Should I Be Concerned About Toxic Materials in Older Houses?

When it comes to toxic materials in older houses, there are three primary materials to be concerned with: lead, asbestos, and radon. Other toxic and unhealthy materials and conditions could be present in older houses, such as mold, or formaldehyde, but this blog will focus exclusively on lead, asbestos, and radon. When It Comes to Lead and Asbestos, 1978 Is An Important Date 1978 is when Congress passed national legislation to outlaw the use of lead and asbestos in construction...

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Asbestos for Home Buyers and Sellers – A Need-to-Know

Homebuyers and home sellers have a lot of questions about indoor air quality and for good reason; most Americans spend at least one-third of their day inside their house. If breathing the air could make you sick, that is a big deal. Unfortunately, as I point out in my book, The Confident House Hunter, many indoor air quality problems are difficult to inspect for or gauge accurately because they lack easily definable metrics. This leaves uncertainty regarding things like mold,...

Asbestos Need-to-know: Critical clues for Inspectors when asked about asbestos

Homebuyers have a lot of questions about indoor air quality and for good reason; most Americans spend at least 1/3 of their time every day inside their house and if breathing the air could make you sick, that is a big deal. Unfortunately, many indoor air quality problems are difficult to inspect for or gauge accurately because they lack easily definable metrics; this leaves uncertainty regarding things like mold, formaldehyde, pets, rodents, and other peculiar odors. One indoor air...