Question from kgbubble
Hi Debra,
We are going to be looking into buying a house soon, for the very first time. I want to go beyond the basic assessments done when purchasing a house to make sure it’s as non toxic as possible, prior to any remodeling on our parts. I wonder if you can point me in a good direction or a past post on this website, or a website with this information.
Additionally, if this hasn’t been covered here, what are some key points on purchasing a less toxic home? What should we look for? What should we have tested/inspected? I know, for example, that a lot of older homes have lead issues, but they also, according to some, have fresher air due to better circulation of outside air b/c of their leaky windows. thoughts? I want to go in eyes wide open, rather than having to do a lot of costly clean up after the fact. Building isn’t an option right now, b/c we likely won’t be here longer than 3-4 years. Thank you so much for helping us start this journey and Happy New Year!
Debra’s Answer
The subject of buying a nontoxic home is quite thoroughly covered in chapter 17 of my book Home Safe Home.
You specifically mentioned lead.I know here in Florida, the seller needs to disclose the presence of lead, that may be true in other places as well. You should also ask about asbestos in an older home.
You will, of course, want to have the home inspected by a standard home inspector, but they will not look for toxics issues. One of the things I do as a consultant is look at homes before people buy them, and I am available to go anywhere in the world to do this. You may be able to find someone locally who does this as well.
If you have questions as you are looking, you can also call me on the phone for a paid consultation.
