Barry Stone

Q: We bought our home in wintertime, so our home inspector did not test the air conditioner. He said the outside temperature was too cold to run the system. But that left us with an undisclosed problem. The summer arrived with 100-degree temperatures, and we found that our air conditioner did not work. The contractor we called said the system had not been fully connected when it was installed, but this was not reported to us during our home inspection. Is the inspector liable for failing to report this problem?

Q: In a past article, you stated that an FHA appraisal is not a reliable disclosure document for homebuyers. In it, you advise buyers not to rely on the findings of an FHA inspection in place of a home inspection. I think that article was an unfair treatment of FHA appraisers and am wondering if you have changed your mind since you wrote it.

Q: Our home inspector seemed to do a pretty good job when we were buying our home, but after moving in, we found two problems that he missed. One of the window frames is cracked, and the ice dispenser in our refrigerator does not work. These things are obvious and should have been caught by our inspector. Can we ask him for compensation?

Q: When I bought my house, the home inspector found nothing wrong with the furnace, but his report says, “The furnace may need maintenance or repair soon.” This did not seem urgent at the time, so...

Q: We are buying a foreclosed home from a bank and are concerned about three issues. 1) There is a plumbing leak in the upstairs bathroom, with water dripping from the garage ceiling. 2) The previous ...

Q: Our home is currently for sale and is located across the street from a landfill that is not currently in operation. There is a tree buffer at the front of that property, so it is not apparent t...

Q: When we bought our home, no one disclosed the defective flat roof over our living room, not even our home inspector.

Q: We recently hired a contractor to enlarge our living room. But there is a dip in the wood flooring where the addition meets the original construction. When the work was still in progress, we notice...

Q: Six months ago, we purchased our first home. The house passed inspection, but within weeks of moving in we learned that there is asbestos in the basement, some of which needs removal. We also learned that the furnace is failing and needs to be replaced. We've also observed that rain runoff on the roof gets behind the gutters, wetting the ceilings, walls and basement.

Q: We bought a new house from a builder about a year ago. Our agent said we didn’t need a home inspection because the home was covered by the builder’s warranty. Since moving in, we’ve called t...