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.

LIABILTYýS FOR SELLER IF BUYER REFUSED TO HAVE INSPECTION
Inspector's in the House by Barry Stone, Certified Building Inspector

Dear Barry,
I am presently selling my home and have given full written disclosure of all known defects, such as missing tiles and mildew stains in the bathroom. The buyers want to bypass a home inspection because they need to close escrow by a specific date, but this worries me. What are my liabilities if the house inspection is waived by the buyer and unknown problems are later discovered. I didn't put 'sold as is' in my contract and am wondering if something can be added to protect me. What do you advise? Joe

Dear Joe,
Any buyer who would forego a home inspection for the sake of closing escrow on time is either uninformed or not thinking clearly. As often stated in this column, there is no limit to the kinds of problems likely to be found by a home inspector, and there is no home that is totally free of unrevealed defects.

Every house has flaws that are unknown to the owners. This is universally true, without exception, and examples abound. What homeowner would have knowledge of a faulty flue pipe in the attic, an overheated wire in the electric service panel, a damaged spark arrestor on the chimney, or an illegal gas connection at the water heater? Such conditions are not within the realm of general homeowner awareness, but such are the common findings of qualified home inspectors.

If your buyer opts out on a home inspection, here's one way to protect yourself from future liability: Type a short statement, declaring that you have disclosed all defects of which you are aware but that there may be other unknown problems which would be revealed by a professional home inspector. Then state that you strongly urge the buyers hire a home inspector and that you disclaim liability for any undisclosed conditions in the event that they waive that right. Have this statement reviewed by your attorney to ensure that the wording is as airtight as possible. Then submit it to the escrow officer and refuse to close escrow unless it is signed by all concerned parties. That should provide a significant measure of protection.

And remember to exercise your right to a home inspection on the next home you buy.

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