Talk Dirty to Me

In my opinion, no two words are more terrifying to a home-buyer. The mere mention of these repugnant invaders will send a chill down your spine and bring drops of sweat to a savvy spender's brow. The first is merely a nuisance when it crops up on spoiled food. The second is a product that used to be considered a miracle... until scientists discovered that it gets into your lungs and kills you. Awesome. Our culprits?

MOLD and ASBESTOS

I never thought I would one day need to know what either of these things are, but guess what? They are part of the bargain when buying a home, especially one built over sixty years ago.

Today, we went back for a second round of inspections, mainly to check on things that the first inspection brought to our attention. It is always a good idea to get a specialist to come and have a closer look at any potential problems and he or she can also give you an educated estimate in case you are negotiating with the seller. Most of these guys will come at no charge in hopes of winning your business should you decide to continue with the purchase and fix the problem. Win win win.

So we had a chimney specialist come check things out and got the necessary information about the cost of fixing the chimney and the surrounding roof. We also had an HVAC (which stands for "Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning" in case you were wondering) specialist come check out the 40 year old furnace. The bad news? The furnace is almost twice as old as I am. The good news? It can be replaced pretty easily for a good price thanks to some tax incentives with energy-efficient machines (more to come on that later).

Nice Mr. Zipper (the HVAC specialist) poked around and then almost nonchalantly waved his flashlight around and asked if I knew about the moldy asbestos tape on the ductwork. Ummm excuse me??? The what???

My heart sank. My stomach flipped. My vision went fuzzy and my head pounded as my dreams of home-ownership plummeted around me. Mold and asbestos? Nothing could be worse, right?

Wrong. Turns out, small amounts of mold (unlike that seen in the picture) are not the end of the world. It is not good, but it happens. Now, if you have mold inside the walls and there are mushrooms growing in between your sheets of drywall... yes that is a problem. In general, however, keeping the area clean and dry is enough.

As far as asbestos, this material was once used in everything from battleships to hot plates. Mmmm let's cook with a material that has glass-like fibers that adhere to your lungs and kill you! In homes, you might find asbestos floor tiles, ceiling tiles, and even in duct tape. Is that ideal? No. But it can be easily fixed.

First, you can cover the asbestos tape with a layer of aluminum tape (stronger than plain ol' duct tape). The use a sealant primer paint (word on the street is that Kilz is the best) to cover the whole yucky moldy asbestosy mess. It seems overly simple, but apparently it is a legitimate fix for minor mold and/or asbestos infestation. Lesson learned: don't freak out prematurely. While you might hear things about bad bad bad stuff in your house, it is not always the end of the world. Almost everything can be fixed, and sometimes for as cheap as a can of paint and a roll of tape.

Special Note: Our friendly neighborhood home inspector Mr. B did NOT miss the mold or the asbestos tape. Turns out, an inspector can not tell a buyer that there is mold unless he is 100% sure that it what it is... and you can't know for sure without a $1200 test. If an inspector "scares off" a buyer by telling them that there is mold, he or she can be held liable for the sale. So open your eyes!