Fannie Mae Foundation: How to Buy a Home

Environmental hazards
to investigate

Although Looking further is an optional lesson, it is important to at least touch on the information addressed on this page with all students.

1. Bring in flyers that discuss each of the environmental hazards described. You should be able to obtain this information from your local Environmental Protection Agency or Department of Public Health. Realtors may also have the information.

2. Point out that these hazards should be investigated whether you rent or own.

3. See if you can find magazine or newspaper articles describing the hazards of lead poisoning. A pediatrician may have this information. Point out that lead poisoning is particularly dangerous to children because it can cause mental retardation and other developmental problems. For this reason, most children have blood taken to test for lead poisoning sometime
during their preschool years. If you have students with young children, be sure to ask if their children have been tested for lead poisoning.

Going further
You may be able to find a speaker who will come to your class to talk about environmental hazards. Call your local public health department to see if it can suggest speakers you might contact.

Unit 2 : Lesson 3: Deciding how much to offer

Looking further

Environmental hazards to investigate

In addition to the basic terms of the sale, you may include certain contingencies in your contract.

For example, you may want the purchase to be contingent upon a professional home inspection and a termite inspection. But there may be other environmental hazards you should also investigate. You should make a point of asking your real estate agent and home inspector if there is a chance that any of these environmental hazards might apply to the home. You can also contact your local public health department or regional Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) office if you have any questions about environmental hazards in your area.

Although chances are that none of these environmental hazards will apply to your home, it is better to be on the safe side and make sure you have investigated any potential problems. This is especially true if you are pregnant or have infants and small children in the home, if you are purchasing an older home, or if you plan to make renovations to an older home.

Here are important hazards you should know about.

Radon

Radon is a natural, odorless gas that can seep into houses and cause major health problems. For this reason, many home buyers insist that the house be tested for radon. For more information about radon in your area, call your state or county public health department.

Lead-based paint

If the house you want to buy was built before 1950, you can be almost sure that lead-based paint was used. There is a good chance it was used in any house built before 1978. Exposure to lead paint can have serious consequences, especially for infants, young children, and pregnant women. Even lead-contaminated dust from children’s hands and toys can pass to their mouths. Renovation projects in older homes that disturb the lead-based paint can be especially dangerous.

Before you finalize a sale on a house built before 1978, the seller or real estate agent must, by law, give you written information about lead hazards and tell you about any lead paint hazards in the house that he or she knows about. The seller must also give you 10 days to have an inspection completed. You should make sure any inspector you hire has taken an EPA course, or is certified in your state. You should never attempt lead-based paint removal yourself. For more information in English and Spanish, call the federal information hot line at 1-800-LEADFYI.

Asbestos

Asbestos is a material that, until about 20 years ago, was often used in housing insulation. Today, it is considered a health hazard and is no longer in use. If you are purchasing a home over 20 years old, you should ask about asbestos and get a professional inspection if you suspect it might be present.

Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is a colorless, gaseous chemical compound that was an ingredient in foam used for home insulating until the 1980s. It can cause irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, and is suspected of causing cancer. A qualified building inspector can examine your home for formaldehyde-emitting materials.

Hazardous waste sites

The EPA has identified more than 30,000 potentially contaminated waste sites in the United States. If you think you may be living near one of these, you should contact your regional EPA office for more information. Your neighbors may also be able to tell you about community organizations that have information about the problem.

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