Is Asbestos a Deal breaker?

Question

Hey everyone! Just closing on my HELOC today and naturally I have diving deep into the market looking for my first BRRRR house. I came across a small home in a prime location listed for a good price that needs obvious work based on the photos alone. In viewing the details on the listing, I saw asbestos listed under the building materials. Never having done this before I know certain factors that are considered "scary" can be a plus when negotiating for a great deal but I'm not quite sure if asbestos falls into that category or if I should abort mission and send my search elsewhere?

Account Closed · Answer

Your options vary by state. Asbestos appears in some ceiling treatments, wrappings around pipes, insulation, flooring and house siding. It really depends on what is affected. I met with the chief inspector of abatement for the state, years ago. His comment was that if you worked in a shipyard or an asbestos mine for decades, you probably have a medical problem. Assuming you aren't a miner, or a ship builder and want to proceed, you start by spraying the ceiling with water and keeping the material wet and scraping the ceiling with a flat shovel which removes the popcorn. You wear gloves, mask, and a painter's suit, open the doors and windows to ventilate and put material into heavy duty construction garbage bags. Takes about two hours per room. I've done several. You wear the equipment because you are paranoid, not because you are in imminent danger. But, it doesn't hurt to wear the suit to keep the itchy material off your skin anyway. Shower afterwards, wash clothes as usual or discard.Same type of thing when it's linoleum or vinyl on the floors. When it's on pipes, I just leave it alone unless it's loose. If loose, I wrap it with vent tape. If it's the siding, that is a much bigger and more costly job. If it's in good shape, I put a couple of coats of paint on it to seal it in. If it's in poor shape, I pass of the project. Here's a pretty good article https://www.hunker.com/1372182... "If your home was built before 1980, there's a good chance some of the materials used to build it contain asbestos. This doesn't necessarily put you at risk, however. As long as the asbestos is locked into the material and can't become airborne, it may pose little risk to your home's occupants."

Alecia Loveless · Answer

@Lauren Crissman At least in New Hampshire if it’s asbestos siding you can side over it with regular stuff and thus encapsulate it and have no more issues with it.

Lauren Crissman · Answer

Thank you all, so what I'm gathering is this isn't a deal breaker and what's most important is addressing it appropriately with trained professionals (which I most certainly am not).

Edward Dean · Answer

Many older homes have at least some asbestos in the property. Depending on the area and age of the homes in the area you are considering, you could be severely limiting your options if you completely nix any home that has asbestos in it. Do your research and find contractors who are knowledgeable in working with asbestos and it should not be an issue. If you are doing the demo yourself, look into the protective gear you need so you don't breathe it in or get it in your eyes (I'm not a contractor but my understanding is that asbestos fibers are very tiny and there are specific items you will need to properly protect yourself). Here in my area of Southern California we had to use an abatement company for one our jobs that had asbestos in the property, so also look into the rules and laws in your area for how you/contractors are supposed to handle the material and make sure they follow them. Other than that, it is just another dollar item to factor into your project so get bids to help educate yourself on the extra cost and factor that into your analysis and negotiations on the purchase. Best of luck!

Caroline Gerardo · Answer

You unlicensed cannot touch asbestos tiles on exterior of house, or insulation or wherever it was used. Often used before the late 1970's as cheap material and we didn't know it frays and gets lodged into lungs. The cost to remediate is higher than a typical rehab. It all depends where the material was used and if it is still in solid condition. Get boots on ground to inspect.

Richard F. · Answer

Aloha,I feel I can state with certainty that you CANNOT just bag the material in heavy duty bags and haul it to the landfill. It needs to be identified as hazardous material, and disposed of per local law. The EPA takes it very seriously if you get caught not following protocols. Proper abatement, depending on type and amount of material, can be very costly, so DO contact abatement professionals.

Jaylan Archer · Answer

Hey Lauren!Definitely wouldn't hold me up in Maine or NH. Like others have said you can just side over it if it is just the siding. We haven't seen any regulation or restrictions about that yet but there is the possibility that codes could change for asbestos.That is just for siding though - as obviously asbestos can be found in various places like flooring and insulation.

Andrew Syrios · Answer

Not a deal breaker but definitely something you should be careful with and need to account for with a larger rehab budget.