Be Wise in Choosing a New Home
- Environmental hazards can come from inside, such as lead paint or radon gas.
- Environmental hazards can also come from outside, such as underground storage tanks on
or near your land, contaminated ground water, nearby waste dumps, or noise pollution.
- Tips to consider.
- Numbers to call.
Below are listed some tips to consider before purchasing a home.
- Ask the broker, sellers, and neighbors about all possible hazards on or near the
property, the past uses of the land, and get their assurances in writing.
- Hire an independent inspector to inspect the property. Carefully check the
qualifications and references before hiring an inspector. Make sure that the inspection
company has financial standing to back up its findings. It should have "errors and omissions"
insurance to pay for any damages if the property does end up having environmental hazards.
- Have the property checked for radon gas by a radon tester that uses tamper-deterring
devices. Do not necessarily let the broker or real estate agent pick the site of the
radon testing--that is the tester's area of expertise.
- Former industrial areas and farmland sometimes have dump sites or underground
storage tanks on or near the property. Have the soil and water tested, visually inspect
the entire property, and check land records.
- Go to the property at different times of the day and week. Stay a few hours to
make sure the noise pollution is not a problem. This is especially important if you
are thinking of purchasing a home near an airport, major highway, or railroad. Do not rely
on the government to tell you of flight paths or highway noise. Find out for yourself.
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Where do you find out these things?
- If you are considering purchasing near an airport, contact the noise abatement or
community relations office of your local airport authority to obtain a copy of "noise
contour" map that shows the sound levels and current flight paths of planes at the airport.
(Refer to #5 above.)
- Read back issues of the local newspaper to find out about development and other
controversies.
- Check with the local zoning and planning departments to see their 5 and 20 year plans
of land uses and projects for the local area. If there is no plan, this can indicate that
there are not steps to stop major development near residential areas or other types of
problems such as that from occurring. The metropolitan office of the state department of
transportation should have development plans as well.
US phone numbers you can use.
- National Lead Information Center Clearinghouse: 1-800-424-LEAD
- National Radon Hotline: 1-800-767-7236
- Indoor Air Quality Hotline: 1-800-438-4318
- RCRA, Superfund, and EPCRA Hotline: 1-800-424-9346
- Safe Drinking Water Hotline: 1-800-426-4791
The best advice to take is to research, research, research. With homes not guaranteed to
increase in value these days, your home's environment is more important than ever. We
hope these tips will help you in your search.
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