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Home > In the News > 2010 > September > Home buyers with chemical sensitivities should raise concerns early

Home buyers with chemical sensitivities should raise concerns early

Thursday 23 September 2010

From The Canary Report:

Posted on Sep 19, 2010 by Susie Collins in Blog, Healthy Living, Home & Garden, MCS, Susie Collins

From The Washington Post: For people who are seriously allergic or sensitive to common household chemicals, buying the right home is fraught with difficulty. But with a cooperative seller — and some important protections written into the purchase contract — the hazards can be manageable.

The Washington Post reports that people with serious allergies or sensitivity to common household chemicals should raise their concerns early when buying a home.

Highly sensitive buyers may need to avoid homes that have had any pesticide treatments; been recently painted; had repairs involving drywall, caulking, adhesives, glues or chemical finishes; had mold or moisture issues; or have elevated levels of radon. They may have to avoid homes with carpeting or that had smokers living there or air fresheners in use. Such buyers may think they are unique, but there are many people facing these issues. The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy generally defines these concerns as Type I Hypersensitivity disorders, which are also sometimes called atopic allergies. According to the Department of Pathology at the University of Cambridge in England, some 20 to 30 percent of the population exhibits some Type I Hypersensitivity.

The article goes on to tell you exactly how to proceed with the buying process including the most effective ways to raise concerns, how to create an introductory contract addendum to present to sellers before even touring a home – “it’s a property disclosure and disclaimer form, which all sellers are required to provide to prospective buyers, only in reverse,” – and how to make that addendum a part of the legally binding purchase contract.

The addendum would include more inspection contingencies than the typical termite, radon and general home inspections usually called for in a purchase contract. Buyers will want the legal right to hire an environmental inspector to check for levels of volatile organic compounds found in items such as paint, and for the presence of formaldehyde found in furniture made of pressed wood. Similarly, buyers will want to have a certified mold inspector check for elevated levels of moisture.

It’s a breath of fresh air to see this kind of informational article in The WaPo!

Thanks, Beck!

Photo credit.

The article originally appeared here.