Why It Is Vital To Test Your Home For Asbestos BEFORE You Buy It

So many homeowners make the mistake of buying a home without ever having the home inspected. Those that do have the home inspected usually skip one important test: the asbestos test. Either it does not occur to them to have the home tested, or they falsely assume that asbestos could not possibly be present or hurt them because the walls have been painted over and the pipes are covered in foam. Actually, that is not very accurate thinking, and here are some very important reasons why it is so vital to enlist a service for residential asbestos testing before you ever make an offer to purchase a home. 

Homeowner's Insurance Does Not Cover Asbestos Abatement or Cleanup

Read several homeowner's insurance polices. Very few of them cover asbestos abatement and cleanup. The insurance companies will also tell you that they do not assume financial responsibility for something a homeowner failed to check before buying a house. If you test the home before you buy it and find asbestos, you might be able to negotiate a lower price with the seller. If you buy a home without first doing a residential asbestos testing, you are on your own when you discover high levels of exposed asbestos in that home. 

Asbestos Is Not Just Around Pipes or in Walls

Homeowners are often surprised to learn that asbestos was incorporated into a lot more than just insulation and non-flammable drywall. It was part of the manufacturing of linoleum, tile, and black mastic (flooring glue) in the seventies and eighties. It was also used in attic insulation at the same time.

You could be walking on asbestos under the newer carpets in the house or under the kitchen flooring you currently see. If you have a mind to check out the attic before you buy the house, you could also be exposed to asbestos already. Some homeowners end up losing their entire homes because there is so much asbestos in it that one wrong remodeling move could cost them their lives. (These homes are usually vacated, and homeowners are forced to level the homes and remove all of it via an asbestos cleanup crew!)

You Do Not Want the Biggest Investment of Your Life to Be the Thing That Gives You Cancer

Imagine that--you spend upwards of a hundred to five hundred thousand dollars, and your home gives you cancer because it is loaded with asbestos. That is not what people think of when they imagine a "dream house," to be sure. Since you can require the current owner to clear the house of all asbestos before you make an offer, it just makes sound financial and personal health sense to have the home tested.