Should You or Should You Not Buy a Home with Asbestos? Know Your Risks!

The real estate market is booming right now. It isn’t uncommon for potential homebuyers to have a tough time having an offer approved. More and more house shoppers are reporting putting an offer on two, five, or even ten homes before the seller finally accepts their bid. 

You found an older house you love and plan on revamping and remodeling it to be something truly great. Your offer is accepted and you’re moving forward to closing day, meaning you can have a professional inspection. Your life comes to a halt when the inspector discovers Asbestos in the new house. What do you do? With a housing market this hot, you may feel you don’t have a lot of options. 

Asbestos fibers may be released into the air by the disturbance of asbestos-containing material during aging, demolition work, home maintenance, repair, and remodeling. When this happens, the Asbestos is said to be “friable.” It can cause lung cancer (mesothelioma), asbestosis, and many other health problems. You’ll want to learn from the inspector if the Asbestos is already friable. Even if it is not yet friable, it could become so once your repairs and remodeling work begins. 

If you really love the place and want to own it by all means, then you will need to factor the costs of a complete and total Asbestos abatement project into what you’re paying for the home. Talk with the current owner about the expenses. If you don’t buy the house it’s quite possible they will be stuck dealing with this expense on their own, so it’s worth considering the two of you split the abatement costs.

If the costs to remove the Asbestos are too high and the current owner isn’t willing to help out, it’s recommended to skip this house and rescind the offer altogether. It is definitely not a good idea to invest in a house that has Asbestos, especially one that needs remodeling work done. You are putting your health and your finances in a perilous situation. This is definitely not a wise thing to do! It’s sad to let it go, but you’ll finally find another house- one that doesn’t have such a massive job waiting for you! Remember, your decision now impacts your health and happiness for years to come.

Friable Asbestos is extremely dangerous to human health and should always be removed by a professional. Ensure that you have the certificate of removal from a licensed company before you and your family actually move in. Those in the Bloomfield area have the Asbestos experts at Clean Cut Abatement to call upon. Call us today to schedule a consultation at 1-800-975-1697. We are fully equipped to handle any sized project, including your new house!