Can your Home affect your Health?

Have you ever thought about Health problems that might be originating from your home?When was the last time you seriously considered Mold an issue? Yep, that’s the yucky stuff that likes to grow in moist areas….well, heck, moist? We’re in Colorado! And we’re in a drought! Why should we worry about it? Because Mold will grow on porous surfaces, like drywall, grout, studs and more. And it doesn’t need to be moist in the sense of swamp like conditions. Steam from the shower that’s not vented or a dripping pipe behind your drywall are all that’s needed to grow mold. There are a variety of issues associated with Mold, you can check out all the details you could ever think of at the EPA Page.

What about Radon? Radon is a cancer causing Gas, that you can neither see nor smell. How do you know if you should be concerned? You can have your home tested (or test it yourself) and if it turns out that you do have Radon above the acceptable limits, you can have a Radon Mitigation System installed to reduce the amount of Radon in your home, to acceptable levels. According to the EPA, January is the best month to have your home tested. For additional Information, check out the Radon Home Page.

The third item might be of concern to you, if your home was built prior to 1978. What is it? Lead. In regards to your home, specifically Lead based paint. Exposure to Lead via deteriorating paint, lead dust or paint chips (with lead based paint), can lead to a variety of health problems, for both adults and children. If you are not sure if your home has lead based paint, you can have a risk assessment done to determine your risks and a course of action to protect yourself. Again, the EPA page is a great resource for any questions you might have in regards to Lead.

Colorado Springs Real Estate Information brought to you by the Colorado Highlands Group

Are we cooking now? (Meth and Homes)

Are we cooking now?
With Real Estate Investing being one of the latest and greatest hot things – many “Newbies” have thought about investing and have come to the conclusion, that it might be the way to increase their Wealth, maybe have some Cashflow and/or Tax Benefits. Great!

Before you make that first leap tho, keep in mind: Investigate, investigate, investigate. Specially if you are looking into purchasing Foreclosure Properties for flipping. The likely-hood of those properties, having had issues with Meth is higher than non-foreclosure properties. It is possible that either Meth was being used in those properties, or being produced, commonly referred to as “cooked”.

FYI: What constitutes a Meth or Drug Lab? Any areas, where a controlled substance has been either manufactured, disposed or stored.

Let’s say you have found an Investment Property that meets your criteria, have written an offer and it has been accepted by the Seller. At this point, you are considered as “being under contract”.

After inspecting the property a little closer, you develop a suspicion that the property might have been used as a Meth Lab, or had someone using it. You can have it tested by an Industrial Hygenist. (Some of the signs might be yellowish stains on the walls, metal fixtures that look rusted, strangely colored stains, vast amounts of chemicals etc in unusual places, strange ammonia like smells, etc.) As the Buyer you have the right to cancel your contract if the property tests positive for Meth.

If you decide to go ahead an purchase the property, keep the costs in mind. The initial testing costs approx $1500, the following clean up can range from $15000 for a 1-Bedroom Home to above $45000 for a 3-Bedroom Home.

Meth poses a serious health risk, for anyone who is exposed to it. If you are concerned about purchasing a possible meth lab property – check out the Colorado Springs Police Website, with a detailed list of all know Meth Properties.

Colorado Springs Real Estate Information brought to you by the Colorado Highlands Group