit deposit over fireplace defect?

By Barry Stone, Monday, August 4, 2008.

Dear Barry,
I'm having some difficulties with the seller of the home I am buying. When I first looked at the house, he said the fireplace was in working order. But my home inspector says there are loose bricks and mortar in the firebox. Now the seller says he never used the fireplace but was told when he bought the house that it worked. When I asked him to fix the loose masonry, he refused because the sale is not contingent on the findings of the home inspector. And he still insists that the fireplace is in working order, even though the home inspector disagrees. Does the seller have to pay to fix the fireplace? more...

Should homeowners remove asbestos ceiling?

By Barry Stone, Monday, July 28, 2008.

Dear Barry, more...

Do you trust inspector with gas appliances?

By Barry Stone, Monday, July 21, 2008.

Dear Barry, more...

That's the last time I call a TV plumber

By Barry Stone, Monday, July 14, 2008.

Dear Barry,

I've owned my home for 25 years and have never had a serious plumbing problem. But recently, the toilet has been running off and on for no reason. Several times an hour, the water runs in the tank for about 15 seconds, as though the toilet had just been flushed. more...

Phone book referrals bad for business

By Barry Stone, Monday, July 7, 2008.

Dear Barry,

In one of your columns, a buyer was annoyed that her agent would not recommend a home inspector by name. I'm a Realtor, and our company has a policy against recommending any service providers, and that includes termite inspectors and home inspectors. We simply hand our clients the Yellow Pages and point out the section where inspectors are listed. Past experience has shown us that this is the safest way to do business.

If a home inspector that we recommend makes a mistake, we could be sued for making that referral. more...

Flooded crawlspace demands action

By Barry Stone, Monday, June 30, 2008.

Dear Barry,

I recently discovered about 3 to 4 inches of standing water under my house. I pumped out the water and removed the plastic sheets that covered the ground so the soil can dry out. Once the ground is dry, should I spread lime over the surface to help prevent mold? And should I also reinstall the plastic sheets? --Steve

Dear Steve,

Mold prevention is not necessary unless you have moisture on cellulose materials. Wet soil will not support mold growth. Therefore, lime is not needed on the ground surface under your home. more...

New roof's a deal-breaker

By Barry Stone, Monday, June 23, 2008.

Dear Barry, more...

Tell inspector about mold or stay quiet?

By Barry Stone, Monday, June 16, 2008.

Dear Barry,

We're about to buy a six-year-old home that originally had a mold problem. Fortunately, the builder removed all of the affected materials from the building. If we buy this home, are we required to disclose the initial mold issue to our home inspector, or should we wait to see if he notices any evidence of mold? --Jack

Dear Jack, more...

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