It's an Optical Illusion

One of the first things Mark noticed about the exterior of the house was the leaning chimney. Mark being Mark, he was not content to trust what he saw but felt compelled to measure it. He measured the angle and then proceeded to calculate the weight of the bricks and the force with which they would hit the bass boat parked beside them if and when they should fall.

He was still outside looking at the Leaning Chimney of Frisco when the listing agent turned up. (We later learned that the listing agent was also the seller in this case.)

It was apparent to the agent that Mark was looking at the leaning chimney. "It's not leaning. It's an optical illusion. I had an engineer look at it."

As if that remark might alter Mark's opinion. However, it's Mark's policy to avoid interaction with sellers and listing agents that might lead to disagreement, except of course, if there is a serious safety issue. Getting hit with a ton of bricks is just such an issue. "Well, if anyone is out here when it falls, they'll be able to take cover under the boat."

The leaning chimney was included in the inspection report and the bass boat was moved before the inspection was over. I guess the listing agent/seller didn't want to buy the tenant a new bass boat in the event it was hit by an optical illusion.