asbestos

[Kenneth LaVoie]

Hi
In my area (winslow, waterville area of central maine, 2 miles from Colby College) -- we have alot of really nice, but older homes with asbestos insulation on the pipes in the cellar as well as some furnaces that are "encased" in it. I know that this is ok to leave, or wrap, and is only a real issue if it's "friable" -- but I know it's also a long term liability down the road, especially come sales time, or if they pass more stringent laws. Does anyone here have opinions on this matter?

I just bought a 4 BR 2BA home for 63k, 10% down, 6% Owner finance for 20 years with 5 year balloon - will most likely attempt student housing here (we have colby and thomas college as well as KV tech school all with 2-4 miles) -- but it does have quite a bit of asbestos insulation on pipes (all in great condition)