The seller informed the home inspector that an engineer had inspected the property when he initially purchased it. The seller, who was then a buyer, had been present at the time of the inspection, which is always a good idea.

The engineer found nothing unusual with the foundation, given its age. The settlement appeared to have occurred long ago and was not indicative of an ongoing problem. Based on this information, the buyer went ahead with the purchase.

Years later when this buyer, now a seller, searched for the engineer's report to include with his disclosures on the property, he couldn't find it. He then recalled that because he had been present at the inspection and was pleased with the results, he did not pay the extra fee to have the report put in writing.

This is a common occurrence in the home-buying business. Buyers are encouraged to have a property they are interested in thoroughly inspected before they go ahead with the purchase. The cost of having various inspections done can mount up.

Many buyers stretch financially when they buy, so the temptation is great to skimp on inspection costs. However, if defects are discovered during inspections, you would need written confirmation if you hope to negotiate a concession from the seller.

There are pros and cons to foregoing written inspection reports. One is that it usually costs less. Also, buyers who make an offer in a place like Berkeley, Calif., where multiple offers are still fairly common, are forced to pre-inspect the property so that they can make an offer without including an inspection contingency.

In this case, the buyers might pay for a verbal inspection to keep costs down until they find out if their offer is accepted. If it is, it's a good idea to pay the extra amount for a written inspection report.

HOUSE HUNTING TIP: A benefit of having written reports on a property you're buying is that it documents the condition of the property at a point in time. Then when you sell five or 10 years later, you can make this information available to the buyers. This can clear up uncertainty about whether or not an issue is new or was there many years ago and has remain unchanged.

The presale home inspector in the above example recommended in his written report that an engineer look at the foundation. The seller ended up hiring an engineer to do a presale inspection because he had no written record of the report done at the time he purchased.

As a seller, it's usually in your best interest to order further inspections that are recommended, particularly ones that will be a concern to buyers. This way, you're in control of who does the inspecting. A buyer can always get a second opinion, but at least you have a report to back up your position if the buyers try to negotiate the price based on inspections.

THE CLOSING: There are times when it makes sense to get verbal opinions. However, if you're a seller and you're going to make presale inspection reports available to buyers, they should be written. This way, the opinions on the property's condition are coming directly from the inspectors and are not just hearsay from you. Note that seller disclosure laws vary from state to state.

Dian Hymer is author of "House Hunting, The Take-Along Workbook for Home Buyers" and "Starting Out, The Complete Home Buyer's Guide," Chronicle Books.

A: GFCI stands for ground-fault circuit interrupter. A GFCI outlet reacts much more quickly to the presence of an electrical short circuit than a standard circuit breaker does, so they provide additional protection against the possibility of injury should an appliance, tool or other electrical device malfunction.

The electrical codes throughout the country require the use of GFCI outlets adjacent to any sink in the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room or similar area; for garages and exterior outlets; and in certain other specific areas such around whirlpool bathtubs. You can check with your local building department for a complete list of GFCI requirements.

GFCI outlets are easily recognizable by the "test" and "reset" buttons located on the face of the outlet, and they should be regularly tested in order to confirm that they are operating correctly. To perform the test, simply plug a circuit tester into the outlet and press the outlet's test button -- the light on the tester should go out. Press reset, and the light will come back on. You can also plug in an electrical device such as a radio or a lamp and test the outlet that way, but a plug-in circuit tester -- available inexpensively at any home center or electrical supply retailer -- will also confirm that the outlet is properly wired and grounded.

Q: I live in an old house that was built in 1907. I want the garage to have a patio door to be able to see and go out to the backyard garden. I need to cut part of the foundation to do this. Is it OK to cut the foundation? Is this safe? --Midori C.

A: A foundation consists of two parts. The footing, which is wider than it is high, is the lowest part of the foundation and is intended to distribute and transfer the weight of the building evenly over the ground. On top of that is the stem wall, which is higher than it is wide and is used to raise the structure above the surrounding grade. In most cases it is OK to cut into the foundation stem walls in order to install a new door, provided that the footing is not cut. You would want to use a licensed concrete-cutting contractor to do the work, and he or she can determine if there are any other circumstances at your particular home that would prevent them from making the cut.

Q: Can all types of paint be tinted? Also, how much do they usually charge to add the tint? --Jim

A: Virtually all paints and primers can be tinted at your local paint store, although there are some types of paint that are pre-colored at the factory and can't be tinted. When you select a color from a paint chip, the store will begin with the appropriate white tint base, and add tinting colors as needed to get to the right color. If you want a primer tinted to go with that paint color, they will typically tint it to about half the shade of the finished color.

If you have a specific color that you want to match, any good paint store will custom blend the paint to match whatever sample you bring in. And while home centers are fine for mixing a paint to match one of the color chips for the product lines they sell, I have found that it takes the experience and keen eye of the people in a paint store to do very accurate paint and stain color matches.

As to cost, if you are buying the paint from that store there should be no charge for tinting. If you bring in your own paint and want to have it tinted, or if you have a particularly difficult color match, the store may charge you a small hourly fee.

Remodeling and repair questions? E-mail Paul at paul2887@ykwc.net.