Hello All,

So a few days ago I put an offer in on a house built in 1978 that got accepted. I am aware of the dangers of lead based paint, and thus have steadfastly avoided purchasing houses that were constructed before 1978 as this was my understanding of the rule. I was feeling reasonably comfortable with my soon-to-be-purchase, until I received a lead-based paint addendum stating the risks of lead paint in the house. This raised some concern for me, as from my understanding I thought there was little to no risk for a house for houses built in 1978 or later. Now that the risk of lead based paint seems a little more real to me, I'm curious if anyone has ever purchased a house that was built IN 1978 and if they had any Lead-based paint issues. Some other questions I have are as follows:

What are my risks in buying this property? and How can I mitigate this risk?

 I understand you can self-test or pay for tests on lead based paint. Does anyone know how much these things cost, and how reliable they are?

If I plan to rent out this house, what does this mean for me from a legal standpoint? Am I required to get it tested? Could this potentially make my house harder to rent? If so, how much harder?

Again if anyone has experience in this I would sure appreciate your insight. Thanks ahead of time.

- Travis G.