Environmental Issues When Buying A Home
I recently had to renew my real estate license for another 4 years and, as part of that process, had to take 45 hours of continuing education. I’ve been selling real estate for 16 years and, after all of that time, you start to think you know it all. Clearly, I was wrong, because I learned a lot from taking these courses.
The course that covers environmental issues in homes was of particular interest. I thought that some of the things I learned might be of help to my readers, so my next few articles will cover some of the environmental issues people need to be aware of. Today, I’ll talk a little about asbestos.
Asbestos: Pretty much every structure built between 1920 and 1978 contains products in which asbestos can be found. For many years, asbestos was used in roofing and siding materials, floor and ceiling tiles, putties, caulks, paints and pipe insulation.
Any level of asbestos in the atmosphere should be considered harmful. Generally, if you leave asbestos alone and don’t disturb it, there should be no problem. However, if it is disturbed, and gets into the air, it is very harmful and can cause lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma (another type of cancer.)
One of the most common places that asbestos can be found in our area, is in the “popcorn” ceilings found in so many homes. Oft times, homeowners don’t like the look of these ceilings and want to remove them. I have seen many people take out these ceilings without taking the proper precautions and they are, seriously, risking their lives and the lives of their families. Ideally, these ceilings should be left undisturbed and simply be covered with new sheet rock, but if they are taken out, it should be done by people spefically trained to remove them.
If the homeowner insists on removing them his or herself, they should (at a minimum) follow the following procedures:
…Seal off the work area with plastic sheeting and duct tape.
…Be sure to avoid tracking the asbestos dust into other areas of the house.
…Do not dust, sweep or vacuum particles containing asbesetos fibers. The dust needs to be removed by a wet mop procedure.
…Wet the asbestos with a hand sprayer using a fine mist. You can put a small amount of dish or laundry soap in the sprayer to help the water to penetrate the asbestos.
…You should wear an approved respirator, protective goves, hats and clothing. They should be thrown out after use in the room you are cleaning.
…The asbestos, as well as anything used in the clean up should be taken in plastic bags to approved landfills.
The bottom line is that, while removing these ceilings may not seem to be a big deal, it can cost you your life simply to save a few dollars. It’s always better to hire a professional to evaluate and remediate these types of problems.
Another area where we see a lot of asbestos material is in the furance duct work from the old furnaces. Usually, these can simply be wrapped with an approved material and should not create any problems. Again, always take safety precautions while doing this work…gloves, masks, etc.
Old linoleum or tiles that may contain asbestos can simply be covered with new flooring thereby encapsulating the asbestos and keeping the particles out of the air. You would cover the floor with new underlayment material and then install the new flooring over it.
Needless to say, this is just a snapshot of the various ways to handle asbestos in your home. When in doubt, be sure to contact the Environmental Protection Agency to make sure that you are handling these materials in a safe fashion.
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4 Responses to “Environmental Issues When Buying A Home”
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Great post – environmental issues can really become a problem in a transaction if an agent is not aware of the fixes that can resolve the problem.
Hi Kathy
very important subject, and like most real estate situations, information is the most important piece. Once informed of the options an infomed consumer can dedide which direction best suits their personal needs. Personally over the past 40 years i have found most home owners leave it alone until they remodel their home and then have it professionally handled. Not aware of any particular single family home that has been singled out over the years with a major problem in our area.For most a part of maintenance on ou still most valuable possession.
Thanks, Kathy.
I agree the 45 hours Continuing Education requirement is very important!
Brian
ok, I can’t wait to take my 45 hours C.E.
One of my clients, as part of the property inspection, had a sample of the popcorn ceiling tested for asbestos. Property was buil after 1978, but he wanted to be certain that there was no asbestos presence in the ceiling. Luckily, the test came out negative, no signs of asbestos.