Here are some of the resources available:
1. Home Inspection Video - See a home inspection!
2. Read an actual home inspection report.
3. Read/search Barry Stone's column, Inspector's In the House (below).
4. Send a question using the form to the right. ===>
5. If you are a Seller, get your own inspection before you put your home on the market.

California does not require any license to be a home inspector, so it is important for both home buyers and sellers to make sure that they hire an inspector who is a certified residential inspector and who carries errors and omissions insurance. To help you think through the selection of your home inspector, click here for our 10 Tips.

QUESTIONS/ANSWERS Click on any of these topics to read questions and answers by syndicated columnist Barry Stone.
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As a buyer, you can be present on the home inspection (and we really recommend it). Being there gives you a chance to ask questions, to see and discuss what Mark has found, and to ask other questions about your new home. Some of the areas inspected include: structure, heating and cooling, roof, electrical system, plumbing and fixtures, attic, basement and/or crawl space, foundation, gutters, insulation, interior and exterior walls, porches and decks, and the water heater and appliances.

A good inspector helps both buyers and sellers become aware of any defects that weren't already known. (If they had been known, they would have been disclosed.) Please note: Sellers have no obligation to repair any defects. Repair requests are just that--requests. However, if an unknown defect is a safety issue, violates the then-current building code, or affects functionality, many sellers will accommodate the request in one way or another. A good inspection helps to put all those issues on the table so that everyone is satisfied with the transaction.

For information about various topics, just click on any of the links to the left or run your own search! One of our 600+ articles is posted below.

Pressure Relief Valve
Inspector's in the House by Barry Stone, Certified Building Inspector

Dear Barry
The inspector who checked my home recommended installing a pressure relief valve at the main water line, and the buyer insists that I comply. I checked with my neighbors, and no one on either side of the street has a pressure valve. If these valves are not standard equipment in my area, why should I pay to install one? Linny

Linny,
For some unknown reason, various building codes are routinely ignored, and because they are not enforced, lack of compliance becomes the standard of practice. In many areas, this has been the case with pressure relief valves on water supply lines to homes. Although required, they are rarely installed.

To determine whether water pressure concerns are warranted in your neighborhood, you should take a pressure reading. The maximum pressure allowed for a residence is 80 pounds per square inch. In the event of excessive pressure, there is the possibility of plumbing leakage, especially at appliances.

The most common method for preventing water pressure problems is to install a pressure regulator, rather than a relief valve. But regulators should be checked periodically to be sure they are
in functional condition, as failures are quite common.

To test your water pressure, a gauge can be purchased for
about $10-15 at most hardware stores.

Distributed by Access Media Group. To write to Barry Stone, please visit him on the web at www.housedetective.com.