Sequim Real Estate & Homes For Sale – Sequim, Washington
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Archive for the ‘Asbestors’ Category
Asbestos
Author: Chuck Marunde13 Nov
Asbestos Removal and Greener Alternatives
There are many things to consider when remodeling or purchasing an older home. Homes built before 1980 have the strong likelihood of containing asbestos. Due to a steady progression of technology and green sustainable methods, there are many ways to ensure your home or property is asbestos free. If you are interested in saving money, remodeling and improving your carbon footprint, here is some information to get you on the right track.
Used in millions of homes throughout the last quarter of the 20th century, asbestos insulation can become a real dilemma for homeowners due to causing a variety of health problems, including Peritoneal Mesothelioma and Malignant Mesothelioma. These types of cancer take the lives of thousands each year.
Non-regulated asbestos material can be legally performed by homeowners, regular contractors, or licensed asbestos abatement contractors as long as the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) are not violated. Asbestos removal in public facilities, homes and workplaces must be undertaken by a licensed asbestos abatement contractor. Once the removal is complete, green insulation options should be given serious consideration, such as: Cellulose, Cotton Fiber and Lcynene.
The United States Green Building Council (USGBC), in a study conducted in 2003, estimated a savings of $50-$65 per square foot for well-constructed green buildings in the U.S. (see table below) during that year. The numbers continue to improve as more eco-friendly options become available, and those kinds of figures have finally begun to attract those who thought eco-friendly construction was just a bunch of hogwash.
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Port Angeles Homeowner Asbestos Victim
Author: Chuck Marunde19 Apr
A Port Angeles homeowner recently discovered asbestos in the material used in her popcorn ceilings. When she purchased the home that was built in 1975, she had no idea that the home had health endangering levels of asbestos.
People who have been exposed to asbestos in factories and shipyards and who have inhaled high levels of asbestos fibers are subject to an increased risk of lung cancer, including mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the chest and the abdominal cavity, and asbestosis, in which the lungs become scarred with fibrous tissue. The risk of lung cancer from inhaling asbestos fibers is greater for those who smoke. People who get asbestosis have usually been exposed to high levels of asbestos for a long time. The symptoms of these diseases do not usually appear until about 20 to 30 years after the first exposure to asbestos.
How could this happen to a home buyer?
The homeowner said she had a real estate agent representing her, and she paid for a home inspection, but she felt like “no one was watching out for her interest.” Estimates for cleaning up the asbestos and making her home safe to live in start at $5,000. After the down payment, loan costs, other closing costs, and with the “surprises” that already have cost her $10,000 before she could move into her home, an additional $5,000 is taking a tremendous toll on her.
Who is watching out for a buyer? Here are two traps for the unwary purchaser:
- State law takes the real estate agent off the hook as far as the seller’s representations in the Form 17 (Seller’s Disclosure Statement) are concerned (and in estate sales like this one, a Form 17 is not required), and
- Home inspectors have an escape clause in their contract, which states that they are not liable to the purchaser for such things.
Under the law real estate agents and inspectors in a case like this may have no liability at all, meaning they may in fact have complied with the law and done all that is required under their ethical codes. But under such a scenario as in this case, the homeowner gets thrown off the cliff, and everyone else gets a free pass. From the home buyer’s perspective, something is wrong with this picture.
How can I emphasize enough the importance of working with professionals who are competent and trustworthy, and who in fact watch out for the client’s best interests? In this case, it would only have cost $75 to test the ceiling for asbestos, but no one told the home buyer prior to closing. While the real estate agent and the inspector may not have been legally or ethically bound to tell the home buyer this, wouldn’t it have been in the client’s best interests to let her know her options? And where was the inspector in all this? Did he not consider the age of the house and the potential for asbestos? As between the parties, who has all the knowledge on these issues–a widow or a professional inspector or agent?
Be careful who you hire. You could end up a victim with no recourse, just like this widow.
Possibly Related Posts:
- Washington Seller Disclosure Statement Huge Failure
- Asbestos
- What are you looking for in a Realtor?
- The Price of Professional Incompetence
- Seller Misrepresentation
